Placer County District 5 Bulletin | February 18

By Cindy Gustafson | February 18, 2022 | Bulletin | No Comments

CELEBRATING PRESIDENTS DAY!

The anniversary of President George Washington’s birthday is the day we have chosen to honor all our current and former Presidents, as well as the democracy that allows us to choose our leader. The year after President Washington’s death, his birthday became a day of remembrance that has continued for 222 years. In 1971 it was officially designated as the third Monday of February and became “President’s Day”, combining not only President Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays, but also recognizing the lives and achievements of all our Presidents.

Placer County staff are busy with budget preparation for the 2022-23 fiscal year and I am focused on advocating for augmented budgets to address our major challenges in workforce housing, transportation, broadband and forest health initiatives. While the County can’t address these challenges on our own, with the support of our communities, our businesses, and our State and Federal representatives, I am very hopeful we will continue to expedite progress on each of these critically important issues.

In Service,
Cindy Gustafson, District 5 Supervisor

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING | FEBRUARY 22

The Board of Supervisors meeting includes several items that are specific to Eastern Placer County:

Public Road Name Changes: “Squaw” Named Public Roads in the Olympic Valley Area | Conduct a Public Hearing to approve the renaming of “Squaw Valley Road” to “Olympic Valley Road,” “Squaw Peak Road” to “Shirley Canyon Road,” and “Squaw Peak Way” to “Marmot Way” in the community of Olympic Valley.
Sierra Nevada Conservancy Wildfire Recover and Forest Resilience Grant Program 2022 | Adopt a Resolution ratifying the submission of a grant application to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Grant Program 2022 to receive $740,000 for the Placer County Wildfire and Forest Resilience Plan & Project Pipeline project and authorizing the County Executive Officer and Agricultural Commissioner/ Sealer, or designees, to execute any required documents or amendments necessary to complete the projects.
Supporting the National Designation of the Donner Summit Tunnels as a National Historical Landmark and Its Preservation Thereof | Adopt a Resolution supporting the National Designation of the Donner Summit Tunnels as a National Historic Landmark and its preservation.

These and other items will be presented at the meeting.

[VIEW FULL AGENDA]
[ZOOM LINK]

Additional News + Resources

PLACER TO GIVE OVER $412,000 IN MICROBUSINESS GRANTS

On February 16th, Placer County launched the Placer Micro Biz Grant Program, which will distribute $412,500 in relief funds to microbusinesses impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Microbusinesses in Placer may be eligible for up to $2,500 in grant funding. The grants are not loans and do not need to be paid back. The only exception is if the funds are not used, or if the funds are not used as stated on the grant application. To qualify, businesses must have five or fewer employees and less than $50,000 in revenue as of 2019, in addition to several additional eligibility requirements. Grant program eligibility requirements, applications, application assistance and frequently asked questions are available on the Placer Micro Biz website – CLICK HERE

SHORT-TERM RENTAL UPDATE

The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at the February 8th meeting to approve several proposed refinements to the short-term vacation rental ordinance aimed at addressing community concerns and preserving workforce housing availability. The approval will enable a replacement of the current short-term vacation rental permit ordinance; codified in County Code Chapter 9, Article 9.42.

The updated ordinance caps the number of short-term rental permits at 3,900 accommodating existing permit holders and previously approved exemptions that will need to apply for a permit and allowing for properties operating without an STR permit or active transient occupancy tax certificate to come into compliance with the proposed STR program.

Important Details:

Hotels, motels, timeshares, bed-and-breakfasts and condotel properties offered as hotel-type lodging would not be subject to the ordinance.
STR Permit holders will be required to rent their STR for a minimum of 30 nights a year to discourage the limited number of permits from going unused.
Owner-occupied properties will be exempt from the cap but still required to obtain a STR permit and otherwise comply with the ordinance.
All STR operators must obtain a business license and transient occupancy tax certificate from Placer County.

Further Ordinance Refinements:

Increased frequency of fire safety inspections
Increased time period for noise ordinance standards
Increased fine for ordinance violations

The moratorium remains in effect until March 31, 2022. The updated STR ordinance will be effective March 11th, including enforcement of updated standards for nuisance issues. The 2023 STR permit cycle will being April 1, 2022. The additional inspection requirements and ongoing evaluation of the program may increase the costs to the county for management and enforcement and therefore warrant an increase in the STR permit fees.

The proposed ordinance is one of several county efforts to address escalating housing challenges. A number of new workforce housing projects and programs are under development, and the county remains focused on incentivizing more hotel development to reduce pressure on the local housing inventory.

More Information:

SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTAL PROGRAM WEBSITE

SHORT-TERM RENTAL WEBINAR:
TOPIC | Implementation & Permitting
WHEN | Wednesday, March 16 at 6pm

EASTERN PLACER COUNTY TOWN HALL:
HOSTED BY | Supervisor Gustafson
WHEN | TBD – email to follow with details

SUPERVISOR GUSTAFSON’S LETTER REGARDING REGULATING
SHORT-TERM RENTALS IN EASTERN PLACER COUNTY

TART WINTER SERVICES + TART CONNECT

Help our environment and our congestion! As we head into another busy holiday weekend, I encourage residents and visitors to take advantage the FREE winter transit options. The winter Park + Ride lots in Truckee and Tahoe City offer service to Olympic Valley and Northstar California Resort. In addition, TART Connect offers free on-demand shuttle service in North Lake Tahoe with curb-to-curb service and connections, via the app or phone, and you will be picked up in as little as 15 minutes. LEARN MORE

COFFEE ANYONE?

As hard as we try, we can’t possibly meet with each of our constituents individually. Heading into spring, our office will be setting up coffees and visits throughout the District. Please let us know if you would like to organize one with your neighbors, friends, or service organizations. EMAIL US!

PLACER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSIONER NEEDED

Placer County Planning Commission has an opening for a seat to represent Eastern Placer County, which includes the North and West Shores of Lake Tahoe, Olympic Valley, Northstar, Donner Summit and areas surrounding the Town of Truckee. LEARN MORE

COMPOSITION | Composed of seven members:

1 from each Supervisorial District with terms concurrent with the District Supervisor and appointed by the Board
2 At-Large members appointed by the Board of Supervisors
1 At-Large member must be a resident of Placer County and reside at least part-time east of the Sierra Crest
1 At-Large member must be a resident of Placer County and reside at least part-time west of the Sierra Crest

The terms will be for four years.

REGULAR MEETINGS:

2nd & 4th Thursdays of every month at 10am
Planning Commission Chambers: 3091 County Center Dr in Auburn

PURPOSE | Principal advisory body to the Board of Supervisors on planning and related matters; accomplishes its mission by holding public hearings and making recommendations on proposed general plans, studies and zoning text amendments, reviewing and making decisions on major land development proposals and by encouraging citizen leadership and participation in the planning process.

COMPENSATION | $100 per diem and payment of additional expenses necessary to attend meetings and perform the duties of the office.

PLACER TO FILL 2 VACANT SEATS ON HOUSING TASKFORCE

Placer County is now accepting applications to fill two vacant seats on the Board-appointed Housing Development Advisory Taskforce: Seat 5, representing banking/mortgage lenders and Seat 6, representing attorneys experienced in housing/land use. LEARN MORE

COMMISSIONER LARA AND STATE EMERGENCY AGENCIES ISSUE “SAFER FROM WILDFIRES” FRAMEWORK TO PROTECT EXISTING HOMES AND COMMUNITIES

Drawing on the direct experience of first responders, fire safety experts, and the latest research on wildfires, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and emergency management leaders in Governor Gavin Newsom’s Administration today announced, “Safer from Wildfires,” a new insurance framework that incorporates wildfire safety measures to help save lives while making homes and businesses more resilient. “Safer from Wildfires” provides a list of achievable, effective actions that will help reduce risk for property owners, including community-wide safety recommendations to prevent the spread of wildfire to other properties. This is the first time that state agencies have been brought together to identify mitigation actions that insurance companies should consider for existing homes and businesses. READ MORE

REGIONAL FOREST HEALTH PROGRAM UPDATE

Kerri Timmer, our regional forest health coordinator, gave an overview of our regional forest health program. Since its creation in May 2021, Kerri has facilitated forest health management efforts in the county, while leveraging existing partnerships. We’ve made forest health and wildfire risk reduction a top priority and this program is one of the many ways we are working to ensure our communities are fire prepared! WATCH VIDEO

GIVE YOUR HOME A WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS MAKEOVER

If this last year taught us anything, it is more important now than ever to prepare our homes for emergencies. Please start now! Consider taking the time to give your home a wildfire preparedness makeover. We have many options to support defensible space work and property clearing!

175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn, CA 95603

Supervisor Cindy Gustafson: cindygustafson@placer.ca.gov

District Aide Sophie Fox: sfox@placer.ca.gov

District Aide Katelynn Hopkins: khopkins@placer.ca.gov

Assistant District Aide Lindsay Thayer: lthayer@placer.ca.gov