HAPPY MARCH
As we “march” toward the official start of spring (March 20), the pace of permit applications, construction, and real estate transactions continues to increase. The County’s own projects as well as many private and individual projects are moving forward in 2022. As an example, I had the chance to meet with our County Assessor Matt Maynard last week and he provided the following statistics from their office: recording of deeds was up by 34% last year, and new single-family homes were up by 56% last year. 2022 is already looking to surpass these numbers indicating the upswing in sales and development throughout our County.
As another example of progress, our incredibly dedicated staff working on affordable and workforce housing throughout the County provided me with a tour of the Mercy Housing project at the Placer County Government Center. The first residents have moved in and all the units are expected to be occupied by the end of March. Over 95% of the occupants are currently Placer County residents and the Mercy Housing staff shared that they are expecting almost 80 children between the families locating there. The ribbon-cutting will be later this spring and I hope many of you will drive by or attend and see the success of this project.
The June Primary Election is also quickly approaching. Last week, I participated in our Elections Department’s Candidate Workshop for those interested in running for local office. There was a good turnout of potential candidates interested in both County and local agency offices. As you know, democracy depends upon public involvement.
If you are interested in seeking an office, please visit our Elections site to review more details.
Below are the important dates to remember:
- March 11 | Close of regular candidate filing period. Extended candidate filing period begins for some offices
- March 16 | Close of extended candidate filing period
- March 17 | Random alphabet draw to be held at 11AM to determine the ballot order of candidates’ names
- April 11 | Write-in candidate filing period begins
- May 9 | Ballots will be mailed to all active registered voters by this date
- May 23 | Last day to register to vote for this election
- May 24 | Close of write-in candidate filing period for this election
- June 7 | Election Day
We are so very fortunate to live in a country where we encourage participation and involvement in our system of government. It is sometimes easy to forget how important it is to protect our democratic principles – not all in the world are allowed to participate freely. At the request of our public and members of Auburn City Council, on Monday we lit the historic Auburn Courthouse dome with the Ukrainian flag colors to show our support for those suffering from the invasion of their country.
Please feel to reach out to my office if you have questions on County business or activities. I can’t possibly do it by myself, my staff – Sophie Fox, District Director and Katelynn Hopkins, Deputy District Director – are great resources to help you navigate for assistance.
I look forward to seeing you at one of many upcoming events and meetings.
In service,
Cindy Gustafson, District 5 Supervisor
PLACER COUNTY BREAKS GROUND ON NEW HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CENTER
Construction of Placer County’s long-awaited Health and Human Services Center kicked off February 23 with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the building site in Auburn. WATCH VIDEO
The design team worked closely with our HHS staff to determine the work environment that employees felt would be most desirable. The design of this building really hits the mark, community space, collaborative space, inviting both outside as well as inside. LEARN MORE
SUPERVISORS DELAY INTRODUCTION OF NEW CAMPING ORDINANCE
The Placer County Board of Supervisors delayed the introduction of a new camping ordinance but accepted public comments from the community on the proposed ordinance entitled, “Camping and Personal Property Storage on County Property and Public Areas”.
We decided to delay the introduction of the ordinance to ensure our residents had enough time to provide their input and insight into the ordinance’s potential impacts. This is a very complicated problem and there are no easy answers. We intend to be as transparent as possible to address these very human issues and we are asking for residents and businesses to help us find agreeable solutions. LEARN MORE
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING IN AUBURN
TUESDAY, MARCH 8 AT 9AM
Location: The Domes
175 Fulweiler Avenue | Auburn, CA 95603
The Board of Supervisors meeting includes several items that are specific to Western District 5:
- Approve and Present a Proclamation establishing March 2022 as American Red Cross Month in Placer County
- Chance and Dean Rezone
- Ordinance Repealing and Replacing Placer County Code Chapter 12, Article 12.26, Entitled “Camping and Personal Property Storage on County
- Property and Public Areas”
- Short Term Rental Permit Fee Schedule Adjustment
These and other items will be presented at the meeting.
PLACER COUNTY INTRODUCES A NEW MICRO BIZ GRANT!
Microbusinesses in Placer County that were financially impacted by the pandemic can apply for relief grants of up to $2,500. The program includes a total of $412,500 in funding from the California Microbusiness COVID-19 Relief Grant Program. 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. The official deadline to submit your application is March 31, 2022. LEARN MORE
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR PG&E ABOUT REBUILDING AFTER THE RIVER FIRE?
Visit the Mobile Help Center
Sierra Vista Community Center
55 School Street, Colfax CA 95713
Thursday, March 10 | 9am-1pm
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is hosting a mobile customer help center in Colfax where anyone can receive in-person answers to questions about obtaining electric service while rebuilding after the River Fire. PG&E customer service representatives will be there on Thursday, March 10 between the hours of 9am to 1pm, weather permitting. Staff will be on-hand to answer questions and provide information on re-establishing power for rebuilt homes and businesses. Other topics in which PG&E representatives can walk customers through include the process of getting temporary versus permanent power, tree and wood removal and billing. In accordance with PG&E’s guidelines to ensure customer and employee safety, PG&E employees will wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines. Customers impacted by wildfires who are going to rebuild or have questions are urged to contact PG&E early and apply for temporary power by visiting their website or email rebuild@pge.com. LEARN MORE
PLACER SUPERVISORS SUPPORT PROP 47 REPEAL
Approved by the voters in 2014, Proposition 47 reduced certain theft and drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors and allowed broad changes to felony sentencing laws in California’s criminal justice system, reducing penalties for various drug and theft-related crimes. Proposed Assembly Bill 1599 would replace the proposition language with the state code language prior to its passage, except for certain provisions related to the penalty for possession of concentrated cannabis. If approved and signed into law, the bill would require approval by the voters in the next statewide general election. LEARN MORE
PLACER SUPERVISORS OPPOSE BILL ASSERTING SCHOOL COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE
Introduced in January, SB 871 would add the COVID-19 vaccine to the other vaccinations required for in-person school attendance and eliminate the personal belief exemption for COVID-19 vaccination as well as any future disease immunizations as determined by the California Department of Public Health. Under California law, students are allowed to skip vaccines required for in-person attendance at K-12 schools after a doctor says it’s medically necessary to do so. However, since current law only applies to previously approved immunizations, the state must offer broader personal belief exemptions for all newly mandated vaccines unless lawmakers and the governor override that requirement.
I do believe there are medical benefits to vaccines, but I believe it’s a personal choice. As long as we can take protective measures ourselves against those who have chosen not to vaccinate, then I’m OK with opposing any state or federal mandate on this. LEARN MORE
PLACER COUNTY REMOVES THE NAME SQUAW FROM ALL COUNTY-MAINTAINED ROADS
The Placer County Board of Supervisors voted to rename the three county-maintained roads that contained the word “Squaw” to alternative names. Squaw Valley Road was renamed Olympic Valley Road, Squaw Peak Road was renamed Shirley Canyon Road, and Squaw Peak Way was renamed Marmot Way. LEARN MORE
PLACER COUNTY EMPLOYMENT WEBSITE IS UPDATED REGULARLY
Check out Placer County’s employment website for a list of open positions, including internships. Job seekers can apply for positions and sign up for job alerts to be notified of openings.
APPLY FOR A JOB | SIGN UP FOR JOB ALERTS!
PLACER RANKS AMONG TOP FIVE IN CA FOR INCOMING INVESTMENTS
Placer County ranked fourth among all counties in California with the most incoming investments, according to a recent study by SmartAsset, a financial technology company. LEARN MORE
PLACER INTRODUCES NEW ORDINANCE TO COMPLY WITH SB 1383
A new county ordinance was introduced this week that, if approved by our Board of Supervisors at its March 8 meeting, would require residents and businesses to comply with state law SB 1383. The state law requires the reduction of organic waste materials sent to landfills, such as food scraps, green waste, paper and cardboard. LEARN MORE
PLACER’S NEW EXPEDITED ROOFING PROGRAM | LAUNCHED MARCH 1
Beginning March 1, customers with roofing projects can expedite the process with Placer County’s new Platinum Roofing Contractor Program from the comfort of their home or business. LEARN MORE
Contact information:
175 Fulweiler Ave., Auburn, CA 95603
Supervisor Cindy Gustafson: cindygustafson@
District Aide Sophie Fox: sfox@placer.ca.gov
Deputy District Director Katelynn Hopkins: khopkins@placer.ca.
Assistant District Aide Lindsay Thayer: lthayer@placer.ca.gov
