Jerry Brown blames climate change for state’s early fire season

California will have to grow accustomed to more forest fires as a consequence of climate change. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-fire-jerry-brown-global-climate-change-environment-wildfire-sparks-camarillo-20130506,0,6218955.story  Read More

Water element gains steam

By Joel Metzger | Posted: Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Joint agency effort urged After a failed initial attempt to add a water element into Calaveras County’s general plan, General Manager Mitch Dion of the Calaveras County Water District hopes to breathe new life into the effort. “The water element is essential because water is closely tied to economic growth and development, and it also is an underpinning of predictability of economic development in... Read More

Revised Time Line for General Plan Completion

A  letter from the Calaveras Planning Coalition pointed out the methods the department was using to secure a plan within 12-months – preparing the general plan document and the environmental impact report at the same time – was opening the county up to potential liability. Read the entire story on this page under Planning Updates  Read More

Copper holds town hall meeting with a twist

Nestled inside the Copperopolis Armory beneath paintings of Table Mountain and the historic schoolhouse, staff members of 25 local government departments set up folding display boards, laid out handouts and pamphlets and stood expectantly beside their displays, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a school science fair. It wasn’t a science fair, though; it was District 4 Supervisor Debbie Ponte’s Copperopolis twist on a town hall meeting, and... Read More

Small dam on Stanislaus floated

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – The age of massive hydroelectric dam construction ended several decades ago in the United States, but it could be that an era of building small hydro projects is just beginning. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would eliminate environmental hurdles for at least some small hydro projects – those on canals or pipelines operated by the U.S.... Read More

Fire district report suggests that fewer might be better

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras County’s 10 fire districts should consider consolidating into as few as four optimal districts, according to a new report written for the county Local Agency Formation Commission. The report found that many county fire districts operate on shoestring budgets and don’t have the necessary funds to replace aging equipment or make needed repairs to fire stations. Those... Read More

Builders constructing environmental agreements

By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 Near the peak of last decade’s building boom, air quality officials approved an innovative yet controversial rule holding developers accountable for new pollution caused by growth. But before long, there was no growth. Today, as construction activity resumes in south San Joaquin County and all along the Valley, builders are faced with the challenge of designing cleaner neighborhoods or paying... Read More

TUD wants promised NM water

Written by Chris Caskey, The Union Democrat April 10, 2013 http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/TUD-wants-promised-NM-water   Some Tuolumne Utilities District leaders want to see water from New Melones in local hands. The district Board of Directors on Tuesday discussed water allocations at the federally managed reservoir and a decades-old agreement that was supposed to allow Tuolumne County to purchase up to 9,000 acre-feet of water... Read More

Colleges’ promises unkept, critics say

By Alicia Castro | Posted: Friday, April 12, 2013 Residents pay taxes, get little in  return Many Calaveras County residents interested in community  college offerings are fed up with nearly $4.5 million in property taxes and bond  measure payments being funneled into two nearby college districts with few local  services offered in return. Valley Springs business owner Dave Tanner, who ran last  year for a seat on the Delta college district board,... Read More

What’s happening with Columbia College bond money?

Written by Brenna Swift, The Union Democrat April 12, 2013 When the Yosemite Community College District passed a  $326 million bond measure in 2004, one of the largest school bond  measures in California that year, Columbia College culinary students  hoped to get new digs out of the deal. Nine years later, the college plans to spend $9.2  million in bond money renovating the top floor of the building where the hospitality management program is... Read More