Code compliance on supervisors’ agenda

Money-talk will dominate much of the upcoming Calaveras County Board of Supervisors meeting Tues-day, April 9. Three minute orders upholding code compliance violations will be up for adoption by the board. The items come on the heels of a recently released grand jury report, which found the county’s Building Department was backlogged with hundreds of complaints yet to be dealt with. Rebecca Callen, the county’s auditor-controller and treasurer-tax... Read More

CCWD chief warns of water grab

SoCal, Delta thirst for Sierra resource Concern is growing about the future of water supplies throughout the foothills, especially in light of a new Central Valley Delta water plan being rolled out and a continuing population increase throughout the state. Members of the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association who hail from 15 counties on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada are increasingly concerned about their ability to satisfy the potential... Read More

Protecting region’s special places is good for tourism, businesses

As a businessman in Winters, I am fully behind the effort to designate federal lands in the 100-mile stretch from Lake Berryessa to 7,000-foot Snow Mountain as California’s third national conservation area. Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Mike Thompson introduced the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act (S.483/H.R. 1025) on March 7, joined by co-sponsors John Garamendi, Jared Huffman, Anna Eschoo and Ami Bera. Berryessa Snow Mountain... Read More

Congressman John Garamendi calls Delta plan ‘irrational, destructive and foolish’

Garamendi said he is in the process of creating and presenting an alternative plan that will solve the water issues. He said it will be released “soon.” Read Story: Daily Democrat, March 20  Read More

Snow Survey Points to Dry Year

January through March may be the driest year since snow surveys began, but many reservoirs are full thanks to November and December rain and snow SacBee: Read Here Mokelemue Snowpack Ranges 0% to 74% of average. Read: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/COURSES  Read More

Reflecting on benefits after 40 years of Endangered Species Act

2013 is the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, intended to preserve the rich diversity of our nation’s wildlife. Sacramento Bee op-ed, March 23 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/23/5286232/reflecting-on-benefits-after-40.html  Read More

Board adopts Tulloch rental ordinance

After nearly two years of heated discussion and debate, Calaveras County supervisors approved a new ordinance regulating short-term rental properties at Lake Tulloch during Tuesday’s board meeting. The ordinance does not apply to other rentals in the county. The new ordinance requires all short-term rental property owners in Lake Tulloch subdivisions to file an administrative use permit prior to renting their properties. Permits can be revoked... Read More

Supervisors to get down to business

A special study session developing methods to improve economic development in Calaveras County will be the highlight of Tuesday’s Board of Super-visors meeting. District 1 Supervisor Cliff Edson, who is acting as the 1:30 p.m. study session’s chair, encouraged members of the public to attend and share their thoughts and recommendations with the board. Supervisors will also look at approving an additional $23,087 for Jenny Lind Elementary School’s... Read More

The Economic and Environmental Impact of CEQA

This study asks two questions: 1) what has been the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)’s effect on the California economy, And 2) what has been CEQA’s effect on the California environment? This study seeks to improve on existing research by addressing jointly with both quantitative analysis and cases studies the dual questions of what has CEQA’s impact been on California’s economy and environment. Read the study here: Econ-Environ-Impact-of-CEQA-Philips-March-2013  Read More

Calaveras sees more green in future

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer March 21, 2013 12:00 AM SAN ANDREAS – The “sea of yellow” is on its way out. Calaveras County officials use that term for areas marked in yellow on planning maps that have long designated huge swaths of the county for future rural housing tracts. Instead, a new map being created as the county updates its General Plan designates those areas in green and will consider them “resource production”... Read More