 New Vaccine Eligibility
#COVID19 vaccine eligibility increased on April 1st with 50 year-olds and over added to the list. Whether they’ll be able to get an appointment will depend on how many extra doses we get to cover the new population. And 16 year olds and over will be eligible starting 4/15.
Click here for more information on vaccine clinics and eligibility.
 On Tuesday, April 6th, the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the transfer of these two historical assets on Main Street in Downtown Placerville in Consent Item 8. Two entities, the City of Placerville and the El Dorado Historical Society, turned in proposals in 2020 for the Board to consider. On October 20, 2020 in closed session, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the proposal by the El Dorado Historical Society, with the Mineral and Gem Society as a secondary partner, to develop an Exploratorium type experience. Staff was directed to negotiate the purchase and sales agreement.
On November 9, 2020, El Dorado Gold 1848 was incorporated to create a museum. While the newly-formed non-profit included members from both the Historical Society and the Mineral and Gem Society, the Mineral and Gem Society itself withdrew as a partner in the project.
It is important to note that the City of Placerville presented their proposal last year in partnership with Arts and Culture El Dorado. Their professional proposal was years in the making, stemming from robust community engagement as well as recommendations from a community survey done by a joint City/County Blue Ribbon Committee and over 100 community interviews.
The proposal from El Dorado Gold 1848 has just been made public as of April 1, 2021. As noted above, the original proposal approved by the BOS in 2020 was from the El Dorado Historical Society as the primary partner and the Mineral and Gem Society as the secondary partner.
You can see the changes and evolution of the proposal from ED Gold 1848 in the agenda item linked below, as well as the proposal from the City of Placerville.
The action before the Board is to approve the proposal from El Dorado Gold 1848, and I encourage you to weigh in on this issue at our Board Meeting on April 6th.
Agenda Item Link including the 2 Proposals
Zoom Link to the April 6th BOS meeting
Write a letter to the Board of Supervisors
Free Transportation
 A message from El Dorado Transit...
Beginning Thursday, April 1, 2021 El Dorado Transit will offer free rides on our Local Fixed Route services to anyone traveling to or from their scheduled COVID-19 vaccination appointment. This includes all vaccination sites within the El Dorado Transit service area including hospitals, pharmacies, and other immunization locations.
To ride free passengers only need to present to the bus operator a COVID-19 vaccine appointment confirmation in the form of an appointment card, email or text with the passenger’s name and appointment information (date, time, and location). Bus route information is available at www.eldoradotransit.com. For passengers living outside of our service area please call El Dorado Transit at 530-642-5383 for more information.
The free ride program is scheduled to end on Friday, May 31, 2021. However, the program will be reevaluated at that time to determine if there is a need for it to continue.
For more information please visit El Dorado Transit’s website, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or call El Dorado Transit at (530) 642-5383.
TOT Revenue
 On March 30, the Board held a workshop on how to allocate our Transient Occupancy Tax Revenue which is derived from a 10% tax (12%-14% in South Lake Tahoe) for lodging stays under 30 days.
Before 2020, TOT revenue was allocated toward the promotion of tourism, entertainment, business and leisure travel in El Dorado County. Since then, the Budget Policy has been changed to be "directed toward the impact of tourism and economic development, with consideration for support of tourism and promotion activities within the County and for continued support for grant fund allocations to support Veteran programs".
TOT revenue is projected to come in at $5,553,907 with roughly 3/4 of the revenue being generated in the Tahoe Basin.
On March 9th, the Board had approved funding of $2,153,708 which can be seen in the presentation below. At the Workshop, the Board directed staff to fund these additional requests related to the impacts of tourism, with the balance to be drawn from designated reserves: $68,000 to EDC Fire, $500,000 for a Snow Plow, $1,300,000 for Road Maintenance, $142,500 for Code Enforcement, $85,000 for Sr. Dev Tech (to deal with VHR development issues) and $572,000 to Lake Valley Fire for emergency response in Tahoe Basin.
Finally, the Board authorized $350,000 from TOT Designated Reserves to be spent toward implementing Community Design Standards in both Community Regions and Rural Centers, with the full Board discussion to be had in concert with the budget process to come.
Workshop Slide Presentation
 A Message from PG&E:
"PG&E is working every day to improve the safety of our electric system and reduce wildfire risk. As part of this effort we have expanded and enhanced our vegetation and safety work. This includes addressing vegetation that poses a higher potential for wildfire work in high fire-threat areas, including within El Dorado County.
This enhanced vegetation management (EVM) work is expected to begin in your community in the coming weeks. Below and attached, please find a map of approximate work locations. We’ve also attached a KMZ file of the planned work".
PG&E’s EVM work includes:
- Exceeding state standards for minimum clearances around the power lines, including trimming overhanging limbs and branches above power lines.
- Conducting additional inspections, beyond our routine patrols, to remove dead, diseased, dying or defective trees that could harm power lines or equipment.
- Evaluating the condition of trees that may need to be addressed if they are tall enough to strike the lines or equipment.
If you have questions, please call their dedicated phone line at 1-877-295-4949 or email PG&E at wildfiresafety@pge.com. You can also learn more by visiting pge.com/enhancedveg.
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