The recent winter storm activity has had a tremendous impact on many parts of El Dorado County. Currently, El Dorado County government is working with different partners on getting life back to normal. The latest updates are provided below.

Office of Emergency Services (OES) is currently working with PG&E and D.O.T. to coordinate responses, including numerous requests for search and rescue from Pollock Pines to Grizzly Flats. OES can be contacted at (530) 621-5895.

El Dorado County Emergency Preparedness is making the Placerville Library a public warming center from 10am – 8pm, and currently working to establish an overnight shelter.

El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office is continuing their ongoing efforts to do welfare checks, search and rescue, and several related inquiries. Sheriff can be contacted at  (530) 621-5655.

El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT) has rented additional equipment and is in the process of tackling the major snowfall. The goal is to complete road clearing before New Years. DOT can be contacted at (530) 642-4909 or by email at road.maintenance@edcgov.us.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is dealing with 112 separate outages affecting over 20,000 customers in El Dorado County. Power restorations will be extended until the first or second week of January. PG&E can be contacted at 1-800-743-5000.

Learn more from EDC Emergency Preparedness and Response

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) is promoting several programs that may benefit residents of El Dorado County. Programs that PG&E is promoting include Back-Up Power, Battery Storage, Weather Awareness, PSPS Shut-off Alerts and Address Alerts. In addition, PG&E offers a Safety Action Center to help residents begin engaging in wildfire preparedness. Currently, PG&E is working to restore power to residents of El Dorado County affected by winter storms.

Learn more about promotions from PG&E

Vacation Home Rental (VHR) properties have become popular in El Dorado County as wealthy residents from across California have been purchasing property to rent on a short term basis, often through mobile apps such as AirBNB or VRBO. These VHR properties are capitalizing on the ever increasing tourism of El Dorado County. The County Planning Department offers a County VHR Website to assist the local VHR industry. The County VHR staff can be contacted directly at 530-621-5355or emailed at vhrpermits@edcgov.us. Scheduling an appointment is also available for meetings in-person or by phone.

On Tuesday, August 24th, 2021, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors adopted a new VHR Ordinance adding a 500 foot buffer around all active VHR permits.  The 500 foot buffer went into effect October 1st.  However, pre-existing VHR permits in good standing are not affected. The reason for the buffer is noise complaints, among other complaints about VHR properties. To file a complaint about a VHR, contact 530-573-3300 or email vhrcomplaints@edcgov.us and share details about the VHR property, including your contact information. Anonymous complaints are not accepted, and complaint contact information is not shared. See County VHR Complaints Website for a more in-depth explanation of the process.

El Dorado County Planning Department has several resources to learn more about the VHR industry. Frequently Asked Questions, Locator Map, Rental Fees and VHR Code Enforcement are available, along with an updated Inspection Checklist, Meeting Details, Application Form and Application Wait List. The VHR Ordinance represents the current County VHR requirements, regulations and standards.

Learn more about Vacation Home Rental (VHR)

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) works long hours, all days of the year, and in any weather conditions, to keep people moving. Caltrans is responsible for highway safety and maintenance, such as road repair, emergency response, snow removal, and many other important duties. El Dorado County experiences high volumes of traffic that often require Caltrans to respond for safety concerns. Road work is inherently dangerous, so Caltrans makes safety a priority. The geography of El Dorado County is difficult to navigate, so Caltrans maintained highways are essential for safe and efficient travel.

Caltrans has several management districts, and El Dorado County resides in Caltrans District 3 (Marysville/Sacramento). Caltrans District 3 includes the following California counties: Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba. Public information is available from Caltrans District 3, and Caltrans road information is available at roads.dot.ca.gov. Caltrans can be contacted directly, or residents can submit a non-emergency customer service request. There are also job opportunities to work for Caltrans.

Learn more about Caltrans District 3

The weather and landscape of El Dorado County presents many natural obstacles for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to overcome as they continue their work throughout the year. DOT helps local residents navigate their work zones with Road Work Alerts. Previous work can be reviewed with DOTatWORK, while current and upcoming projects are listed by the DOT Engineering Unit, with long term projects listed in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC) helps DOT focus efforts for the Traffic Impact Fee (TIF) Program and with Transportation Planning. To report a road maintenance issue, contact DOT directly at (530) 642-4909 or by email at road.maintenance@edcgov.us. When reporting a road maintenance repair issue, please include the location, description of the issue, and contact information so DOT can reach out for more details.

County job opportunities are available with DOT!

Learn more from the Department of Transportation (DOT)