Placer County District 3 Newsletter

Happy New Year!

It has been a busy decade here in Placer County! Through partnerships and hard work, community members, public employees and elected officials throughout Placer County have completed an impressive list of critical projects that help make this a great place to be! One of the projects I am most proud of is the new Placer County Animal Services Center. Prior to opening its doors to the community in 2016 the animal services division was housed in an outdated building for decades. The facility’s deficiencies were identified in grand jury reports and Humane Society inspections, not to mention that it was just too small to accommodate the needs of a rapidly-growing county.

After several years of saving money for a new animal services center the Board of Supervisors broke ground on a new facility in May 2015. Because of the Board of Supervisors’ prudent fiscal policies and community support the building was constructed with no debt. The new facility provides an updated space for county staff, animal rescue groups and volunteers to house, care for and socialize animals. As an added bonus, the former facility received some needed updates and now houses Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, which works alongside our staff to care for rescued wildlife.

Another accomplishment that provides a great benefit to our community was the purchase of a 19-unit apartment building in Roseville by our Health and Human Services Department. Health and Human Services staff was able to successfully secure funds from the Mental Health Service Act to purchase the building and provide housing and services for people in need, which helps to break the cycle of homelessness. The County also received two $1 million-dollar grants from Sutter Health Foundation for housing homeless individuals and the mentally ill.

In the past 10 years important transportation improvements have also been made in Placer County. The Lincoln Bypass takes cars out of Downtown Lincoln and relieves congestion in the city core. This has served as a benefit to travelers between Placer County and the Highway 99 corridor, and Downtown Lincoln business as well. Another huge improvement to a major transportation log jam is the updated Highway 65/Interstate 80 interchange. Additional lanes on northbound Highway 65 and a dedicated lane on Highway 80 for traffic merging onto 65 have created a much smoother merge and greatly reduced the amount of traffic backed up onto Interstate 80. Even more impressive is that the Highway 65/Interstate 80 improvements were completed on budget and ahead of schedule.

The Board of Supervisors also recently approved the Sunset Area Plan and the Placer Ranch Specific Plan, which have taken more than 20 years to complete and obtain Board approval. These projects will bring a satellite campus of Sacramento State and Sierra College, as well as a Placer County Crime Lab. The Board of Supervisors also approved construction of a much-needed Health and Human Services building that will bring multiple services under one roof.

I continue to be proud of the great work our community, our staff and my fellow elected officials and I have accomplished over the past decade and I look forward to being a part of Placer County’s accomplishments in the next ten years and beyond.   

   
Warm Regards,

Supervisor Jim Holmes
           

The public safety power shutoff are taking a toll on the pocketbooks of thousands of Placer County residents and business owners. This, according to survey that was released in early November by Placer County to determine the local impacts related to October's Pacific Gas and Electric Company power shutoffs.
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