Workforce Housing and Housing the Homeless

On August 5, I joined officials from Nevada City, Nevada County, the Regional Housing Authority, and the Affordable Housing Development Corporation to officially break ground on the Cashin’s Field Affordable Housing Development. Located at 170 Ridge Road ...

Expanding High-Speed Internet Access

In late July, Governor Newsom signed SB 156, authorizing a $6 billion infrastructure investment to supply high-speed broadband internet access to unserved or underserved (i.e., slow internet connection) homes and businesses statewide by building a statewi...

Outdoor Recreation in Nevada County

In June, I attended the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) annual conference in Maryland. One of my goals at the conference was to advocate for our federal land managers, including the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, to be provi...

Cannabis

With the cannabis season in full swing, County staff have been extremely busy processing permits, conducting inspections, and responding to neighborhood complaints.  Cannabis staff have recently collaborated with the Sheriff’s Office and State ag...

Wildfire

As we all knew might happen, we have seen a major uptick in fire activity in August. There have been numerous vehicle fires that extended into nearby vegetation – a great reminder to be prepared with your go bag ready. On August 2, we saw a three-acre fir...

COVID-19 and Vaccines

Nevada County has seen a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases, the majority of which are the new Delta variant, which is twice as contagious as the original COVID strain. In fact, the week of August 2, Nevada County saw its highest weekly count of new cases f...

Nevada County Relief Fund Awards $192,500 to 79 Small Businesses

Thanks to an allocation of $250,000 by the Board of Supervisors to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, all the eligible small businesses who applied will receive a micro-grant of up to $5,000 from the Nevada County Relief Fund. 

The Nevada Co...

Local History and JEDI

Finally, I want to let you know about two subcommittees I serve on alongside District 5 Supervisor Hardy Bullock: the Historical Landmarks Commission Ad Hoc Subcommittee, and the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee. The first is examinin...

COVID-19 and Vaccines

Over 75,000 vaccine doses have been administered here in Nevada County. That’s fantastic news. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, and you are 12 years old or older, there are now even more places to get your COVID-19 vaccine. Nevada County Public Health has...

Severe Drought and Emergency Preparedness

Last week, the Nevada County Office of Emergency Services launched a new zone-based evacuation tool called Zone Haven. Go to ReadyNevadaCounty.org/KnowYourZone to look up your evacuation zone (and those where you spend a lot of time, like work or school)....

Expanding High-Speed Internet Access

At the end of April, the Board of Supervisors awarded $500,000 in Last-Mile Broadband Grants to four local internet service providers (ISPs). “Last-mile” refers to the final leg connecting the high-speed internet (or, "broadband") service provid...

Outdoor Recreation in Nevada County

This beautiful season in our county is an excellent time to get outdoors and enjoy our many recreational amenities, from trailheads to lakes to river crossings. Those outdoor amenities are the very reason many of us live here, and drive tourism into Nevad...

Cashin's Field Is One Step Closer to New Workforce Housing

A Year as Board Chair: An Insider Look

The year of 2020 was a truly challenging year to be Chair of the Board.  In good years, the role of Chair is to keep the County priorities moving while staying on budget, be ready to respond to emergencies and speak for the County as a whole. Ide...

Personal Responsibility and Care for Our Community Will Lead the Way

It did not have to be this way. I never thought I would be sharing a moment of silence for over 30 Nevada County Residents the week before Christmas. The impacts are almost beyond comprehension, but we must recognize the gravity of where we are now. When ...

Jones Fire Hits Us Hard – Rebuilding the Independence Trail

This past August, the Jones Fire, ignited by dry lightning in the South Yuba River canyon, burned 705 acres and destroyed 21 structures. Independence Trail and its beautiful wooden bridges were destroyed in the fire. The community has been quick to put en...

Public Safety on our Beloved South Yuba River Corridor

The Yuba River is a beloved destination for both locals and out-of-towners, especially during summer months. The number of visitors to the river is growing each year and was particularly high this past summer due to COVID-related closures.  The w...

A Year of Success Addressing Homelessness & Housing

Project Homekey

On July 16, 2020, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) created a program called “Homekey,” and allotted a total of $600 million for eligible public entities to purchase and rehabilitate ho...

Revisiting History: Supporting Federal Recognition for the Nisenan Tribe of Nevada City Rancheria

At the December 15th Board of Supervisors meeting, the BOS unanimously voted to support the restoration of Federal recognition of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe. I have worked on moving this forward with Shelly Covert since I started on the Board...

Innovation is Key: Expanding Rural Broadband

Broadband will continue to be a high priority for the County, since I brought it to the Board in 2017 and we made it a high priority in the following years. Recently, the County allocated over 30% of its Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) monies to support eco...

Officials Break Ground on Cashin’s Field Affordable Housing Development

Officials from Nevada City, Nevada County, the Regional Housing Authority, and the Affordable Housing Development Corporation ceremoniously broke ground on the Cashin’s Field Affordable Housing Development on August 5th. Cashin’s Field is slated for 51 un...