November 2021

Hello, friends, neighbors, and fellow residents of District 1. I hope this fourth quarter update finds you well and looking forward to spending time with loved ones on Thanksgiving. So much has been happening; I have a lot to report.

Public Health

Between August 5, 2021 and today, the number of COVID deaths in Nevada County increased from 75 to 109 – a 45% increase. This is a very clear sign that the pandemic is not over and that public health measures, including masking and getting vaccinated, are still important. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has attempted to address the question of the effectiveness of vaccine-induced immunity versus infection-induced immunity. Researchers from CDC’s VISION network gathered data from 187 hospitals across nine states (New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, California, Oregon, Washington, Indiana, and Colorado). The results suggest that... Read more

River Fire burn scar in November 2021

Fire and Disaster Response

In late October, an atmospheric river drenched Northern California, bringing unusually heavy rains over a short period of time. There were concerns – and even a severe weather advisory – that they would result in flooding in the River Fire burn scar. While the rain did result in numerous road closures over the course of several days, as well as trees down in roadways and onto homes, it did not end up having a significant impact on the burn scar. Last week, our County GIS Analyst Alex Friant accompanied the California Geological Survey in an assessment of the entire River Fire burn scar to assess risk to property and life and will provide some suggested emergency measures. Alex took the photo shown above during that assessment. Read more

Cannabis

The County has applied for the Department of Cannabis Control local authority grant, which will help us support local permitted cultivators while assisting people not permitted through the process and helping with various costly environmental requirements. And soon we will be applying for the state’s Equity Grant, which will support those who have been negatively affected by cannabis prohibition in the past and help them become a permitted cultivator. We’re requesting $2 million from each of these grant programs and will know how much we have been awarded by the end of the year.

Cyclist on what will be the Pines to Mines trail

Outdoor Recreation

At the November 16 board meeting, we voted unanimously to approve the $100,000 contract for the environmental impact report (EIR) on the proposed Pines to Mines multi-use trail, which will connect Nevada City and Truckee. The trail, once completed, will be a world class trail. I’m disappointed that we ended up excluding a review of E-bikes in the EIR, especially given that they are already using the trail, but remain hopeful that the end product will be a trail that people will come from far and wide to traverse.

Earlier this fall, we approved an overnight camping ban on Champion Mine Road in an effort to address safety issues that were repeatedly being reported down there, including trash, human waste and campfires. Ultimately, Champion Mine Road is a fairly narrow road that lacks infrastructure to properly accommodate camping, such as parking areas, toilets and trash receptacles. Read more

Expanding High-Speed Internet Access

President Biden’s infrastructure bill, which just recently became law, includes a total of $65 billion in funding for broadband infrastructure. According to USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small, who joined us on a monthly NACo call, $1.96 billion will be set aside for “Reconnect” projects which are aimed at rural development and will prioritize local projects. We are watching closely to see how that money will be distributed and to queue up eligible projects. Read more

Architectural rendering of Odyssey House

Housing

There is so much happening in Nevada County on the housing front.

The Cashin's Field development, at the intersection of Gold Flat Road and Zion Street in Nevada City, is visibly progressing. This multi-family low-income housing development will include 11 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom, and 15 three-bedroom units, as well as a manager’s unit. It will have a community building with managerial/leasing offices, a multi-purpose lounge, a kitchenette, and outdoor gathering spaces. All of the units will be rent-restricted for qualified residents with income ranging from 30% to 60% of the area median income ($66,096). The project is a partnership between the City of Nevada City, County of Nevada and Regional Housing Authority working with housing developer Central California Housing Corporation. Read more

Third Quarter Report on Board Objectives

In October, the County Executive Office released the Third Quarter Report, which summarizes the initiatives and performance measures used to track progress toward the Board of Supervisors’ 2021 policy objectives.
Below are our 2021 objectives, followed by just a few of the third quarter highlights that stood out to me. You can access the full report here.

Financial stability and core services

The County is experiencing financial stability, as indicated by the following key indicators:

General Fund revenues, as a % of adopted budget, are performing slightly better than historical averages through the first quarter of the fiscal year (July – June)
Collection of more than $2M in delinquent property related taxes.
The delivery of core services has been sustained by the overall fiscal stability and the dedication of County staff, even as the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have stretched staff capacities and increased service needs in the community.

Community Resiliency Grants

Back in April, the board carved out 30% of its federal COVID relief funds, $5.8 million, to promote community and economic resiliency. Up to $2 million of that was set aside for a “Community Resiliency” grants program to help respond to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, increase resiliency, support recovery, and provide relief. Eligible applicants for the funds included nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, and special purpose districts. The one-time grants provided under this program were capped at $100,000 per awardee.

At the November 9 board meeting, the board approved the final list of grant recipients, and it really is an impressive list of organizations. Read more

Map showing proposed changes to District 1

Redistricting Changes

Nevada County Board of Supervisor district boundaries must be redrawn every 10 years using U.S. Census data to make the county’s five districts as equal in population as possible. The County hired a specialist to perform this assessment and recommendations were then presented to the board for our feedback. The main goals in the process were to keep communities of interest whole and to limit any differences in population across the districts to no more than 10%. Read more

Highway 174

I’m sure many of you will be relieved to hear that Caltrans’ work on Highway 174 is nearly done. On Thursday, November 18, Caltrans issued a press release stating that they have “completed major roadway improvements with minor construction items remaining on the State Route 174 (SR-174) safety improvement project between You Bet Road and Maple Way in Nevada County.”

The $27.1 million safety improvement project, which began in August 2020, has realigned several curves, widened shoulders, added a southbound left-turn lane at Greenhorn Access Road and improved the “clear recovery zone” for errant drivers to regain control. Read more

I would like to wish everyone a a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for your continued support of Nevada County’s excellent programs and for keeping me informed about District 1 events and issues. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns about life here in Nevada County. I am here to serve you. Reach me at Heidi.hall@co.nevada.ca.us or 530-265-1480. If this email was forwarded to you and you’d like to subscribe, you can do so here.