July 2022

Hello, friends, neighbors, and fellow residents of District 1. I hope this second quarter recap finds you well and staying cool in these hot July days.

Historical Plaque at Hirschman’s Pond Defaced

On Sunday, July 24, the Nevada County Historical Landmarks Commission reported that the historical plaque at Hirschman's Pond commemorating the Jewish community that helped Nevada County thrive during the Gold Rush Era was defaced. This is the only plaque out of over 200 historical plaques in the county known to be vandalized and the only historical plaque that references the Jewish community. READ MORE

New Web Domain for County

Have you seen the County’s updated website? It showcases beautiful scenes from Nevada County, it’s easier to use, and offers helpful new features, such as a translation tool that can convert all of the text on the site into a language you pick! Additionally, both the website address and, now, our email addresses have been transitioned to a new domain, nevadacountyca.gov. The matching web and email domains will reduce potential confusion for anyone interfacing with County staff. The change in our email addresses has begun and will continue on a rolling basis through early August. (Mine has already been updated.) READ MORE

Resources for Residents Losing DSL Internet Service

We understand that DSL internet service is being decommissioned in some parts of Nevada County. We are as frustrated and concerned as you are with this unfortunate news. Your local county government has very little control over this, as telecommunications are not regulated at the county level. In fact, federal law does not allow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate broadband as we regulate other public utilities (think electricity, water, phones) and does not prevent carriers from decommissioning older networks without replacing them. READ MORE

Local volunteer ARES group offers assistance in setting up neighborhood emergency communication

The Nevada County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) group is offering neighborhoods another way to communicate during fires, winter storms, and power shutoff events. “When these events happen, regular communication services can be interrupted and personal radios can be a good replacement to allow residents to communicate with each other,” stated Mark Triolo, ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator. “We have designed an orientation program to share information with local neighborhoods as to how they can use emergency radio backup equipment,” said Triolo. READ MORE

Photo Courtesy of Alex Keeble-Toll

Thank You to Firefighters and First Responders

A structure fire near Rice's Crossing was first reported Tuesday, June 28, 2022 around 2 pm. It spread into surrounding vegetation and became what is now known as the Rices Fire. By July 7, it had burned 904 acres and 13 structures and – thanks to a very aggressive attack by firefighters and first responders – was 98% contained.

I think I speak for all of us here in District 1 when I express my deepest gratitude and praise to the personnel who put in long hours – some even incurring injuries – to contain this fire. READ MORE

Fuels Clearing on Bureau of Land Management Parcels

Creating defensible space around our properties and along evacuation routes is on everyone’s mind. It can be quite frustrating to put many hours of hard work on your property – or spend thousands to hire someone else to do so – and yet still find that your risk from wildfire is significant due to a neighbor’s unmaintained property or rights of way. It’s even more frustrating when that neighbor is a federal agency whose mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. READ MORE

Kudos to District 1 Community Groups

I recently attended community meetings hosted by Friends of Banner Mountain and the You Bet Firewise Community. I was very impressed by the organization and sophistication I witnessed in these groups. They articulated some important needs, including assistance with identifying and, in some cases, improving roads that could serve as evacuation routes. I just learned that the County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) was recently awarded an evacuation study grant from CAL FIRE to facilitate the development of ingress/egress maps for each community over the next year, so solutions for that issue are on the horizon. READ MORE

Summer activities at Madelyn Helling Library

The library staff has put together an excellent summer learning program that will keep you and your family thinking and engaging in fun new experiences for the next few months. Find out more about events taking place at the Madelyn Helling branch’s outdoor amphitheater (unless otherwise noted) in August. READ MORE

Summer Nights Event in Nevada City (July 27, 6-9:30 pm)

This street festival of art and music has been an annual tradition in our beloved community for almost 30 years.

Summer Nights returns in 2022 with familiar and new vendors and activities such as face painting, balloon animals and a bounce house for the kids, belly dancing Troupe al Ama, aerial dancers, a food court offering an array of delicious treats, and craft vendors selling clothing, jewelry, leather goods, crystals and minerals, vintage goods and more. Many of the downtown shops, including Solstice and SoulCrafts, will join in the fun by having their own booths on the streets with vintage clothing, furniture, jewelry and other one-of-a-kind gifts. READ MORE

Historic Neighborhoods District ballot initiative in Nevada City (in response to SB 9)

Nevada City has received a ballot initiative from proponents of a measure that proposes to create a Historic Neighborhoods District within the City. The City is not the sponsor of this initiative and presently does not take a position in support of or opposition to the proposed initiative. However, State of California Elections Code requires the City to accept legally sufficient ballot initiatives and process them. The initiative — currently in the signature verification phase — could redesignate multiple neighborhoods in a vote by the council, be sent to voters for their approval, or handed to city staff for a study to be conducted. READ MORE

Elections Integrity

As you may have heard, Randy Economy, a Southern California talk show host and key player in last year’s gubernatorial recall effort, recently requested a recount of the June 7 clerk-recorder race. Nevada County’s certified vote totals for the race show Natalie Adona winning the clerk-recorder race with 22,800 votes, or 67.9%. Jason Tedder received 7,843 votes, or 23.3%. Paul Gilbert took 2,942 votes, 8.8%. Economy requested the recount on behalf of Tedder, who claims there are a “growing quantity of irregularities surrounding the June 7th Clerk-Recorder race.” READ MORE

State and Federal Issues

Cannabis Taxation Relief – Passage of AB 195

A bill that was signed by the governor and took effect on July 1, 2022 provides much needed relief to over-taxation that has negatively impacted the California cannabis industry for years. READ MORE

NACo Annual Conference

I recently attended the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) annual conference, where I continued my work advocating for Nevada County’s interests on the national stage. This event is the largest meeting of county elected and appointed officials from across the country. READ MORE

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@NevadaCountyCA.Gov or 530-265-1480. If this email was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to my newsletters, click here.