Supervisors to Consider Wildfire Prevention Measure for November Ballot

On Tuesday, August 9th, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors will consider whether to place a “Wildfire Prevention, Emergency Services and Disaster Readiness” measure on the November 8th, 2022, General Election ballot. The purpose of the measure would be to save lives, reduce the threat of wildfires, and improve all-hazards disaster readiness and evacuation safety.

The proposed measure would establish a ½ cent countywide sales tax that would apply to both residents and visitors. The tax is expected to generate approximately $12,000,000 annually to fund critical emergency services. A 4/5 affirmative vote is required by the Board to place the measure on the ballot. Once placed, the measure would go to Nevada County voters for approval.

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Heidi Hall, District 1 Supervisor: Wildfire Prevention - Let the People Decide

Almost two years ago, in the early hours of an August Monday morning, the Jones Fire started in the South Yuba River canyon right outside of Nevada City. Burning through steep, heavily forested terrain, the fire was 550 acres the next day, causing the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents, triggering air quality advisories, and resulting in the destruction of the Independence Trail. More frightening still, it was poised to threaten Nevada City itself.

Can you imagine the lives that could be lost if a wildfire were to rage through Nevada City, Grass Valley, or Truckee? Can you imagine losing Nevada City’s iconic National Hotel–the oldest hotel in California--our historic firehouse, or our beautiful Victorian homes to a wildfire like the Camp or Dixie Fires? And while I love our historic downtown, I love our forests and rivers just as much.

That’s why I'm inclined to support putting the proposed “Wildfire Prevention, Emergency Services and Disaster Readiness” measure on the November 8th General Election ballot. We need a source of locally controlled funding that can be put to immediate use to save lives, reduce the threat of wildfire, and improve evacuation safety.

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Nevada County Awards $415,570 in First Round of Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund Grants

On July 26th, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors accepted the mid-year progress report for their 2022 objectives. Progress highlights for the Board’s newest objective, Recreation, included recent awards totaling $415,570 in Outdoor Visitor Safety Fund grants to community organizations. The grants, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), respond to the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic with projects to increase resiliency and promote health and safety at highly impacted outdoor recreation destinations.

Nine projects across Nevada County address unmet needs at popular outdoor recreation sites and meet the goals of the program: to promote public safety and public health, equitable access to recreation opportunities, promote economic development through sustainable recreation, and protect and preserve natural resources.

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Nevada County Connects You to Free Transit Fares to the Fair August 10th -14th

Nevada County Transit Services is pleased to announce our upcoming Free Fare Days event from Wednesday, August 10th, through Sunday, August 14th in conjunction with the County Fair. All transit services will be free to ride during the Nevada County Fair, so hop on the bus and enjoy stress-free travel around the community.

In addition to the Free Fare Event, Nevada County Connects will be operating a free shuttle service from Tinloy Transit Center in downtown Grass Valley (across the street from Gold Miner’s Inn) to the main gate at the Fairgrounds, including stops at Pine Creek and Grass Valley shopping centers.

The free fare Fair Shuttle will operate Wednesday through Sunday, departing Tinloy Transit Center approximately every 30 minutes.

Nevada County WIC Celebrates National Breastfeeding Month!

August is National Breastfeeding Month, and the week of August 1st is World Breastfeeding Week!

This year’s national theme of “Together We Do Great Things” is a celebration of the power of our collective efforts. Thriving families and communities cannot be achieved by any one person or by just one organization. This is true here in Nevada County, where Nevada County WIC and the Breastfeeding Coalition of Nevada County (BCNC) have accomplished a lot on behalf of our county’s families.

Recent data from the state has Nevada County with the highest hospital breastfeeding initiation rates among all counties for 2019 and the WIC program’s fully breastfeeding rates are in the top 3 for California at the three-, six- and 11-month milestones. WIC offers mothers and babies lots of early breastfeeding support. To see if you qualify, go to www.myfamily.wic.ca.gov or call 530-265-1454.

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August 9th Board of Supervisors Meeting Preview

Pursuant to Governor Gavin Newsom's Executive Order on the convening of public meetings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the County of Nevada will hold its regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Supervisors from inside the Board Chambers. Face coverings are highly recommended for all individuals while indoors.

The Tuesday, August 9th meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. in the Board Chamber. Members of the public can provide general public comments or comment on items on the agenda by attending the meeting in person, emailing BOS.PublicComment@nevadacountyca.gov, calling (530) 270-3474, or by using the Board’s eComment system. Please submit your comments before 4:00 p.m. on Monday, August 8, to provide time for the Board members to read them and for your comments to become part of the public record. Find additional ways to provide public comment on pages 10 and 11 of the agenda. Please visit the link below for the full agenda.

Before public comment, District I Supervisor Heidi Hall will accept the 2022 Digital Counties Survey First Place Award awarded by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. District IV Supervisor Sue Hoek will present James Dal Bon a Certificate of Recognition for his many years of public service.

At 10:30 am, the Director of Social Services Rachel Peña will present a resolution approving an agreement between the County of Nevada and Victor Community Support Services for services related to Rapid Response Team and Family Urgent Response Programs.

Acting Building Director Chris De Nijs will conduct an informal presentation regarding the new policy for Land Use Permitting associated with preexisting unpermitted improvements and expired building permits.

County Executive Officer Alison Lehman will present the Countywide Audit for Fiscal Year 2020/2021 for Board acceptance.

Following the break, at 1:30 pm, County Executive Officer Alison Lehman will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed ordinance/ballot measure to add Article 9 to Chapter V of the Nevada County General Code, imposing a one-half cent tax for critical emergency services and other general government use. Afterward, call a resolution ordering an election to submit to the voters of the County a proposed urgency ordinance adding Article 9 to Chapter V.

View the Meeting Agenda

Teamwork - District 4 Update from Supervisor Sue Hoek - August 2022

Chair Hoek’s Teamwork newsletter is issued monthly and covers topics relevant to District 4.

In her August 2022 newsletter, she gives an update on County Fair, the Mid-Year Report Card for 2022 Board Objectives, the Ready Nevada County Handbook, the 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline, getting involved in your County government, the importance of dialing 2-1-1 for information instead of calling 911 during an emergency, and the Community Resiliency Grant for Habitat for Humanity.

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Community Development Agency Fee Schedule Change Effective September 1st

Community Development Agency (CDA) fee schedule increase will take effect on September 1, 2022.

On June 21st, the Board of Supervisors adopted the annual County Consolidated Fee Ordinance which included an average 5.8% increase across all CDA departments. Compared to CPI at the time of calculation of 7%, our fee increases were able to be minimized. See CDA Fee Schedules for current and new rates taking effect September 1st.

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Caltrans Traffic Alert: Wildfire Fuel Reduction Work Beginning on State Route 49

Caltrans is alerting State Route 49 (SR-49) motorists of the start of a new wildfire fuel reduction contract to address overgrown vegetation at various locations in Nevada County between Lime Kiln Road and McKnight Way.

Beginning Wednesday, August 3, construction crews will start staging equipment along SR-49 near Lime Kiln Road to start vegetation removal at various locations along the north and south sides of the highway. Fuel reduction activities are expected to occur along the 6-mile stretch of highway on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Most work will occur in shoulder areas with minimal disruptions to traffic. Short traffic holds may be required intermittently during large tree removal operations.

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PG&E Hosts Regional Wildfire Safety Webinar to Discuss PG&E’s Wildfire Prevention Effort

To help keep customers and communities safe in the face of the growing wildfire risk across the state, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is continuing to evolve its wildfire safety program to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

As part of these efforts, PG&E is hosting a wildfire safety webinar for all PG&E customers on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to share its wildfire prevention plans for 2022 and listen to customer feedback. PG&E experts will provide a brief presentation, after which participants will have the opportunity to ask questions. During the webinar event, the PG&E team will discuss:

PG&E’s wildfire prevention efforts
Resources to help customers and communities before, during, and after wildfire safety outages
Improvements and updates to PG&E’s safety technology and tools

Job Openings at Nevada County: Behavioral Health Therapists

Nevada County employs approximately 800 employees covering a full range of services and positions, from accountants to wastewater treatment system operators. In Nevada County, quality of life comes first. It is the only rural California county with two designated Cultural Arts Districts and is known for its abundance of outdoor recreational activities.

One Therapist in Grass Valley to support our Quality Assurance Program, performing internal and external audits and program reviews. This position is full-time and fully-benefited.
Two Therapists to provide direct services for children and their families in the Grass Valley offices. This position is full-time and fully-benefited.
One full-time therapist to provide intake assessments, individual therapy, and case management for adults in Western Nevada County. This position is benefited.
Several part-time temporary Therapists to provide direct services in our Children's division and others for our Adult division. A temporary, part-time employee works an average of 20 hours but not more than 29 hours per week, for a maximum of 1000 hours per fiscal year. Temporary employees earn sick leave but are not eligible for benefits or CalPERS.

Our Behavioral Health therapists support our community by providing assessment, treatment planning, individual and group therapy, collateral/parent counseling; crisis intervention, case management, and documentation of services; screening potential clients on the phone; and psychotherapy.

Services are provided in consultation with the clinical team and regional partners, and outside agencies. Individuals who show patience, understanding, and caring in their dealings with others are highly valued. Other relevant personal traits include social skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and the ability to manage time effectively. The work is always interesting and provides opportunities for collaborative, creative problem-solving. We seek to hire individuals who are caring and who bring a sense of humor and fun to work.

To learn more about these positions, visit our job board here. Have a question? Contact Human Resources by calling (530) 265-7010 and selecting option 2.

New jobs this week:

View Current Job Openings

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