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...

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 reco...

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 econo...

Quarterly 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 ...

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 developm...

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 ca...

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 b...

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 ...

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 vacci...

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...

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As part of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month the county has planned a number of activities, including training opportunities for community members (see below for details) and a virtual Suicide Prevention T...

California to Offer Pfizer Booster Shots

With the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup review and approval of the CDC’s recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccine boosters, California is now cleared to follow the federal recommendations that certain individuals can receive a booster...

Nevada County Awarded FEMA Grant Funding for Defensible Space Assistance

September 28, 2021, Nevada City, CA— On Tuesday, September 28, the Nevada County Board of Supervisors passed two resolutions accepting grant funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The two prog...