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El Dorado County Homelessness
...... What's being done?
Find out at a Joint Special meeting of the EDC Board of Supervisors, Placerville City Council, and South Lake Tahoe City Council on Friday, September 6, 2019 beginning at 1:00 P.M. at the EDC Fair Grounds in the Organ Room (100 Placerville Dr., Placerville). The meeting will feature a presentation on the results of the Point in Time Count conducted by Home Base https://www.homebaseccc.org/, including:
- Results of the CoC Point in Time Count (homeless census conducted in January);
- Discuss the County's survey results and some implications of what they mean;
- Provide an update on where the Continuum of Care (CoC) was, is now, and on going (including upcoming funding opportunities), and;
- Set the stage for the upcoming development of the 5-year strategic plan, likely to begin sometime around October-November.
No action will be taken by any of the governing bodies at this meeting. All interested El Dorado County residents are invited and encouraged to attend.
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CDP Rural Caucus - Takes Action on wildfire insurance crisis ..by Joy Sterling, Rural Caucus Chair
Our Rural Caucus meeting (August 23) during E-Board was dedicated to the wildfire insurance crisis, with Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara as our speaker. I am extremely proud of our members for asking the tough questions, pushing for transparency and, most importantly, action. Now we can hold him to his word.
For far too many, this is a very frightening time. The situation is urgent for homeowners carrying a mortgage as fire coverage is typically mandated by the lenders. The stories of people losing their homes are heart wrenching.
Complaints about non-renewals to the State Department of Insurance have increased 600 percent since 2010. And then there's affordability: the insurance companies have filed 100 rate increases since the fires in 2017 and 2018.
Part of the problem, according to Lara, is that his office does not have the authority to force the insurance companies to write policies in fire-prone areas. He is calling for legislative solutions like increasing the required 45-day notice of non-renewal by an additional 180 days and making changes to the California FAIR (Fair Access to Insurance Requirements) Plan, which he described as “not fair” at all.
In the meantime, he has created a Strike Team working to help residents in high risk areas, on a case by case basis. His presentation, and a consumer hotline number, are posted here.
Nevada County Supervisor Heidi Hall and former Rural Caucus Chair Jamie Beutler made a terrific, joint presentation, providing the county perspective. Here are six key mitigation measures your Board of Supervisors can and should implement:
- Roadside vegetation clearing - Counties can use SB1 funds to clear vegetation from County roadsides, to increase safety along evacuation routes.
- Fire Safe Councils - Support the development of Fire Safe Councils, who can accept and disperse grant funds to pick up green waste, contract out firesafe clearing, and show insurance agents that you have met fire safe practices and county code requirements, as a community, which should make you eligible for insurance rate reductions.
- Create a hazardous vegetation ordinance - This can require neighbors to clear their side of property lines and give the County authority to clear high-risk areas and charge it back to the property owner, if necessary.
- Provide fire safe guides for how homeowners can harden their homes.
- Apply for Homeland Security and other Emergency Fund grants from the State.
- Send letters to the Insurance Commissioner, your State and Federal representatives, and the Governor requesting funds and relief from insurance cancellation.
El Dorado county is taking another tack, forming a bipartisan “Fire Insurance Access and Affordability Stakeholder Workgroup" bringing together the El Dorado County Democratic Party, El Dorado County Republican Party, El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce and El Dorado County Association of Realtors to work together a unified voice.Click here for their letter to Commissioner Lara.
Most encouraging was hearing State Sen. Mike McGuire talk about SB 295, proposed legislation creating personal state tax credits to off-set costs of home hardening and vegetation management for residents in high risk areas, which deserves our support.
Finally, I was struck by Commissioner Lara’s comment that “at the end of the day, fire doesn’t discriminate if you’re a Republican or Democrat,” he said. “This is a statewide issue that we have to fix collaboratively.” Yes. It is a bipartisan issue, but I feel it is incumbent on us, the CDP Rural Caucus, to deliver solutions. Please join me in pressing our elected officials to act ... with empathy.
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Jamie Beutler, Mike Saunders, and Lori Anzini at the August 23rd, California Democrat Party Rural Caucus meeting in San Jose, presenting Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara (second from left) with the bi-partisan letter from El Dorado County leaders addressing the urgent Fire Insurance crisis.
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