Announcments
County Sign Ordinance Update Draft EIR public comment meeting - Thurs, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Greetings Shingle Springs residents and rural lifestyle supporters, Below is the email notice from the County regarding the latest Sign Ordinance update. It is our opportunity to make comment about the analysis that was done in the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). If you read the DEIR and find that the analysis is insufficient or unclear, then make a comment about it. The analysis in a DEIR is supposed to be clear and thorough for the public's benefit. We anticipate having a few other updates for you soon, and perhaps an Action Alert. As former Supervisor Briggs said at the December 9, 2014 Board of Supervisors meeting, our voices are being heard and we're not going away: http://youtu.be/RuEnRdNmyXQ Let's keep up the good work! Lori Parlin on behalf of the Shingle Springs Community Alliance, No San Stino, and Stop Tilden Park Keeping Shingle Springs Rural -------- Original Message -------- Subject: County Sign Ordinance Update Draft EIR public comment meeting - Thurs, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. From: Anne Novotny <anne.novotny@edcgov.us> Date: Mon, January 26, 2015 8:38 am To: Anne Novotny <anne.novotny@edcgov.us> An open house meeting to accept written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Sign Ordinance Update will be held this Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. in the Planning Commission Hearing Room, 2850 Fairlane Court, Building C in Placerville. The Draft EIR was released on December 31, 2014 for a 45-day public review period. Deadline to submit written comments is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, February, 17, 2015. The Draft EIR and proposed Sign Ordinance Update are posted on the project webpage: http://www.edcgov.us/Government/LongRangePlanning/LandUse/Sign_Ordinance_Update.aspx Anne Novotny Senior Planner County of El Dorado Community Development Agency Long Range Planning Division 2850 Fairlane Court Placerville, CA 95667 (530) 621-5931 / (530) 642-0508 anne.novotny@edcgov.us |
THANK YOU! Results of 12-9-14 Board meeting
The 12-9-14 Board meeting had a positive outcome and it is all because of YOU. Thank you for responding to our Action Alert and asking the Board to take action to eliminate our Community Region Line in Shingle Springs. Your phone calls, emails, and personal testimony at the Board meetings do make a difference and we are slowly seeing results. We must stay the course and continue to be proactive and persistent in 2015. The Board directed staff to draft a Resolution of Intent (ROI) to adopt our proposed map of Shingle Springs. The staff will then bring the ROI to the Board for approval so that the staff can actually start working on adopting the map. The ROI is only the first step in the process, but without that first step we can't get anywhere, so this was an important action that the Board took on our behalf. Staff estimated that it will take between $100,000 to $150,000 to pay for the environmental reports that are needed to update the General Plan with our proposed Shingle Springs map. We will need to be persistent to get the Board to fund the reports. Please be ready to respond to future Action Alerts to encourage the Board to stay the course for the community. Click here to see a video excerpt where the Board makes a motion to approve the Resolution and a motion to secure a source for its funding: http://youtu.be/cxPX3ghnhzE If you would like to watch the entire agenda item, click herehttp://eldorado.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=557 and then scroll down to #27 on the menu under the video screen, at 5:41:00. Click here to read the Mountain Democrat's coverage of the Board meeting. If you cannot access the Mountain Democrat's website, click here. Thank you again for all your time and energy toward protecting our rural residential lifestyle. Measure O may not have passed, but because of all your hard work, we are being heard. |
Action Alert! Community Regions on 12-9-14 Board of Supervisors agenda
Dear Shingle Springs residents and rural lifestyle supporters, Please make phone calls, send emails, or attend the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2014: 1. Community Region Lines - https://eldorado.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2078962&GUID=36B1DCF8-4742-48EA-B7E7-E9A71ABBDC7D These are the lines that make Shingle Springs and other rural areas of the county a target for high density development (see map at bottom of this email). 2:00 P.M. - TIME ALLOCATION 27. 13-0510 Community Development Agency, Long Range Planning Division, summarizing Community Region boundary line review to date and requesting Board direction regarding potential Community Region boundary line amendments. (Est. Time: 1 Hr.) County staff is asking the Board for very specific direction about which lines to consider for amending. Former Supervisor Sweeney said in 2009 that if communities were given the chance to redraw the Community Region Lines, they would make them much smaller (http://youtu.be/iEBoNOjGsvQ). This is our chance! Let's tell the Board loud and clear that the lines that were included in Measure O are lines that have public support for amending. Measure O proposed to replace the Community Region Lines in Shingle Springs, Pollock Pines, Camino, and Cedar Grove with smaller Rural Region Lines, and reduce the Community Region Line along the Green Valley Road corridor. These are areas that are low density now and do not want to be a target for high-density development. This is the Board's opportunity to clear up the $1,000,000 of misleading information that developers spent to defeat Measure O in the November election. If you are available, PLEASE attend the Board meeting: Board of Supervisors Meeting Tuesday, December 9, 2014, 2:00pm 330 Fair Lane, Building A, Placerville, CA ***Wear your Shingle Springs T-shirt if you have one*** Use sample email below to send a message to the Board of Supervisors. Contact info for Board of Supervisors: (Please reference the Board meeting date in your email to expedite a response and subsequent addition to the agenda item) 1. Ron Mikulaco, Supervisor District I, (530) 621-5650, bosone@edcgov.us 2. Shiva Frentzen, Supervisor District II, (530) 621-5651, bostwo@edcgov.us 3. Brian Veerkamp, Supervisor District III, (530) 621-5652, bosthree@edcgov.us 4. Ron Briggs, Supervisor District IV, (530) 621-6513, bosfour@edcgov.us 5. Norma Santiago, Supervisor District V, (530) 621-6577, bosfive@edcgov.us Board of Supervisors, Clerk of the Board: edc.cob@edcgov.us *********************************************************************************************************** Sample email [please customize it to reflect your concerns]: To: <bosone@edcgov.us>, <bostwo@edcgov.us>, <bosthree@edcgov.us>, <bosfour@edcgov.us>, <bosfive@edcgov.us>, <edc.cob@edcgov.us> Subject: Comment on 12-9-14 BOS Agenda Item #13-0510, Community Region Lines Dear Board of Supervisors, I cannot attend the December 9, 2014, meeting and this email comment is to take the place of my personal attendance. Please direct staff to begin the process to amend the Community Region Lines as stated in Measure O. Measure O proposed to replace the Community Region Lines in Shingle Springs, Pollock Pines, Camino, and Cedar Grove with smaller Rural Region Lines, and reduce the Community Region Line along the Green Valley Road corridor. These are areas that are low density now and do not want to be a target for high-density development. This is the Board's opportunity to clear up the $1,000,000 of misleading information that developers spent to defeat Measure O in the November election. Thank you, [Your Name] [Your town or address] ***********************************************************************************************************  |
Updates on recent Board Meetings
November turned out to be a busy month at the county, so here are a few updates to keep you informed of the results, and what's coming up in December.
Community Planning
The Community Planning Guide was presented by county staff to the Board of Supervisors at the Monday, November 17th meeting. Thank you to everyone that sent in emails and made phone calls about the guide. Supervisor Santiago specifically addressed our concerns about the guide and made it clear that it is only a guide and will not derail the efforts that communities (including Shingle Springs) have already invested in the process. The Board was supportive of the Community Plan process and county staff received direction to continue supporting those communities that want to move forward with a plan. We will need to stay engaged to make sure that the new Board continues to support the Community Plan process.
The SSCA Core Committee will refocus its efforts on creating a draft of the Shingle Springs Community Plan that will then be circulated for feedback. We anticipate partnering with county staff to assist with broadening our outreach so that we contact as many residents, landowners, and business owners as humanly possible to make this an inclusive, collaborative process. It is not an easy task to tackle, but we will have the best outcome possible by making the process open to all.
Initiative to Retain Zoning and Protect Resources (Purple Petition)
The Purple Petition was before the Board at the Friday, November 21st meeting. The Board was to choose between adopting it within 10 days or putting it on the next statewide ballot, which is anticipated to be in 2016. Thank you to everyone that spoke at the Board meeting and sent in emails and made phone calls. The odds of the Board adopting the initiative were slim, however, it was important that we requested them to adopt it to emphasize that a majority of the citizens in El Dorado County want the Board to implement the policies in the General Plan that will protect our quality of life. It was not a surprise that the Board did not have the political will to adopt the initiative, so it will be on the next statewide ballot, which is anticipated to be in 2016.
Community Region Lines on December 2 Board Agenda
We have been advised that Community Region Lines will be on the December 2nd Board agenda. That can be confirmed athttps://eldorado.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx when the agenda is posted later this week. Removing the Community Region Line from Shingle Springs is an important part of keeping our community's rural identity, so we will be sure to get our input into the discussion. You can find information about the Shingle Springs Community Region Line here: http://www.shinglespringscommunityalliance.com/community-region-line
Remember, the speed of government can often be frustrating. We are making a difference and our voices are being heard. Let's stay the course and create a future for Shingle Springs that protects the quality of life that we all love.
Wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
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Action Alert! Tired of fighting development issues on a project by project basis?
Local Voter Control in El Dorado County’s third petition is coming before the Board of Supervisors on Friday, November 21, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. The Board has authority to adopt the ordinance as written. We need you to call and email the Board of Supervisors and ask them to adopt the ordinance as written. Doing so will implement the policies that protect our quality of life in El Dorado County that has been promised. Agenda: Item 14-1470: The current 2004 General Plan is often touted as a carefully crafted document, yet the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission have continued to ignore, change, re-interpret or "amend" the parts of the General Plan that were promised to the public as protections. The Initiative to "Retain Current Zoning and Rural Assets" (also known as the Purple Petition) prevents incompatible zone changes and would require that the Board of Supervisors reinstate or implement the following protective policies (currently in the General Plan) before allowing any future discretionary projects: 1. Restore the Agricultural buffers between Agricultural land and incompatible uses in order to protect the Right to Farm 2. Restore Mixed Use policies (projects with both residential and commercial elements) to their original densities 3. Implement Cultural and Historical policies 4. Implement a Water Supply and Demand Management Plan required in the 2004 General Plan 5. Implement Scenic Corridor and Vista Point policies Discretionary Project means that the project is not allowed by right and would either need the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors to pass legislation in order to allow the project. This petition does nothing to remove a property owner's right to build or develop their land as currently allowed by law. Please attend the meeting to urge the Board to adopt the ordinance: Board of Supervisors Meeting 330 Fair Lane, Building A, Placerville, CA Friday, November 21, 2014, 1:00pm Use sample email below to send a message to the Board of Supervisors. Contact info for Board of Supervisors: (Please reference the Board meeting date in your email to expedite a response and subsequent addition to the agenda item) 1. Ron Mikulaco, Supervisor District I, (530) 621-5650, bosone@edcgov.us 2. Shiva Frentzen, Supervisor District II, (530) 621-5651, bostwo@edcgov.us 3. Brian Veerkamp, Supervisor District III, (530) 621-5652, bosthree@edcgov.us 4. Ron Briggs, Supervisor District IV, (530) 621-6513, bosfour@edcgov.us 5. Norma Santiago, Supervisor District V, (530) 621-6577, bosfive@edcgov.us Board of Supervisors' Agenda Item #14-1470 Comments, Clerk of the Board: edc.cob@edcgov.us ******************************************************************************************************************** Sample email [please customize it to reflect your concerns]: To: <bosone@edcgov.us>, <bostwo@edcgov.us>, <bosthree@edcgov.us>, <bosfour@edcgov.us>, <bosfive@edcgov.us>, <edc.cob@edcgov.us> Subject: Comment on 11-21-14 BOS Agenda Item #14-1470, Initiative to Retain Current Zoning and Rural Assets Dear Board of Supervisors, I cannot attend the November 21, 2014, meeting and this email comment is to take the place of my personal attendance. The citizens of El Dorado County have been asking for clarity and protections of our way of life for decades. I urge you to adopt the Initiative to Retain Current Zoning and Rural Assets so that important protective policies promised in our General Plan are implemented and restored before any more discretionary projects are approved. Thank you, [Your Name] [Your town or address] |
Let's celebrate and re-energize!
The election results are in and several things are now very clear: 1. The development community is very threatened by our passion and tenacity to fight for our beloved quality of life in El Dorado County. Why else would they spend $1 million to confuse and mislead voters? 2. We have awakened the community and educated many voters during this battle. Those efforts are to be celebrated and furthered. Remember, we have 2 more initiatives (yellow and purple) that will be on the next statewide ballot. That gives us about a year to regroup, re-energize, and build upon our alliances throughout the county. We are a force to be reckoned with and our mission is clear: Preserve the quality of life in El Dorado County. Here are the Measure O results: County Measure O (majority to pass) YES 14701 33.20% NO 29574 66.80% Complete results from El Dorado County are available here: http://www.edcgov.us/elections/election/099/099.pdf Please join us to celebrate and take a breather to re-energize for what is ahead of us: Potluck dinner at the Parlin residence in Shingle Springs (email info@ShingleSpringsCommunityAlliance.com for directions) Saturday, Nov 8, 5:00-7:00pm Followed by live music (and probably some dancing) at the Shingle Springs Community Center 7:00-9:00pm, $10 per person at the door. Remember, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Please stay involved to help with the fight. |
Purple petition made it!
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: From Save Our County: More good news! The Retain El Dorado County's Current Zoning and Rural Assets - purple petition has been certified! Dear El Dorado County Rural Lifestyle Supporters, Save Our County (SOC) and Residents Involved in Positive Planning (RIPP), received the call that we gathered enough valid signatures to CERTIFY - "To Retain El Dorado County's Current Zoning and Rural Assets" (purple of the 1-2-3 petitions) initiative!! This is our initiative to qualify for the ballot and will be on the Board of Supervisors agenda, Tuesday, October 28. We turned in 9,858 signatures of which 8,289 where determined to be valid. This is the best we did out of the three! On this one we had help from the community in South Lake Tahoe in order to reach our goal. So it is appropriate that our initiative happens to land on the one day the Board of Supervisors has scheduled to meet in Tahoe. We have been told to be at the meeting at 9:00 a.m. since this will be the second item on the agenda and the one before us should only take a few minutes. The Meeting will be held at 1901 Airport Blvd by the Tahoe airport. The Board will decide whether to adopt the initiative, put it on the ballot, or order a 30-day report. We had expected that the Board would place our second (yellow) initiative on the ballot in July, but instead they ordered a report which pushed that initiative out until the 2016 election. For that reason and with the constant lobbying by the El Dorado County Chamber (of which Sierra Pacific Industries and Parker Development are Board President and member respectively) to undermine our 2004 General Plan, we are going to ask the Board of Supervisors to adopt this initiative. This initiative has 6 basic points which coincide with our existing 2004 General Plan: 1. If the zoning on our property does not match the land designation, then the county will change the land designation to match. If a person wants to change their zoning they need to follow the compatibility chart so that not to impact their neighbor. (This takes the cronyism out of the equation and stops the Millions of dollars being spend on overhauling our General Plan being pushed by the EDC Chamber.) 2. The Ag buffers are restored to the 2004 standards from being removed and altered by the Board of Supervisors in 2006-2008. 3. The Mixed Use policy will be restored to the 2004 standards from what was altered by the Board of Supervisors in 2009. 4. The Cultural and Historical Resource policies in the 2004 General Plan, less the part about removing Highway 49 from Coloma, shall be implemented prior to any more discretionary land use changes can take place. 5. The water supply and demand policies in the 2004 General Plan, with some clean up to protect existing uses, shall be implemented prior to any more discretionary land use changes can take place. (The County has yet to do a Water Supply and Demand Management Plan). 6. The Scenic Corridor and Vista Point regulations promised in the 2004 General Plan shall be put in place before any more discretionary land use changes can take place. (Doing this would have prevented that over-sized billboard that was planted on our most significant scenic vista point in Shingle Springs.) (Discretionary means that the project is not allowed by right and would either need the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors to pass legislation in order to allow the project. This ordinance does nothing to remove a property owner's right to request a rezone or change, nor does it take water away from senior citizens or farmers.) The proposed ordinance and back up information: http://www.lvc-edc.org/about/retain-current-zoning After watching the Board of Supervisors spending years with special interests to manipulate our General Plan we are asking them to adopt this carefully written initiative in order to stop the lobbying and cronyism that has taken place over the last 30 years. This is telling them to implement the protections to our resources that they promised us in 2004.... The one the developers keep telling us is a wonderful plan even while driving the Board of Supervisors to spend millions to overhaul it. Please attend: Board of Supervisors Meeting - 1901 Airport Blvd. South Lake Tahoe Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 8:00 am Please use sample email below to send a message to the Board of Supervisors: Contact info for Board of Supervisors: (Please reference the Board meeting date and mention Ballot measure in your email to expedite a response and subsequent addition to the agenda item) 1. Ron Mikulaco, Supervisor District I, (530) 621-5650, bosone@edcgov.us 2. Shiva Frentzen, Supervisor District II, (530) 621-5651, bostwo@edcgov.us 3. Brian Veerkamp, Supervisor District III, (530) 621-5652, bosthree@edcgov.us 4. Ron Briggs, Supervisor District IV, (530) 621-6513, bosfour@edcgov.us 5. Norma Santiago, Supervisor District V, (530) 621-6577, bosfive@edcgov.us Board of Supervisors' Agenda Item Comments, Clerk of the Board: edc.cob@edcgov.us ******************************************************************************************************************** Sample email: To: <bosone@edcgov.us>, <bostwo@edcgov.us>, <bosthree@edcgov.us>, <bosfour@edcgov.us>, <bosfive@edcgov.us>, <edc.cob@edcgov.us> Subject: Comment on 10-28-14 BOS Agenda Item, Ballot Measure Dear Board of Supervisors, I request that you adopt the grassroots "Initiative Measure Relating to El Dorado County Land Use Policies and Zoning" in order to Retain El Dorado County's Current Historical Zoning Rights and Rural Assets. Thank you, [Your Name] [Your town or address] ********************************************************************************************************************* Thank you, Sue Taylor for: Save Our County The grassroots team of signature gatherers reminds us of this quote: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. ~ Margaret Mead HISTORY: SOC, RIPP, Shingle Springs Community Alliance, No San Stino, and Stop Tilton Park along with many other organizations came together and formed Local Voters Control in El Dorado County (LVC-EDC). LVC-EDC sponsored 3 initiatives. The first (green petition), after qualifying, has become Measure O which is on the November 2014 Ballot. Measure O simply takes away the urban boundary line that abuts next to the Apple Farms in Camino and the forests of Pollock Pines and reduces that line to 3 rural centers. It also reduces and changes the urban boundary line in Shingle Springs to a rural center and reduces the line along a small strip of ranch properties in Green Valley Road. It retains the zoning that was expected in these areas in the 2004 General Plan. Without much funding and with only volunteers for gathering signatures we knew this would be a huge task to get our measures on the ballot. What we did not know is how much the opposition would come against us with lies and money to confuse the public against our Measure O and Measure M's initiatives. (Measure M was put on the ballot from another grassroots organization, Rural Communities United, to stop Marble Valley and the Lime Rock Projects being proposed by Parker Development and Gallo.) From the Green Valley Alliance: According to the FPPC forms, filed with the El Dorado County Election’s Dept., money has come from 13 donations, and 10 of those donations have come from outside El Dorado County. Of the top 6 donors, 5 are outside the County. Big developers have now spent nearly $400,000 to fight Measures M and O – they even have TV ads now. § $249,500 Parker Development; Affiliated Entities (El Dorado Hills) § $49,500 Sierra Pacific Industries (Lincoln) § $15,000 Premier United Communities, LP (Granite Bay) § $25,000 G3 Enterprises (Gallo - Modesto) § $15,000 North State Building Industry Association (Sacramento) § $10,000 R.E.Y. Engineers, Inc. (Folsom) These special interest groups are lying about what Measure M and Measure O will do. They have also thrown Measure M & O in with Measure N, which came from a Builders group in Sacramento that it telling us what to do with our local road funds in order for them to reduce the mitigation they would be required to pay on their impact to our roads. Remember to VOTE NO on N! |
Rebuttal to Measure O editorial
By Letters to the Editor From page A5 | October 15, 2014 EDITOR: I am writing this letter in response to your editorial of Measure O dated Oct. 3. I am very disappointed that the writer did not sign their name to the letter, as we as subscribers are required to when we submit a letter. Are we to assume the editor in chief crafted that letter? In any case I would like to clear up several misleading and inaccurate statements made by the writer so that voters will understand Measure O. Contrary to the writer’s confusion regarding the language of the Initiative Measure O, the language is taken straight from the El Dorado County General Plan. All areas of our county are classified as a community region, rural center or rural region with the exception of the incorporated cities of Placerville and South Lake Tahoe. Subdivided lands that don’t fit in these designations are called platted land overlays. Community regions are defined as “those areas which are appropriate for the highest intensity of self-sustaining compact urban type development or suburban type development within El Dorado County.” When the communities of Pollock Pines, Cedar Grove, Camino and other surrounding areas were lumped into a single community region in the 1996 General Plan, the Board of Supervisors realized that was a big mistake and as a result, in 2009 they adopted a resolution of intention to change them into separate rural centers. After that nothing happened, because the county’s legal counsel advised the board that it would require a very costly environmental impact report to make changes to the general plan. Since then the county has been advised by an expert land use and environmental attorney that this is not the case. This was around the same time that several concerned citizens formed the Shingle Springs Community Alliance, because they and others living in the Green Valley Road corridor realized that they were living in a community region designation which made them bullseye targets for the highest-intensity, compact urban and suburban-type development. They began petitioning the Board of Supervisors to reclassify their communities as rural centers and platted lands in order to preserve the rural character of their communities and remove the bullseye target, preserve their quality of life and retain the existing zoning. In regard to the writer’s claim that shifting the status of these communities will delay the fire district response time is ludicrous. How is that possible? The General Plan spells out the requirements for emergency response time, and fire districts have their own standards for response time. Fire districts will provide the same level of service regardless of land use changes made to the General Plan. Their mission is responding as quickly as possible to save lives and property — period; end of story. Dear writer: Please stop trying to use scare tactics and lies to push your agenda on the voters. The initiative process can amend the General Plan without it costing the taxpayers of our county thousands of dollars and accomplishes what the Board of Supervisors has said it would do since 2009. Most importantly, it is what the vast majority of residents of the county want — “to retain the rural quality of our county.” The language of Measure O was carefully written to be consistent with the General Plan and there is nothing misleading in its content. Please read your ballot and vote yes on Measure O and help us preserve our rural quality of life that we all enjoy in El Dorado County. BARBARA ZAGARIS Shingle Springs |
The Green 1-2-3 petition is Measure O on the November ballot
Dear Shingle Springs residents and rural lifestyle supporters,
The November election is fast approaching and Sample Ballots are on the way to mailboxes now.
We all worked very hard on collecting signatures on the 1-2-3 petitions and the green one that removes the urban boundary lines around Shingle Springs, Camino, Pollock Pines, Cedar Grove, and areas around the Green Valley corridor, is now Measure O and made it onto the November ballot. We want to remove the urban boundary lines so that those areas are no longer a target for urban development by the county.
So let's make sure that Measure O passes this November. Remember, this is a countywide measure, so send it to everyone you know in the county. Here's what you can do to help us spread the word:
Once again, thank you to everyone that helped put our grassroots measure on the ballot. All efforts, big and small, contributed to the success of the cause. Let's keep up the good work and pass Measure O this November.
Thank you,
Lori Parlin on behalf of the
Shingle Springs Community Alliance, No San Stino, and Stop Tilden Park
Keeping Shingle Springs Rural
 Window Stickers 4'x4'   A-frame 4'x8' |
Press Release: Request for Opinion from FPPC Regarding El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce
For Immediate Release Contact: Lori Parlin (530) 672-6425 Sue Taylor (530) 391-2190 REQUEST FOR OPINION FROM FPPC REGARDING EL DORADO COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE September 29, 2014, Shingle Springs, CA Members of the grassroots group Local Voter Control in El Dorado County are in the process of filing an inquiry with the Fair Political Practices Commission to start investigations into slander during an election campaign. The request stems from a Town-hall Phone Meeting hosted by El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce member Mike Kobus, owner of Koby Pest Control, on the evening of September 24, 2014. Mr. Kobus stated misinformation about the initiatives and its proponents. According to California Election Code Section 20501. (b): "A person who is a sponsor of a sponsored committee, as defined by Section 82048.7 of the Government Code, is liable for any slander or libel committed by the sponsored committee if the sponsor willfully and knowingly directs or permits the libel or slander." The sponsor of the phone meeting was the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, a 501c6 organization, which Mr. Kobus is a Board Member. The Chamber also has a Political Action Committee, which has previously spent over $70,000 against all grassroots efforts to put land use measures on the November ballot. A request will be made to the Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate whether the Chamber has overstepped the boundaries of what is allowed in its campaign against the initiatives by using misinformation to scare voters. “The amount of misinformation in Mr. Kobus' phone meeting was astonishing. He reached out into people's homes over the phone to intentionally spread this misinformation and cause confusion. An uninformed listener would be led to believe that Mr. Kobus is an expert about these measures, when in fact he lumped all of the measures together and mixed up and distorted the facts," said Lori Parlin, a Measure O proponent. "For example, Mr. Kobus debated with one caller that Measure O has a kill clause in it that will wipe out all of the other measures if it got the most votes. That is an absolutely erroneous statement because Measure N has the kill clause in it, which is one of many reasons I am opposed to Measure N." Sue Taylor, another Measure O proponent agreed with a caller that said, "Follow the Money." Taylor went on to say, "Mike Kobus should have explained that it is with the Chamber's Board members and directors where the money lays... such as Sierra Pacific Industries, PG&E, AT&T, The Mountain Democrat, and Kirk Bone of Parker Development who developed Serrano and is proposing the Marble Valley development project. There is a lot riding on this election for these people." Further updates will be published at www.LVC-EDC.org as the inquiry progresses. |
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