A LETTER OF SUPPORT for the Rural County Representatives of California's (RCRC) application to Caltrans Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program - Sustainable Communities Competitive Grant to develop a county and regional Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Infrastructure Readiness Plan was approved during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on January 21st. Public Works Director Bryan Davey explained this is a project in collaboration with RCRC to develop a regional plan for infrastructure readiness. He stated they’ve received a fair amount of inquiries about why Sierra County doesn’t have charging stations. This project would give them the framework for how this might be done. Board Chair Lee Adams said there has been local frustration on needing charging stations in Downieville.
A FOREST SERVICE UPDATE was given to the Sierra County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 21stin Loyalton. Acting Sierraville District Ranger Christina Hood spoke on the recent announcement of the new Tahoe National Forest Supervisor David Francomb, who began his career as an Army officer and has been with the Forest Service the last 21 years and most recently served as the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Boise National Forest. He will be arriving on the Tahoe towards the end of March.
She also reported on a new project coming out in the next week or two for public comment called the Sayles Project. The project, which is close to 3,000-acres is located between the south side of Loyalton and the north side of Stampede Reservoir. It is a forest health project which will include meadow restoration, aspen thinning, forest thinning, and mastication.
JUSTIFICATION OF SPEED ZONES in and around Sierra City was discussed during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on January 21st in Loyalton. The discussion was in response to a letter received from the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Caltrans recently conducted an engineering and traffic survey that is required every seven years. Public Works Director Bryan Davey stated speed limits in Sierra City are of great concern as there is a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Caltrans is proposing to make changes to Sierra City by extending the 55-mile zone to Wild Plum intersection and extending the 35-mile zone to below the library. Davey plans to have a consult with Caltrans to express concerns and suggested pursuing an ordinance to keep the zones in place. A couple of business owners in Sierra City spoke out against the proposals citing no shoulders on that stretch of road with a lot of people walking, adding slower is better in small towns.
Supervisor Paul Roen wanted to pursue a public hearing and if not successful have County Counsel look into passing an ordinance. County Counsel Rhetta Van Ploeg stated quite a few jurisdictions have already done an ordinance, adding the only way an ordinance can be removed is if it’s found unconstitutional. Davey felt the public hearing should be held at the Sierra City Community Hall. Clerk-Recorder Heather Foster stated they would coordinate and announce the date.
A PUBLIC HEARING for the adoption of the General Plan Housing Element update was set by the Sierra County Board of Supervisors to be held March 4th at 10 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers at the Courthouse in Downieville. Teleconferencing will be available for the public who cannot attend in person.
PORTOLA CITY COUNCIL meeting on January 22nd included a staff report prepared by Senior Planning Consultant Karen Downs discussing participation in Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Regina Martinez, a representative from Smoke Free High Country, presented a discussion on the Portola youth and tobacco use. She discussed the dangers of smoking and vaping. She mentioned that we have seven retailers in Portola, and wondered if they were following the laws of not selling any tobacco products to minors.
Installation of the monitoring system for the Gulling Street Bridge was performed on January 15th and 16th, 2025, which will provide critical data and peace of mind for both the city and the public. According to the City of Portola website “ Due to the complexities of the funding prices which is managed by external agencies, the city took proactive steps to develop a continuous monitoring system. This electronic system tracks critical structural points, offering real-time data for immediate action if needed. The monitoring instruments on the bridge can measure settlement and deflections in the bridge structure to one/thousands of an inch. The instrumentation will continuously monitor the structure for any movement and threshold. Alarms will alert the city, so that action can be taken deemed as necessary.” To get the latest news on the Gulling Street Bridge the City encourages residents to go to the website and under News and Notices is the latest update. If there have been any changes on the Gulling Street Bridge, it will be posted immediately. - Story by Adrian Hardy
CALIFORNIA’S DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE (CDFW) have collared five wolves in the Sierra Valley. According to CDFW Statewide Wolf Coordinator Axel Hunnicut, four wolves were collared on January 14th and one more on January 19th. He explained the Beyem Seyo Pack they’d been monitoring in the Red Clover Valley area, showed the collared female shift and the pack split. They located her in Sierra Valley with four others. They changed out her collar and collared the four with her.
CDFW know of 10-12 wolves in the area which includes the Diamond Pack in the Frenchman Lake area. The Antelope Pack in the Sierra Brooks area only detected one wolf which merged with the Beyem Seyo pack. Hunnicut said they have had no evidence of the Beckwourth Pack in a year. He stated it is easier to track counts with more snow.
The department also collared wolves recently in Lassen and Siskyou Counties. Hunnicut explained collaring helps with wolf management in monitoring how many are in a pack and helps livestock producers and those affected by wolf conflict.
Wolves are classified as endangered both under the California Endangered Species Act and the Federal Endangered Species Act. Their natural recolonization into the state began in 2011 with individuals dispersing from Oregon.
According to CDFW’s website, wolves rarely pose a direct threat to human safety and generally fear and avoid people.
A full press release with more information will be released soon.
PREDATORS were discussed during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting held January 21st in Loyalton. Sheriff Mike Fisher stated he fortunately had no recent bear issues, but reported on the recent mountain lion incidents in Downieville and Loyalton. He is working with Fish and Wildlife, adding they’ve had great communication. In Downieville, Fish and Wildlife brought in a federal trapper with hounds to chase the lions out of town, and have not had any calls on the Downieville lions since, adding there have been some reports of missing house cats in upper Downieville.
In Loyalton the lion had been seen again in the same area late last week. He said if you look around Loyalton, there is good cat habitat in neglected yards with brush and vehicles, which makes it easy for cats to hide. Fisher also reported on a recent lion sighting in Sierra City and stated Fish and Wildlife is aware of that one as well. Supervisor Paul Roen mentioned there was one seen in Sierraville recently too. Fisher thought the weather was one reason the cats are being more visible.
The passage of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Proposition 117) by California voters established that mountain lions are a "specially protected mammal in California. It is unlawful to possess, transport, import " or sell any mountain lion or part or product thereof (including taxidermy mounts). This status and other statues prohibit CDFW from developing hunting season or take limits for this species. The act established certain exemptions from that prohibition such as: mountain lions may only be harvested 1) if a depredation permit is issued to take an individual that has killed livestock or pets; 2) to preserve public safety; 3) to protect federally-listed bighorn sheep populations.
Fisher stated he and Roen watched Fish and Wildlife tranquilize and collar some of the Sierra Valley wolves last week. He called the event Informative and had good conversation with Fish and Wildlife.
Supervisor Sharon Dryden thanked Fisher for being so responsive to these predator issues. She lives in Sierra Brooks and felt they’ve cohabitated really well with predators, but added cohabitating with a pack of wolves is a whole other level of fear that is changing her life. She stated she has lived here a long time and has never been afraid to walk with her dog. Dryden suggested having the wolf specialist come soon to do a presentation.
LIBERTY UTILITIES RATE INCREASES was a timed item during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on January 21st. Supervisor Paul Roen stated there was a lot of frustration in the community over the rate increases. Loyalton City Council member Sue McIlravy stated there was a 19% increase on residential and 50% on businesses. Liberty Utilities serves Sierra Brooks, City of Loyalton and City of Portola. Roen stated this is creating hardships on all the users and wanted authorization to create a committee to start the conversations of creating a municipality to better serve the residents in these areas and try and get some concessions. Roen explained LAFCO would have to be involved to create a public utilities district. Supervisor Sharon Dryden said she gets a lot of complaints and overwhelmingly the most common is the utility crisis. Her own power bills in Sierra Brooks have doubled. She spoke with a representative a couple weeks ago and they are holding public meetings in the Lake Tahoe communities to justify the rate increases. Dryden encouraged them to have one in Loyalton to hear from residents, as there’s a lot of confusion on why and how those increases came about and there’s another 19% increase coming. Roen didn’t think a public meeting would have any effect on the rate increases, and felt they needed to actively find a solution with Portola. Committee representatives will be Roen
and Dryden. Dryden stated she would reach out to Portola’s new City Manager Ryan Bonk.
Nichole Johnson, Editor
Sierra Booster Newspaper
[email protected]
(530) 277-0891
A FOREST SERVICE UPDATE was given to the Sierra County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, January 21stin Loyalton. Acting Sierraville District Ranger Christina Hood spoke on the recent announcement of the new Tahoe National Forest Supervisor David Francomb, who began his career as an Army officer and has been with the Forest Service the last 21 years and most recently served as the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Boise National Forest. He will be arriving on the Tahoe towards the end of March.
She also reported on a new project coming out in the next week or two for public comment called the Sayles Project. The project, which is close to 3,000-acres is located between the south side of Loyalton and the north side of Stampede Reservoir. It is a forest health project which will include meadow restoration, aspen thinning, forest thinning, and mastication.
JUSTIFICATION OF SPEED ZONES in and around Sierra City was discussed during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on January 21st in Loyalton. The discussion was in response to a letter received from the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Caltrans recently conducted an engineering and traffic survey that is required every seven years. Public Works Director Bryan Davey stated speed limits in Sierra City are of great concern as there is a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Caltrans is proposing to make changes to Sierra City by extending the 55-mile zone to Wild Plum intersection and extending the 35-mile zone to below the library. Davey plans to have a consult with Caltrans to express concerns and suggested pursuing an ordinance to keep the zones in place. A couple of business owners in Sierra City spoke out against the proposals citing no shoulders on that stretch of road with a lot of people walking, adding slower is better in small towns.
Supervisor Paul Roen wanted to pursue a public hearing and if not successful have County Counsel look into passing an ordinance. County Counsel Rhetta Van Ploeg stated quite a few jurisdictions have already done an ordinance, adding the only way an ordinance can be removed is if it’s found unconstitutional. Davey felt the public hearing should be held at the Sierra City Community Hall. Clerk-Recorder Heather Foster stated they would coordinate and announce the date.
A PUBLIC HEARING for the adoption of the General Plan Housing Element update was set by the Sierra County Board of Supervisors to be held March 4th at 10 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers at the Courthouse in Downieville. Teleconferencing will be available for the public who cannot attend in person.
PORTOLA CITY COUNCIL meeting on January 22nd included a staff report prepared by Senior Planning Consultant Karen Downs discussing participation in Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Regina Martinez, a representative from Smoke Free High Country, presented a discussion on the Portola youth and tobacco use. She discussed the dangers of smoking and vaping. She mentioned that we have seven retailers in Portola, and wondered if they were following the laws of not selling any tobacco products to minors.
Installation of the monitoring system for the Gulling Street Bridge was performed on January 15th and 16th, 2025, which will provide critical data and peace of mind for both the city and the public. According to the City of Portola website “ Due to the complexities of the funding prices which is managed by external agencies, the city took proactive steps to develop a continuous monitoring system. This electronic system tracks critical structural points, offering real-time data for immediate action if needed. The monitoring instruments on the bridge can measure settlement and deflections in the bridge structure to one/thousands of an inch. The instrumentation will continuously monitor the structure for any movement and threshold. Alarms will alert the city, so that action can be taken deemed as necessary.” To get the latest news on the Gulling Street Bridge the City encourages residents to go to the website and under News and Notices is the latest update. If there have been any changes on the Gulling Street Bridge, it will be posted immediately. - Story by Adrian Hardy
CALIFORNIA’S DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE (CDFW) have collared five wolves in the Sierra Valley. According to CDFW Statewide Wolf Coordinator Axel Hunnicut, four wolves were collared on January 14th and one more on January 19th. He explained the Beyem Seyo Pack they’d been monitoring in the Red Clover Valley area, showed the collared female shift and the pack split. They located her in Sierra Valley with four others. They changed out her collar and collared the four with her.
CDFW know of 10-12 wolves in the area which includes the Diamond Pack in the Frenchman Lake area. The Antelope Pack in the Sierra Brooks area only detected one wolf which merged with the Beyem Seyo pack. Hunnicut said they have had no evidence of the Beckwourth Pack in a year. He stated it is easier to track counts with more snow.
The department also collared wolves recently in Lassen and Siskyou Counties. Hunnicut explained collaring helps with wolf management in monitoring how many are in a pack and helps livestock producers and those affected by wolf conflict.
Wolves are classified as endangered both under the California Endangered Species Act and the Federal Endangered Species Act. Their natural recolonization into the state began in 2011 with individuals dispersing from Oregon.
According to CDFW’s website, wolves rarely pose a direct threat to human safety and generally fear and avoid people.
A full press release with more information will be released soon.
PREDATORS were discussed during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting held January 21st in Loyalton. Sheriff Mike Fisher stated he fortunately had no recent bear issues, but reported on the recent mountain lion incidents in Downieville and Loyalton. He is working with Fish and Wildlife, adding they’ve had great communication. In Downieville, Fish and Wildlife brought in a federal trapper with hounds to chase the lions out of town, and have not had any calls on the Downieville lions since, adding there have been some reports of missing house cats in upper Downieville.
In Loyalton the lion had been seen again in the same area late last week. He said if you look around Loyalton, there is good cat habitat in neglected yards with brush and vehicles, which makes it easy for cats to hide. Fisher also reported on a recent lion sighting in Sierra City and stated Fish and Wildlife is aware of that one as well. Supervisor Paul Roen mentioned there was one seen in Sierraville recently too. Fisher thought the weather was one reason the cats are being more visible.
The passage of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Proposition 117) by California voters established that mountain lions are a "specially protected mammal in California. It is unlawful to possess, transport, import " or sell any mountain lion or part or product thereof (including taxidermy mounts). This status and other statues prohibit CDFW from developing hunting season or take limits for this species. The act established certain exemptions from that prohibition such as: mountain lions may only be harvested 1) if a depredation permit is issued to take an individual that has killed livestock or pets; 2) to preserve public safety; 3) to protect federally-listed bighorn sheep populations.
Fisher stated he and Roen watched Fish and Wildlife tranquilize and collar some of the Sierra Valley wolves last week. He called the event Informative and had good conversation with Fish and Wildlife.
Supervisor Sharon Dryden thanked Fisher for being so responsive to these predator issues. She lives in Sierra Brooks and felt they’ve cohabitated really well with predators, but added cohabitating with a pack of wolves is a whole other level of fear that is changing her life. She stated she has lived here a long time and has never been afraid to walk with her dog. Dryden suggested having the wolf specialist come soon to do a presentation.
LIBERTY UTILITIES RATE INCREASES was a timed item during the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on January 21st. Supervisor Paul Roen stated there was a lot of frustration in the community over the rate increases. Loyalton City Council member Sue McIlravy stated there was a 19% increase on residential and 50% on businesses. Liberty Utilities serves Sierra Brooks, City of Loyalton and City of Portola. Roen stated this is creating hardships on all the users and wanted authorization to create a committee to start the conversations of creating a municipality to better serve the residents in these areas and try and get some concessions. Roen explained LAFCO would have to be involved to create a public utilities district. Supervisor Sharon Dryden said she gets a lot of complaints and overwhelmingly the most common is the utility crisis. Her own power bills in Sierra Brooks have doubled. She spoke with a representative a couple weeks ago and they are holding public meetings in the Lake Tahoe communities to justify the rate increases. Dryden encouraged them to have one in Loyalton to hear from residents, as there’s a lot of confusion on why and how those increases came about and there’s another 19% increase coming. Roen didn’t think a public meeting would have any effect on the rate increases, and felt they needed to actively find a solution with Portola. Committee representatives will be Roen
and Dryden. Dryden stated she would reach out to Portola’s new City Manager Ryan Bonk.
Nichole Johnson, Editor
Sierra Booster Newspaper
[email protected]
(530) 277-0891
