Next meeting update:  7 p.m. on January 29th

Our meeting announcement email missed something important:  The meeting time is 7 p.m. This is our second Conversations With Candidates meeting, this one featuring past County Supervisors Bob Dorr and Ray Nutting.  Looking ahead to the third CWC meeting, the candidates will be Harry Norris and Rachel Michelin.


BOS candidates forum at Four Seasons

On Saturday, January 12th, homeowners in Four Seasons hosted a candidates forum featuring 6 of the announced candidates for Board of Supervisors, most from District 2. Public attendance probably was in the range of 125 to 150 people. If any single event can be considered as the starting gun for the June Primary election races this is it.

A nutshell summary of the most common reactions and observations heard after the forum is that many considered the candidates who live in El Dorado Hills to generally be more better in touch with our needs and values than many of those living in other parts of the county. Where EDH residents think first of issues of traffic and public safety, it seemed particularly that candidates from rural areas were more concerned with obtaining rights to more water. A particular challenge in District 2 will be finding candidates with good understanding of issues ranging from our increasingly urban traffic to rural agriculture's water needs. We have much more to hear and many more candidates to hear from.


Candidates and others support cityhood

At Saturday's forum the first question asked for the candidates' views on city incorporation (cityhood) for El Dorado Hills. Every candidate supported EDH cityhood. Responses included varying perspectives and nuances of support, and all recognized that the choice belongs the the people of El Dorado Hills. A one-line summary would be that all recognized that EDH already is not only an actual city, but a major city with unique characteristics and needs.

Similar thoughts have come informally from a wide variety of sources in government and public affairs. The most recent was in a phone call from Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi in the past week. There have been impromptu comments and questions by many others before and after an assortment omeetings --  examples include SACOG meetings., Connector JPA meetings, an El Dorado County Traffic Commission meeting, and even a chance encounter with a former congressman while waiting to meet privately with a County Supervisor. 

The 2005 political campaign for and against Measure P left us with conflicting claims, a questionably informed public, and an array of problems and issues that continue to grow as our County-planned urbanization continues. So far it's not clear that most of the major issues can be resolved while we are unincorporated entitiy. Our progress in the two years since Measure P has been very modest and our ability to influence the course of our own public affairs for the better can best be described as humbling.