Parks and Recreation Commission - Regular Meeting

Okay. All I'm meaning to order. Is there something, Mona, you need to read for us?

Yes. I will.

Do you have an introduction?

I will. This is the meeting for, January 14. If you're joining the meeting via Zoom and wish to make a comment on an item, please press the raise hand button. If you are joining the meeting by phone, press 9 to indicate a desire to make a comment. Speakers will be limited to three minutes. By participating in this meeting, you acknowledge that you are being recorded. And the first item is the election of chair and vice chair and approval of your calendar.

Okay. Well, let's take the easy one first. Do we approve of the consent calendar?

I move we approve the consent calendar.

I'll second it. Okay. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? I guess I say aye as well. Okay.

But that wasn't my item. My item is, your calendar.

Oh.

I need you guys to look

at it, and I need you to elect a chair and a vice chair.

But he wanted the easy one first. That's I'll

make a motion on the calendar. Why don't we, not schedule a meeting in November 11, unless there's some pressing item because that's Veterans Day.

Perfect.

I

approve the rest of the calendar.

Okay. Is there a second?

Second. I'll second.

And then with that, are you going to make a motion about the chair and vice chair?

Well, since I I was hadn't had it going, I, would like to, offer the existing BOGAR and, Dave as the chair and the vice chair.

I'll second that. I'll third that.

Oh, alright.

Okay. I'm gonna be difficult one more time.

Oh.

Either Lloyd and Tim, or you can jump in the middle of that. I only have one first and one second, and it's all one item. So Lloyd made the motion. And

I thought Chuck.

Chuck, I think.

I know, but it's all one item. So Okay. Okay.

Okay. Maybe some public comment on this too.

Right. I might have actually, I only have one attendee, and I believe, she's not gonna comment, but I can ask for this. Now taking public comment on item one, individuals will have three minutes to address the commission. Public comment will be taken first from those participating in the meeting room and then from those participating through Zoom. For those participating by Zoom, please make sure you unmute yourself when called upon.

If you're joining the meeting by phone, press 9 to indicate a desire to comment. If you are joining the meeting through Zoom, press the raise hand button to indicate a desire to comment. Please voluntarily state your name for the record. Are there any members in the

Anyone in the audience care to comment?

And I do not have any hands up on Zoom. So we're good to go on that.

Okay. Well, now we need a vote. Right?

Now you do for your

For what? I

The consent calendar.

No. For for the consent. Well, for the aren't they two separate things?

If you vote on the approval of the agenda and approval of the consent, it takes care of the consent calendar. So you're good. Alright.

Well, it's been moved and seconded. Let's call, the motion, verbally. I presume you'd want it.

Yes. Because we have one person absent. So commissioner Mansfield, how do you vote?

Aye.

Commissioner Tong? Aye. Commissioner Nielsen? Aye. Commissioner Bolster? Aye. Commissioner Walker?

Aye. Commissioner Berger?

Aye. Okay.

Thank you.

Okay. I I would like to say that I I appreciate the the reelection and Dave too because I really count on on on Dave and I want it's it's a good partnership. He makes great motions along with everyone else. But I at some point during this year, I'd like to think about the future of of our board. I mean, it's some place, you know, I'm Lloyd and I will be moving on and think about the future and who we can get and just want everybody to think about it.

We'll think about it, but that's about it.

Okay. Well

Chair Boerger, that item already passed, but I do need a second on your for your agenda and the consent calendar.

Did I

get a second?

I thought

I I made the motion.

Well, you did on the first signing, but we can do that again.

Okay. Is there a motion to approve?

I'll I'll motion for approval consent.

Thank you.

I'll second it.

Okay. Got it. Okay. We're all good to go.

Okay. But you need a a vote.

I I took it verbally. I Okay. I'm doing it backwards.

Okay. Alright. Okay. It's all yours. That's the end of that, minutes. We're taking care of that. Public forum, is there is that what you mentioned before? Is there anyone in the audience that wants to address something that's not agendized? I'm not seeing anyone stepping forward. We'll move on to action items.

Just real briefly, perhaps we should also check to make sure that no one online wants to

Oh, yes. Yep. Alright. Thank you.

I'm sorry. I do not have any Zoom participants with their hands raised.

Okay.

Alright.

So I think, Dave and I need to recuse ourselves on this first item. I'd like to appoint, Lloyd Walker as former vice chairman to conduct this this item.

Perhaps just before you recuse yourself, just please state the reason for your recusal on the record, and then you'll have to go outside.

I have to recuse because it's my Yes. Property. Yeah. Okay. And Dave And I have

a business relationship with Cherbourg.

Alright. Well, thank you very much. Okay. Have meetings down to Ag. Just so Yeah.

I'll go ahead and read this item in. 26, 0112. This is William Sonnet contract 25Dash0002. Boger, William Sonnet contract. Assessor's parcel number, APN0490500150490500200 4 9050021049050, 022, 049, 050, 023, 049, 050, 024, 049, 050, 025, 049050 and 026 and 049010034.

The request is, to add APN 049010034, approximately 5.28 acres to the Agricultural Preserve 174 consisting of APNs 04905015015049, zero five zero, zero two zero, zero four nine, zero five zero, zero two one, zero four nine, zero five zero, zero two two, 049, 050, 023, 049050, zero two four, zero four nine zero five zero, zero two five, and zero four nine zero five zero zero two six. It's approximately 74.9 acres. The new parcel has a zoning designation of plant agriculture twenty twenty acres, p a 20, with a general plan land use designation of agricultural land agriculture district ALA, and is in supervisor district three.

Good evening, everybody. Corey Larson, assistant agricultural commissioner. The parcel as Myrna read is Parcel 049010034. It's about 5.28 acres. It is in the Camino Fruitridge Agricultural District.

The land use designation is agricultural lands. Zoning planned agriculture, 20 acres. There are choice soils on this parcel. Boomer sites loam 15 to 30% slopes. This is part of a Williamson at contract, so we've included the capital outlay currently is at $405,000 in vineyard development, and the current gross income for wine grapes is 123,000.

Notifications were sent out to properties within a thousand feet. I think it was about a hundred, hundred and twenty notifications were sent out. Again, the parcel highlighted here in blue is in the Camino Fruitridge Agricultural District. The surrounding properties that are hashed in red are part of a current Williams and Act contract. Zoning, planned agriculture, 20 acres.

All the parcels adjacent to it are either planned ag 20 acres or limited ag 20 acres and one planned ag 10 acres. The land use designation, again, is agricultural lands. Choice soils, as you can see, are along the western part of the parcel. Boomer sites loams 15 to 30% slopes. The other soils on this parcel are not choice soils.

Topography, it's a fairly steep parcel going from about 2,200. It's a little bit rolling and then goes steeper up to about twenty two fifty near the very north side. So the current Williamson at contract is surrounding this parcel. It's the red hash marks on this aerial photo. So the proposal is to add the blue outlined parcel into the already existing Williams and that contract.

I did take some photos of the sites. This was about a week ago, two weeks ago. It's being very well maintained. It is in the dormant season now.

This is the five

This is not the five acres. This is the parcels that are already in the Williams and that contract. So the existing Agricultural Preserve 174 consists of 74 o nine acres and meets the Williams and Nat contract requirements for high intensive farming operation, which the requirements for high intensive farming is a minimum of 20 contiguous acres, a capital outlay of $45,000, and a minimum gross income of 13,500 per year. Relevant general plan policies, policy eight point two point four point one b in the agricultural and forestry element supports the continued use of Williamson Nat contracts to provide tax benefits to farms and ranches to help ensure the long term conservation of agricultural lands. Relevant government code sections with regards to minimum criteria for agricultural preserves, government code section five one two two two states, the legislature further declares that it is in the public interest for local officials and landowners to retain agricultural lands, which are subject to contracts entered into pursuant to this act in parcels large enough to sustain agricultural uses permitted under the contracts.

For for purposes on of this section, agricultural land shall be presumed to be in parcels large enough to sustain their agricultural use if the land is, one, at least 10 acres in size in the case of prime agricultural land, or two, at least 40 acres in size in the case of land which is not prime agricultural land. So staff recommends approval of William Sinnat contract 25Dash002 based on staff findings. The existing agricultural preserve will continue to meet Williamsonat contract requirements with the addition of APN O49Dash010Dash034, which is 5.28 acres. Is there any questions? So the main reason they're adding this parcel is it was purchased after the initial Williamsonat contract was established.

Does planning, want to add anything?

Planning, do you want to add anything? No.

Okay.

We have one of the applicants there too.

Lexi, I understand that you're the spokesperson. Would you

need me to speak.

Yeah. Would you like to add anything to the that has already been presented? And let me ask you a question. It doesn't Yeah. Appear

I was just gonna say no. Everything was summarized perfectly, and

thanks for hearing it today.

And there is no grapes planted on that, is there?

Lexi Boger speaking for the applicant. Sorry. What, Lloyd?

Is there there is no grapes planted in that area. Right?

No. This is the in the back forties, so it was a later phase if we were not looking at planting grapes this year.

It's the mine tailings.

Yeah. But it is as you can see there, it's got, like, sort of a rabbit ears on each side. So all of that land back there in order to be usable, we sort of go back and forth across that middle piece, and it would be incorporated into whatever activity happens

back

there.

Okay. Does anyone on the board have any questions for the applicant? Pretty cut and dried. Is there anyone on the is there any hands up? Okay.

Let's bring it back to the board for discussions and and hopefully a motion.

Chuck, what do you think? I will make a motion that we accept staff's recommendation and complete this Williamson Act contract. I'll second it.

Okay. Erna, it's been moved and seconded. Would you

Okay. Commissioner Tom, how do you vote? Aye.

Thank you. Maybe they went She in the left. We signed you up for all kinds of things.

Yeah. We had trouble hearing. We knew that. We kept it kinda quiet.

Yeah.

Yeah. I just like to to to apologize to Lexi that we didn't have any more detailed discussion to to, quiz her on, but but thank you for your presentation.

Okay, Greg. You're back on. Well said. How did how did it feel, Lloyd? Back in the saddle? Yeah. It's like old times.

It's like old times. He

didn't even use the gavel.

No. He didn't. Okay.

Yeah. He didn't give me

the gavel. Oh, well, there it is. Okay. Alright. So continuing on item four, update on glassy wing sharpshooter, and I imagine that is Leanne or Corey. Okay. Who who's doing that?

That's me. I'm all about the glassy wing sharpshooter. We are having, after this meeting, another public outreach meeting for the glassy winged sharpshooter. The original infestation was found in the Serrano area of Eldorado Hills. As of about August 2025, we had three separate detections South Of Highway 50.

One in the Eldorado Hills town center, one in the Blackstone community, which is off of Latrobe, and then one in the 4 Seasons community, which is off of White Rock Road, about a half mile from the Sacramento County line. As of yesterday, the board signed a contract with CDFA for an additional $2,000,000 in funding for us to continue treating. To date, we've received about $4,000,000 from emergency funding from CDFA, and we've spent about 2,100,000.0 on the treatments alone, so on their pest control business to do the treatments.

Has the treatment been effective?

It's hard to say. Speaking with other counties, speaking with our pest control business who's been on other GWSS eradication efforts, generally, it's hard to see how much effect you're having the first year because you're still trying to find the limits of the infestation. So we've treated over 800 homes so far, and I estimate about 40 acres of common space, roadside vegetation, that kind of thing. I'm hoping that we found the limits of the infestation, and we can start really seeing progress now that we're starting year two. We have over 1,400 consent forms signed by homeowners, so we still have a lot of homes to treat.

We've reached out to over 3,500 residents, so there's still 2,000 that we haven't heard back from.

Are you having any pushback from any any of the homeowners?

We've had a few refusals. It's up to a 122. So the refusal rate, it's about six or seven percent at this point. Generally, if we have a one refusal, the houses near it are accepting our treatment, so I'm hopeful that will be enough to eradicate it, but we'll have to keep eye on those areas. And if we continue to see populations, we may have to come up with another plan to get some treatments on those homes.

Question. Is the eradicate a contact so it has to touch them, or or is it something where they come in and so a neighbor sharpshooter can come to the neighbor and get zapped? Or

Yeah. We're using two different products. So we're using a systemic product. So we're injecting MERIT two f at the base of host material, and that can have a residual effect of up to one year. Since it's absorbed by the plant, it kills after the GWIS feed on the plant. Mhmm. We're also using a product called Altus that's a foliar application. So that has immediate knockdown effect, but very little, if any, residual effect. So we're using both those products. We're also doing biocontrol releases.

So there's a parasitic parasitic wasp that will lay its eggs inside of the glassy winged sharpshooter egg masses. We've released about 7,000 of those wasps as of last year.

Need consent?

No. Okay. Good. No. We're releasing those in, you know, common areas, and then they're supposed to be very good at hunting out the glass of winged sharpshooter egg masses. We do collect egg masses when we find them. Unfortunately, of the 120 or so egg masses that we've collected, only twenty seven have been parasitized. But every little bit helps, and I'm hoping CDFA rears these wasps. I'm hoping we'll get a lot more shipments this coming year.

Boy, 4,000,000. That's a that's a lot. Yes.

Back to the Medfly days. Sounds like fun.

Well,

this is a emergency fund that it's a joint emergency fund. So the emergency fund was climbing, and then Medfly hit when the, know, last couple years have been it's been horrific. So there is a fear that funding may not I mean, if we continue, we are the largest infestation in the state. And if it continues this way, how do you sustain 2,000,000, 2,000,000, 2,000,000 coming in? So there there is that fear because I don't know as a county what we would do that there's no 2,000,000 magic $2,000,000 out there to do these kind of treatments.

I have talked to the farm advisor Mckenzie Faith Patton and she thinks that in Camino it gets a little bit too cold for the Pierce's disease to and the Guest to to flourish. I don't know what the thought is about Somerset. So we're we're working on it, and hopefully I think Cory and I both think that and CDFA that this this season is gonna be what kinda tells us how well we did last season. Kinda been sitting in there and, you know, feeding on it. This weather right here, can tell you, this is not what Cory and I are dancing for. We want some cold. Snow. Eldorado Hills. Yeah. Hey.

Watch that one. The A hard freeze would be good. How's that?

Bitten Camino.

So the 2 and 4,000,000 is is only for Eldorado County? Yes. Really? Wow. Okay.

And they get the CDFA, the way it was explained to us, they get $3,000,000 a year from the federal government. If that does decrease, those are other things that could be and I'm not clear. Somebody asked me today, and I don't know if you've heard anything that, you know, payments to states like ours from the feds were in jeopardy anyways. So and I'm not sure. I don't know anything about that. No.

I'm not sure the status knows if one day or the next.

Yep.

Okay. So it's mainly down in that residential area. So do they think it came in on plants, the ornamental plants, that sort of thing?

We check, and we have forever. I mean, I still I still remember checking plants down there, you know, twenty four years ago. Always it seemed to be in the pouring rain, but, we check every plant shipment that comes in and we pretty much check every plant.

Yeah.

But so, you know, but people bring stuff in.

Yeah. Without the inspection, obviously.

And Sac Sacramento County hasn't always checked every shipment because they just get so many. Mhmm. It's kind of physically impossible. So who knows?

Jeez.

I I will say, Corey had to deal with a lot of questions about why is this costing so much? The emergency fund group got together and said, why this is, like, the most expensive, you know, treatment plan. And Corey can tell you because she goes out with the majority of the the treatments. She has to make sure that she's counting exactly how much chemical they're using because that's what they bill us for and making sure that our treatments are actually happening. Every plant down there is is host material.

You have staff other than your own that I mean, you have other contractors that do the application?

Corey can speak to that a little bit.

Yes. We currently have a contract with, Neighborly Pest Management, and they are doing the pesticide applications for us. Yeah. And they've been really great to work with.

But she has to coordinate a staff member because Corey is managing this all by herself. Mhmm. She has to coordinate a staff member to be out there with every application of chemical that happens. Oh, really? She was out at 03:00 in the morning on a Saturday doing town center.

Oh, jeez. Yeah.

Jeez. So Sorry.

And we're we're keeping up delimitation traps or sticky yellow traps. Mhmm. We're keeping up them up year round all over El Dorado Hills and the adjoining areas to make sure

Yeah.

We're monitoring what the pap population numbers are and looking for any spread.

Right. Have you found any evidence of it coming from any of the, nurseries around here?

No. We haven't been able to determine the origin of it, and, unfortunately, that's how it usually goes is that you don't know how it got here. You just deal with the after effects.

So Southern California is infested. There's nothing they can do about it, really, And that's where a lot of our nursery growing grounds are. So they fence them net them in. They treat them pretty heavily. They check them before they get on the truck. We check them when they come here. But it's a, you know, small plant, lots of leaves on some of the the shrubs. Green Acres in Roseville had a positive. So, you know, we you just don't

know. Mhmm. Are there other things they're inspecting as well as besides the glass and wings sharpshooter, there's other insects that they are looking for, or is it only that?

Well

In at the nursery level or at the inspection?

Oh, at the nursery level? I'm sure they're looking for other things. I mean, there's other nurseries that some of them have positive sudden oak deaths. They're looking for that. But for whatever's endemic in that area, we don't want it up here. Yeah. Fruit flies Yeah. For sure. Yeah. And then we still have our trapping program. We've had traps there for glassy blue sharpshooter in that neighborhood, in those areas for twenty plus years.

Mhmm.

And this is the, you know, what was it? 2020

2024.

Yeah. That in the 2024 that we found the first one.

Oh, really? Oh, jeez. Okay.

And I optimistically said, no. It's a spittle bug. And Corey said, no. It's a glassy ring sharp. Yeah. I know it, and she won, unfortunately.

Yeah. Jeez. Alright. Any other questions on the okay.

We do have our meeting tonight. Is it up on the website? Oh, if they wanted to get on, how could they?

Marna passed out the postcards to you all. Oh, yeah. It has the Zoom link if you would like to see the presentation. It's a joint presentation between CDFA, the Department of Pesticide Regulation, and our department.

Okay. But you don't you haven't had any, sharpshooter infestations up above in our area.

Not outside of, like, draw lines from Toronto. Toronto. Colorado Hills. Highway 50. Yeah. That's it.

Blackstone. Yeah. Okay.

Well, they're having such a party and all that, you know, Fotinia, crepe myrtle, and Yeah. How would they wanna leave?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's good if they'll just stay there, okay, and then migrate.

Right now, there's five counties that are not infested counties that are like ours that they're trying to eradicate. So that makes it harder too.

Yeah. Yeah.

We're just the biggest.

Okay. Any other question on that? If not, let's move to staff update on legislation, regulatory issues, and any other issues.

I have handed you out a virtual fence workshop flyer. It's happening on January 27. We are very blessed to have Dan Macon as our livestock adviser. He helps us. He's really taken over kind of the leadership with us of the ag, access pass for during disasters, but he's also putting on these workshops. He does them across the four counties. This one happens to be in Tuolumne. But he's got you know, if you can't make it to the workshop and you'd like to know more about virtual fencing, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to talk to you, come out and talk to you, whatever. He's he's just an awesome resource. I can't say enough good things about him.

I do not have any legislative updates and I or regulatory updates. I do have one personal update. I will be retiring in June 30. So I just wanted to give you guys a heads up. I know that the rumors out there, so it is true.

Can can we vote against that?

Well, the county, did a think they call it the RIP, but it's a retirement incentive program where I've I got, all of us long term employees, because I'm going on twenty four years, get money per year into a retiree health account that will pay my health care premiums. And I have to leave by June 30 in order for that to happen. So I I took one for the team, though. I took a reduction in my payment and didn't retire, in December.

So Oh, really? Congratulations.

Well Thank you.

And thank you for all the good work. Yeah.

I, yeah. If if they hadn't done that, might have stayed longer, but I will be 60 in June. So

Hard to believe.

Not quite as old as mister Nielsen, but, know

Getting there, though.

Jeez. Well, we've still got you for six months. Right?

Yep. Yep. Yep. I'm working on some of that stuff that we've talked about, the ag lodging, the conservation easements. Corey and Tom will be bringing our, scanner ordinance that we've talked about, our price verification ordinance. That will be coming probably in the March, and then we'll be moving forward with that one. If there's anything else you wanna talk about, let me know.

Okay. I think for next meeting, we probably wanna talk about a b seven thirty two, the vendor removal new vendor removal law. And then consequentially, had a conversation about kinda reaching out to senator Gill for some form of assistance for grape growers to remove vineyards.

Okay.

I don't I'm sure everybody saw her press release on the state of her district's wine industry. So she criticized her fellow senators and the legislature for not doing more for the industry. So I think she would be receptive to our request to

Okay.

Request funding.

Let's talk about it.

Yep. Yeah. If you can put the does she have a bill going forward for that? Is that? I I

well, the the bill that passed, a b seven thirty two, was for it it's the the vineyard version of

The Zacian.

Orchard. Oh, okay.

So it is in effect?

Yeah. It's as of January 1.

Okay. Yep. Then okay. Well, so we need to get some

And and this one's a little tougher. It's got I think the first fine, the eye commissioner

is 500 a month, and then after that, it's

a You're talking about the abatement bill. Right?

So whatever $7.32 is. Yeah. Yeah.

Exactly. I think that's what it is. That that one's been going through for a bit. It's for I've only had to do something like that once in this county. We had a an apple orchard that was not treating and was near, one of our production apple orchards, and we were able to do a a gauge. I know that the walnut walnut guys are really they were really champion in this this bill because it would help them with abandoned crops and pest pest prevention.

Well, we need to get it'd be good to see it and see what I'll

make sure we have it next time.

Okay.

Now I in fact, I'll get it out to you guys.

So you're saying there's potential funding

Well

or no?

Well It's I can find people I can find people for, like, pest reservoirs for abandoned orchards, vineyards

Mhmm.

Things like that.

What was the phone number again? 732. 732? Okay.

I think so. Is that what you said?

I think USDA has funding for disease and pest infested vineyards, but that's federal funding.

And I haven't haven't seen a lot on that one lately

Yeah.

As far as, like, are they actually

Yeah.

Moving it out. They're coming up as a

Yeah.

It's a b seven three two. Yeah.

Yeah. I didn't it it it just gives the authority to the Ag commissioners to be able to find for things that are, you know, causing pest reservoirs and things like that, which we didn't have before.

Mhmm. Yeah.

I had abatement authority, but in the case of the one that we did have to deal with, they actually took the orchard out.

So

Sounds like there's

only one I've ever had to deal with in this county.

Yeah. Sounds like there's more teeth in the

Yeah.

Rules now. Yeah.

I think probably in this county it would be more of a, hey, let's try and work this out kind of thing before we went down that pathway. Yeah.

Yeah, because I guess the next step is the is attaching it to the to the taxes Uh-huh. From what I understand. Yeah.

Which is not an easy fast process.

Okay. Do we have anything else?

Nope. I don't.

You don't? Okay. Corey, Tom, anything else? Okay. Alright. Well, thank you all for attending. And you were chairman. You wanna you wanna meeting adjourned. Okay. Very authoritative. That's good. You know? I wanna

apologize for missing the