Amador County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Amador County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Local Election Results
Amador County voters have cast their ballots in the 2026 election, and the results are now live. City council races and local ballot measures are on the line — and those are the decisions that determine who runs your town and what gets funded.
PG&E power shutoffs in the Pioneer area
PG&E reported its fifth-largest storm restoration and a 3-5% residential rate reduction, but a resident argued PG&E's repeated tree-thinning campaigns opened the forest to wind and snow-load damage, causing worse tree failures and 9-11 day outages, and said he's taken the issue to the CPUC.
Rabies Risk and Animal Exposure Response
Public Health reported 8 rabies-positive specimens out of 52 tested this year — more than the previous two years combined — and walked residents through what to do after a bite or a bat in the bedroom. Supervisors asked that messaging include watching for animals acting strangely in daylight.
Data center moratorium request
A proposed AI data center at the old Buena Vista biomass plant near Ione has split the community. Supporters tout tax revenue and jobs; opponents want a temporary moratorium to study water, fire, noise, and fiscal impacts before any approvals.
Fire district lease at Pine Grove Park
With the Pine Grove Community Services District dissolving, the county took the park, office, and fire station by deed. A cell tower lease and bulk water rates were preserved so the park can largely fund itself.
Westover Field hangar leasing
Longtime airport director Dave Shepard is retiring; Eric Anderson, a former FBI agent and pilot, takes over and invited everyone to Wings and Wheels on October 3.
Airport Vehicle Fee Discount to Boost Visitation
Flying visitors who stage a car at the county airport will pay $400 a year instead of $772 under a one-year trial, a bet that cheaper car access brings more pilots — and their wallets — to Amador County. The downside is capped at roughly $300 a year in lost revenue.
Buena Vista Biomass Plant Permit Concerns
Two residents who live within 4,000 feet of the Buenna Vista biomass plant urged the county to enforce all conditions of the plant's use permit and pressed for a moratorium on any permit extension, arguing biomass is among the dirtiest power generation and that the plant's operators have been inconsistent about what's actually happening on site.
Decline of Wine Grape Industry and Agricultural Economy
The 2025 crop report showed wine grape growers hit hard — some leaving fruit unharvested or pulling out vines entirely — while record cattle prices carried the county's overall agricultural value of $40.9 million. Supervisors and staff also discussed growing threats from invasive weeds like stinkwort and medusahead.
Domestic Violence Services See Rising Demand
Operation Care reported a 23% increase in domestic violence clients served over the past year, with male victims up 191% and shelter requests up 40%, as the board declared October Violence Awareness Month.
Broadband for Fiddletown and Drytown
Volcano Vision is seeking state CASF grants to bury fiber to 136 underserved Fiddletown locations and 69 in Drytown, with free home drops during construction — no cost to the county.
Arroyo Ditch loan repayment
Plymouth paid back the $150,000 principal on its defaulted county loan and got a break on interest — $5,000 a year for three years — with money returning to the county's Water Development Fund.
Chief Probation Officer salary
The Board cut the incoming Chief Probation Officer's pay from $88.87 to $83 an hour on a 3-1 vote, over objections from the retiring chief, the incoming chief, and the Sheriff, who called it unfair to the first woman ever to hold the job. Supervisor Oneto framed it as fiscal necessity, not a statement about the new chief.
Library services and Pioneer hours
The Jackson branch closes August 10–14 to install new children's furniture and reorganize. Other branches remain open.
Wicklow Way Specific Plan Approval
The Board approved the scaled-down plan for 377 homes on the county-owned Martell site, with 135 acres of open space and wastewater handled by AWA instead of a new plant. A conservationist endorsed the density; a neighboring rancher pressed to protect his family's century-old cattle-drive right-of-way before the land is sold.
Electra Road and Tiger Creek Road Maintenance with PG&E
PG&E just rebuilt failing Electra Road and will keep maintaining it, while the county takes over Tiger Creek. Supervisors were glad to shift that burden but flagged that PG&E can close the road during storms or fire danger — a concern for upcountry recreation.
Stinkwort Invasive Weed Spread
Rancher John Kirkpatrick says he's spent thousands fighting stinkwort, which is taking over roadsides along Highway 88 and Reservation Road, and he wants the county to spray county roads. A UC farm advisor confirmed it's the fastest-invading weed in the country and offered research-based control strategies.
Structural budget deficit in FY 2026-27
The county faces a $3.16 million general fund deficit next year with flat sales tax, slowing property tax growth, and rising pension and insurance costs. Supervisors settled on a hard hiring freeze and a 5% department cut — and warned that even after all this, roads get almost nothing beyond the bare minimum.
Community health priorities: suicide and chronic disease
The new three-year plan expands mental health funding to people with substance use disorders, adds housing help like rental assistance, and funds early intervention — with half of early intervention dollars going to youth. Staffing shortages remain a concern during the rollout.
Jail expansion financing sublease
The Board approved the legal paperwork locking in the state's $17.2 million share of the $28 million jail expansion via lease revenue bonds. The county keeps ownership but must operate the facility to BSCC standards.
Kirkland Ranch RV spaces in the Shenandoah Valley
Families all over Amador County are already living in RVs on family property because housing costs have priced people out — the county's number one code complaint. The Board is designing a legal pathway: one-year permits, hooked into an existing home's utilities, one RV per parcel, for family hardship not rentals.
Petersen Ranch Unit 3 reversion to acreage
Fifteen recorded-but-never-built parcels get wiped back to three big parcels because the developer's improvement agreement expired in 2019 with no infrastructure built. County keeps about $600,000 in bonds until they can be cancelled and keeps the Climax Road right-of-way.
Upper Ridge Road safety petition
Residents delivered a 420-signature petition asking for up to four stop signs, school-zone speed signs near Mike Clark field, better truck-route signage, and CHP enforcement on Upper Ridge Road between Highway 88 and Climax, citing skyrocketing collisions and reckless driving. Longtime residents described near-misses at the blind Bowman Lane intersection and fears of pulling out of their own driveways.
Wildfire liability legislation and CSAC opposition letter
The state may soon propose legislation limiting utility liability for wildfires. Supervisors didn't want to oppose a bill they hadn't seen, worried about ratepayers but also about keeping the county 'whole' after utility-caused fires. They'll hold a special meeting when actual text drops.
Flock license plate cameras in Amador County
The sheriff says the eight-camera system helps solve cases from equipment theft to violent crime, with no facial recognition, no federal sharing, and 30-day data deletion. Critics call it mass surveillance, cite contract and error-rate concerns, and note it was originally approved on consent without public hearing. The board will revisit the contract before renewal in early 2027.
Jackson Valley Quarry extended hours made permanent
Quarry hours beyond 6 p.m. are now permanent after two compliant years with zero noise complaints. A neighboring rancher asked the board to keep two-year reviews instead, citing dust, truck traffic safety at Highway 88, and asbestos concerns.
Joses ranch adds 133 acres to Williamson Act preserve
An existing 390-acre agricultural preserve grows by 133 acres of former residential-agricultural land, locking it into farmland protection with an Exclusive Agriculture rezone.
Code enforcement lacks teeth
Pioneer residents returned after raising blight and vermin issues on July 14; staff says a streamlining ordinance is still in the works and code enforcement has sent violation letters on the specific case.
Agritourism zoning rules still in the works
A proposed ordinance would let farms and ranches in ag and rural zones host small agritourism events by right (currently capped at 25 people), with larger events needing a costly use permit. Farmers said 25 is too low to be viable; the Board directed staff to add parcel-based scalability and expressly allow weddings tied to ag operations.
Valley View Commons Affordable Housing
A nonprofit is buying the Meadow Pines mobile home park using tax-exempt bonds — 50 spaces with 32 affordability covenants — preserving housing for low-income residents and creating a potential veterans-housing partnership.
Kirkwood loses last multi-family/commercial parcels (Civitas)
Two of the last three multi-family/commercial parcels in Kirkwood's Timber Creek area will become nine single-family lots plus a clubhouse. Critics say this forecloses workforce housing, a base lodge, and valley services forever; the developer says the site sat undeveloped for decades and single-family is the only viable path.
Amador Resource Conservation District update
Three grant applications could direct up to $9.2 million in state funds to Central Sierra farms for drip irrigation, solar pumps, hedgerows, and soil health projects — areas historically underserved by state programs.
Deed-fraud alerts and a new $10 recording fee
Starting January 1, 2027, anyone recording a deed, mortgage, or deed of trust gets a $10 fee on top of recording costs, funding mandatory mailed alerts to property owners after recording under SB 255.
Kit Carson 911 fire response concern
A nursing home administrator raised alarms that fire department response might be dropped from 911 calls to Kit Carson. Fire chiefs clarified no service change is planned — only billing/measurement changes — and any response change would rest with the Jackson City Council.
Stalled 50,000-grave-plot project and county process
Ione resident Dave Wardall complained that a massive cemetery project has dragged for four years, now on indefinite hold because the applicant won't respond to a fire-code gate issue. He asked the board to consider a policy change so unresponsive applicants can't stall projects indefinitely.
Abandoned Vehicle Abatement fee on the ballot
The $1-per-vehicle fee failed in 2022, and the county has run out of money to tow junk cars and motor homes. Voters will decide again in November; the board flattened the fee to $1 for all vehicle types to improve its odds.
Tax Collector/Treasurer transition
Longtime Treasurer-Tax Collector Elizabeth Nelson retires August 14; Candace Thomas, a nine-year county employee, takes over.
2026 Property Assessments and Slow Housing Growth
Assessments rose just over 3% countywide and only 55 new homes were built last year. More than half the county's homes aren't anyone's primary residence — inherited and vacant homes are a growing drag on neighborhoods and school enrollment.
Park Use Fees and Waivers
New unified rules for all county parks were scheduled for adoption, with fees the Board set by resolution — small community events like potlucks may qualify for fee waivers.
Lake Camanche Village easement abandonment and lot merger
Two neighboring lots on Grapevine Court were merged and a public utility easement abandoned — routine work that continues cleanup of long-standing plat issues in Lake Camanche Village.
Grand Jury report criticizes Ione finances and Amador Transit contracting
The Grand Jury's annual report found Ione's financial audits roughly 1,300 days overdue, twelve city managers since 2010, and Amador Transit bus-wrap contracts not competitively bid. Entities have 90 days to respond. Plymouth was credited for cleaning up its act.
Tourism Marketing District enforcement gaps
The Board cut funding for both the Amador Council of Tourism and the Chamber of Commerce to $60,000 each — less than either requested — as part of budget trimming, despite pleas from business owners that the groups drive the local economy.
Bright Feather Road neighbor dispute
Property owners want the private road off Highway 88 renamed from Bright Feather Road back to Back Road, but there's neighborhood dispute over the name. The board only authorized starting the public process — no final decision yet, and a hearing looks likely.
Nonprofit facility fee waivers need a policy
The SIR waiver exposed an ad hoc system: the county charges nonprofits like the Girl Scouts, Rotary, and churches to use county halls. Supervisors agreed to craft an overarching waiver policy — with criteria like financial hardship and community benefit — at the June 16 meeting.
SB 1 road funding for 2026-27
Supervisors Carnell and Crew pressed for real road money, arguing the budget gets balanced every year by ignoring infrastructure. Staff agreed to look at raising the road contribution above the $880,000 state maintenance-of-effort and using one-time funds.
Clean California Community Designation
Supervisors are considering enrolling the county in the Clean California community program, which could bring landscaping help, trees, and grant-application credibility — but they want to check how much staff time it would take first.
Proposed Sutter Creek Cannabis Dispensary
Sutter Creek is considering the county's first THC marijuana dispensary at the vacant club bank building on Ridge Road, near two high schools and the Valley View Commons housing. The county must comment on mitigation by May 29; supervisors heard hours of testimony on youth access, impaired driving, and impacts to social services, public health, and the Sheriff's Office before opposing the project.
IHSS Care Provider Contract and Grievance
Three speakers told the board the county simply doesn't have enough in-home care providers — wages are too low to live on, recipients can't find help, and people end up back in the county's single hospital and nursing facility.
Parks Capital Improvement Plan Update
The annual update of the parks development-fee spending plan was adopted after a public hearing, with Plymouth Veterans Park parking land acquisition added at Supervisor Oneto's urging and input from Jackson and Ione.