El Dorado County News, Traffic & Weather


All the El Dorado News, Traffic and Weather, with directories of local Government, Community Groups & Nonprofits in one place!
Image caption: Ruins of a home destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018.
The News: May 12, 2025

California is still preparing for fire season as more communities become Firewise.

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Wildfire Awareness & Community Safety

All across California, people are working together to protect their neighborhoods, communities and each other.

Image caption: This isn't his first (bike) rodeo.
The News: May 5 2025

With spring sprung and the last rains fading into memory, it's Bike Month! And (coincidentally) : public transportation construction projects begin in earnest.

Image caption: Spring has sprung at the McKinley Park Rose Garden in Sacramento.
Gratitude and Generosity

We welcome the warm season with stories of community foundations doing good work ... and more!

Image caption: Gov. Gavin Newsom joined CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler and firefighting personnel last week to announce that, as peak fire season approaches, California is adding a second C-130 airtanker to the world’s largest aerial firefighting fleet.
The News: April 28, 2025

California prepares for fire season and California Local forks The Newsletter.

Image caption: Stewart Brand, who helped create the online world as we know it, lived much of his real life on a houseboat in Sausalito.
Silicon Valley’s Earthbound Roots

Elon Musk and his cadre of tech leaders might have us believe that embracing cyberculture means abandoning our planet—and humanity. But the giants upon whose shoulders they stand had a much better idea.

Image caption: The California Assembly Committee on Permitting Reform wants to make it easier to build windmills, solar farms, electric trains—and housing.
Earth Day 2025 Preview

In advance of Earth Day, we consider radical changes to the California Environmental Quality Act, and the surprising history of the Coastal Commission.

Image caption: Asm. Buffy Wicks speaking at a presser for the California Legislature's Permitting Reform Package.
De-weaponizing CEQA

A radical overhaul of the California Environmental Quality Act appears imminent. And: Is the era of the big NO already ending?

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: California's Department of Education receives only a fraction of its funding from the federal government, with most of that money earmarked for the state's neediest students.
California's Vulnerable Students Threatened

In which we focus on California public education.

Image caption: How does your local school measure up?
How California Measures School and Student Success

Measuring performance of the California public school system is a complicated business. We explain.

Image caption: The VA’s National Cemetery Administration cares for the graves of 4 million veterans, including those at Gettysburg, the world's first military cemetery.
Who Is Government?

Michael Lewis's new book celebrates the heroes of the federal bureaucracy currently under attack.

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Unlikely Tales of Bureaucratic Heroism

‘Who is Government?’ An army of selfless individuals working on problems the private sector doesn’t care about.

Image caption: Thirteen citizens are charged with keeping their eye on California government.
California’s Little Hoover Commission

A law from 1962 mandates the improvement of California government. We explain.

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Government Efficiency vs. Chaos

An honest call for overhauling our governments—and an intro a couple of institutions that hold governments accountable.

Image caption: Participation on Civil Grand Juries is open to all Californians of voting age.
How Civil Grand Juries Make Government Better

Civil Grand Juries are a powerful means by which ordinary citizens investigate local governments and provide recommendations for improvement.

Image caption: Everybody needs to eat. Agriculture remains the most important industry on the planet.
California’s Agriculture Commissioners and Sealers of Weights and Measures, Explained

Introducing the people who keep the food supply safe, make sure consumers get what they pay for, and protect the public from invasive pests.

Image caption: Karen Ross oversees the nation's largest agricultural economy.
California Leads in the World's Most Important Industry

California feeds the nation and the world. Not just with culture and technology, but with food.

Image caption: California’s farm workers help feed the whole country.
How California Feeds the Country

California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”

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25 California Women Who Made History

California women have played a significant role in shaping every major industry within the U.S. and the world. Here are a few of them.

California Local Pin Marker   Bulletin Board
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05/08/2025

Volunteer With Heart: Join the Marcella Foundation & Help Build a Better Tahoe

Learn more about Marcella Foundation Volunteer Opportunities

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05/01/2025

Meet the 2025 Fannan Fellows!

Meet the 2025 Fannan Fellows!What a night to remember! We recently attended the South Tahoe High School Scholarship Night and had the honor of celebrating ten incredible seniors from South Lake Ta...

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04/25/2025

Gold Country Getaway: A Culinary Journey Through California’s Historic Mining Towns

Grass Valley and Nevada City offer a perfect pairing of luxurious historic hotels and chef-driven restaurants amid Sierra Nevada splendor. In California's Gold Country, just a few hours southwest ...

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04/21/2025

Sharing Tasty Stories Through FoodNotes*

Have you ever wondered why it’s called pico de gallo? Or tacos al pastor? Do you know how to turn honey into alcohol? Maybe you’ve looked at a huge pile of rice and thought, “It would be so much e...

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04/10/2025

FeedTahoe: Six Months of Impact, Gratitude & Growth

Six months ago, FeedTahoe set out on a mission to combat food insecurity, reduce food waste, and strengthen our community. What started as a simple idea has grown into a movement—one powered by pa...

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04/08/2025

Art, Wine & Relaxation: The Ideal Placerville Bed and Breakfast for Third Saturday Art Walk

Every third Saturday, Placerville’s Historic Main Street transforms into a lively celebration of creativity.