Updated
State Board of Forestry is moving Tuolumne County towards a “No Build” Community
The State Board of Forestry decided to move the March 15, 2021 draft of Revised State Fire Safe Regulations ahead, without revision, into a 45-day public comment period, ultimately intending to adopt them as State law. This will dictate oppressive requirements for development and construction in our county. Within high fire zones (which the majority of our county and rural California fall under), if any type of building permit is taken out, the landowner would be required to bring roads up to modern standards all the way from their property out to the next fully-conforming collector road. This would be unattainable for most folks as the costs would be astronomical. Numerous parcels would instantly be (administratively) undevelopable, and therefore instantly worthless. In March, our Board sent a letter of opposition to the Board of Forestry (https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/u
Bob White and Mel Kirk
Sonora, CA The YES Partnership received a significant donation to educate Tuolumne county youth about the harmful effects of cannabis and other substance abuse. The donation will launch the “Be Smart, Stay Smart, Just Say No To Marijuana” campaign.
The YES Partnership states the donation was from Mel Kirk, brother of Tuolumne County District 3 Supervisor Anaiah Kirk. He donated the $10,000 in response to the City of Sonora’s passage of the recreational marijuana sales ordinance stating he felt it was the most effective way he could help mitigate the potential negative impacts of the ordinance on children. Kirk states, “[Marijuana] is permanently damaging their brains and their ability to think. Brain development continues until age 25 and