The Plumas Sun • April 23rd, 2024

Locals meet with Rep. Kiley to discuss fire insurance

On Tuesday, March 26, a group of Plumas and Sierra county representatives held a meeting with Congressman Kevin Kiley to discuss his home-hardening bill, HR 6861, and the California Fair Plan impact to local communities.

“The home-hardening bill is a good move in the right direction,” said organizers, “and we talked to him about current challenges beyond policy cancellations — for example, fire insurance plans are written by ZIP code and even homes with the lowest 0 fire rating cannot get polic

The Plumas Sun • April 22nd, 2024

Kiley hosts virtual office in Greenville

Wednesday, April 24, Congressman Kevin Kiley’s office will host a mobile district visit from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dixie Fire Collaborative office at 127 Crescent St., Suite 2, Greenville.

A district representative from Kiley’s office will respond to any constituent needs or questions, the DFC reports. Kiley himself will not be in attendance.

The DFC invites the public to stop by to ask questions or provide comments to the congressman’s district representative.

The Plumas Sun • April 13th, 2024

Fire safe council hosts Wildfire Preparedness Fair

The Plumas County Fire Safe Council is set to host its annual Wildfire Preparedness Fair on May 11 starting at 10 a.m. The event will take place at the Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds, 204 Fairground Rd in Quincy, in collaboration with the Plumas County Children’s Council.

“The fair is an excellent opportunity for Plumas County residents to learn about wildfire preparedness while socializing with neighbors,” say organizers. The event will cover various topics, including home hardening, defensi

The Plumas Sun • April 8th, 2024

State holds virtual insurance workshop April 23

The California Department of Insurance announces it will conduct a virtual public workshop regarding potential changes to the California Code of Regulations to allow property and casualty insurers to

use catastrophe models for purposes of ratemaking.

The public is invited to participate in the workshop discussions. To increase public participation and improve the quality of any regulations that Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ultimately adopts, interested parties are invited to attend the

The Plumas Sun • April 8th, 2024

Homeowners eligible for up to $500,000 to rebuild

The California Department of Housing and Community Development is providing funding through ReCoverCA Housing Programs to homeowners affected by FEMA-declared 2021 disaster, the Dixie Fire.

Homeowners and landlords willing to rent to low-to-moderate income households may be eligible for up to $500,000 to repair and reconstruct their homes, or up to $50,000 for wildfire mitigation retrofits to reduce risk and improve resiliency in the event of future disasters.

The Dixie Fire Collaborative is o

The Plumas Sun • April 8th, 2024

Presentation on home hardening set for Graeagle

On Tuesday, April 23, Graeagle Fire Protection District Firewise Community and Valley Ranch Firewise Community will be co-hosting a presentation on home hardening, a term for protecting a home from the threat of wildfire. This presentation will be held at the Graeagle Fire Hall, 7620 Highway 89 in Graeagle at 6:30 p.m.

Guest speaker Tommy Brenzovich, Plumas County Fire Safe Council mitigation assistance program manager, will address the potential threats to a home in the event of a wildfire and

The Plumas Sun • April 6th, 2024

Survey helps new fund identify local industry, business needs

The Almanor Foundation recently established the Jerry and Yvonne Kehr Education Fund. The purpose of the fund is to give financial support to educational, artistic and vocational initiatives and provide resources that enhance avenues of learning for students of all ages. The fund aims to foster educational

opportunities, promote innovation and ensure equal access to education.

The fund committee is gathering data across sectors to better understand the needs of communities, schools, teachers a

The Plumas Sun • March 30th, 2024

Bills pending on tax relief for Dixie victims

With the April 15 deadline approaching for federal and state tax filing, Dixie Fire victims like Sue Weber, former chair of the Dixie Fire Collaborative, are closely watching the disaster tax relief assistance bills working their way through congress and the California state Legislature.

Weber, who lost everything in the Dixie Fire, had accompanied U.S. 3rd District Rep. Kevin Kiley on his tour of fire-ravaged Greenville last September. She stressed the need for this tax relief as fire settleme

The Plumas Sun • March 16th, 2024

Conservation project assistance available for landowners

The Feather River Resource Conservation District announced it is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to enroll private landowners in the Environmental Quality Incentive Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program, which provide technical and financial assistance to implement conservation projects.

Conservation projects are based on landowner goals and property needs. Projects could include practices like forest stand improvements, fuels reduction, brush removal and i

The Plumas Sun • March 15th, 2024

PG&E offers scam avoidance advice

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reports that scammers continue to take advantage of PG&E customers. In fact, in 2023, PG&E received nearly 43,000 reports from customers who were targeted by scammers impersonating the company, and customers lost approximately $875,000 in fraudulent payments, with the average customer losing $785.

Reports of utility scams targeting customers were at an all-time high during 2023. Unfortunately, said PG&E, that number is likely just the tip of the iceberg for overall

The Plumas Sun • March 12th, 2024

County officials draft plan to fund fire-safe homes

Plumas County officials have partnered with federal, state and local agencies to craft a proposal that could help up to 90 homeowners make their houses resilient to wildfire.

The tentative plan, approved March 5 by the Plumas County Board of Supervisors, will leverage several sources of funding to make the county eligible for $2.6 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.

“This is the first home-hardening program in the county to my knowledge. In areas that haven’t seen wildfire lo

The Plumas Sun • February 28th, 2024

Beckwourth Peak fire charts a path in eastern Plumas County

The newly created Beckwourth Peak Fire Protection District, approved by voters Nov. 7, 2023, authorized the formation of a board of directors. The new board of the brand new fire district includes Richard McLaughlin, president; Daniel Smith, vice president; Melissa Klundby; Cary Curtis; and Larry Smith.

“The entire board is excited and energized to move the process forward,” McLaughlin said at the district’s Jan. 22 special meeting. “With the assistance of the current Beckwourth and Sierra Vall

The Plumas Sun • February 26th, 2024

Firewise meeting open to all Lake Almanor area residents, landowners

The Firewise communities of the Lake Almanor Basin are hosting a meeting for all residents and landowners in the area. It will be held March 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Chester Fire Department at 251 Chester Airport Rd.

Organizers report that the event will include information on the standards for making a home more resistant to fire, including the new Zone 0. “Creating this defensible space may make a big difference in your insurance costs and the ability to get fire insurance for your home,

The Plumas Sun • February 22nd, 2024

FRC teams with SPI to address local workforce training needs

In an effort to meet local labor market demand, Feather River College is now offering a commercial driver’s license program, reports Nick Maffei, FRC’s director of marketing, communications and outreach. “Through a valuable collaboration with Sierra Pacific Industries, Feather River College will have access to one of SPI’s manual semitruck-and-trailers to utilize as a training tool for students interested in a career in transportation and trucking,” he said.

The program consists of two classes

The Plumas Sun • February 20th, 2024

Webinar addresses wildfire safety, homeowners insurance

Sierra Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting California’s foothill and mountain communities, invites anyone worried about wildfire safety or concerned about homeowners insurance to join a virtual webinar Thursday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m.

The speaker will be Ken Pimlott, principal management analyst for El Dorado County and former Cal Fire chief. Pimlott has been working with a team to create a coordinated effort in the county to prepare for wildfires. Webinar attendees will learn about how th

The Plumas Sun • February 14th, 2024

Rep. Kiley introduces home hardening act

Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, representing California’s 3rd congressional district, recently introduced HR 6861, the Supporting Affordable Fire Emergency Hardening through Optimized Mitigation Efforts (SAFE HOME) Act. Kiley said that Californians struggling to pay higher home insurance rates and harden their homes against fires would find relief under the new legislation he is sponsoring.

“The federal government needs to be more proactive in helping families dealing with the threat of wildfires,

The Plumas Sun • February 12th, 2024

Prescribed fire training returns to Plumas

The Plumas County Cal-TREX training opportunity is returning this spring for the fifth time, offering yet another week of hands-on education and learning for prescribed fire students and enthusiasts. The Cal-TREX (short for “training exchange”) is a prescribed fire training opportunity held over the course of one week, from April 28 to May 4. This event brings together fire professionals and nontraditional partners in a joint effort to restore the ecological and community protection benefits of

The Plumas Sun • February 8th, 2024

AT&T seeks to drop local landlines

AT&T;, the primary telephone provider for much of Plumas County, is seeking to discontinue its landline service throughout a large swath of rural California.

In a Jan. 22 notice to customers, the multinational telecommunications company announced it has requested permission from the California Public Utilities Commission to “remove obligation under California law” to provide traditional landline telephone service in a portion of its territory that includes Plumas County.

Approval would el

The Plumas Sun • February 6th, 2024

PG&E pays $2.5 million to Maidu tribes

The Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians and the Maidu Summit Consortium will receive a combined $2.5 million payment from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for damage to their ancestral lands and cultural assets caused by the 2021 Dixie Fire.

The payment is part of a $45 million agreement between the California Public Utilities Commission and PG&E penalizing the company for its involvement in California’s largest single fire.

The settlement agreement, reached Jan. 25 between the CPUC’s Safety and E

February 6th, 2024

H. R. 6861

The Plumas Sun • February 4th, 2024

Election 2024: Hagwood versus Hall

In the March 5 presidential primary election, the race for Plumas County District 4 supervisor pits incumbent Greg Hagwood against challenger Mimi Hall. The Plumas Sun asked both candidates the following questions. Their responses are in alphabetical order.

Starting in 1988 as a sheriff’s deputy, I spent 31 years in law enforcement retiring as a three-times elected sheriff. Elected to the board of supervisors in 2020, I enter my fourth year on the board with experience and an understanding of w

The Plumas Sun • February 3rd, 2024

PG&E resumes undergrounding on Highway 70

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reports it has resumed work to underground power lines along Highway 70 between Storrie and Rich Bar in Plumas County. PG&E contractor MGE is continuing work to underground about 16 miles of power lines along the highway, starting from about 3 miles east of the Butte-Plumas County Line and working to Rich Bar Road.

Work began in December 2022 and continued until last October as planned. One-way traffic controls will occur as crews trench and install conduit for unde

PBS NewsHour • February 1st, 2024

House passes bipartisan bill to enhance child tax credit, revive key tax breaks for businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House accomplished something unusual Wednesday in passing with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax cut package that would enhance the child tax credit for millions of lower-income families and boost three tax breaks for business, a combination that gives lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle coveted policy wins.

Prospects for the measure becoming law are uncertain with the Senate still having to take it up, but for a House that has struggled to get

January 25th, 2024

CPUC Approves $45 Million Penalty in Settlement With PG&E For Dixie Fire

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a settlement agreement between the CPUC’s Safety and Enforcement Division (SED) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which penalizes PG&E $45 million for its involvement in the 2021 Dixie Fire.

The 2021 Dixie Fire started on July 13, 2021, and ignited after a Douglas fir tree fell and struck energized conductors owned and operated by PG&E. SED conducted a thorough investigation to determine whether PG&E had violated the Pu