Board Holds Sierraville Speed Limit Public Hearing

LOYALTON — The meeting of the Sierra County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday was dominated by a public hearing set to discuss proposed speed limit changes to the town of Sierraville. The meeting comes on the back of a highly attended public hearing for similar changes proposed in Sierra City. This time, Caltrans intends to raise the 35 mph limit through Sierraville to 40 mph and remove the 45 mph zone on Highway 89 to the south.

Most of the same representatives present at the previous meeting returned on Tuesday, including Yolanda Cookson from Senator Megan Dahle’s office and Mark Mezzano representing Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick. Mary Bokova represented the California Department of Transportation, explaining that her department was following guidelines outlined in the state legislature and that she had done everything in her power to keep the limits as low as she could without losing her license.

Most members of the public present at the meeting were Sierraville community members who had many of the same concerns brought up at the Sierra City meeting. Many blind driveways line the roads, making backing out onto a highway with faster speed more dangerous. Pedestrians, including children, must often walk alongside or cross the highway to visit local businesses. The roads can also become extremely slippery during the winter, and several cases of vehicles sliding across the intersection into the feed store parking lot were brought up.

Once again, it became apparent that official crash data used to justify the study’s findings likely vastly underrepresents the number of incidents taking place on the stretch of highway. Locals believe that most incidents go unreported since they often involve minimal damage. One particularly notable area for minor crashes is the bridge on Highway 89 on the west side heading toward Sattley for which repairs are regularly required.

Speed limit surveys form the basis for speed limit designations in California and must be renewed every 7 years. Many of the surveys performed previously in the State have since expired, meaning that the posted speed limits in communities like Sierra City and Sierraville are not enforceable, defaulting the actual limit through those communities back to 55 mph, explained Bokova. The updated studies would at least allow law enforcement to perform speed checks at the proposed limits.

Supervisor Lee Adams noted that the purpose of speed surveys, which base proposed speed limits on the 85th percentile of driver speeds, is to avoid “speed traps.” Caltrans believes driver speed is not correlated with posted speed signs as much as engineering decisions that naturally slow traffic. While Sierra County has been working with Caltrans on making some of those decisions, such as installing crosswalks and flashing signs, other Caltrans rules make those additions difficult. Public Works Director Bryan Davey says that the county’s Transportation Commission will continue trying to work with Caltrans and secure grant funding to decrease the natural speed of traffic in affected communities.

In addition to 15 individuals speaking during the meeting, at least 40 comments were submitted via email or other means to be included and forwarded to Caltrans. The present representatives from legislative offices said they would update their bosses on the issues raised and attempt to find a solution through legislation. Yolanda Cookson believes much of Senator Dahle’s district will be affected by similar surveys.

Other topics discussed by the Board of Supervisors:

Behavioral Health Overruns Budget for Mobile Crisis Unit

Behavioral Health Director Sheryll Prinz-McMillan asked the Board for an additional $30,000 to cover employee overtime pay necessary to meet California’s requirements for a Mobile Crisis Unit (MCU). The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) says that the MCU provides “de-escalation and relief to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis wherever they are,” but supervisors say the program does not make sense in as rural a place as Sierra County.

Although Supervisor Sharon Dryden wants employees to be paid for overtime work, she can’t agree with spending money on the program on principle. Board Chair Lee Adams says much discussion has been taking place with the California State Association of Counties over the impracticality of meeting specific MCU requirements, which include 24/7 availability of a licensed professional and a response time of under 2 hours to anywhere in the county.

The funding resolution was passed with Dryden being the sole “no” vote. Dryden has voted against most measures related to implementing the MCU in Sierra County. She also voted against another measure raised on Tuesday, which asked for $10,000 to conduct training required to staff the MCU.

Sierra County Declares April “Family Strengthening Month”

The Board passed a resolution on Tuesday recognizing April as Family Strengthening Month to raise awareness of the “pervasive – yet preventable” issues of child abuse and neglect. The declaration aligns with Prevent Child Abuse America’s Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Tuesday’s declaration was spearheaded by the Local Child Care Planning and Development Council and the High Sierra Family Resource Center, which presented a report on Early Learning & Care for Sierra County Children. The report found that 4% of county residents are under the age of 5, and 60% of those children live in a household under 85% of the State’s median income. It also outlined that geographic disparities mean more services are available for children on the county’s east side than on the west.