In a previous blog I announced that I am seeking reelection for a third term as Plumas County Supervisor representing District 3.  The last day to file papers to run for election in June was the 7^th of March.  As of that date, I am the only candidate seeking that position.

It has been my honor to represent you for a little over 7 years.  I want you to know that I take that responsibility very seriously and will do my utmost to be your advocate and represent your interests for the next 5 years.

It is interesting to note, however,  that all Plumas County elected officials, with the exception of the District 5 Supervisor position, are running unopposed in this election.  On my good days, I like to think that is because we are doing a good job; on my bad days, I fear it is because people are simply so fed up with government at all levels that they do not wish to be involved.  It is disappointing and of great concern to me that no one was willing to seek any of the numerous positions currently up for election.  I can’t help but wonder why?

I have asked the League of Women Voters to consider hosting an election forum in our area so that those of us who will be your Plumas County elected officials, even though we are running unopposed, will have a chance to introduce ourselves and answer any questions you may have about Plumas County government. If the League is unable or unwilling to host such a forum, I will set one up giving you the opportunity to interact with your Plumas County elected officials on a personal, one on one basis.

I sincerely appreciate your questions or comments; they help frame my decisions on your behalf. You may use the comment link at the top of this blog, the Contact form or email me at sherrie.thrall@almanorpost.com.

I sincerely thank you for the support you have given me these past 7 years; it has been a privilege to serve my community and Plumas County!

Looks like we are getting some relief from the drought!  As y’all are aware, anything can happen when it comes to weather in the Almanor Basin. Our days of rain have noticeably increased the water levels in our reservoir (Lake Almanor) and the bypass has actually been activated.

With a large storm cell predicted to come through our area tonight I would imagine there will be even more water cascading down the bypass by tomorrow.  The drought is far from over – however, our rainy season is not over yet.

Keep up those rain dances!

Your Board of Supervisors meets the first three Tuesdays of each month.  Meetings can now be viewed as they are taking place by visiting the Plumas County website and clicking on the button titled “Live Board Meetings” located below the map of Plumas County.  Meetings start at 11:00 am on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday and at 10:00 on the 2^nd Tuesday.

To subscribe to the Board of Supervisors Agenda email list, contact Nancy DaForno, Clerk of the Board at 283-6170 or pcbs@countyofplumas.com with your request.

If you are unable to watch while the meeting is taking place you can visit the web site and view any of the archived videos of past meetings.  These are indexed to the agenda for that day giving you the ability to view only the segments and discussions of interest to you.

There are many other committees, councils and commissions whose meetings could be live-streamed.  Do you have an interest in being able to attend the Coordinating Council or Transportation Commission meetings from the comfort of your home or office?  Please let me know as I will be working to bring some of these meetings on line.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting last Tuesday Plumas County took a step into the future. For the past few months we have been working on setting up a system to enable live streaming of Board meetings. Tuesday was a trial run to see if the system was working properly and enable our Information Technology (IT) folks to work out any glitches in the system. The meeting was recorded and is available on line at http://plumascoca.suiteonemedia.com/web/site.aspx. Please consider this a “dress rehearsal”.

This was our first attempt and, as you will see at the start, staff had some problems getting set up. The link should bring up the agenda on the right side of the screen and the video of the meeting on the upper left. Below the video are links to each of the agenda items. By clicking on that item of interest to you, you will be able to view that particular discussion. You can view the entire meeting if you wish.

Starting with the Board meeting on Tuesday (11 Feb) we will begin live streaming the meetings. Go to the Plumas County web site www.countyofplumas.com to view the meeting as it is taking place. IT tells me that they will have a button/link on the County website homepage that will take you directly to the meeting. The software we are using does not work with iPad, or some Smartphone applications but works well with most “windows” based software. We will continue to make improvements to the system to allow broader use as we become more adept in this “future” world.

With Supervisorial District 3 some 50 miles from Quincy, it is difficult for our residents to attend meetings. At last, we are now bringing the meetings home to you. It is my hope that the ability to view our meetings real time will allow you to view your County Government at work. Please contact me at Send email with any concerns, comments or suggestions.

As most of you know, I am seeking reelection for a third term as Plumas County Supervisor representing District 3.  I am a fiscal conservative and as such feel it important to carefully manage County resources and the budget.  My past two terms have been through very trying times in terms of the budget.  We have consistently made the cuts necessary to maintain a balanced budget and live within our means.  Some of these cuts have been difficult and painful for all involved.  However, they were necessary and as a result have positioned Plumas County to survive where other local governments have resorted to draconian measures.  I do not believe the times of dwindling revenue and higher costs are over. 

One of the cuts we made eliminated our County Administrative Officer/Budget Officer.  With this change Supervisors became the budget officers and worked closely with County Departments in formulating their operating budgets thus gaining in depth knowledge of County finance.  I feel it is critically important that Plumas County Supervisors continue in a conservative path as we move into the next few years.  I want to be part of that team.

There are many issues facing Plumas County and the Almanor Basin that, at this point, are a work in progress.  The FERC re-licensing 2105 project has been in process since 2002 and appears about to enter a final phase.  Water is one of our greatest commodities and with the drought declaration by Gov. Brown there will be a battle protecting our Area of Origin rights.  U.S. Forest Service continues work on their travel management plan.  We will need to be vigilant in protecting our rights to use and enjoy our public lands in the forest.  I could fill pages with the list of issues facing us in the next few years; suffice to say they are many and varied.

I have long searched for a way to make information available to my constituents as things develop.  I have used an email system in the past however it has many drawbacks.  I cannot send to more than 99 email addresses per hour without being blocked as a spammer.  Email addresses change and notices bounce.  Rather than continuing to use my email list I am establishing this web site as a means of posting current, real time, information as well as background regarding current issues Plumas County is engaged in and more in-depth research and opinion from contributors.

I intend to maintain this web site through my next term and beyond.  It is my hope you will check in often.  Use the web site as a tool to become informed and involved.  Use the “Contact” form to contact me with your concerns and questions. 

I take very seriously my responsibility to represent you and thank you for allowing me to be your representative these past years.

Life in a “Frontier” community presents many challenges.  As a Plumas County Supervisor of seven years, with 15 years of devoted community service, I have been constantly frustrated by the difficulty encountered in communicating timely, in-depth information on subjects critical to my constituents throughout the Almanor Basin.  I see The Almanor Post as a vehicle enabling me to make that information available to a wide audience, while receiving valuable input on the issues that confront us in our daily lives. It is this input that frames my decisions on your behalf.

It is not my intent to duplicate our local newspaper, the Chamber of Commerce or any other organizations’ work, but rather, to focus on a more in-depth perspective related to policy issues. In doing so, I urge you to take time to become more familiar with the issues confronting us and to question me where and when necessary.  If I don’t have the answers, I will make every effort to find the information for you.

I will be using this venue to post the news that is “The News”, in the hope that it will provide all of you with the most up to date information available to me, at the time of posting.

This project will be a work in progress, indefinitely; revisit often!