Calaveras Leaders Offer Praise And Criticism To PG&E
San Andreas, CA — The Calaveras County Board of Supervisors heard an update on efforts by PG&E officials to underground power lines and harden infrastructure.
21 miles of undergrounding of lines was completed last year throughout Calaveras, 23 miles are on tap this year, and 27 miles in 2026. It is part of an effort to reduce fire risk. There are also improved poles being installed in some areas and new forest management projects.
PG&E Government Relations Representative Nathan Alonzo added, “When looking at Calaveras County, I think that this county, and Tuolumne next door, have some of the highest concentrations of both weather stations and HD (fire) cameras. Several years ago, we came up with the goal of having one HD camera every 20 line miles in areas of high wildland fire threat. So, here (Calaveras) we have 10 HD cameras that live stream conditions throughout the county, and all of these cameras are tapped into by our public safety partners at CAL Fire and public safety agencies.”
They are also available for view by the general public.
The company was praised by some board members for the increasing speed, recently, in restoring power, and the use of helicopters and drones to quickly inspect the lines.
However, there were board complaints raised as well, about some of the tactics of PG&E, and a lack of communication.
Supervisor Gary Tofanelli stated, “Twice, PG&E trucks came on my property, they went down my driveway, which is paved, and I paid for it, and they decided to turn off of it, and go do what they do, and cracked the pavement. There was no notification to me at all. I was home, and didn’t know they were there, and they didn’t even knock on the door and say they were here and going to be doing this.”
He concluded, “You don’t have any rights if PG&E wants to go on your property, and it is the number one complaint that I hear from everybody.”
Board Chair Martin Huberty added, “It happened to me yesterday, and I was going to bring up the same thing. They completely blocked the road and were digging into the side of my hill, and I never knew they were coming. So, it would be really helpful to have a notification.”
Alonzo responded, “I am sorry that both of those situations happened to both of you. On the cracked pavement bit, if this was recent Supervisor Tofanelli, I would encourage you to file a claim, and send us some pictures of what happened, and that way we can look to make it right.”
Also on Tuesday, the supervisors voted to take a step towards changing the formula that tabulates board member pay. Since 2006, it has been 50% of the average pay of other county elected officials (like sheriff and treasurer), plus a bump for the board chair. The Supervisors will freeze the current salaries, equaling about $86,000 for four members and $101,000 for the board chair, while they explore other formulas. The vote was 4-0. HR Director Judy Hawkins commented, “It is a complicated process, where there is a lot of steps to it, and this is the first step.”
Meeting documents noted that the new formula may take into account supervisor pay in surrounding counties and potentially base it on a percentage of local superior court judge salaries.
