“‘I was freezing, I couldn’t cook, and I couldn’t take a hot shower. I was here by myself, calling their customer service. It took them a few weeks before they finally said, ‘There’s nobody in your area to help you,’” said Jamie Forrest, a resident of Arnold who spent the month of June with propane in her AmeriGas-owned propane tank but with no way to use it. Due to a previously identified leak in the line, the tank, 65% full, was “locked off.”

According to Forrest the AmeriGas driver who arrived at the home she shares with her husband, Paul, came from Placerville — about 80 miles away — on June 10. “I thought I smelled a leak. It happened about a month ago. It was around 4:45 p.m.,” said Forrest. “He (the AmeriGas driver) came on a weekend. He came from his 10-year-old’s birthday party. I felt awful for him. He did everything he could but he didn’t have the proper equipment or the training to help me. He didn’t have the testing equipment. He couldn’t tell what was going on inside the house.”

Residents of Calaveras County weren’t always without a way to contact AmeriGas locally…” [READ MORE BY CLICKING LINK AT LEFT]

Editor

I want to thank you, staff writer Jill Bergantz, and the Calaveras Enterprise for your efforts to highlight and correct the problems many people in the county have had with AmeriGas Propane. Jill’s article in the Aug. 10 edition of the paper (“Like a lead balloon”) has done a real service to getting the company’s attention and fixing the many problems they have created since centralizing their operations. Kudos to her for her research and fine reporting… [READ MORE BY CLICKING LINK AT LEFT]

The CCSO statement was issued through email and text via NIXLE and via social media. The law enforcement Facebook page maintained by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office has around 13,000 followers. The statement issued across the platforms reads, in part:

“Antisemitic Flyers Found in Calaveras Communities

“The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office has received reports regarding the distribution of antisemitic flyers within our communities in recent weeks. Approximately 50 of these troubling flyers have been recovered by vigilant citizens and local law enforcement. The Sheriff’s Office is choosing not to publish any photos of the material, as doing so would further its distribution. “Core values guide the Sheriff’s Office, and among them is ‘Community Service,’ which forms the foundation of our commitment to providing quality service to the community with respect, concern, and equal treatment for all individuals. Our duty is to ensure the safety and well-being of every resident in our communities while safeguarding the rights and liberties of all. Acts of hatred and discrimination have no place in our diverse and inclusive community.”

At the meeting held Aug. 8, after the members of the board and the members of the public had returned to chambers, Board Chair Gary Tofanelli passed the microphone to County Executive Officer (CEO) Teresa Hitchcock to introduce the first item of the Regular Agenda. Hitchcock said: “At the July 25, 2023, Board of Supervisors meeting, concern was brought up over antisemitic materials that had been distributed throughout Calaveras County. Sarah (Edwards) and I were directed to bring back a statement. As we were drafting this, we were thinking about all the things that we believe make this a great county to live in and some of those things are the inclusivity that we feel all citizens have towards each other. So, with that, we drafted the statement regarding those materials and the board’s position.” [READ MORE BY CLICKING LINK AT LEFT]