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Residents urge Placer County to retain hybrid meeting access; public raises ADA and wildfire concerns
Summary
Public commenters at a Placer County Planning Commission hearing urged county leaders to keep hybrid meeting access for ADA and participation reasons and pressed officials on wildfire risk in some residential approvals.
Several members of the public used the Planning Commission's public comment period to press county officials on two issues: the county's decision to end hybrid meeting access and wildfire risk associated with housing decisions.
Diane Louise Lehi, identifying herself as representing the Christian Valley Park Community Services District, said the county's removal of hybrid access would disenfranchise people who cannot attend in person. "This is a horrible decision," she said, asking the commission to urge the Board of Supervisors to retain hybrid access and pointing to ADA access and participation barriers that have been eased by remote attendance during the pandemic.
Chair Dahlgren and staff explained that written comments may be submitted and that staff would work with the Clerk of the Board to provide options for remote accommodation when feasible; staff also noted the meeting was being recorded and would be posted to the Planning Commission webpage.
Another commenter, identified in the transcript as Mr. Garabedian, raised wildfire and land division concerns, saying that subdivision and ADU approvals in steep forested locations have increased risk and should be curtailed. Garabedian urged the commission to use its authority to limit new land divisions in high‑risk wildfire locations.
Planning Director Chris Paoli acknowledged the concerns and said the county's Office of Emergency Services is working with updated hazard maps released by CAL FIRE; he said staff planned to brief the commission at a future meeting on related efforts and public outreach, and offered to connect commenters with the appropriate staff.
Why it matters: public access to government meetings and wildfire safety both affect who can participate in land use decisions and how the county evaluates development in hazardous areas. Several speakers tied hybrid meeting access to transparency and broader community participation in planning decisions.
