The Anatomy of a Controversy
The High School Road project started as a proposal to build eight storage buildings in Jamestown. It eventually became one of the most closely examined development projects in recent Tuolumne County history.
In Part 3 of our Civil Grand Jury series, we break down the timeline in plain English. We look at the permitting process, the county’s new conflict of interest policy, Amador County’s involvement, questions surrounding the fire hydrant, and the Grand Jury’s findings.
This article is not about politics. It is about process. It is about understanding how government works, how decisions are made, and why public trust matters.
Behind the Devastation
The Community Development Department touches nearly every resident of Tuolumne County. Whether you’re building a home, opening a business, remodeling a kitchen, or filing a code complaint, chances are you’ll work with CDD. A new Civil Grand Jury report paints a troubling picture of what happened inside the department during 2025, describing staffing losses, declining morale, budget cuts, and a loss of institutional knowledge that continues to affect county government today.
07/07 BOS AGENDA EXLPAINED
After last week’s budget meeting, this Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors agenda is much shorter—but there are still several important issues on the table.
We’ll break down the Groveland fire assessment, proposed changes to the County’s tourism agreement, ambulance fee updates, and more. We’ll also explain how you can use Oral Communications to ask the Board questions about the recent Grand Jury reports.
The Grand Jury Just Told the County It Has a Trust Problem
The Tuolumne County Civil Grand Jury didn’t investigate one bad decision. It investigated how our county government operates. Its findings raise serious questions about ethics, transparency, conflicts of interest, public records, and accountability. Here’s what the report says, why it matters, and what every resident should know.
The Budget Is Coming!
On June 30, the Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the budget that will guide county spending, services, and priorities for the coming year. Public safety, roads, parks, senior services, emergency preparedness, and countless other programs all depend on decisions made in this document. Yet with just seven days remaining, many residents still have more questions than answers. This week, we take a closer look at why transparency matters and why now is the time to pay attention.
Who Do They Think They Work For?
A woman cried while talking to me recently. Not because of an election. Not because her side lost and someone else’s side won. She cried because she felt unheard.
As she talked, it became clear that she wasn’t upset about a single vote or a single policy. What she was describing was something deeper. She felt like her voice no longer mattered. Like decisions had already been made before the public ever walked into the room. Like participating in local government had become a strange ritual where we line up, speak into a microphone for three minutes, and then watch the train continue down the tracks exactly where it was already headed.
The uncomfortable truth is that many of us know exactly what that feels like. Over the last year, I’ve spent more time paying attention to local government than I ever intended, and one question keeps coming back to me: Who exactly do our elected officials think they work for?
Where We Live
What began as a simple staycation after the election became a powerful reminder of why we love this place. From Pinecrest and Strawberry to Long Barn and Mi-Wuk, we spent a weekend surrounded by friends, local businesses, stunning beauty, and the kind of community that is becoming harder to find. Win or lose, if you live here, you’ve already won. And that is a lesson worth remembering.