Nevada City Nugget

Engraving by the Nugget art desk, after a line of dialogue as seen on the publisher's television

Late Edition · Screen & Scandal

Hollywood Couple Confesses To Nevada City Connection; Town Shrugs, Checks Parking

Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton's characters in "The Invite" claim a pair of friends in the 95959 · The friends are fictional · The town is not surprised

Nevada City has been name-checked in a major motion picture, and not for the gold. In "The Invite," the new A24 comedy directed by Olivia Wilde that began streaming on HBO Max this week, the swinging upstairs neighbors Hawk and Pina, played by Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz, run through their unusually generous social calendar for the benefit of the couple downstairs, and one name on the dance card comes with an address: "Vanessa lives in Nevada City with Kai." The Nugget's publisher, watching from his own couch Saturday evening, reports that the pair are among the couples Hawk and Pina are, in the parlance of the Planning Commission, sharing a use with.

The Nugget has been unable to reach Vanessa or Kai, who do not exist, a technicality that has never once slowed a Nevada City rumor. Neither appears on the Elected Officials roster, in Legal Notices & Permits, or in the Police Blotter, and no business license, ABC posting, or special-event street closure has been filed in their names. The film does not say whether they live inside the city limits or just outside, where the county's Housing Element would have jurisdiction, nor whether Kai has ever found parking on Broad Street on the first try.

Locals greeted the news with the composure of a town that has seen a few things. The mayor noted at the October 14 council meeting that Nevada City added only 174 residents in twenty years; Hollywood has now added two, and the Nugget would point out that they pay no water rates. Readers who believe they may be Vanessa or Kai are reminded that the tip line is open, and that the paper's standard for verification remains annoyingly high.

Sources: Warner Bros. Discovery press release (HBO Max streaming from Oct 23); "The Invite," cast and credits; the dialogue as seen by the publisher on Oct 24.

Evening Update · Election

Justice Department Hands County Elections A 48-Hour Demand Over 10 Voters' Citizenship

The U.S. Department of Justice hand-delivered a demand letter to the Nevada County Elections Office on Friday, naming 10 county residents it flags as likely non-citizens and asking the office to confirm their citizenship within 48 hours and to sequester any ballots they have submitted, or face unspecified legal action. Nevada County is one of several California counties to receive such letters; days earlier the DOJ made a similar demand of the Secretary of State covering Los Angeles County. Registrar of Voters Armando Salud-Ambriz said Saturday the office will review the list and "will respond accordingly," adding, "We are correctly following all applicable state and federal laws," and that the office's commitment is to ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and that votes are counted lawfully. The county is preparing a formal response with county counsel and guidance from the Secretary of State's Office. Early voting for the November 3 election opened this morning at the Rood Center, as reported above.

Source: YubaNet, updated Oct 24 at 3:38 PM

County · Board of Supervisors

Harmony Ridge Hearing Put Off After Midnight Comments; County Ships Housing Blueprint To The State

The Board of Supervisors granted a continuance Tuesday on Harmony Ridge, the 76-home Ridgetop development off Highway 49 near Nevada City, after public comments, including some from Air Quality Management District staff, arrived just before the midnight filing deadline. The applicant seeks to amend the project's development agreement and extend its vesting tentative map by ten years, to January 7, 2039. Planning Director Brian Foss said the applicant asked to be re-noticed for a future hearing once the late comments are addressed; applicant Mark Smith told the board he was alarmed by claims that construction conditions were not being followed and wants the comment period closed. District 2 Supervisor Robb Tucker backed the delay while calling last-minute comments "not conducive to a good, healthy process." No new hearing date has been set.

The same meeting sent the county's draft 7th Cycle Housing Element to the state housing department for review. The plan covers only unincorporated Nevada County, outside Nevada City and Grass Valley limits, and answers a state allocation of 3,712 housing units for 2027 to 2035, nearly half of them for lower incomes. Consultant presenter Chelsey Norton reminded the board this was not the adoption hearing; the county must adopt the element by May 15, 2027 after state review.

Source: The Union, Oct 23, reporting on the Oct 20 Board of Supervisors meeting.

City Council · Wednesday

Wednesday's Council: Dispatch Consolidation, Sewer-Plant Controls, And When Meetings Should Start

The council meets Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 PM at City Hall, 317 Broad St., on the agenda posted Friday: a Regional Public Safety Dispatch Services Agreement among the county, Grass Valley, Truckee, and Nevada City; a $125,971 contract for the wastewater plant's SCADA controls upgrade; second readings of the water-efficient landscape and cannabis-tax ordinances; SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival requests; a county presentation on reenvisioning western county transit; and a discussion of changing the council's meeting start time and City Hall's public hours. The full item-by-item digest is in The Docket below; Thursday morning's edition carries the meeting summary.

Source: October 28 agenda, City of Nevada City, posted Oct 23 per its certification.

County · Cannabis

Supervisors Raise The Bar For Rural Dispensary Applicants

Applicants hoping to open a cannabis dispensary in the North San Juan or Soda Springs rural centers must now score 85 of 100 points overall, and at least 70 percent in each of seven categories, after supervisors voted unanimously this week to tighten the selection scorecard staff had proposed at 70 percent. Neighborhood compatibility carries the most weight at 25 points, and a seven-member committee of public representatives will do the scoring; if nobody clears the bar, nobody is selected. District 1 Supervisor Heidi Hall thought the standard too demanding: "I think we're asking too much." District 4 Supervisor Sue Hoek argued the process could favor smaller operators, pointing to how dispensaries came to Grass Valley and Nevada City. Selection alone approves no storefront; the winner still needs a site and a use permit.

Source: The Union, Oct 22

Conditions

The Wind Blew Through On Schedule; A Dry, Brighter Weekend Ahead

The north-to-east wind event forecasters flagged for Friday night into this morning peaked overnight, strongest over Sierra ridges and through canyons, and was rated a minor impact: secure loose items, watch for downed branches. The National Weather Service guidance relayed Friday says recent rains and lingering low-level moisture should partly ease fire weather concerns, and the winds peaked overnight when humidity was not at its lowest. Behind the wind comes a dry weekend with highs recovering toward 68, slightly below to near normal into next week. Forecast models are hinting at wet weather returning toward early November, though confidence in the details is low.

PG&E has announced no Public Safety Power Shutoff for this event; its shutoff page still shows the October 14 to 17 event as closed out, fully restored. The county's fall burn ban remains in effect.

Sources: NWS Sacramento guidance via YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 23; PG&E newsroom; weekend temperatures via OpenSnow, Oct 23.

Monday

Deer Creek Fuels Town Hall Monday Night At The Foundry

The city hosts a town hall Monday, October 26 at 6:00 PM at the Miners Foundry, 325 Spring St., on the Deer Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project, roughly 174 acres of mechanical treatment on the canyon's south side running October through February. Staff will present treatment areas, methods, timelines, and environmental protections, and take questions.

Source: City of Nevada City via YubaNet, Oct 21

Regular Meeting

Nevada City City Council

Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 PM · City Hall, Beryl P. Robinson Jr. Conference Room, 317 Broad St. · Posted Friday, October 23, per the Deputy City Clerk's certification · Agenda · Agenda with attachments

Presentations. Update on the Nevada City–Penzance sister city relationship and next steps.

Consent Agenda. 1. Approve action minutes of the October 14 regular meeting. 2. Award a construction contract to Telstar Instruments, not to exceed $125,971 plus a 10 percent contingency of $12,597, for the wastewater treatment plant's SCADA hardware and software upgrade. 3. ❖ Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-07, adding water-efficient landscape and irrigation requirements (Chapter 17.83) citywide to match the state's model ordinance. 4. ❖ SYRCL's request for a $2,500 sponsorship or fee waiver, a $525 facility fee waiver, and a special-event street closure for the 2026 Wild & Scenic Film Festival. 5. ❖ Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 2026-06, amending the cannabis business tax (§5.06.050).

Business. 6. Approve a Regional Public Safety Dispatch Services Agreement among Nevada County, Grass Valley, Truckee, and Nevada City. 7. Resolution 2026-35 supporting Nevada Irrigation District's Proposition 4 dam safety and climate resilience grant application. 8. Presentation from the county's Transit Services Division on the Reenvisioning Transit comprehensive operations analysis. 9. ❖ Discussion and direction on changing the council's regular meeting start time and City Hall's public operating hours.

To attend or comment: in person at the meeting, three minutes per speaker, item by item; in writing to publiccomment@nevadacityca.gov until 3:00 PM on meeting day; watch live on the city's YouTube channel or cable channel 17 or 18. Zoom comment is no longer offered. Adjournment is set for 9:30 PM unless extended.

This Day In History

1861 — The first transcontinental telegraph was completed, joining California to the East by wire; the first message went from San Francisco to Washington, and the Pony Express, suddenly obsolete, shut down two days later. 1945 — The United Nations Charter entered into force, the anniversary now kept worldwide as United Nations Day.

Sources: IEEE Engineering and Technology History Wiki; United Nations Day listings

Niel's Knick Knacks

United Nations Day — the UN Charter took effect 81 years ago today; the General Assembly has yet to take up downtown parking. National Bologna Day — honoring the deli slice that, like certain public comment letters, arrives just before midnight and is mostly filler. Make A Difference Day — the fourth Saturday of October is the nation's big volunteering day, and conveniently, the Rood Center is open from 9 to 5 for anyone whose difference is a ballot.

Sources: National Day Calendar; National Today, Make a Difference Day, Oct 24, 2026

Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'

Telegraph Line Pumpkin Cornbread (a Nugget original) — Whisk a cup of cornmeal with a cup of flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a teaspoon each of salt and cinnamon, and a grating of nutmeg. In another bowl beat two eggs with a cup of pumpkin purée, a third-cup of honey, a quarter-cup of melted butter, and three-quarters of a cup of milk, then fold the wet into the dry until just combined and scrape into a buttered nine-inch skillet. Bake at 400° for 22 to 25 minutes, until a knife comes out clean and the kitchen smells like late October, and serve warm in wedges with honey butter. Like the telegraph completed this day in 1861, it delivers fastest while still warm. Readers' own recipes are welcome through the house channel and run with credit and permission.