Nevada City Nugget

Tonight · Miners Foundry

Deer Creek Fuels Town Hall Tonight; Council Meets Wednesday

City staff present the Deer Creek Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project tonight at 6:00 PM at the Miners Foundry, 325 Spring St.: roughly 174 acres of mechanical treatment on the south side of the canyon, scheduled from October through February, with the presentation covering treatment areas, methods, timelines, and environmental protections, and time for questions. The City Council follows Wednesday at 6:30 PM at City Hall, with the regional dispatch agreement, sewer-plant controls, and its own meeting hours on the agenda; the full digest is in The Docket below. Grass Valley's council takes up its version of the county dispatch agreement Tuesday at 6:00 PM.

Sources: City of Nevada City via The Union; October 28 agenda, City of Nevada City; The Union, Oct 24

Election · Federal Demand

County's Formal Reply To The Justice Department Still Unpublished

The 48-hour window in the U.S. Justice Department's letter, which named 10 Nevada County voters as "likely non-citizens" and demanded their ballots be set aside, has passed. The county's most recent public word remains its October 24 statement: the Elections Office reviewed the list, says it is following all applicable state and federal laws, and is preparing a formal response with county counsel and guidance from the Secretary of State's office. No response had been posted by the county or reported by YubaNet as of this morning.

Statewide, CBS News reported at least 18 counties received such letters. A Justice Department spokeswoman said Saturday the department is not requesting "a purge, cancellation of registrations, or any programmatic action." A federal court hearing in the department's separate suit against Los Angeles County and the Secretary of State over roughly 20,000 voters is set for Tuesday, per the same report.

Sources: Nevada County Elections, Oct 24; YubaNet, updated Oct 24; CBS News, Oct 24

Conditions · Winter Ahead

Wind Today, Rain Likely By Week's End

The National Weather Service in Sacramento expects breezy southwest winds over the Sierra today, gusting 30 to 40 mph, with highs slightly below normal and turning cooler late in the week. It calls the week mainly dry through Wednesday and has good confidence that widespread rain and mountain snow spread into the region late in the week; the federal 8-to-14-day outlook for November 1 to 7 leans wetter than normal. Forecast highs for Nevada City slide from the low 60s to the low 50s by Halloween.

It is also California's Flood Preparedness Week. The state Department of Water Resources asks residents to check their flood risk at myhazards.caloes.ca.gov, keep an evacuation kit ready, sign up for local alerts, and never drive through a flooded road. Nevada County's own checklist stands: register for Nevada County Alerts at ReadyNevadaCounty.org/EmergencyAlerts, clear gutters and culverts, and use the county's free self-serve sand sites listed at ReadyNevadaCounty.org/Sand. PG&E reports no shutoff event since October 17.

Sources: NWS Sacramento via YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 25; DWR via YubaNet; Nevada County via The Union, Oct 22; PG&E newsroom; temperatures via OpenSnow.

Evening Update · Roads

Night Lane Work On Highway 49 All Week; No Full Closures

Caltrans District 3 says the Highway 49 Corridor Improvement Project between McKnight Way and La Barr Meadows/Allison Ranch Road brings one-way traffic control and ramp closures nightly from 9 PM to 6 AM, Monday night through Thursday night, with lane closures ending for the week at 6 AM Friday. On Highway 20, pavement work between Lowell Hill Road and the I-80 junction runs one-way traffic control from 7 AM to 6 PM Monday through Thursday and 7 AM to noon Friday, and the Highway 20 on-ramp to westbound I-80 stays closed until further notice for bridge construction. No full closure of either highway is scheduled; Caltrans says the schedule may change with weather. Separately, YubaNet's Happening Now log reported one-way traffic on Highway 174 from the Placer County line to Durango Lane late this morning, with delays expected until 3:30 PM.

Sources: Caltrans via YubaNet, Oct 26; YubaNet's Happening Now log, Oct 26

Evening Update · Planning Commission

Three Downtown Sign Permits Went Before The Planning Commission Oct 15

The city Planning Commission's October 15 regular meeting, held a week before this paper began publishing, carried six design applications. Three were historical district sign permits downtown: "Septembers" at 221 Broad Street, "Good Bones" at 300 Spring Street, and "Nevada Taqueria" at 214 Broad Street. The others were a demolition and architectural review application for 218 Drummond, continued from an earlier meeting; architectural review for 219 South Pine Street; and an amendment to the architectural review for 103-107 Argall Way, the Onyx Theatre's address. On consent, the commission was asked to accept its September 17 minutes and receive the September liaison and building activity reports.

Staff also listed what is coming: a 30-day public review period for the city's Housing Element beginning in late October, a new lighting ordinance, sign rule updates covering window decals and A-frame signs, and later work on downtown design guidelines through the Preservation of Downtown ad hoc committee, a planning workshop, and rules for tiny homes on wheels.

Outcomes not yet confirmed: the commission's minutes have not posted, and the recording could not be transcribed tonight. The Nugget will report the votes when the minutes post or the recording is reviewed. The commission next meets Thursday, November 19, at 1:30 PM.

Sources: October 15 agenda, City of Nevada City; Agenda Center meeting materials; meeting recording, Nevada City Public Meetings on YouTube

Evening Update · Public Arts Commission

Arts Commission Weighed A Seven Hills Arts District Oct 7

The city's Public Arts Commission met October 7 at City Hall with a short, busy agenda. Under business, the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce asked the commission to discuss designating the Seven Hills district as an Arts District. Staff recommended approving an installation of the Keep It Dark Photo Contest awardees in the CHAMP Gallery for up to 12 weeks, in partnership with Nevada County Arts and Culture and the Town of Truckee, and Commissioners Clark and Arbex were to update the commission on the gallery's call for partners, which the city opened October 23. Commissioners Wilcox-Barnes and Arellanes were to report on an inventory of future public art locations, and Commissioners Negrete and Maskal on community outreach plans. On consent: the August 5 action minutes.

Outcomes not yet confirmed: the commission's minutes have not posted, and the recording could not be transcribed tonight. The Nugget will report what the commission decided when the minutes post or the recording is reviewed. The commission has met on first Wednesdays this year; no November agenda had posted as of tonight.

Sources: October 7 agenda, City of Nevada City; Agenda Center meeting materials; meeting recording, Nevada City Public Meetings on YouTube

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

1825. The Erie Canal opened to traffic, linking Buffalo and Albany, New York, eight years after construction began. 1984. At Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California, an infant known as Baby Fae received a baboon's heart; she lived a few weeks.

Source: timeanddate.com, On This Day

Niel's Knick Knacks

National Pumpkin Day. Five days before Halloween, the porches of Nevada City are already well ahead of the calendar. National Mule Day. In a town built by pack trains, the mule deserves a statue, or at least an extra carrot. Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night. The moon is a night past full, which the paper considers close enough. Horseless Carriage Day. Observed nightly on Broad Street, where the horseless carriages circle for parking.

Source: Checkiday

Hey Good Lookin', Whatcha Got Cookin'

Pack Mule Pumpkin Chili (a Nugget original). Brown a pound of bulk Italian sausage in a heavy pot, then add a chopped onion, a diced red bell pepper, and three minced cloves of garlic and cook until soft. Stir in two tablespoons of chili powder, a teaspoon each of cumin and smoked paprika, and a pinch of cinnamon, and let the spices toast for a minute. Add a 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée, a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, two cans of drained black beans, and two cups of chicken broth, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick. Season with salt and a splash of cider vinegar, and serve with sour cream, sliced scallions, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Serves six, and like a good mule, it carries well into tomorrow. Readers' own recipes are welcome through the house channel and run with credit and permission.