County management and budget decisions can seem far removed from most people’s daily lives, but they have real consequences, like the threat of being snowbound. When El Dorado County communities get hit with a big snow storm this winter, there won’t be enough snowplow operators to clear our roads, making sure we can get to work, school, the grocery store, or medical appointments. This is just the latest example of the County’s refusal to address low wages that are making it impossible to retain and recruit essential employees.

County employees are librarians, nurses, air quality and health inspectors. We are security officers at the courthouse and county library, engineers and construction managers improving our bridges, roads and sidewalks, and weights and measures inspectors who ensure that when you buy gas or shop at the grocery store, you get what you paid for. We provide essential services for our community, but many of us are struggling to make ends meet.

Instead of investing in the front line workers who make El Dorado communities healthy, safe places to live and work, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is paying a Sacramento law firm millions of dollars to block our request for competitive pay and other changes to address workforce issues. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars, especially when attorneys aren’t necessary to reach agreement on a fair contract.

It’s not a mystery why we don’t have a full snow operation crew, why wait times for services are growing, or why no one knows the answer to your question when you call. Turnover is high for County employees. El Dorado County wages are low, so folks are taking jobs elsewhere instead. In fact, wages are so low, that most County employees in my union, Local 1, make under the low income threshold, and some make as little as minimum wage!

Like most County employees and many other residents, I have no choice but to live in a rural area of the County where the cost of living is slightly cheaper than in Placerville, and commuting a longer distance to get to work. When winter storms hit, people like me who live in rural areas can be left snowbound, waiting hours or even days for our roads to be plowed. When that happened to me during the big winter storms in 2023, I had to use my vacation time when I physically couldn’t make it into work because the weather and road conditions were so hazardous. 

El Dorado County is a rural area, housing options are limited, and the Board of Supervisors leaves its employees with even fewer options by refusing to offer wages that can keep up with the rising cost of living. County employees deserve respect and fair pay. We are asking for a modest wage increase to get us closer to the median income level, not for luxuries. We aren’t looking to buy fancy cars or vacation homes, we’re just trying to afford the hikes in our fire insurance, put gas in our cars, keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. We hope the residents of El Dorado County will support our call on County Supervisors Turnboo, Parlin and Laine to protect our health and safety.

The Board of Supervisors needs to get its priorities straight, investing in attracting and retaining qualified workers for essential jobs in Emergency Medical Services, County jails, mental health counseling, road construction, and many other departments, and on improving services in our growing county.

Helen Keith-Lasky is an employee in the agriculture, weights and measures department and the union vice president of AFSCME Local 1 which represents about 1,000 El Dorado County employees.