Tell El Dorado County Board:
Stop Wasting Taxpayer Dollars On High-Priced Lawyers
Greg Ferrero
District 1
George Turnboo
District 2
Brian Veerkamp
District 3
Lori Parlin
District 4
Brooke Laine
District 5
Our El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is wasting $450/hour on lawyers to fight against El Dorado’s health and safety staff.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors pays expensive Sacramento lawyers $450/hour, while many El Dorado County employees, like medical office assistants and mental health workers, make less than $20 an hour.
They’ve wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer funds so far.
El Dorado County pays almost all of our 1,000+ sheriff security officers, librarians, construction workers, nurses, clean air and health inspectors, and other essential county workers LESS THAN THE LOW INCOME THRESHOLD and must depend on housing and food assistance to care for their families.
The Board of Supervisors spends our taxpayer dollars on an expensive law firm from a different county to fight its own County workers. While they pay these lawyers $450/hour, the people on the ground are fighting for pennies more per hour.
Send your email now and urge your elected Board of Supervisors to stop wasting taxpayer dollars on high-priced lawyers and invest in the El Dorado County community and pay workers fairly.
In The News
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“We have El Dorado County employees who are homeless, living in their cars, crashing on friends’ couches. They are scared, stressed and depressed. They have reached their breaking point.”
“As an El Dorado County employee, I either need a raise or I need to find a better paying job because my family can’t survive.
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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 app...
Voices Of El Dorado County Workers
“My husband and I have always dreamt of being foster parents, and even though we’re ready in so many ways and there are so many kids in need, we can’t afford it because of the low wages and expensive health coverage I get working for El Dorado County.”
-Rebekah, Self-Sufficiency Worker, Health and Human Services Department
“I’ve worked for El Dorado County for over 12 years now, and while the cost of living to stay in the county I work in has only gone up year after year, I only make $5 more per hour than I did when I started. I love keeping this County’s courts and residents safe, but the pay is becoming unsustainable.”
-Sheriff’s Security Officer
“I love El Dorado County- I’m proud of the work I’ve done to make the county more accessible, safe and beautiful and am reminded of that every time I see the ADA compliant ramps and crosswalks in my neighborhood, as well as road safety and bridge replacement projects I have completed throughout the County in the last 10 years. But we can’t keep good employees because people leave for better paying jobs. If the Board of Supervisors cares about this county and its residents the way I do, they should show it by paying us competitive wages.”
-Brian, Senior Civil Engineer, Department of Transportation
“Those of us working for El Dorado County are members of this community- we’re from here, we’re raising our kids here, we’re getting married here. We want it to stay that way, but I’ve watched so many coworkers leave because we are undervalued. Turnover is constantly a problem, we don’t have enough advancement opportunities, and our wages aren’t competitive. We demand to be respected by the Board of Supervisors.”
- Jen Rimoldi, EDCEA President
“El Dorado County’s Board of Supervisors doesn't fund our department enough so I rely on SNAP benefits to feed my family while we also consider dropping our health insurance just to keep our heads above water. The unsustainable pay also leads to an overwhelming workload because we can’t attract enough employees, impacting our ability to serve the community and protect it from wildfires.”
-Brandon, Defensible Space Investigator, Office of Wildfire Preparedness
“Before coming to the County, I was able to buy a home and afford the mortgage myself from the wages I made working at a fast food restaurant. Now I have multiple roommates just to make ends meet. I got a job at the County thinking it would offer stability and growth, but the reality is that I’m paying double for my healthcare coverage and our wages haven’t adjusted to keep up with inflation.”
-Matt, Administrative Analyst, Department of Transportation