Updated 7/8/2020. Watch: Health Officer's July 8 Update. Watch: The Yuba-Sutter Tracer Team - It's Tough Work. Free COVID-19 Testing (Register Online or by Phone). Updates are posted on our BePreparedSutter.org page.
- Register Online: https://LHI.care/covidtesting
- Register by Phone (only for those without Internet access): (888) 634-1123
- Testing by appointment only - register online or call (see above). No walk-ins will be tested.
- If the person being tested has insurance, the insurance company will be billed. For uninsured individuals, the testing costs will be covered by the state.
- Test result turnaround time may take up to 5 days or longer.
- Those tested will be given a card they can use to check for results later. Those who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by a nurse.
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2 OptumServe Testing Sites:
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Yuba City: Sutter County Veterans Memorial Building, 1425 Veterans Memorial Circle
- Monday-Friday 7am-7pm
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Marysville: Yuba County Library, 303 Second Street
- Tuesday-Saturday 7am-7pm
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Yuba City: Sutter County Veterans Memorial Building, 1425 Veterans Memorial Circle
- OptumServe Testing Site Flyer
The Boards of Supervisors of Yuba County and Sutter County today authorized a combined $20,000 contribution to a community organized effort to assist chronically ill seniors with grocery and prescription shopping, and restocking the shelves of the area’s food banks.
In separate actions, the Boards of Supervisors each authorized $10,000 to seed the efforts of the Yuba-Sutter COVID-19 Relief Task Force, a group of local volunteers who will work with the United Way to coordinate efforts, and with Health and Human Services Departments from both counties to identify and assist those 65 years of age and older with chronic health conditions, so they can remain at home and still have food and prescription needs met.
The group conducted an online meeting Monday night to discuss the mission and structure of the organization. Practicing social distancing, some two dozen attended the meeting in person in the chambers of the Yuba County Board of Supervisors.
Replenishing supplies at local food banks is critical. Food banks lean quite heavily on oversupplies at grocery stores. Mass purchases of canned food items and other items with long shelf lives by anxious shoppers has put increased pressure on the grocery store supply chain and food bank donations have dropped precipitously.
“There are a number of food banks that are out of food. They are zero and they can’t provide service to our communities,” said Yuba County Supervisor Randy Fletcher, who was among those at Monday night’s meeting.
“This is an important step to help immediately replenish the food banks and pantries,” said Sutter County Board Chair Ron Sullenger.
Organizers of the Yuba-Sutter COVID 19 Relief Task Force said that once they are satisfied they are meeting the needs of the chronically ill seniors, they will then focus on seniors who are not chronically ill, and, with time, the needs of the general community.
For information about joining the community effort to assist financially, as a volunteer, or with donations of canned goods during the ‘stay at home’ order, contact the Yuba-Sutter COVID-19 Relief Task Force at 530-682-5348.
The current unofficial count for the Election Results will be posted and updated periodically after the Polls close at 8:00 p.m. on March 3, 2020.
Sutter County holds five seats on the Board of Directors of a non-profit agency that conserves land to protect plant and animal species in south Sutter County and north Sacramento, in mitigation of urban development.
Four of the seats are currently vacant, however the Sutter County Board of Supervisors is soliciting candidates for appointment from among Sutter County residents, particularly those with a background or interest in environmental sciences, nature conservation, engineering, finance, or agriculture. The only qualification is that a person be willing to serve.
The Natomas Basin Conservancy was established in 1994 to implement the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan on behalf of the City of Sacramento and the County of Sutter. Under the plan, developers of the Natomas Basin in south Sutter County and north Sacramento are required to set aside one acre of land for nature conservation for every two acres they develop.
Developers do this by paying fees to the conservancy used to acquire and maintain habitat for 22 plant and animal species. Those species are the:
- Aleutian Canada goose
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Giant Garter snake
- White-faced ibis
- Bank swallow
- Tricolored blackbird
- Northwestern pond turtle
- Valley elderberry longhorn beetle
- Delta tule pea
- Sanford’s arrowhead
- Loggerhead shrike
- Burrowing owl
- Vernal pool fairy shrimp
- Vernal pool tadpole shrimp
- Midvalley fairy shrimp
- California tiger salamander
- Western spadefoot toad
- Colusa grass
- Boggs Lake hedge-hyssop
- Sacramento Orcutt grass
- Legenere
Several developments have already occurred in the Natomas Basin in north Sacramento, and some are expected to begin soon in southern Sutter County.
The Board of Directors of the Conservancy meets on the first Wednesday in February, April, June, August, October, and December. Board members are compensated at a rate of $100 per meeting. Board members must be willing to file a State of California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Statement of Economic Interests-Form 700.
Applications for this, and a number of other boards and commissions, can be obtained from the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, 1160 Civic Center Boulevard, Yuba City, CA 95993, or from the county website at: https://www.suttercounty.org/doc/government/depts/cr/cob/cr_cob_bc
Photo of white faced ibis, one of several species which benefit from the Natomas Basin Conservancy, by By Alan Vernon - White faced Ibis, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8824384
You don't need a stamp to cast a mail-in ballot
No postage stamp is needed when you are returning your mail in ballot in the envelope provided by the Sutter County Elections Office.
Sutter County Clerk Recorder/Registrar of Voters Donna Johnston reminds voters that postage is pre-paid.
Here are the steps for successfully voting by mail:
- You must mark your own ballot for your vote to count.
- Put your ballot in the envelope provided.
- You must sign your own envelope for your vote to count.
- Drop it in the mail. It is postage paid!
- It must be postmarked by Election Day- March 3, 2020.
Once you’ve mailed the ballot, you can also track it with the Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” application. Voters can sign-up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to receive notifications about their vote-by-mail ballots by email, SMS (text), or voice call.
Voters who sign up for the “Where’s My Ballot?” tool receive automatic updates when:
- The County elections office mails the voter’s ballot
- The County has received the voter’s ballot
- The County has counted the voter’s ballot
- If there are any issues with the voter’s ballot
Yuba and Sutter County voters can now sign up for the Secretary of State’s “Where’s My Ballot?” tool to receive automatic updates on the status of their vote-by-mail ballots. Voters can sign-up at WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov to receive notifications about their vote-by-mail ballots by email, SMS (text), or voice call.
Terry Hansen, Yuba County Registrar of Voters and Donna Johnston, Sutter County Registrar of Voters want to make sure that Yuba-Sutter voters are aware of this valuable tool to help ensure the integrity of Vote by Mail ballots.
Voters who sign up for the “Where’s My Ballot?” tool receive automatic updates when:
- The county elections office mails the voter’s ballot
- The county has received the voter’s ballot
- The county has counted the voter’s ballot
- If there are any issues with the voter’s ballot
Voters signed up for “Where’s My Ballot?” will also receive communications from Yuba and Sutter County Election offices about important election deadlines and critical updates such as polling place closures.
The County of Sutter’s Development Services Department will provide a display of the proposed changes at the intersection of Highway 99 at Oswald Road south of Yuba City for the public. The display will in the Sutter County Development Services main lobby on February 18, 2020 from 9 am until 4 pm.
The open house is designed to acquire additional community input on the proposed alternatives, particularly the possibility of a roundabout. This is the first time a roundabout has been seriously considered on a state highway in Sutter County. Sutter County ultimately would make a recommendation to California Department of Transportation. County engineering staff and an engineering consultant will be available to answer questions about the three options.
Sutter County has been seeking a traffic control alternative at the intersection, which has seen an increase in both truck traffic and accidents. Options to improve safety include a $4-$5 million stoplight, a $10-$12 million roundabout, or a $30-$40 million interchange.
Government and private company studies have concluded that roundabouts provide more safety for drivers than stoplights on a high-speed corridor. According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts reduce the types of crashes where people are seriously hurt or killed by 78-82 percent when compared to conventional stop-controlled and signalized intersections. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety of 19 high-speed rural intersections (speed limits of 40 mph or higher) that originally had stop signs on the minor approaches and were converted to roundabout found a 62 percent reduction in all crashes and an 85 percent reduction in injury crashes.
Sutter County Development Services is located at 1130 Civic Center Blvd., Yuba City.
An open house is planned for 2 p.m.-3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, at Ettl Hall, 1333 Butte House Road, Yuba City, to provide information on proposed tri-color placard program that would provide visual indication at point of sale of a commercial food facility’s latest food safety inspection. Green is pass, yellow is pass with conditions, red is closed due to immediate health threat.
Sutter County Development Services is recommending the Board of Supervisors create a program which requires all retail food establishments to post a color-coded placard indicating compliance with state environmental health laws.
Why a placard program?
The placarding system is designed to minimize occurrence of the five most critical risk factors for foodborne illness in the United States as identified by the Center for Disease Control which are:
- Food from unsafe sources
- Improper cooking temperatures
- Improper holding temperatures
- Contaminated utensils and equipment
- Poor employee health and hygiene
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in six, or 48 million, Americans contract a foodborne illness each year. (Fewer than one percent are hospitalized; and less than one in 1,000 die from the illness.)
Who enforces these laws?
Sutter County enforces state law by inspecting and filing reports on conditions of commercial food establishments in Live Oak, Yuba City, and the unincorporated areas of the County. Retail food establishments are already required to have a copy of their most recent inspection report available for customer review upon request, and Sutter County Environmental Health Division posts its inspection reports on the County’s website athttps://www.suttercounty.org/FacilityInspection
Is this happening elsewhere?
Food Facility Placarding Programs are becoming more common in many jurisdictions and are designed to provide customers with a quick visual indication of the overall results of the food facilities most recent inspection.
What would the placard program look like?
This program would require all retail food establishments to post a color-coded placard indicating the compliance status of their most recent routine inspection or re-inspection. A green placard indicates the establishment passed the inspection. A yellow placard indicated two or more major violations were discovered. And a red placard indicates the establishment is closed due to an imminent health hazard.
Where can I find out more information?
This matter was scheduled for a public hearing in front of the Board of Supervisors on October 22, but based on the response to letters the County mailed to commercial kitchen operators, there were a lot of questions about the program. Consequently, consideration of the proposal was postponed and, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, we will be providing an opportunity for retail food providers and members of the public to learn more about the proposed program, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, January 21 at Ettl Hall, 1333 Butte House Road, Yuba City.