Photo of the week

This #PlacerLife photo of the the full moon over Newcastle was taken by @808hillside_og  on Instagram.

Featured story

Placer County and Placer Land Trust cut the ribbon on Big Hill Preserve in North Auburn

Placer County and Placer Land Trust celebrated the upcoming public opening of Big Hill Preserve today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a new trailhead and visitor facilities on 531 acres of protected open space in North Auburn. 

The preserve opens to the public Nov. 4 and features more than 9 miles of trails, a new parking area, restrooms and amenities for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. 

Additional improvements include a paved entrance road, parking designed to accommodate vehicles and horse trailers, equestrian and bicycle amenities, a patrol station, a well and a 12,000-gallon water tank. Two helicopter landing zones, fuel reduction work and shaded fuel breaks were also incorporated to support emergency response. Big Hill Preserve also features a dedicated vista platform that overlooks Raccoon Creek. 

Read more + See photos

Elections

The November general election is days away – have you voted yet?

With seven vote centers open now, and 23 locations opening Saturday, Placer voters still have plenty of opportunity to cast their ballots. Use “Sign, Scan & Go!” to have your ballot scanned and counted as you watch! Find a vote center

Community

Join Placer County and partners for Truckee River murals ribbon cutting

Community members are invited to join us to celebrate the completion of two vibrant new public art installations along the Truckee River Trail with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Tahoe City at 1 p.m. on Friday. Learn more

Spooky season

Get in the Halloween spirit with ghost stories from our museums

A child ghost who haunts the historic Auburn courthouse. A former owner of the Bernhard Museum who just can’t leave it behind. Hear these stories from actual Placer County Museum docents and staff in our spooky audio miniseries. Listen

North Lake Tahoe

Parking restrictions in eastern Placer take effect Nov. 1

County officials are reminding residents and visitors that annual winter parking restrictions east of Emigrant Gap (i.e., North Lake Tahoe, Serene Lakes, Olympic Valley, etc.) will take effect Nov. 1 through May 1, 2027. Learn more

Did you know?

Placer County Animal Services is celebrating 10 years at its Animal Services Center in Auburn. Since opening in 2016, the 29,500square-foot facility has expanded the county's capacity to care for animals, support pet owners and respond during emergencies.

Fast facts from the past decade:

• Increased shelter capacity by approximately 80% for dogs and 75% for cats compared to the previous facility

• Maintained a live release rate of more than 92% (surpassing ‘no kill’ threshold)

• Helped 13,566 animals find new homes

• Reunited 7,082 lost pets with their owners

• Responded to 78,597 calls for service

• Received more than 100,000 volunteer hours from community members

• Doubled emergency sheltering capacity for disasters such as wildfires

The community is invited to celebrate the milestone at a special anniversary event Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Animal Services Center in Auburn. RSVP here! The event will include tours, a memory wall, photo opportunities and $10 pet adoptions. Past adopters are also encouraged to share their adoption stories and photos as part of the celebration with Animal Services on Facebook or Instagram.

In other news

VIDEO: Teen group holds “Shred the Habit” skateboard event to fight tobacco, vaping

Lead Prevention Week: No amount of lead is safe for children

Prescribed burn Nov. 2-3 may cause smoke near Colfax

Tahoe National Forest lifts fire restrictions

175 years of Placer County history

Explore our new interactive timeline — updated every Thursday with photographs, milestones and the stories of people who built this county. Explore timeline

Advisory committees and commissions

Whether it’s representing your community or sharing your expertise on topics like agriculture or parks, there are always opportunities for you to help advise county leaders on the issues that matter to you most. Recruitment is open now to fill seats on the following committees or commissions, among others. Learn more and apply

Current recruitments include:

• Area 4 Agency on Aging Advisory Council

• Building Board of Appeals

• Cemetery Auburn District

• Cemetery Colfax District

• Cemetery Tahoe District

• Colfax Veterans Memorial Hall Board

• Economic Development Board

• Fish & Game Commission

• First 5 Placer Children & Families Commission

• Flood Control & Water Conservation District Board

• Foresthill Veterans Memorial Hall Board

• Gold Run Cemetery Committee

• Greater Auburn Area Fire Safe Council

• Greater Lincoln Area Fire Safe Council

• Historical Advisory Board

• In Home Support Services Advisory Committee

• Juvenile Justice / Delinquency Prevention

• Library Advisory Board

• Municipal Advisory Council - Donner Summit

• Municipal Advisory Council - Granite Bay

• Municipal Advisory Council - Horseshoe Bar Penryn

• Municipal Advisory Council - Newcastle/Ophir

• Municipal Advisory Council - Olympic Valley

• Municipal Advisory Council - Rural Lincoln

• Municipal Advisory Council - Sheridan

• Municipal Advisory Council - West Placer

• North Auburn/Ophir Fire Safe Council

• Placer County Behavioral Health Advisory Board

• Placer County Child Care Advisory Council

• Placer County Older Adult Advisory Commission

• Placer Sierra Fire Safe Council

• Roseville Veterans Memorial Hall Board

• Solid Waste Local Task Force

• Veterans Advisory Council

• Wastewater Advisory Committee

Fun things to do this week

Don’t miss the fun coming this next week in...

Roseville: Mahany Park Certified Farmers' Market, Maidu Park Farmers' Market, Roseville Fountains Farmers' Market, Kaiser Riverside Farmers' Market, Kaiser Eureka Farmers' Market, Sutter Roseville Farmers Market, Costume and Candy
Rocklin: Rocklin Community Farmers Market, Haunted Halloween at Nexus Lounge and VR
Lincoln: Farmers’ Market at Fowler Ranch, Kaiser Lincoln Farmers' Market, Sun City Lincoln Hills Holiday Market, 8th Annual Día De Los Muertos
Loomis: The Flower Farm Pumpkin Patch
Auburn: Auburn Old Town Farmer’s Market – Placer Farmers Market, Farmers Market at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, Pumpkin Patch by Compassion Planet, Downtown Auburn Safe Trick Or Treat, Women’s Adventure Film Tour 2026 in Auburn, Old Town Auburn Halloween
Colfax: Colfax Farmers’ Market, Colfax haunted house – Whispering Pines Sanitarium
North Lake Tahoe: Tahoe City Farmer’s Market, Tahoe City Haunted Historic Walking Tours

...and many Placer County Library and Placer County Museum events.

Visit our regional partners to discover more of the fun happening right here in Placer County!

Placer County Visitors' Bureau
North Tahoe Community Alliance
Tahoe City Downtown Association
The Arts Council of Placer County
Placer Valley Tourism
PlacerGROWN
Placer Wine Trail

Upcoming public meetings and events

Truckee River murals ribbon cutting, Oct. 30, 1 p.m. Information
Rural Lincoln Municipal Advisory Council, Nov. 2, 6 p.m. Information
Board of Supervisors, Nov. 3, 9 a.m. Information
Sheridan Municipal Advisory Council, Nov. 4, 6 p.m. Information
Olympic Valley Design Review Committee, Nov. 5, 3:30 p.m. Information
Olympic Valley Supervisor Forum, Nov. 5, 6 p.m. Information

To learn about other Placer County committees and commissions and current opportunities to serve your community click here.

List of active projects throughout Placer County

Projects are listed alphabetically and by Board of Supervisors districts. A hard copy of the list is available at the Placer County Community Development Resource Agency, 3091 County Center Drive in Auburn. 

Active Projects

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