The El Dorado Hills Insider

El Dorado water rates are surging, debt is piling up, and one candidate says the board has been rubber-stamping it all. Eric Mettler, a retired CEO and engineer running for El Dorado Irrigation District Division IV, lays out why he believes ratepayers need a tougher advocate now.

Mettler brings decades of experience in aerospace, energy, operations, capital projects, and board governance—plus two terms on the El Dorado County Grand Jury—to a race that could directly affect thousands of homes across Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Serrano, Blackstone, Heritage, and beyond. He argues that EID’s spending, debt, and project approvals have outpaced both scrutiny and common sense.

For more info: https://mettlerforeid.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594171824110

Parental rights, discipline, curriculum transparency, and special education support collide in this candid conversation with Caiva Randall, candidate for El Dorado County Office of Education Trustee from Area 2. If you care about what happens in your child’s classroom, this episode shows exactly where the pressure points are in local schools and what one new voice says needs to change.

Caiva Randall is a candidate for El Dorado County Office of Education Trustee Area 2, bringing a first-time candidate's perspective and a strong focus on parent input, student support, and school accountability. Follow her campaign online at http://caivarandall.com or on Facebook at "Caiva Randall for EDCOE Trustee Area 2" (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592085260215).

El Dorado County parents, this is the conversation that explains who actually makes the calls behind your child’s education - and what happens when the system doesn’t work for your family. Adam Clark, incumbent trustee for EDCOE Area 2 and current board president, and now running again for the board, breaks down the county’s role in special education, charter oversight, curriculum sufficiency, student discipline, and the appeals process many parents don’t realize exists.

This is one of two candidate interviews for the upcoming 2026 board of trustees election for Area 2. Adam can be reached at his website http://electadam.net or on facebook at "Adam Clark for EDCOE Trustee Area 2" (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592891816040).

Gina Posey says El Dorado County needs residents-first leadership, smarter growth, and stronger wildfire resilience. In this wide-ranging campaign interview, host Gary Kinghorn asks Posey about her priorities as a candidate for District Four supervisor—and how she would approach the decisions shaping the county’s future.

Posey discusses her business background and civil grand jury experience, along with her views on fiscal responsibility, county services, small businesses, agriculture, tourism, roads, housing, and public safety. She explains what “smart growth” means to her, why she believes community input should come early in the planning process, and how she would weigh development proposals against the county’s general plan and wildfire risks.

The conversation also covers wildfire preparedness and insurance challenges, grants for road and fire services, and Posey’s ideas for making county processes easier for residents and local businesses. She shares what she would focus on in her first 100 days and what she hopes her service would accomplish.

Watch the full interview to hear Posey’s positions and priorities in her own words. For more information: http://posey4supervisor.com

Kelley Nalewaja interviews Ben Glickman, one of five candidates for the El Dorado Hills Community Services District (CSD) Board of Directors in this November's election (2026). In this long form interview, they touch on Ben's background, prior involvement with the CSD as Treasurer and President of the Taz swim team, and how he would approach becoming a member of the CSD board. Ben's website is: https://glickman4csd.org/

Kelley Nalewaja interviews El Dorado Hills Community Services District (CSD) Board of Directors candidate Steve Gutierrez. Steve and Kelley discuss what Steve brings to the board in terms of experience from his time at the Mountain House CSD, as well as what he wants for the future of EDH and the CSD.

The El Dorado Hills Insider hosts another candidate interview for the EDH CSD Board of Directors. Candidate Josh Ziese says the next four years will decide everything from parks and financing to cityhood and how the CSD actually serves the community.

Kelley Nalewaja sits down with Josh, a longtime El Dorado Hills resident, youth sports coach, HOA board member, and State Water Board executive, to unpack why he stepped into the race for the El Dorado Hills Community Services District board. Josh shares how growing up in a planned community shaped his vision for family life, why he sees El Dorado Hills as the kind of hometown he wanted for his kids, and how his background in public finance and community service informs his approach to leadership.

El Dorado Hills is at a turning point and Steve Ferry says the next CSD board could decide whether the community keeps its parks, open space, and local control or drifts into more lawsuits, higher costs, and stalled projects.

The incumbent running for the CSD Board joins Kelley Nalewaja for a candid, issue-heavy conversation about what the CSD has gotten right, where it has gone off track, and what needs to change now. Ferry makes the case for more transparency, more public input, and a board that actually sets direction instead of letting major decisions happen behind closed doors.

You’ll hear Ferry break down:
- why he believes the board should bring citizens into park decisions instead of guessing for them
- why he wants clearer financial narratives around the CSD’s money, projects, and timelines
- his case for ending or overhauling LLADs and shifting toward a more workable community financing model
- how he sees lawsuits draining millions that could have gone to parks, fields, and community amenities
- what he thinks should happen with Bass Lake, including his vision for a safer walking park

Steve Ferry is the incumbent for the El Dorado Hills CSD board and a longtime local volunteer and civic participant. He brings years of experience with land use, parks, and community governance, plus a blunt point of view on where the district is failing and how to fix it.
He can be reached at [email protected].

Lori is the incumbent EID board member running for re-election this November (2026) for Division IV. Why are water rates rising, and what does it actually take to keep El Dorado Hills supplied for the next 20 years? Lori answers that question with a rare inside look at the infrastructure, politics, and financial decisions shaping your bill right now, along with a summary of her background and qualifications for the board.

Host Linda Campbell presses Lori on everything from reservoir planning and water rights to the 2025 financial reforms, the grand jury’s concerns, and the massive capital work behind the El Dorado Hills water treatment plant. If you’ve ever wondered why a district with gravity-fed water, aging pipes, and decades-old reservoirs can still face major rate pressure, this conversation makes the system much clearer.

You’ll discover:
- Why EID’s geography and water rights make it fundamentally different from other agencies
- What changed after the grand jury report, including finance department repairs and stronger board oversight
- How the 12% annual rate increase ties to the Capital Improvement Plan and infrastructure replacement
- Why projects like the El Dorado Hills water treatment plant, Sly Park, and fire recovery costs are so expensive

Lori also explains the role of Facility Connection Charges, how developers are expected to pay for growth-related hookups, and why agricultural water is priced differently from treated residential service.

Essential listening if you want a practical, no-spin view of the decisions that shape reliability, rates, and regional growth.

In this El Dorado Hills Insider podcast, we talk to the side that is against Measure S. Measure S could reshape El Dorado County emergency services, fire protection, and hospital funding—but the way it’s packaged may be the real problem, argues Ray Nutting. If you live on the West Slope, in El Dorado Hills, South Lake Tahoe, or anywhere paying the sales tax, this conversation will help inform you what the measure actually promises, and may not.

Gary Kinghorn sits down with former county supervisor and rancher Ray Nutting, one of the loudest advocates for wildfire prevention and one of the sharpest critics of how Measure S is written. Ray brings decades of hands-on experience in fuels management, wildfire response, and land stewardship, plus a firsthand account of the Caldor Fire that burned through his own community and home.

In this episode:
Why Ray believes Measure S’s wildfire prevention promises are overstated, how bundled funding for Marshall Hospital, fire suppression, and nonprofits may confuse voters, and why he says there’s not enough accountability around acres treated, project details, or oversight.

Gary also presses Ray on the hospital side, including seismic retrofit requirements, the cost of keeping Marshall viable, and whether the measure should have separated hospital funding from wildfire prevention.

If you’re trying to understand Measure S before you vote, this episode offers the arguments, figures, and questions the campaign still needs to answer. It’s essential listening for anyone who wants to consider both sides before casting a ballot.