Local Politics · Tuolumne County
The Tuolumne County Planning Commission will hold its first public input session on proposed data center regulations Wednesday at 4 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers at 2 S. Green St. in Sonora. The discussion follows a Sept. 1 unanimous vote by the county Board of Supervisors directing the Community Development Department to develop an ordinance defining and regulating data centers, after a proposed temporary moratorium failed to gain support. A county-hosted open house on Oct. 7 drew numerous residents calling for an outright ban over water, electricity, noise, environmental, and rural-character concerns, and a Change.org petition opposing data centers had more than 800 signatures as of Monday. No specific data center project has been proposed in the county; the ordinance effort aims to establish rules before any application is submitted.
Public Safety · Tuolumne County
A wildfire named Granite Fire was first discovered at 12:51 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2026, in Tuolumne County, California. The fire is burning on federal land managed by the United States Forest Service. As of publication, no containment data was available and the cause had not been determined.
Social Events · Tuolumne County
A weekly roundup lists arts, entertainment, and community events across Tuolumne and Calaveras counties for Oct. 15-21, including theater productions at Mountain Youth and Community Theatre (Sonora), Sierra Repertory Theatre (East Sonora), Fourth Wall Entertainment Troupe (San Andreas), and Murphys Creek Theatre (Murphys). Notable weekend activities include the Walking Dead Sonora zombie walk at Courthouse Square Saturday Oct. 17, the Mountain Misery Brewfest at Mother Lode Fairgrounds, Indigeny Reserve's Fall Festival with a giant pumpkin weigh-in, and farmers markets in downtown Sonora and Murphys Park. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown offers Harvest Haunt and Skeleton Starlight train rides on select weekends through October. A Down Syndrome Awareness Costume Parade steps off Friday Oct. 16 at 3:30 p.m. from 257 S. Stewart St., Sonora.
