Leila Levy, a property owner in Genesee, told the Plumas County Planning Commission during the public comment period that she has faced repeated complaints and code-enforcement inspections after the Dixie Fire and asked the commission to pursue clearer rules and better protections for landowners engaged in fire mitigation.

Levy said she owns a "129.67 acre farm out in Genesee that burned in the Dixie fire" and that the parcel is inside a very-high fire hazard severity zone. She described a pattern of neighbor reports that led to repeated county visits. "I feel like I'm being harassed by the planning department," Levy said.

Levy told commissioners she had hired, then fired, a contractor to build a small structure and subsequently removed it; nonetheless, she said, "my neighbor had turned me in for that structure" and later reported her permitted solar system, a portable generator and other work. Levy said she worked with Cal Fire on defensible-space work and cited Public Resources Code sections 4290 and 4291 as part of her fire-mitigation effort.

Levy presented four specific requests to the commission: that the county (1) establish protections against repeated complaints on the same issues so landowners are not repeatedly inspected for resolved matters; (2) make grandfathering dates and criteria for preexisting structures publicly and clearly available; (3) recommend to the Board of Supervisors policies that allow landowners in very-high fire severity zones to install and mark water tanks for use by fire departments, and to treat those installations as non‑fee permits where they serve public safety; and (4) adopt policies reflecting Public Resources Code 4290 and 4291 to clarify county expectations for fire breaks and defensible space.

Vice Chair Spencer directed staff to follow up. In response, a member of staff confirmed there is an active code-enforcement case and that the property owner had received a correction notice; staff said the commission had directed that Levys four points be tracked at the staff level and agendized later as information items so the commission can review progress. That staff direction was recorded during the meeting as a staff follow-up rather than an immediate action item.

Why it matters: Levys comments highlight a recurring tension after large wildfires between property owners conducting mitigation and neighbors or county staff reporting potential violations. The requests — clearer grandfathering rules, processes to limit repeated inspections for the same alleged violation, and explicit allowances for fire tanks and marked water sources — would affect how county staff and the public handle post-fire rebuilding and hazard reduction.

What commissioners and staff said: Commissioners and staff clarified zoning for Levys parcel during the exchange and said they would forward her written materials and the protection requests to the planning director and planning commission for future information items. Planning staff confirmed Timberland Production Zone and agricultural-preserve zoning distinctions during the discussion.

Next steps: Planning staff said it will: (a) forward Levys written submission to the planning director and other staff; (b) treat her four points as follow-up information for the commission; and (c) agendize progress updates as information items at a later date. The commission did not take a formal vote on new policy at the meeting.