economic development

The Small Business Retention Workgroup, comprised of the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, El Dorado County Economic Development Department and various other entities formulated in March of this year to provide advocacy and strategies for the small business communities of El Dorado County.  The workgroup has met weekly as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our communities with awareness that the small businesses of our county are the backbone of our business community, employing neighbors and led by individuals wh

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are three open seats on the South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors this election season, two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.

South Tahoe Now reached out to the candidates and below are their answers to a set of questions. For the two four-year terms, incumbent Kelly Sheehan is running for reelection, Duane Wallace is running after being appointed to fill Jim Jones's spot on the board until this election, and they are joined by David Peterson.

South Tahoe Now reached out to all nine candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council and provided the same list of questions to each one of them. Once a day their answers have been published in the order received. Today is our final candidate.

Today's candidate is Stacey Ballard

Profession: Artist/Author

How many years in SLT: I have lived in Tahoe on and off since 1997, over 16 in total.

NORTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you've been on SR89 near Tahoe City lately you've noticed the new roundabout that was installed south of the Fanny Bridge near the transit station. A new bridge over the Truckee River was also created during the first stage of the SR89/Fanny Bridge Revitalization Project which included another roundabout on the west end of Tahoe City on SR89.

The Tahoe Chamber is inviting the business community to join them on Friday, May 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for another one of their popular Virtual Town Halls. This week, the Sierra Business Council and the Douglas County Vitality manager will discuss and provide guidance on the reopening of business in both California and Nevada and answer the community's questions.

Speakers will include:

- Steve Frisch, President, Sierra Business Council
- Lisa Granahan, Economic Vitality Manager, Douglas County, NV Economic Development / Vitality Department

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council has two items on their special meeting agenda for Wednesday, April 8 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting is live-streamed on Channel 21 and on the City’s website at www.cityofslt.us.

There will be no formal action on the first item. They will be discussing their newly appointed Transformational Change Committee which is comprised of Councilmembers Cody Bass and Devin Middlebrook.

At their meeting last week, the council created two other committees as well that will address the response and recovery to the COVID-19 crisis:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The December edition of the City of South Lake Tahoe's "At Lake Level" has been released by City Manager Frank Rush. This month Rush covers SnowGlobe, the 56-acre site and a possible new Fire/EMS station for the community.

56-Acre Site

Single lane closures will be in place on State Route 28 in Crystal Bay on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe on Thursday, Nov. 14 as the Nevada Department of Transportation installs a new “Welcome to Nevada” monument.

Single lane closures will take place between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. near the intersection of SR28 and Stateline Road in Crystal Bay. Drivers should anticipate moderate travel delays as traffic flaggers and pilot cars alternate both directions of traffic through the work zone.

Placer County has purchased the 11-acre Nahas property near Tahoe City for $3.42 million. They are working with housing developer partner Related-Pacific Companies to develop conceptual options for a potential mixed-use commercial and achievable housing project on the site.

While the purchase represents a step forward in bringing more achievable housing to North Lake Tahoe, development concepts for the site are still in early stages and no project proposal has yet been brought forward for formal consideration or approval.

South Lake Tahoe’s renewable energy leadership is providing the opportunity for the installation of substantive solar projects on the rooftops and properties of public buildings throughout the Sierra. The City took on this leadership role in May after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to become the lead agency for the Sierra under the Solar Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Fund, a not-for-profit program aimed to empower public agencies to evaluate and participate in regional collaborative procurement of municipal solar projects.

Nancy Kerry has been gone from her position as the city manager of South Lake Tahoe since March, but she finally got the credit due for her many accomplishments and contributions during a standing room only celebration Tuesday evening.

Over 75 community leaders came together to present Nancy with a proclamation signed by both Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis, their last official act with the City.

The list of tributes spoken during the evening is a lengthy one.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Prosperity Center once again is hosting the Tahoe Economic Summit, an event that delves into issues many locals are concerned with including housing, the economy, innovation, entrepreneurship and an educated workforce.

This year the summit "Transforming Tahoe," will be held on October 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,

Heidi Hill Drum, the TPC executive director, says their goals each year are to bring in expert speakers on important issues and then have engaging conversations around how we can positively impact our region through breakout sessions.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Tamara Wallace gives her responses as she seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Devin Middlebrook gives his responses as he seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For each of the next nine days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

First up is Wendy David, the current mayor of South Lake Tahoe. She is seeking a second term on the Council.

He's been on the job for a few weeks, meeting with staff and getting to know the ropes in South Lake Tahoe, but Dirk Brazil's employment contract for the interim city manager position was officially approved at Tuesday's City Council meeting, his first official day on the job.

There are still trout in the Lake Tahoe Basin, but soon there will no longer the large trout sculpture that for years has greeting people to the town of North Lake Tahoe.

The iconic 21-foot trout sculpture has been sitting in the island intersection between State Route 89 and State Route 28 along with the Williamson Tree and Rotary Club flagpole.

MEYERS and SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The El Dorado County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Don Ashton has been making the rounds to communities throughout the county, explaining the budget through an informative presentation and discussion.

Most of the communities Ashton has visited have had 15-20 citizens in attendance, all asking questions and giving input in the budget process as Ashton and the Supervisors figure out how to save $20M over the next four years to meet CalPers pension liabilities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Small businesses in the South Lake Tahoe area are now able to receive mall business consulting through a partnership between Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) and the Sierra Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

The public has another opportunity to give feedback on the design of the U.S. 50/South Shore Community Revitalization Project on Thursday, October 5, 2017 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Formerly known as the Loop Road Project, this one seeks to divert Highway 50 from its current location near the intersection with Pioneer Trail and move traffic behind Raleys and the casinos, then reuniting with the current location of Highway 50 in Stateline, Nevada with a roundabout.

With tree mortality issues so prevalent in the Sierra, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors today launched a Tree Removal Grant Program for low-income seniors.

“The tree mortality issues in our county remain very serious. We’re just happy to have this program available to assist private homeowners, especially our seniors with limited income, who have no other means to remove dead or dying trees from threatening damage to their homes,” said District IV Supervisor, Michael Ranalli.

Every two years a new business plan is presented to the South Lake Tahoe City Council, outlining goals, the vision and strategic priorities. This is done after each election.

In February, City staff, Council and community members got together for a two-day strategic planning session, and the results that came out of that were put into the 2017/18 South Lake Tahoe Business Plan.

"I'm looking for opportunities to build strategic relationships and leverage resources, and not duplicating what we already have," Craig A. Schmidt said after being on the job for five days at the Tahoe Chamber. "That is what excites me about the South Shore."

Schmidt is the new Chief Executive Officer for the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, a job vacant since July 1, 2016 when "B" Gorman left to develop her coaching business.

What is Mammoth Lakes' loss will be Lake Tahoe's gain as the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) has selected their new Chief Executive Officer from the mountain resort community to the south.

Craig A. Schmidt, the current Executive Director of Chamber of Commerce in Mammoth Lakes, will take over his new position on the South Shore February 6.

The Chamber's Board selected Schmidt, an accomplished chamber professional with 22 years of experience in business, workforce and tourism development.