initiative

LAKE TAHOE, CA/NV – Lake Tahoe needs our help. The “Jewel of the Sierra” is being loved to death. The vast amount of trips being made by motor vehicles have contributed to severe traffic congestion, unsafe conditions for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists, mounting air pollution, declining lake clarity, and other negative impacts.

The boat Lisa "Angel of Tahoe" Maloff and Bob and Nackey Scagliotti helped bring to the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) in 2017 was named one of WorkBoat magazine’s “10 Significant Boats of 2018” an international in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Lake Assault Boats fire and rescue craft on duty with TDFPD, named Marine 24, was christened in 2017. At a cost of $500,000 it is designed to respond to a wide range of emergencies, including structural and wildland fires, and on-the-water rescue operations.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been just two weeks since the final count of the November 2018 election was certified in El Dorado County and there is already a lawsuit surrounding the outcome of Measure T.

Our community has less than one week before November 6th, election day, arrives. There are many important issues on the ballot. My husband and I just mailed ours in on Monday and I was reminded again of how fortunate we are to live in a nation where the voters decide on such topics as daylight savings time, on new laws preventing cruelty to farm animals, allowing rent controls to stop spiraling costs that are eliminating housing options, and many other state and local topics.

Removing unused, unwanted and expired medications from homes is a huge step in preventing pill abuse and theft, and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be holding a Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Safeway parking lot.

This is the local's 16th opportunity in the past eight years to get rid of their potentially dangerous medication on the South Shore.

In August, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) awarded $27.5 million to fund high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfires.

During their board meeting Thursday the California Tahoe Conservancy Board accepted their portion, a $2.3 million grant, for fire prevention projects and related efforts as part of the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative.

In this election season, it is normal for individuals – and even elected officials – to endorse a campaign to support it. Elected officials are legally allowed to use their position titles to back a candidate or an initiative. We should all keep in mind, however, that they may or may not represent the opinions of the organization that they were elected to serve, or the personnel within that organization. It would be unfair of any public servant to assume that responsibility.

So, Tahoe, let’s get out there and vote!

Leona Allen
Meyers, CA

California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is wrapping up his final term by touring some of the state's schools.

In just a few days he went from visiting a school in Los Angeles with an enrollment of 4,000 to touring Alpine County Schools and the Diamond Valley Elementary School campus, in particular, which has 80 students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

“It is a small school in numbers but mighty in its focus and learning,” said Torlakson in Alpine County on Sept. 20.

The El Dorado Arts Council is expanding their Veterans’ Voices Writing Workshop to South Lake Tahoe beginning Oct. 1. The free, drop-in workshop is open to all veterans and all skill levels are encouraged. The workshops will be held on Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College, Room A206, near the LTCC Veterans Resource Center.

Last month this column focused on the faces of Tahoe’s housing crisis. This month we look at a few promising solutions from other tourist communities.

One example is the Town of Vail’s “Vail InDEED” program. Like Tahoe, the Town of Vail is constrained by a lack of available land and high construction costs. Development of new housing is slow and costly. The Vail InDEED program was created to deed restrict existing properties to create a market for locals only.

Today, CAL FIRE awarded four grants totaling $27.5 million to fund high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfires.

For the second time this week, a group gathering signatures to get initiatives on November's ballot has failed to get past the first phase of signature validation.

On Friday, the El Dorado County Elections Department said the group attempting to grandfather in the existing medical marijuana dispensary in South Lake Tahoe and allow them to sell adult use marijuana failed the first count of a sample 500 signatures.

The Tahoe Wellness Cooperative at 3445 Lake Tahoe Boulevard is the only medical marijuana dispensary in the City limits.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Edgewood Tahoe has moved from one non-profit receiving the proceeds from food concessions during July's American Century Championship to several groups.

This year, Edgewood Tahoe is partnering with Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation, Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, and Tahoe-Douglas Rotary Club who in turn will be donating 400 volunteer hours at Edgewood’s four main concession tents.

"Building Bridges” is the theme for TEDx SouthLakeTahoe 2018 to be held on Saturday, September 8, and over the next several weeks organizers will be unveiling their speaker lineup.

Take Our Daughters to Work Day was started in 1993 by Nell Merlino, an author and activist/catalyst for the advancement of women and girls, and she has been announced as a speaker at the 2018 TedX South Lake Tahoe evening that invites the community to be part of.

She mobilized more than 25 million people to recognize girls’ value and potential during "Take Our Daughters to Work Day."

Two South Lake Tahoe community groups have submitted petitions to get their vacation home rental (VHR) initiatives on the November, 2018 ballot. The first group, Tahoe Neighborhoods Group, submitted 1,651 signatures to the City Clerk on April 30, and the second group, Sustainable Community Alliance, turned in 1,827 signatures on May 21, less than 30 days after they started collecting them.

South Lake Tahoe may not be known as the home of the $2,000 parking ticket after action taken by the City Council Tuesday.

National media attention spotlighted the fines ($1,000 to the renter and $1,000 to the homeowner) associated with violations of the vacation home rental (VHR) ordinance approved at the end of 2017 by the South Lake Tahoe City Council. This negative publicity has prompted some cancellations of tourist visits, or other changes to vacation plans, according to those in the industry.

The first of two groups trying to get vacation home rental ballot measures to the voters in November has submitted signatures to the South Lake Tahoe City Clerk. On Monday, April 30, the Tahoe Neighborhoods Group turned in 1,651 signatures on petitions they circulated through South Lake Tahoe. Those signatures will now be sent to the elections department of El Dorado County for certification.

Lake Tahoe’s shoreline is a place of majestic beauty with sandy beaches and secluded, boulder-strewn coves. It’s where residents and visitors alike go to enjoy Tahoe’s famously cold, clear water, whether they are dipping their toes in for the first time or launching their boat, kayak, or paddleboard for a daily outing.

The following was sent to the South Lake Tahoe City Council and was shared with South Tahoe Now:

Like many communities across the country, the Tahoe Basin is facing an affordable housing crisis. The high cost to buy or rent a home is simply unaffordable for most Tahoe residents. It’s a problem for people of many economic backgrounds, including middle-income teachers, nurses, police, and firefighters.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has just received the highest level of accreditation possible from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC). The commission reaffirmed the college’s accreditation for seven years on the basis of a comprehensive evaluation. This reaffirmation puts the college in excellent standing until its next full accreditation review in Fall 2024.

Are South Lake Tahoe's neighborhoods for sale? Over the last few years our
city has allowed out-of-town investors to turn houses into motels and
developers to build large scale lodging properties in our residential
neighborhoods.The local residents now want a chance to decide if we want
these motels in our neighborhoods. The petition being circulated will let
local voters make that decision. That is how democracy works using the
Initiative Process.

In the meantime, there is a lot of talk that big money from outside special

Washoe County restaurants are working with restaurants in promoting better menu choices.

We Order Well (W.O.W.!) is a new program for the County, and it provides restaurants with the materials they need to offer customers new healthier menu options when dining out. W.O.W! encourages smaller portion sizes for some already-popular menu items and also encourages healthier kids menus by adding extra fruits and veggies, removing sugar-sweetened beverages, and reducing fried foods.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) is one of just a handful of educational providers in the state to win a $500,000 grant from the California Apprenticeship Initiative (CAI) to help build and launch culinary pre-apprenticeship programs in South Lake Tahoe. LTCC was recently notified of the award, which will be used to help better prepare South Lake Tahoe’s workforce and to improve local residents’ ability to secure in-demand jobs and progress to higher-wage careers in the Tahoe Basin.