small businesses

The Tahoe Chamber’s GO Local & Win Holiday Contest rewarded residents for spending locally during the holiday season in a time when small businesses needed it most. Kicking off in late November for Small Business Saturday, the holiday contest recorded $39,134 in spending at local restaurants and retailers through January 1st, a 291 percent increase from the 2019 contest.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council will hold their first scheduled meeting of 2021 on Tuesday with discussion and possible vote on new proposals from the the City of South Lake Tahoe response to COVID-19, a summary of the new housing program and near term rental housing strategies, and the 2020 Lake Tahoe Airport Economic Impact Study findings.

The January 5 meeting starts at 9:00 a.m. and can be viewed on Channel 21 or online.

The agenda also includes consent items:
- Emergency Order No. 6 which authorizes cannabis retailers to temporarily operate curbside pickup.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Paying it forward has spread quickly through the South Lake Tahoe community this holiday season, and now the City is joining in to help those in need while at the same time helping out small locally-owned restaurants.

The “Pay It Forward” initiative involves community members and organizations contributing money to open tabs at local restaurants. It’s a program that helps those in need and helps support the restaurants when they need it the most.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) is celebrating kindness and paying it forward this holiday season by visiting locals deserving of a special treat purchased from local small businesses.

Staff members are not shaving this December for 'Decembeard', and taking the funds collected to buy a gift at a local small business and then deliver to the chosen person....each day for the 12 Days of Christmas. They did the same beard fundraising last month along with City staff for 'Novembeard' which raised money for a cancer charity.

South Lake Tahoe has a wide variety of small businesses from jewelry to experiences on the lake. With the impact of the pandemic on their business this is a perfect season to think of them while doing your shopping.

Small Business Saturday is November 28, the annual day after Black Friday to highlight shopping at the places who are a part of the community. They are the businesses we go to when seeking donations for silent auctions or to provide food for fundraisers. They are invested in the well-being of the South Shore community and to keep them here we need to support them now.

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

We are both running for South Lake Tahoe City Council to move our community past division, negativity, misinformation and finger pointing, and toward common ground solutions on critical issues. We’re all in this together.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their meeting Tuesday, the City Council approved the Winter Operations COVID Compliance Business Protection Grant Reimbursement Program which will reimburse local businesses for PPE and the equipment they need to operate safely during the winter months.

There were funds left over from the first business reimbursement program which gave up to $2,500 back to those who had to purchase items needed to operate safely.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When Sandra Santane set out to build a "feel good" place where family moments could be created as well as a place where time could be spent for "me time," Cuppa Tahoe evolved.

"I wanted to create magic and had this idea for a long time," explained Sandra. She grew up in Holland where there were places where people would meet, talk and enjoy, and wanted that in South Lake Tahoe. She also grew up with a love of books that has stayed with her as she lived in Tunisia and now the United States. Books were both her inspiration and her escape.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - Funding is now available to assist small businesses in Douglas County that are impacted by COVID-19 with expenses like PPE, utilities, rent and retrofits.

From September 8 - October 6, the County will be accepting applications. The grants will be awarded on an as needed and first come first served basis. For details on eligible businesses and funding amounts, and to preview the application, please visit the Nevada Association of Counties website.

It is undeniable that the areas hit the hardest economically by the COVID-19 pandemic are those heavily reliant on tourism. South Lake Tahoe is unquestionably one of these areas, suffering not only because of the closure of its tourist economy but suffering higher infection rates due to the very tourism it relies upon. It is for these reasons that so much of the focus of the El Dorado Community Foundation, who serves all of El Dorado County, has been directed toward South Lake Tahoe. We recognized very early on that South Lake Tahoe would be the hardest hit region in the county.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - It will be different at the American Century Championship at Edgewood next week with no fans allowed, but what won't be different is the philanthropic focus of the tournament.

To further meet the needs of U.S. small businesses and non-profits, the U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance program portal to all eligible applicants experiencing economic impacts due to COVID-19 Monday.

Since the beginning of March as the COVID-19 crisis was just beginning to feel like it could become a threat in our community, the El Dorado Community Foundation has granted out over $280,000 to individuals in need and nonprofits striving to continue providing their services through lost funding and canceled fundraisers.

The Foundation is beginning to shift focus from response to recovery as they see sectors of the community start to open back up. One component of that needed recovery will be in the form of financial support to the small business community.

LAKE TAHOE – The Tahoe Bliss Experiences®, together with local small business owners, produced the Virtual Bliss Assembly April 22-25 and raised $570 for Tahoe Magic during the event that included four days of live, online experiences that focused on ways in which each of us can remain mindful, fit, healthy, and aware while remaining safe at home.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted Tuesday to give $50,000 to local charities who supply food to locals in need to help them meet the growing demand for food during the pandemic.

Bread & Broth, Bread & Broth 4 Kids, Christmas Cheer, Phoenix Food Pantry, and the Family Resource Center will all be getting a check for $10,000 each from the City to help fill their shelves to meet the need.

While getting groceries to make food at home is essential, grocery shopping can be a high-contact situation these days. Passing by people in the aisles, touching food items that have possibly been touched by many other people, and navigating the checkout line could all increase your risk of exposure to COVID-19 and at the very least, cause extra stress. Fortunately, many local retailers are offering online ordering, curbside pick-up, and even grocery delivery.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their special meeting Wednesday, the South Lake Tahoe City Council discussed three topics related to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

One of their action items was to vote on an urgency ordinance that would establish a moratorium on commercial evictions due to COVID-19. During their emergency meeting on March 20, 2020, the Council unanimously supported a provision to put a temporary moratorium on residential evictions.

Californians, including the people of Lake Tahoe, love our public lands. We love the cold deep blue waters of Lake Tahoe, the rugged mountains, and the varied forests that are part of the nearly 100 million acres of land all Californians can claim ownership of. We love these public lands not just because of their natural beauty, but because they are central to our way of life. Many of us live here, or moved here, because of what they provide - culture, lifestyle, and livelihood.

On March 14th, the City of South Lake Tahoe held a public meeting to discuss the already approved plan to re-route Hwy 50 through a bunch of small businesses and a whole neighborhood, around the backside of Harrah’s where half of the existing Loop Road now sits. This plan was concocted by the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) with little input from the community and the near absence of participation by our former City Leaders.

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 Bruce Grego gives his responses as he seeks a seat again on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

The "South Lake Tahoe Vacation Home Rentals Restrictions Initiative" may be added to the ballot in November should proponents get enough signatures to put it there.

Created by the Sustainable Community Alliance (SCA), a group in South Lake Tahoe, the initiative is giving voters another chance to voice their opinion about vacation home rentals (VHRs) and should be on the ballot along with another initiative that wants to ban VHRs.

Meyers, the commercial, public services, and recreation hub of unincorporated El Dorado County at the South Shore may soon have a new area plan and there are three upcoming public meetings on the plan. It could be adopted at the third meeting, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board meeting on February 28.

Meyers, the commercial, public services, and recreation hub of unincorporated El Dorado County at the South Shore may soon have a new area plan.

The Meyers Area Plan is the comprehensive long-term plan for the Meyers Community and, if approved, will replace the original Meyers Community Plan (MCP) adopted in 1993. The MCP currently serves as the comprehensive land use and zoning plan for the community of Meyers, consistent with the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and the El Dorado County General Plan. It was originally meant to last a decade, not the almost 25 years its been in place.