small businesses

In order to be a successful community on the South Shore, the state line needs to become a blur and both sides need to work together. There should be no "us" and "them" but a collective "we."

When travelers come to Lake Tahoe they don't see a state line, or a direction on the compass, they see a beautiful recreational paradise that just a few people are able to call home, but millions can call a vacation destination.

A Sacramento area lawyer called the "Serial ADA lawsuit filer" by the San Jose Mercury News is back in South Lake Tahoe according to several recent reports from local businesses.

Between 2009-11, Carmichael attorney Scott Johnson inundated small businesses with letters requesting they bring buildings in line with access laws for the disabled. He followed up the letters with several lawsuits in South Lake Tahoe.

A 3-2 vote cast last Monday repealed a portion of the 2013 Ban on Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bags. I don’t intend this to be a discussion on whether plastic bags should be banned or not (although I openly support policies that bring about greater environmental stewardship in our community), but I am questioning whether there was due diligence in acquiring the data needed to accurately represent the desires of the community when making this decision.

Location

It was another packed house at the South Lake Tahoe City Council's meeting Tuesday, which has been commonplace for all of the meetings and workshops on the contentious subject of vacation home rentals.

In a unanimous vote of 4-0 (Councilman Tom Davis had to recuse himself), the City Council voted to implement an ordinance that addresses three key issues:

Learn how to design and install Best Management Practices (BMPs) for homes and small businesses in a series of workshops being presented by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in coordination with the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Nevada Tahoe Conservation District.

Due to limited grant funding, this will be the last year the workshops for both the contractor and the do-it-youselfers will be held. The workshops will also be the last time businesses can qualify for the BMP Installation Service Providers List by having at least one supervisor per business attend.

Traveling off the hill to enjoy some Black Friday deals in Carson City? There are some unique small businesses that are inviting you to stop by while in the capital city.

“Everybody deserves to have an original, one-of-a-kind hanging in their home,” said Jeffery Pace, owner of the Artsy Fartsy Art Gallery, 220 W Telegraph St. “With artwork starting off at $40 to $50, there’s really no reason to go to another store and buy something made in another country.”

Tahoe Chamber and Barton Health, in conjunction with Small Business Majority and Covered California, will host a free interactive event on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 on the state’s new health insurance marketplace, Covered California, and how it impacts small employers in South Lake Tahoe.

The Sierra Business Council is hosting Peak Innovation, a conference for Lake Tahoe locals, small business owners, communities and local governments. During the conference, Dr. Peter Gleick, an expert in water issues especially in the context of economic and environmental justice, will be at the conference which takes place October 8-10 in Tahoe City. In a National Geographic science blog, Gleick recently repeated the common question, “Why, if the California drought is so bad, has the response been so tepid?”

"I call upon you to with every ounce of respect to please take your community's engagement to heart and hear their voices as their elected officials," said resident Jenna Palacio during the South Lake Tahoe City Council's meeting Tuesday. "This is your opportunity for leadership."

Palacio was one of many who spoke in front of the Council and asked them to stay on their original track and keep the single use plastic bag ban in place.

TahoeChamber is partnering with Constant Contact to offer a special three-part series as part of the ongoing Tech Tuesday program. This three-part series begins with “Grow Your Business Email Marketing” on March 18 at 5pm at the TahoeChamber Conference Room. Constant Contact representatives will demonstrate how small businesses can utilize email marketing to engage and grow their customer base. Attendees will discover new marketing strategies and discover the elements necessary for a successful email marketing campaign.

A new Board of Directors was elected at the TahoeChamber ’s October 15 board meeting. The board reflects the local business community in that it is comprised of small businesses, professionals, healthcare, gaming and resort representatives. Their diverse business expertise partnered with their enthusiasm ensures that our membership is well served.

El Dorado Co. Sheriff's Department in South Lake Tahoe sponsors and supports activities of Sheriff's Team of Active Retirees. In a recent election held during the S.T.A.R. Station Meeting at South Lake Tahoe's Senior Center,
retiring 3 year term Station Leader Dick Young was replaced by Richard Thomson of Thomson's Insurance. Assisting Thomson are past Station Leaders Dick Young and George Schultz.

Other members, each holding specific job titles include Barbara Aragon, Jan and Ernie Claudio, Susan Kidwell, Mary Magana, Bill Sluka, Kay Taylor and Joan Young.

I have a small business in the Alta Mira building. I feel that small businesses are being overlooked and their value is underestimated in this community. I have the option to relocate my business t...

California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the state's Air Resources Board on Sunday to take emergency steps to boost the state's gasoline supply and bring down fuel prices. Brown called on the the board to immediately allow oil refineries to make an early transition to winter-blend gasoline. Winter-blend gasoline typically isn't sold until after Oct 31.

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, will visit Barton Memorial Hospital on Monday as part of a tour visiting health care facilities in California and Nevada. The visit coincides with the FCC's Rural Healthcare Pilot Program, in which Barton Health received funding.

CARSON CITY — The National Retail Federation has launched a nationwide 60-day campaign to raise awareness among lawmakers and the public on how what it calls a loophole exempting online sales from sales tax is hurting local communities and job creation.
If Nevada’s five-member Congressional delegation is any indication, the group has its work cut out for it, with three members opposed and two supportive of the idea to allow states to tax online sales.

CARSON CITY — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday that a recent deal announced with Amazon.com to collect sales taxes from on-line purchases in Nevada beginning in January 2014 is only the tip of the iceberg.

The following is the complete text of President Obama's State of the Union address as written.
Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery
State of the Union Address
"An America Built to Last"
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Washington, DC

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: