Sass Talk: Cannabis, VHRs and the 4th of July

July kicks off the busiest time of the year for our city. Schools out, the temps are soaring in the valleys to the west and east of us, the roads are free of snow, and visitors from all over the world are getting away to see beautiful places and enjoy the great outdoors. For many of our businesses this is is the best time of the year. For many locals who like to play on the mountain trails and along the beach and eventually need to get to work, this is the hardest time of the year.

In our current iPhone society where everyone can get immediate answers and their expectations are met almost instantly, patience is harder to find. How does a society that thrives on instant answers and instant results cope with I can't get what I need right NOW. I want to be at work NOW. I want to play NOW deal with suddenly sitting in traffic feeling totally frustrated because everyone has learned the back routes that prior to mapping apps were local secrets?

It starts with accepting that summers are different than they were. The shortcuts are mostly gone and things will take longer. Road construction is part of Tahoe life in the warmer months. So some suggestions: 1) Allow more time; in some cases, a lot more time. 2) Try a bike. Not every ride needs to be a sweat drenched personal challenge getting you to work feeling like you need a shower. Watch the bike path and you'll see lots of visitors just cruising around enjoying the discovery of a new town and new views. 3) Try the bus. Take a book or some tunes and leave the weaving in and out of traffic to someone else. It's a lot less stressful. 4) If your destination is only a few miles, walk. I know its hard to part with our cars but with parking and commute time a challenge, I would encourage you to consider these options.

For our visitors, we have hiking and biking trails accessible from most everywhere in our city. That's one reason why we locals love Tahoe. Almost instant access. So, here are a few ideas. if you are staying in the Stateline area, go into Van Sickle Park and access the trails taking you up the mountain where you will have epic views of Tahoe, see a waterfall and where your can hike all the way up to the Tahoe Rim Trail. Go as far or as short as you want but I encourage you to visit our local outdoor outfitters and get sunglasses, a hat, a small backpack, hiking shoes and a water bottle if you don't already have them. If you are down Pioneer Trail a bit, get on the the Powerline Trail and if you you are feeling like an all day adventure hike up Cold Creek Trail to High Meadows where you will find some snow to play in and be along side a rushing mountain stream. If down by the Y area, try the Rubicon trail which goes down the length of Emerald Bay and the along side the west side of the lake. Drop into Sports LTD, Powderhouse, the Forest Service, the front desk of your hotel or google them on your iPhone for more details.

City council is about to tackle two of the more high profile issues in our town. At the July 11 meeting we will discuss next steps in the Cannabis discussion (I laid out my thoughts last month) and then what to do next with regard to VHRs. With regard to VHRs, the general perception is that enforcement is the key to everything. It's hard to argue that but its unrealistic to think we could ever hire enough code enforcement officers to be everywhere at every time. We still need people to call in with their complaints. I encourage you to call VHR Enforcement. The contact number is (530) 542-6100. I have heard the comments that no one responds and I assure you that the City Manager and the Police Chief are well aware of this too. It's a hot topic in the City offices but not calling is the wrong answer. If you feel a VHR is violating our city ordinances, please pick up the phone. Lets continue to work together on this.

During that July 11 meeting we will have a workshop on VHRs. I encourage you to attend or submit your ideas in writing and I also encourage you to read the socioeconomic study. It's a big report but the executive summary and suggestions at the end are quick reads. http://www.cityofslt.us/index.aspx?nid=453. Personally, I'm not interested in a six month process to refine the code. The two sides of the equation are philosophically in disagreement and its been exhausting trying to get significant compromise. I have a plan I will share but will first keep an open mind and hope that some additional long term fixes come as a result of the workshop and council comments. I implore attendees to come with solutions rather than with just complaints. I assure you, council knows the issue and has heard what needs to be fixed. Help us, help you. I know we can find an equitable solution.

The council recently approved the sales tax measure to fix our roads that you will get to vote on in November. Your entire city council supports the measure and I encourage you to to really check out the language and the safeguards built into the ballot measure to ensure the funds can legally only go to roads. Folks, we need this to pass and there is no long term funding in the budget to fix our streets without this.

Kudos to the Park family and all of Edgewood for completing their new lodge and revamping of the golf course. More importantly, thank you for all of the funds and efforts you put into restoration of the natural stream environment. As was said at the opening, this was really a water project that happened to have a lodge as part of it. The lake will be healthier for all the work you completed.

Have a great 4th. I hope you'll get to see the greatest fireworks show west of the Mississippi and as important, I hope you get outside and enjoy what Tahoe has to offer. If you do, I promise it will put a smile on your face. Have fun, be safe.