Letter to the Editor: Shops at Heavenly Village support Williams and Carter for Council

On September 22, 2020 the Tahoe Chamber endorsed City Council Candidates Cristi Creegan and John Friedrich. We strongly believe they are the wrong choice for this position and will not represent the businesses, jobs, local working residents, and current challenges in our community effectively.

Both Creegan and Friedrich support the Tahoe Transportation District One Tahoe Initiative proposal that will charge all resident homeowners, all Lake Tahoe businesses, all commuting employee/vendors, and all destination guests who drive into or through Lake Tahoe a vehicle user fee. The proposed user fee would be variable that would be increased at their discretion which we firmly believe will hurt our residents, the local economy, and discriminate against lower income households and families living in or coming to visit Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Chamber is wrong by supporting these policies and candidates that push these policies. Creating barriers to entry and charging user fee assessments to everyone does not fall in line with a business chamber’s core values or mission and will hurt everyone.

Both Creegan and Friedrich support Measure S (A proposal which will increase sales tax by one cent that equates to a 1% sales tax increase from 7.75 percent to 8.75% percent in South Lake Tahoe) which will hurt all of our residents, guests, and the local economy. In an article posted by Paula Peterson in South Tahoe Now on 10/06/2020 stated that only 47 percent of the sales tax collected is derived from non-residents, which means local residents will pay 53 percent of the total sales tax increase. Tahoe is already expensive enough to live in for locals and guests without this addition tax burden on everyone. This increase will also hurt South Lake Tahoe’s ability to compete with other nearby Counties and resort areas with lower sales tax rates. Many locals will be forced to purchase their groceries, clothing, and other goods “Off the hill” to be able to continue to afford to live in Tahoe, (Douglas County’s sales tax is only 7.1 percent and Carson City’s is only 7.6 percent). This will starve the very businesses the Tahoe Chamber is supposed to advocate for, especially during the COVID 19 recession. Increasing sales tax on residents and guests is against a business chamber’s core values and mission and will ultimately hurt everyone.

Creegan and Friedrich both say they support affordable housing for local and working residents, however neither of them have presented a plan or any specifics on how they would implement or fund our critically needed affordable housing shortage. Affordable housing is a complex and difficult undertaking. We do not need people who just pay lip-service to the media and community. We need people with the knowledge, understanding, and experience to tackle this hard issue with specifics on a solution and implementation. This is a critically needed issue for South Lake Tahoe.

IN CONTRAST MANY FRONT LINE BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS HIGHLY ENDORSE AND SUPPORT CANDIDATES DOUG WILLIAMS AND LEONARD CARTER FOR CITY COUNCIL AS THE BEST CANDIDATES FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Both Doug Williams and Leonard Carter are long term South Lake Tahoe residents and local business owners that care about our community and will bring integrity, ingenuity, experience, and a true locals' vision to the City Council and everyone in the community.

Both are firmly opposed to any sales tax increase or a basin vehicle user fee that will hurt everyone (especially the families and businesses that are barely hanging on in this economy) including local residents, businesses and guests that come into South Lake Tahoe. Covid19 has caused major harm to our community's economy and has resulted in many local resident businesses closing their doors and has forced many Tahoe locals into unemployment. With so many of our own struggling to keep the lights on and food on the table, why is the Tahoe Chamber promoting anti-business and anti-working class polices and candidates???? Our company dropped our membership a few years ago and is no longer a member of the Tahoe Chamber for these exact type of reasons.

Doug and Leonard are fighting for all of us. They are putting Tahoe families first and putting our needs before all of the “part-timers". They are working to improve the lives of local residents, small businesses and our entire community. They have a plan for improving our streets, for helping our basin develop "Fire Wise" communities, they have plans to revamp the City bus service (provided by the Tahoe Transportation District) making bus transit more user friendly and efficient for riders, and creating REAL affordable housing for local working residents. A plan that would create homes for working locals just starting out so they can work and live at Lake Tahoe, a plan that is already in the works with available resources to facilitate it.

They are the best qualified candidates to help South Lake Tahoe residents and local businesses pull our local economy out of this great economic recession and into a better future for us all!

We encourage you to vote for Doug Williams and Leonard Carter. They are the best choice for the City of South Lake Tahoe and all of its residents and business community.

Gary Casteel, Jr.
Vice President and General Manager
Trans Sierra Investment, Inc.
The Shops at Heavenly