california highway patrol

SACRAMENTO - Following the events that unfolded in our nation's capital last week and subsequent information from federal law enforcement officials, several agencies are reaching out to the public to let them know of their efforts to ensure their safety.

The California Highway Patrol Commissioner Amanda Ray, Cal OES Director and Homeland Security Advisor Mark Ghilarducci and California National Guard Adjutant General David Baldwin issued the following statement:

Even with the current pandemic, New Year's revelers could still flock to the Stateline casino corridor and South Lake Tahoe on Thursday so law enforcement will be prepared. With no SnowGlobe this year due to the pandemic, and Heavenly Village New Year's Eve activities canceled, it is unknown as to what will take place in an area that at one time saw 50,000 people in the streets to bring in the new year. Last year it was estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people took to the streets at midnight at Stateline and 6,500 at Heavenly Village for its 9:00 p.m. fireworks.

10:00PM UPDATE: SLTPD has said the victim in Friday's fatal crash is a 21-year-old man from Santa Rosa, Calif. The name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) responded to the scene of a single-vehicle crash in the 700 block of Emerald Bay Road on Friday afternoon at 3:51 p.m.

Upon arrival, officers found a vehicle resting upside down on the road in front of Burger Lounge.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol South Lake Tahoe office is joining in on the holiday spirit this season with the CHiPs for KIDS 2020 campaign. With a goal of helping to bring holiday cheer to local families in need they are holding a local toy drive with two drop off locations.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Jim Bagan Toyota dealership or CHP South Lake Tahoe office from now until December 17. The toys will be given to South Shore children.

CHP South Lake Tahoe is located at 2063 Hopi Avenue and Jim Bagan Toyota is located at 1855 Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

As daylight saving time comes to an end on Sunday, November 1, any will notice the time change disrupting sleep patterns and affecting the ability to concentrate and safely operate a motor vehicle. To highlight the life-threatening dangers of fatigued driving, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joins the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the National Sleep Foundation in recognizing Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, November 1-8, 2020, and encouraging Californians to stay alert and stay alive.

A Wellington, Nevada man was flown by a Careflight medical helicopter to Reno after going over a cliff with his motorcycle Saturday night.

At 5:00 p.m., the California Highway Patrol (CHP) says Troy Costa, Sr. was riding his Harley southbound on SR89 about a mile north of the SR4 junction when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway. Their report says Costa was ejected from the motorcycle as it went over a cliff adjacent to the East Fork of the Carson River.

He sustained severe injuries and transported by air to Renown Medical Center in Reno.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - El Dorado County Animal Services is looking for information from anyone who may have witnessed two German Shepherd dogs being abandoned on Highway 50 near Bridal Veil Falls and Fresh Pond in earlier this month. The young adult male dogs, which were found malnourished and with their metal chain collars embedded into their necks, were rescued by Animal Services officers and are now safely at the Animal Services Shelter in Diamond Springs.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The planned two-week closure of U.S. Highway 50 along a 1.2 mile stretch of Echo Summit will begin Friday, September 18 at 3:00 a.m. One-lane controlled traffic has been happening all week, and now both lanes will be closed as crews replace the 1939 bridge with brand new girders to meet seismic and safety standards.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A large group of car enthusiasts on top of an already busy summer weekend created a hectic weekend for South Lake Tahoe area law enforcement.

Dubbed #Lake2o, a social media-organized group of about 300-400 modified car owners converged on the town starting Thursday and went through Monday morning, taking over parking lots, parking garages and filling city streets.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lake Tahoe is the vacation destination for millions of people annually, but recent behaviors of many of the tourists have the residents on edge. Trash is being left behind on beaches, trails and picnic areas, overflowing trash containers are shown daily on social media pages, stores are packed and roads are crowded, all during a pandemic while travel orders are still in place for the California.

With international travel at a standstill many are keeping their vacationing during the coronavirus to locations near their homes, and Lake Tahoe is one of those spots.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) in South Lake Tahoe is reporting a fatal collision Wednesday on Blue Lakes Road off of SR88 south of Lake Tahoe.

In the early morning hours of August 5, 74-year-old Michael Glenn Pace of Dayton, Nevada was traveling southbound on Blue Lakes Road, north of Sunset Lake Road, when he failed to negotiate a left curve in the road. CHP says Pace went onto the gravel shoulder and attempted to steer back onto the roadway but his vehicle overturned, tumbled 150 feet down a steep embankment and struck a tree.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was a perfect day, at a perfect location, at a perfect celebration to wrap up what wasn't such a perfect senior year of high school.

On Friday afternoon, one by one, the South Tahoe and Mt. Tallac High School seniors stepped out of their decorated cars amidst cheering from teachers and staff. They sent the students onto the red carpet, down the stairs to more cheering, and dancing, and more red carpet, as they made their way onto a ski lift at Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Caltrans will continue overnight paving work along an approximate three-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 80 near Colfax starting Tuesday, May 26, requiring full overnight closures of the westbound lanes.

Final paving work is scheduled overnight Tuesday, May 26 through Thursday, May 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Martin Brothers Construction of Sacramento will be repaving westbound lanes of the interstate between Rollins Lake Road and the State Route 174 junction in Colfax; an area known as the Colfax Narrows.

Caltrans will continue overnight paving work along an approximate three-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 80 near Colfax Wednesday, May 20, requiring a full overnight closure of the westbound lanes.

Paving work is scheduled overnight Wednesday, May 20 and Thursday, May 21 from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Martin Brothers Construction of Sacramento will be repaving westbound lanes of the interstate between Rollins Lake Road and the State Route 174 junction in Colfax; an area known as the Colfax Narrows.

Detours from Interstate 80 will be in place during the westbound closure:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Another event casualty due to the coronavirus is the 29th annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride. Originally set for Sunday, June 7, it has been rescheduled to combine with the 18th annual Tour de Tahoe, set for Sunday, September 13, 2020. This due to the uncertainty of current and changing CDC coronavirus COVID-19 restrictions and mandates by national, state and county health agencies.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The public is invited to explore the future of Lake Tahoe's West Shore during one of three public opportunities offered by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and Tahoe Transportation District. The State Route 89 Recreation Corridor Management Plan outlines the projects needed to improve the visitor experience, reduce traffic congestion, and preserve the environment from South Lake Tahoe to Tahoma.

Two people were seriously injured and another died due to a collision on US50 near Fresh Pond on Thursday, February 6, 2020.

At approximately 6:20 p.m., 89-year-old Jean Macke of Fair Oaks, California was driving her 2014 Ford Escape eastbound on US-50, just west of Fresh Pond, at a speed of approximately 65 MPH. At the same time, Silun Xie, 56, was driving a 2013 Toyota Sienna with his passenger Xumin Yang, 55, westbound on US-50. They are from both from Riverbank, Calif.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Many head to the Sierra to experience snow in all forms, from the ski slopes to sledding and building snowmen. With the fun and excitement awaiting, many seem to have forgotten the laws of being safe on the roadway and parking on the highways, and not observing "no parking" zone rules,

New laws will be going into effect in California in the new year, putting into place California legislature action during 2019. There are many changes including road safety and distracted driving penalties, roadkill rules, minimum wage, independent workers and rent caps.

Except where noted, these laws are effective January 1, 2020:

Traffic Safety

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is highlighting several new laws passed this year:

The South Lake Tahoe California Highway Patrol Office (CHP) in Meyers is collecting toys for children in the community.

They will have a barrel in their office through the end of the week, December 20.

Once collected the toys will be distributed among local, South Lake Tahoe and Meyers nonprofits who need them for their clients.

CHP is located at 2063 Hopi Avenue, South Lake Tahoe. Call Officer Ruth Loehr at (530) 577-1001. The office is open 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. M-F.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A 36-year-old man from North Highlands, California has been identified as the driver of the gasoline tanker involved in Saturday's deadly crash and explosion.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has released more information based on its investigation. No names are being released at this time.

On September 7 at approximately 11:45 a.m. a tanker truck and trailer fully loaded

MEYERS, Calif. - Many people were without power for several hours overnight Sunday after a car driven by a suspected drunk driver collided with a power pole on North Upper Truckee Road just before midnight.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a 24-year-old woman from Yerington, Nevada was heading south on the road about 200 feet north of its intersection with US50 when she ran into a power pole.

There will be a DUI checkpoint in the unincorporated portion of El Dorado County on the South Shore Saturday, August 24 from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will be setting up at an undisclosed location.

The Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Sobriety Checkpoint will be staffed by a team of CHP officers which will be controlling traffic, evaluating driver’s sobriety, and hand out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. Driver license checks will be conducted, and appropriate enforcement action will be taken.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is looking for the person who kicked a dog out of their car on US50 near the Greenstone exit on Sunday night.

CHP responded to the 6:30 p.m. call and Officer Merkel was able to rescue the dog from the highway before it was harmed.

A witness said they saw a vehicle slow down and speed off after kicking the dog out.

CHP Officer Merkel got there quickly.