city council

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What should be the final count of ballots for the November 6 election in El Dorado County was released today, giving clarity to a hotly contested ballot measure in South Lake Tahoe. The citizen generated Measure T calls for a ban of all vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe except for those in what is called the "tourist core."

LAKE TAHOE, CA/NV - It's been 38 years in the making. On Thursday, November 15, 2018, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Board of Directors unanimously approved the final joint environmental document for the US 50/South Shore Community Revitalization Project, also known as the "Loop Road."

Last week, the board of the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) unanimously approved the same document, the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS/EIS).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An oversight committee will be established for the 2016 voter-approved Measure P which raised tourist accommodation tax (TOT) by two percent to build a new recreation center in South Lake Tahoe.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting the elected team reviewed criteria for the future committee, and what sectors of the community will be sought. Those chosen will take part in the review of how funds are spent and report back to the public.
"We promised the voters.

The gap between the yes and no votes on Measure T in South Lake Tahoe got much smaller, with the measure now passing by just 25 votes. The South Lake Tahoe City Council and El Dorado County Supervisor results remain the same.

El Dorado County had over 24,000 votes to count after election day, and they have now counted 16,919 of them. 1,655 of those were from the City of South Lake Tahoe and 2,907 for the Area 5 Supervisor district.

As a recap, here are the results on election night: http://southtahoenow.com/story/11/08/2018/over-24000-ballots-yet-be-counted-el-dorado-county

The following is a letter from Duane Wallace, past president of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce to the Tahoe Transportation District Board. He outlines the concerns their Chamber has expressed about the US 50 South Shore Community
Revitalization Project (Loop Road) EIR process and content.

"It is on the fastest track I've ever seen," he said of the Loop Road project.

Dear Chair Teshara and Commission Members,

With a narrow margin in the ballot measure concerning the future of vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe, and other races still close, everyone is awaiting the release of more results from Tuesday's election.

You'll still have to wait a bit longer.

On Friday, November 9, El Dorado County Elections will post the next round of results, but it won't be the last as there are over 24,000 ballots yet to count.

13,372 mail-in ballots were dropped off at the polls
2,614 provisional ballots

Dear Citizens of South Lake Tahoe,

Our community has less than one week before November 6th, election day, arrives. There are many important issues on the ballot. My husband and I just mailed ours in on Monday and I was reminded again of how fortunate we are to live in a nation where the voters decide on such topics as daylight savings time, on new laws preventing cruelty to farm animals, allowing rent controls to stop spiraling costs that are eliminating housing options, and many other state and local topics.

To the South Lake Tahoe Community,

I have had the great pleasure and awesome responsibility of serving as a member of your city council for the past eight years. During this time we have faced some challenges, but we have also had much success as a council and a community, although some of those successes doing always get the attention they deserve.

I am surprised that some people call Measure T “too extreme,” when the measure a) still allows fulltime residents to rent out their houses for 30 days per year, b) promotes the development and expansion of VHRs in areas properly zoned as commercial or part of the Tourist Core.

Do you know what is really “too extreme”?

• Local businesses struggling to fill open positions because their employees can’t find long-term housing in Tahoe.

Local public safety employees hosted the eighth and final South Lake Tahoe City Council candidates' forum on October 25 at Lake Tahoe Community College.

It was a full house at the event which was hosted by the South Lake Tahoe Police Officers, the California Nurses and the South Lake Tahoe Firefighters associations and gave everyone a chance to hear from the nine candidates about their views before the November 6 election. Each association gave them two questions a piece, plus a couple asked by audience members during the two-hour long forum.

The following is a Letter to the Editor from Ellen Palazzo, candidate for South Tahoe City Clerk.

My name is Ellen Palazzo. I am an experienced Certified Municipal Clerk with 22 years of service in the City Clerk’s office. I am currently working towards my Master Municipal Clerk designation. With new city leadership coming on board, it will be essential to elect a City Clerk with the highest integrity and intuitional knowledge to help move our city forward. I have the heart to serve the city and the community in a respectful manner.

Some of my accomplishments include:

Dear South Shore Tahoe,

I attended a forum of City Council candidates this week. As I listened to the candidates, I realized, this is America the beautiful.

Each candidate spoke with integrity, well-founded opinions, intelligence, and (above all else) commitment to our city. Their views were all over the map, each represented different groups across town, defended their positions, advertised their experience. But ‒ most importantly ‒ they were there, giving themselves, in discussion and listening, for our community.

Let’s hold onto this America: E Pluribus Unum ‒ Of Many, One.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What started off as baby steps to legal cannabis businesses and regulations in South Lake Tahoe has morphed into a run to a proposed cannabis ordinance that could potentially bring 15 new licenses to town.

The South Lake Tahoe Police Officers Association, the California Nurses Association and South Lake Tahoe Firefighters Association will be hosting a Public Safety Forum with the candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council on Thursday, October 25, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

This event will be hosted in the Aspen/Board Room of Lake Tahoe Community College and will utilize a standard candidate forum format. All candidates will be provided time for opening and closing statements, each two minutes in length.

Come out and meet candidate for city council Patrick Jarrett. He will talk about his views and stance on the issues and answer questions. The Classic Cue down at the "Y" Wednesday, Oct. 17th at 6:00 PM.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Eight of the nine City Council candidates responded to a series of questions given to them by the 100% Renewable Energy Committee. On Sunday we printed their first responses - http://southtahoenow.com/story/10/08/2018/slt-city-council-candidates-respond-100-renewable-committe... - and here are the remaining questions and answers:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council have answered the same ten questions given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses have been shared in the order received.

Today is the ninth and final candidate. Cody Bass gives his responses as he makes his first bid for a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

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 current Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis gives his responses as he seeks re-election to the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

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 Tamara Wallace gives her responses as she seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County and the South Shore are a big part of the Hollywood scene with movies, television shows and commercials filmed often in the area. It takes a lot of partners to make location shoots successful and to recognize those that go above and beyond to make filming successful the California On Location Awards (COLA) are given out.

The COLA nominations were announced this week by the Film Liaisons in California Statewide (FLICS) and one will find nominees from the county and South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With several hot topics on the horizon, Heather Stroud was approved today to be the new city attorney for South Lake Tahoe.

She was introduced during Tuesday's City Council where they unanimously approved her contract. Stroud then moved to the city attorney chair for the rest of the meeting.

Stroud's five-year contract gives her a base salary of $160,000.00 plus paid sick days, a car allowance of $250, and an opportunity to buy into the City's health plan.

Mayor Wendy David has stated that it is okay to have Vacation Home Rentals in residential neighborhoods as long as there is 'consistent' enforcement. Sorry Wendy but planning and zoning are not determined by enforcement. What has been ‘consistent' is the city's failure to deliver effective enforcement. When a neighbor calls in to complain about a problem with a VHR, a warning call goes out to the agent or owner of that VHR to warn them of the complaint. By the time the Enforcement Officer arrives the lights are out and the report reads: "Quiet on Arrival".

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.

Patrick Jarrett shares his thoughts in his quest for a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council: