mayor

Unfortunately, there was no good time to resign from council before my term was completed. I fully appreciate the very tough position that my leaving imposes on my fellow council members, city staf...

The South Lake Tahoe City Council appointed City Councilman Tom Davis to serve as mayor for the next year after swearing in two council members Tuesday.City Clerk Susan Alessi swore in new Counc...

As I end my role as Mayor, I am jazzed. While the tendency is to focus on what's wrong with the City, the truth is the City has had a very successful year. In April, Council set five strategic goals:

The City of South Lake Tahoe celebrates its 47th Anniversary today. The City was incorporated on November 30, 1965.

“We are very grateful for those who cultivated and formed our City for future generations. We were established to provide core services; snow removal, police and fire; and this is what we’re going back to forty-seven years later,” said Mayor Claire Fortier. “Let’s all celebrate.”

South Lake Tahoe Mayor Claire Fortier called on the City Council to re-examine becoming a charter city during the second annual State of the City Address this week.

Follow the money trail on the “Hole” fiasco and you will find a mess. When the hole first stopped all of the reasons that were given by Randy Lane were false, wrong and an outright lie to the people of South Lake Tahoe. The real reason work was stopped was due to the two liens filed by two Nevada companies that did work and never got paid.

Please consider voting for Austin Sass for City Council. We need council members with strong fiscal experience, management skills and who will work to improve our economic woes. As former mayor and...

Progressive or provincial? That is the crux of the issue facing our South Shore community during this election and well into the next decade.Do we want a viable, prosperous community that our child...

Progressive or provincial? That is the crux of the issue facing our south shore community during this election and well into the next decade. Do we want a viable, prosperous community that our children and grandchildren are proud to call home? Or do we want the Tahoe of yesterday—only older and shabbier, with fewer families and more boarded up businesses?

Well-known South Shore Lake Tahoe artist Peter Darvas was being treated at Barton Memorial Hospital on Tuesday evening after he tried putting out a house fire on Pioneer Trail.

Authorities said the fire, reported shortly before 6 p.m., was at the corner of Edna and Pioneer Trail. Darvas’ home, according to city records, is at 3128 Pioneer Trail – at that corner.

According to a message from City Manager Nancy Kerry to Councilman Tom Davis, Darvas was in the house and tried to put the fire out. He was being treated at Barton Memorial Hospital.

Let's start with the elephant in the room: A council member has been linked to a bribery investigation.If anything is amiss, the repercussions will be significant. If nothing is amiss, the devastat...

UPDATE 3:27PM: KOLO Reno Channel 8 reports the brother of the registered owner of the Piper that crashed in South Lake Tahoe Saturday night says all five people aboard died. Javier de la Mora says his brother, Francisco de la Mora, of Fresno was in the airplane when it crashed. Francisco's wife and daughter and two other people were on board as well. Go here for the full story.

UPDATE 2:56PM: The City of South Lake Tahoe issued the following news release and photos this afternoon:

A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Saturday, August 25th at 9:48 pm from Lake Tahoe Airport. The crash ignited a fire in the meadow just past the airport off of Winnemucca Avenue. The fire burned approximately one acre and took an hour and a half to extinguish.
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department reports that the plane had been heard by witnesses to have apparent engine problems, and was seen to dip downward into the ground while attempting a turn.
According to Federal Aviation Administration, there were multiple victims and no survivors of the crash. The names of victims are not being released until notification of families is confirmed.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those that perished in this tragic accident. Thanks to the quick and cooperative efforts by multiple agencies; the fire caused by this crash was put out quickly,” said Mayor Claire Fortier.
Earlier in the day, the 23rd Annual Lake in the Sky Air Show was held at Lake Tahoe Airport. This plane was not affiliated with the air show in any way.
The location of the plane crash is within El Dorado County limits and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department is the lead agency of this investigation. FAA and National Transportation Safety Board officials arrived on site today to perform an investigation and to identify the cause of the crash.

UPDATE 1:46PM: There are multiple victims to Saturday night's plane crash in South Lake Tahoe, confirmed El Dorado Sheriff's Office Lt. Pete Van Arnum. Investigators were processing the wreckage to confirm how many victims and their identities. Investigators do not believe the victims to be locals from the South Lake Tahoe area, he said. No information concerning the identity of the victims, or the plane will be released until positive confirmation has been made, he said. Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting with the investigation.
***
10:36AM: Lake Tahoe News is reporting that it has exclusively learned from federal authorities that up to five people died in the plane crash on Saturday. Go here for the story. Meanwhile KOLO TV Channel 8 in Reno reports that an FAA official confirmed the plane was a Piper PA32.

UPDATE 6:55AM: A small airplane crashed in the Barton Meadows area in South Lake Tahoe sparking a wildland fire on Saturday night. Presumably there are no survivors. The crash was reported at 9:48 p.m. after the plane took off from Lake Tahoe Airport, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Pete Van Arnum early Sunday morning. Witnesses reported the plane was experiencing engine trouble and was seen moving downward before it crashed into flames, he said.

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s South Lake Tahoe City Council closed session, the council unanimously voted and offered the full time permanent City Manager position to Nancy Kerry. The terms of the two-and-a-half year contract are still being negotiated.

No fanfare. No high fives. Not even a story in the local press.Yet an unprecedented moment in Lake Tahoe history transpired last week that may shape the Tahoe Basin for decades to come. That moment...

After reading Mayor Fortier's article, published on July 14 and titled "Go jump in the Lake," it is clear that she is out of touch with the working-class community of South Lake Tahoe. Quote 1: "Th...

There are so many real issues we face as a city and significant problems we must solve.But not today!Today, this week, this month, this season is all about the fun. It's summer in Tahoe and the wea...

There are so many real issues we face as a city and significant problems we must solve. But not today!
Today, this week, this month, this season is all about the fun. It’s summer in Tahoe and the weather is glorious.
Take off your shoes and run in the sand. See how far you can walk out into the lake before your feet tingle with the cold. Grab your beach chair and a book. Ride a jet ski or a mountain bike. Hike a forested trail the ends in an amazing vista. Find a hidden waterfall or cove. Watch nature unfold in all its glory.

The worst possible outcome for Mammoth Lakes has come true. The town filed decided to declare municipal bankruptcy Monday morning, July 2. The Town Council took the action unanimously.
"It's wish this hadn't happened," said Mayor Matthew Lehman, "but it's not the way the cards fell for us."
The town immediately issued a press release regarding the Town council decision.

The Dedication Ceremony of Lakeview Commons at El Dorado Beach was held today with a large turnout of contributing agencies, visitors and locals alike.

The South Lake Tahoe Council voted to send a letter to the Tahoe Transportation District stating that the city does not agree with the present configuration of the South Shore Community Revitalization Project and wants more alternatives to consider.

A seventeen-member team of Lake Tahoe area leaders from across the business spectrum were on the road earlier this month to learn from other California communities about how to implement innovative solutions to overcome economic and environmental decline in their communities. Trekkers represent a diverse group of Lake Tahoe Basin leaders across various sectors including tourism, health, recreation, public and private.

What do you get when you jam 12 community leaders in a small van and send them on the road for three days?In addition to lots of laughs and too many unanswered texts, this merry van of road warrior...

What do you get when you jam twelve community leaders in a small van and send them on the road for three days? In addition to lots of laughs and too many unanswered texts, this merry van of road warriors got a collective awakening to the positive power of change. The road trip, sponsored by www.Tahoechamber.org, was an eye-opening view of how other communities solved what seemed insurmountable problems and, in doing so, prospered.