permit

Being touted as "The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act" by proponents, Proposition 47 will mandate misdemeanors instead of felonies for “non-serious, nonviolent crimes," unless the defendant has prior convictions for murder, rape, certain sex offenses or certain gun crimes.

The reason Prop 47 got this name is because a fund bearing it's name will be created by the estimated savings of $150M to $250M the state will receive by not having to prosecute crimes that would become misdemeanors.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will lift fire restrictions on National Forest System lands beginning Friday, October 3, 2014.

“Although fire restrictions will be lifted on Friday, remember campfires are never allowed in the Desolation Wilderness,” said Forest Service fire management officer Kit Bailey.

9/29/14 update: Heavy precipitation over the weekend allowed firefighters to achieve 90 percent containment of the Cascade Fire near Snow Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. Crews will begin repairing impacts from fire suppression activities and will monitor the fire to detect any renewed activity later this week due to drier, warmer and windier conditions.

Bayview Trailhead and Campground and TaylorCreek Sno-Park on Hwy. 89 have reopened. The cause of the 20-acre fire is under investigation, but it has been determined to be human-caused.

The Camp Richardson Corral operates under a U.S. Forest Service Special Use Permit that is up for renewal. As part of the process, the USFS has opened a month long period for comments from the public.

They are asking for input on a proposal to reissue the corral a 20 year special use permit for the operation and maintenance of the corral and outfitting and guiding services.

With the major forest fires burning throughout California, Oregon and Washington, it's a good time to remind everyone that there are fire restrictions in place in South Lake Tahoe.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the U.S. Forest Service both have fire bans in place. Campfires and charcoal barbecues have been restricted to designated forest service recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin since June 26, even if campers and back country hikers have a fire permit.

Fire restrictions have gone into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities will be prohibited until the end of fire season. “With record drought conditions in the West, agencies in both California and Nevada are anticipating increased fire activity,” said Fire Management Officer, Kit Bailey. “Fire restrictions help reduce the possibility of accidental human caused fires.”

On National Forest System land fire restrictions mean:

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced the launch of a new online tree removal permit application and credit card payment system that can be accessed through their website at trpa.org.

“The new online service is more customer friendly and is in line with the Agency’s core values of improving operational efficiency while providing a high-level of customer service,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.

The recent standoff at the last remaining ranch in Clark County, NV has been widely attributed to environmental protection around the endangered desert tortoise; with the right wing trying to pin the blame on Nevada Senator Harry Reid for his support of the recent Ivanpah solar plant which, generates 392 MW which powers Google servers (See Dana Loesch Radio for an example of the kind of coverage it gets http://danaloeschradio.com/the-real-story-of-the-bundy-ranch/ and http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/04/11/the-nevada-tortoise-war-is-a-right-wing-false-f/198860 for a Media Matters article deb

The City Council agenda for Tuesday, April 14th runs the gamut from a presentation on the Tahoe Valley Plan to the Cal Trans Master Agreement to hearing an appeal by Cody Bass of the Tahoe Wellness Cooperative.

Council will meet in closed session at 8 a.m. on anticipated litigation. The regular meeting will be called to order at 9 a.m.

As we all know, the economy and our environment are fundamentally intertwined. If we ever doubted the connection, those doubts should have been erased through the impacts of the Great Recession on our local economy. We need revenue from tourism to sustain our economy, which in turn helps to fund environmental projects that protect the natural beauty, which draws millions of visitors every year. We cannot have a thriving economy without protecting the environment and we cannot have a beautiful natural environment without money to protect and properly sustain it.

A lawsuit brought against the Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) and Pyro Spectaculars may put an end to the decades old 4th of July fireworks tradition in South Lake Tahoe.

With support from California Proposition 84 stormwater grant funds, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD) is leading the effort to measure pollutants in urban runoff at Lake Tahoe to help evaluate the combined effectiveness of pollutant control measures and consistently track and report monitoring findings. This effort, known as the Regional Storm Water Monitoring Program (RSWMP) is a collaborative program supported by regulatory agencies, local government representatives, and scientists in the Lake Tahoe region.

With hundreds of new laws every year for the past 45 years, one might wonder if anyone knows them all or can keep track of the changes. There are new laws on the books for both California (800 new laws) and Nevada (45 new laws) that Lake Tahoe residents might want to brush up on.

Here is an overview of some of them:

California

A few inches of snow fell at South Lake Tahoe overnight, helping local ski resorts prepare for opening day. Heavenly Mountain Resort opens on Friday, November 22 at 9 am with the Gondola and Tamarack Express lift operating. 1.5 miles of skiable terrain on 14 acres will be open for the first weekend.

Is cutting down a Christmas tree in the forest part of your tradition or wanting to start a new one? This is the time of year that tree cutting permits go on sale, and they'll go quickly! Just 2,500 permits will be available to those wishing to cut down their own Christmas Tree in the Lake Tahoe basin this year. Available are a variety of pine, fir and cedar trees from designated cutting areas around the lake. The permits cost $10 each and available only on a first come, first serve basis starting on November 18, 2013. There is a two permit per family limit.

Governors from eight states this week announced a groundbreaking initiative to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on the roads in their states within a dozen years.

A major milestone for Lake Tahoe’s restoration and environmental redevelopment was reached today with the unanimous adoption by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board of the Douglas County South Shore Area Plan—the first local government Area Plan to be enacted under the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan—according to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA).

After years of limbo and uncertainty, the Chateau project at the corner of Highway 50 and Stateline in South Lake Tahoe will once again see the light of day.

The city of South Lake Tahoe issued a building permit Friday for the $400 million project, referred to as "the hole" by many locals, which has been stalled since 2008 after financing dried up.

“Thank you to City Council and staff for working extensive hours on getting this project started again and reinvigorating the local economy,” said Mayor Tom Davis.

UPDATE: Beginning Monday, July 1, fire restrictions will go into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities will be prohibited until the end of fire season.

“Weather patterns this winter and spring are similar to conditions in 2007, the year of the Angora Fire,” said Fire Prevention Officer, Beth Brady. “Even with the rain we have received, at this point, it won’t alleviate this summer’s high risk of wildfires.”

A federal judge Monday dismissed a number of claims made by plaintiffs Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore challenging the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan Update recently approved by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and ordered the them to pay upfront TRPA’s costs associated with assembling the administrative record for the pending litigation.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is asking for public input on the proposed Homewood Mountain Resort 20-year Ski Slope Permit. The permit would allow Homewood to continue to provide downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities on the recently acquired Quail Lake parcel.

The Forest Service purchased the Quail Lake parcel from Homewood Mountain Resort in 2009. Prior to the purchase, the parcel was used for skiing and snowboarding along with Homewood’s grooming operation.

Fire fuel reduction plans and forest thinning projects amounting to about 10,000 acres around South Lake Tahoe have been approved by the Lahontan Regional Water Board. Plans will get underway this summer with efforts lasting anywhere between eight to 10 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The large-scale project has been in the works since the 2007 Angora fire where 254 homes burned.
The following is a joint news release from the U.S. Forest Service and the Lahontan Board.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service and the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association have been working together for a couple of years to improve mountain bike trails all while protecting the natural resources of our local forests. Lake Tahoe is a special place, loved and used by millions of visitors each year from around the world. The local forest service has been at the forefront of working collaboratively with user groups and the public to ensure that protecting the environment of this special place, still allows for uses that are compatible and fun.

Beginning today, Nevada no longer recognizes Arizona's concealed weapons permits, the state's Department of Public Safety announced.
At a Feb. 28 meeting of the Nevada Sheriffs’ and Chiefs’ association, the groups unanimously agreed to end the recognition of concealed weapon permits. According to a news release, the action was taken in accordance with Nevada Revised Statue 202.3689.