SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Almost half of the council chambers in South Lake Tahoe were filled by friends and family of Giada Lancellotti as the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors made their twice-annual trek to the lake for a meeting. Most of the items on their agenda were Tahoe-focused, including the reason the students were there – a proposed mural on the bridge over the Upper Truckee River at Tahoe Paradise Park.
Giada was hit and killed by a vehicle as she rode her bike across Lake Tahoe Boulevard at Sawmill Pond on June 7, 2025 at the age of 13. Her parents, Kelly and Charles, asked to have a mural and plaque put on the bridge at Tahoe Paradise Park in memory of their daughter.
There currently isn’t a policy for El Dorado County on murals, plaques, or for naming buildings or bridges.
Brooke Laine, the supervisor representing Meyers and South Lake Tahoe, brought the request in front of her collegues Tuesday, with a presentation made by Matt Kauffmann, the South Tahoe High School art teacher who has helped transform everything from electrical boxes to buildings through murals and art. He created four different murals that would be placed on four of the cement supports under the bridge, if approved, each depicting Giada and her spirit in four Tahoe seasons. Kauffmann started The Sphere, empowering youth to make an impact on the community through art. The Sphere would create the murals. He said art has the ability to impact, and his plans for the bridge would impact those who loved Giada, as well as those who never met her.
The bridge symbolizes safe passage as it gave residents along the North Upper Truckee neighborhood the ability to get to Tahoe Paradise Park without going on US50.
“The bridge has become so much more than just a bridge,” said Tyler Jack, the parent of one of Giada’s best friends. He said a decision on the mural is not a complicated one, but what is complicated is waking up without a child.
“There are no policies for that,” continued Tyler, who told the supervisors they have a “chance to make something beautiful by turning a tragedy into something impactful. Just say yes.”
Giada’s family and friends were wearing their pink sweatshirts with “Live Like Giada” on the back. A few of them spoke in favor of the mural, including the Lancellottis.
The students who spoke before the board were greeted by applause as they finished their three-minute speeches during the public comment portion of the agenda item.
Laine asked her other supervisors to approve the mural and direct staff to bring back a policy for future public art installations. She wanted to honor Giada’s memory and demonstrate the county’s support.
After much discussion, some of it appearing a vote may go a direction the Giada group didn’t want, the board ended up voting unanimously in favor of the mural at the bridge, and will bring the item of the plaque back to the board in the future when a policy is created. Most likely the mural won’t be completed until Spring as there are still a few boxes to get checked on the requirement list. The board wants maintenance built into the plans.
