Dear Editor:

The current fires in LA County are tragic in their loss of life, homes, damage to the environment, and impact on the local economy. First responders and allies are doing their best to put the fire out. What is going there should be a warning to all elected and appointed official at every level of government that we who live here must Be Prepared! We must assess our strengths and vulnerabilities to catastrophic fire in our region, allow residents and business owners and operators to share their views and concerns with elected leaders, and then proceed rapidly with steps needed to reduce risks.

At our most recent city council meeting on January 14, I was very pleased to learn that the leaders of the Tahoe Chamber and South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce (Cristi Creegan and Duane Wallace) want to help gather information and input from our community about the dangers of fire and what needs to be done. I appreciate and value their offer to take this threat of fire seriously and begin the outreach to gather all opinions on the matter from community members and fire safe activists.

I suggested as well to the city council that elected city leaders hold an initial kickoff public input city council session on January 28 so that the public can see that we care, are concerned, and want to engage all stakeholders and government leaders in the discussion. My thinking was that the public needs reassurance that their elected and appointed leaders, unlike those in other parts of the state, care about the serious threat of fire, want to hear from our community, want to see additional planning and action beginning now, and are focused on what is important.  

My motion did not get a second as the four members present seemed to be of the opinion that this matter should be part of our Strategic Planning Session in March and not be discussed by the City Council sooner.  While their lack of support surprised and alarmed me at the time, I know now that they mean well but did not see the need for us to move quickly, and I hope they reconsider. Mayor Pro Tempore Bass was not in attendance for this last part of the meeting. We need progress over process when matters involve public safety, public health, and the public welfare. 

I am reminded that while we do not share the same environmental conditions as LA with the Santa Ana winds, “ The highest winds received in Lake Tahoe were gusts up to 65 mph near the lake and up to 150 mph at ridgetops1. In the past, a 199-mph gust was recorded as the strongest wind ever in California.” We too can have dangerous wind conditions.

I look forward to working with the Tahoe Chamber and SLTCC leaders who are organizing community outreach on this issue, and I am willing and able to devote whatever time is necessary to help them and our community to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. I look forward as well to working with the members of the City Council in the future to achieve our common safety goals.

I am proud of the work of the City Fire Department, Fire Safety Councils and the Firewise groups in town. Now it’s time to ensure that public agency leaders (USFS and CTC) do their part to reduce the risk of fire on public lands and get the funding from State and Federal officials to reduce dangerous fuels (not clear cutting) in the City limits and Basin in the near term. Local and regional officials cannot let the existing lengthy review process for fuel reduction get in the way of immediate progress to do the job. Let’s get the bureaucracy out of the way of protecting our community and our precious environment.

Respectfully, David Jinkens, MPA City Council Member

(Retired South Lake Tahoe City Manager and Director of Emergency Services)

“SI, PODEMOS”

Note: The opinions expressed in this letter are mine alone and do not necessarily represent the policy of the City of South Lake Tahoe.