SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – At its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to appoint Heather Horgan as a new council member to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Mayor Tamara Wallace, who stepped down in October.
The Council selected Horgan to serve the remainder of the unexpired term, which runs through December 2026. Heather Horgan was sworn in immediately following the vote and began assuming City Council duties at the meeting.
Mayor Cody Bass expressed his appreciation for the decision to fill the vacancy, stating, “The appointment of Ms. Horgan ensures that the City Council will operate at full capacity as we continue to address many issues that are important to our community.”
“I am honored to receive this appointment and to serve the residents of this incredible community. I look forward to working with my fellow Council members and am excited to contribute to shaping the future of our city,” said Horgan.
Horgan has a B.S. in Environmental Science, is a registered nurse, holds a Master’s in Nursing (community health, healthcare administration and health policy), and currently works 8 shifts a month for Sutter Health. She was selected after the Council heard from those interested in the position (24 people applied, and 22 went through the interview process) and the public. They decided to have each member write down their three top choices, and Horgan was on the majority of lists.
The next election for City Council will be held in November 2026. At that time there will be three open seats, the one Horgan was appointed, and those held by Scott Robbins, and Cody Bass.
At the meeting, the City Council also decided to defer the selection of a mayor and mayor pro tem for the 2026 term to the January 13, 2026, meeting with Mayor Bass continuing to serve in the role until that time.
Three council members expressed interest in being mayor – Cody Bass, Scott Robbins, and Keith Roberts. In her first action, Horgan motioned to have consistency and nominate Bass again, but Bass was the only one who voted for that. Jinkens suggested continuing the item until January and have Bass continue to serve in that role until the January meeting, and the others agreed.