Letter: Tahoe Prosperity Center highlights community issues for President Biden

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - The Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC) welcomes President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, and any national leaders, to experience the natural wonders at Lake Tahoe. Thanks to strong, focused efforts, including from the federal government, we have seen Lake Tahoe course correct, from a dangerous environmental trajectory to a path of shared responsibility and sustainability. Leaders from all levels and industries saw how our behaviors were harming this precious place and we made the changes necessary to preserve Tahoe. However, despite the significant environmental success we’ve achieved in Tahoe, there are foundational challenges that jeopardize the community. We’ve done a great job at rehabilitating the land and water, but now we need to focus attention on helping the people who live here as well.

If President Biden were to ask nearly anyone in the Tahoe community what the most pressing needs were here in the Basin, the President would almost certainly hear workforce housing and transportation. The lack of investment in both of these areas compound each other and every facet of our community. Only 28% of locals can afford a home in Tahoe. Employers struggle to recruit and retain staff. The majority of our workforce commutes into the Basin putting unnecessary strain on our disconnected transportation infrastructure, increasing traffic and environmental harm.

When we recognized that we were harming the Tahoe environment, change was not immediate. It took leadership and commitment. Milestones like the inaugural Tahoe Summit and passage of the first Lake Tahoe Restoration Act showed us that our national leaders were invested and that our local efforts would not be in vain. Today, as we fight to preserve the Lake Tahoe

community that so many families have come to cherish, we need to see our national leaders step up again. There are many individuals and organizations here in Tahoe trying to make positive change every single day. But like with the environmental challenges we’ve overcome in the past, we can surely use some help from Tahoe’s friends across the country.

President Biden, we hope you, Dr. Biden and your team have a wonderful visit enjoying some of the best views, outdoor recreation, and natural beauty anywhere in the world. Undoubtedly, Lake Tahoe will hold up its end of the bargain. But as you spend time in the Basin, please take note of our community members here. Just like the environment, our local residents and
the community are deserving of federal investment.

Heidi Hill Drum, Executive Director
Tahoe Prosperity Center