california

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is pleased to announce that Danelle D. Harrison was selected as the new Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin. Harrison arrived at the LTBMU a few weeks ago and comes to us from the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona, where she served as the District Ranger for both the Williams and Tusayan Ranger Districts since 2014.

The safety of pedestrians and bicyclists is the focus of a federal grant to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) for the coming year.

The California Pedestrian and Bicyclist Enforcement and Education Project (CPBEEP) grant runs from October 1, 2018, through September 30, 2019. During this year-long statewide campaign, CHP officers will conduct enhanced enforcement activities and public education campaigns.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Tamara Wallace gives her responses as she seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On the heels of the banning of electric scooters in many cities, Governor Jerry Brown of California has signed a bill that mandates helmets for users only if they are under the age of 18 and if the scooter goes above 15 miles per hour.

The bill, authored by Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora of Ripon, was written to encourage scooter use to alleviate congestion on the state's roads and meet climate change goals of reducing car emissions.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019.

With less than 40 days remaining until the November general election, U.S. House candidate Jessica Morse will be hosting town hall meetings for 4th district residents, including a stop in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, October 7.

California's 4th District stretches from the eastern Sacramento suburbs to the Sierra foothills, including Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. Morse is running against incumbent Republican Tom McClintock who, at this time, has no scheduled stops in South Lake Tahoe.

Mental illness can affect any person or family. For those individuals in El Dorado County with the most severe forms of mental illness, the Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) program (also known as the “Laura’s Law” program) is available. The program, coordinated through the El Dorado County Behavioral Health Division of the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), gives additional tools to families, agencies and individuals to help people who need mental health treatment receive those services.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue Chief Jeff Meston is now the president of the California Fire Chief's Association (CalChiefs). The 925 voting members of the association voted in Meston and he just completed one year as president-elect. On Friday, September 28, he was sworn into the position with some from South Lake Tahoe making the trip to Sacramento to be there for the big day.

This is not only the first time a chief from South Lake Tahoe has been elected to the state's top spot for fire chiefs, but also the first time anyone has from cities along the Sierra Nevada.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be two public workshops hosted by Liberty Utilities, one on each the north and south shore, to provide information about the utility's new de-energization plan during emergencies.

Since July 2018, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requires utilities to develop a plan to shut off power only as a last resort and
for a good reason in order to protect public safety.

Liberty's workshops will be to share information and answer questions about their plans. The two opportunities for the workshop are as follows:

Monday, October 8 @ 10:00 a.m.

The South Lake Tahoe Democratic Club is hosting a candidate's forum on Thursday, September 27 at the California Conservation Corps in Meyers at 6:00 p.m.

Meet and talk to twenty candidates seeking election to South Lake Tahoe City Council, South Tahoe Public Utility Board, El Dorado County Board of Supervisors Area 5, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College Board of Trustees, El Dorado County Recorder Clerk, South Lake Tahoe City Clerk and City Treasurer, and the Tahoe Paradise Improvement District Board.

Almost 100 volunteers participated in the League to Save Lake Tahoe's 21st annual Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day on the first day of Fall, September 22, 2018. They restored crumbling stream banks, worked to protect native species and removed litter from Nevada Beach at Lake Tahoe.

“Hands-on restoration work is one of the most important actions we can take to Keep Tahoe Blue,” says Marilee Movius, the League’s community engagement manager, “and many hands make for lighter work to help out our busy land managers.”

Two California residents were arrested Monday, September 24 outside the Gardnerville Walmart after the stolen vehicle they had been traveling in was found containing five pounds of marijuana.

Celebrate the annual fall migration of the Kokanee salmon of Lake Tahoe at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center during the two-day Fish Fest October 6/7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

Join the fun and participate in this free family event which has become one of the most fascinating educational and wildlife viewing events in Northern California.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Emerald Bay was officially designated as an underwater park in 1994, and starting October 1, the public will be able to experience California’s first maritime heritage underwater trail devoted to showcasing Lake Tahoe’s historic recreational watercraft and barges, that now rest below the surface of Emerald Bay.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - California Highway Patrol officers will be riding on local school buses on September 24 during a state-wide school bus pedestrian safety enforcement operation.

Motorists across the state continue to disobey the law requiring them to stop for a school bus with its flashing red lights activated and stop arm extended. During a one-day survey in 2016 of 137 school districts in California, over 26,000 motorists failed to stop for a school bus that was stopped to load or unload pupils.

Fall in El Dorado County means several things, but on the top of many lists is a trip to Apple Hill during the month of October.

Weekend crowds are already heading to the farms, wineries and breweries from Placerville to Pollock Pines, but the thousands of cars that make the trip each week during the month of October have prompted transportation, farming, tourism, safety and County officials to work together to alleviate the weekend gridlock on area roads.

The public is invited to celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) with the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and our partners at Nevada Beach Pavilion on Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. The LTBMU and Tahoe Recreation will host this free community event, which provides an opportunity for the public to connect and engage with volunteers and organizations to learn how to best enjoy and protect our public lands.

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and a good time to familiarize yourself with the tools, resources and steps you can take in addressing suicide.

Suicide can be prevented if the signs are detected and the right actions are taken. Healthy coping skills are critical for dealing with incidents of trauma throughout life. Unfortunately, some people find that life stressors are too difficult and some choose negative ways to cope.

The most critical warning signs of suicide are:
- Talking about wanting to die or about suicide

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Money is on its way to South Lake Tahoe to restore the Upper Truckee Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in the Sierra Nevada, and reverse damage created by decades of development.

The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) announced Thursday they received $1,700,066 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife towards their project to redirect the Upper Truckee River to its historic network of channels through the Marsh. Water flowing through the Marsh will slow down, allowing sediment to settle instead of reaching Lake Tahoe.

Due to extremely dry vegetation and very high fire danger, recreational target shooting is prohibited in the Eldorado National Forest until at least October 9, 2018. In the Lake Tahoe Basin, it is not prohibited but they suggest those wishing to target shoot go to one of the legal ranges in Carson City or Gardnerville for safety reasons.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A Cameron Park, California man has been identified as the swimmer who went missing in Lake Tahoe on Sunday, September 9, 2018.

Multiple agencies responded to the 5:36 p.m. call for help and a possible drowning on the lake near Nevada Beach including the Coast Guard, Tahoe Douglas Fire Department, South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and South Lake Tahoe Fire Department, El Dorado County Sheriff (EDSO) and Douglas County Sheriff's Offices (DCSO).

The following are projects the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is working on in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

1:00 p.m. update 9/8/18 - Firefighters now have a containment line around three percent of the boot fire which has now grown to 6,873 acres. US 395 nd SR 108 are now open. For a complete update: http://southtahoenow.com/story/09/08/2018/us-395-and-sr-108-open-near-boot-fire-forest-closed-public
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To the South Lake Tahoe Community:

South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) held a mass casualty/active shooter drive Thursday at their training center on Rufus Allen Blvd.

Since first responders don't want to use a real event to test their skills, drills of these types are crucial to their being prepared.

Tahoe Douglas Fire, Lake Valley Fire, California Highway Patrol, Care Flight/Remsa, Cal-Star, Cal-Tahoe JPA, South Tahoe Action Team, the FBI and South Lake Tahoe Police Department all joined SLTFR and 22 volunteers in the drills.