david jinkens

Over the years I was employed by the City of South Lake Tahoe, I had the privilege to work with many fine City employees, far too many to mention in one letter. I found that most employees cared a lot about their community and wanted to be given the chance to do the best job possible for all residents of South Lake Tahoe. They take their public employment seriously, and they just need the support and help from management and elected City officials. They are committed to the public service.

Former South Lake Tahoe City Manager David Jinkens is headed south to the city of Avalon to take on the same position for that city on Santa Catalina Island, one that he held in the 1980s.

Jinkens was the SLT City Manager from August 2002 until August 2010 when he retired after 35 year of service as a City CEO. Now, he's headed back to where he and wife Terri lived and worked when they were first married.

Three local community groups were recently awarded grants form the South Lake Tahoe Rotary Club. The Drug Store Project was given $1,000, H.E.R.O Scholarship Fund $2,000 and the Sierra House Elementary 5th Grade Nature Bridge $1,500.

The Drug Store Project, which is operated under the guidance of Tahoe Youth and Family Services will use the money to continue its annual youth drug awareness and avoidance program in 2016. This is program is designed to reduce future drug experimentation/use/abuse and increase student knowledge about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.

At Wednesday's meeting of the Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe, the membership approved the following Club officers for 2015-2016:

Board of Directors
President David Jinkens
Past President David Fournier
President-Elect Dr. Kindred Murillo
Secretary Shelli Mohr
Treasurer Rich Chambers
Director of Club Services Kim Demus
Director of Public Information & Outreach Theresa Papandrea
Director of Community Services Brian Hogan
Director of International Service David Fournier

The South Shore community members have big hearts! I wanted to send my congratulations to the organizers and participants at the St. Baldrick’s Foundation fund raiser on Friday, February 27th at the Ice Arena in South Lake Tahoe. What a fantastic event for a foundation with the goal to “Conquer Childhood Cancers.” Thank you!

Paid parking remains a hot topic in the city which was proven by the packed house at Tuesday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting. On the agenda was discussion and possible action on an initiative to prohibit paid parking on city streets.

Tahoe 4 Tahoe (T4T), a local group organized to fight paid parking, gathered more than the required signatures to get the initiative put on the ballot, but legal precedence and unforeseen consequences of the proposed initiative led the city council to vote unanimously to have a Fiscal Impact Report completed in the next 30 days.