hal cole

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Another round of votes were released Friday, narrowing the gap between yes and no on Measure T once again. The citizen generated measure call for a ban of all vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe except for those in what is called the "tourist core."

49 votes were added to the Measure T count, 19 "for" and 30 "against."

There were approximately 2,600 vote by mail ballots still to count this week for all of El Dorado County which includes provisional ballots and 160 conditionals ballots from South Lake Tahoe.

That leaves about 1,800 left to tally.

Nancy Kerry has been gone from her position as the city manager of South Lake Tahoe since March, but she finally got the credit due for her many accomplishments and contributions during a standing room only celebration Tuesday evening.

Over 75 community leaders came together to present Nancy with a proclamation signed by both Mayor Wendy David and Mayor Pro Tem Tom Davis, their last official act with the City.

The list of tributes spoken during the evening is a lengthy one.

With a narrow margin in the ballot measure concerning the future of vacation rentals in South Lake Tahoe, and other races still close, everyone is awaiting the release of more results from Tuesday's election.

You'll still have to wait a bit longer.

On Friday, November 9, El Dorado County Elections will post the next round of results, but it won't be the last as there are over 24,000 ballots yet to count.

13,372 mail-in ballots were dropped off at the polls
2,614 provisional ballots

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The second deadline for political campaigns to submit their Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Form 460 in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County has come and gone. Required by the Fair Political Practices, all campaigns for positions and measures need to file if they have a committee and if they spend or receive over $2,000.

The Form 460 is the
comprehensive report that discloses all receipts and expenditures of a

This year is a big milestone in the history of the Freaker's Ball....40 years of fun and entertainment at a variety of South Shore locations since its inception. On Saturday, October 26, 2018 the Freaker's Ball will be held at MontBleu Resort & Spa starting at 9:00 p.m. The crowds continue to grow and the costumes continue to entertain.

The following is a reprint of our story from 2014:

The Beginning in 1978

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City Council will be voting to hire Frank Rush as the new South Lake Tahoe City Manager during their Tuesday, October 16 meeting.

Rush, 49, who has been Emerald Isle, N.C. town manager since 2001, was one of five candidate finalists interviewed for the job after the City Council hired a recruiting firm on April 17, 2018. Dirk Brazil, the interim SLT city manager, said the process has been a fair one with extensive work between the City's human resources department and the recruiter. Rush was a unanimous choice by the City Council.

On April 18, 2017 the South Lake Tahoe City Council unanimously passed a resolution to do two things: Power the South Lake Tahoe community with electricity provided from 100 percent renewable sources by 2032; and reduce community carbon emissions from baseline by at least 80 percent by 2040. The 100% Renewable Committee was formed to help the City accomplish these tasks.

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, Hal Cole gives his responses as he attempts to return to the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce (Tahoe Chamber) is hosting a candidate forum on October 4 for candidates running for South Lake Tahoe City Council. Three City Council member seats are up for election, which includes those held by incumbents, and candidates, Wendy David, Tom Davis and Austin Sass. All nine candidates are confirmed to attend.

The forum will be held in the Lake Tahoe Community College Board Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Now that elected officials are allowed back on the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC), the South Lake Tahoe City Council and El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS) both appointed their representatives today.

Governor Brown signed AB1191 on July 24, 2017, defining who could serve on the CTC after the use of elected officials was questioned earlier this year.

It's been one year since the City of South Lake Tahoe was denied a grant by the California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) for their Bijou Park Creek Watershed and SEZ Restoration Project, and today, the Conservancy Board did it again.

Hal Cole, the longest serving City Councilmember in South Lake Tahoe, was honored in a ceremony during Tuesday's Council meeting, his last one after 20.5 years on the dais.

Cole chose not to run for a sixth term this November.

He started off his public service career in 1990 when he was named to the SLT Building Board of Appeals, was a part of the development of the Bijou Community Plan in 1993 as a Planning Commission. In 1994, Cole moved over to the City Council and was elected to a four-year term five times. During that tenure he was the City's Mayor an unprecedented six times.

The 38th Annual Freaker's Ball, Lake Tahoe’s largest, oldest and most extravagant Halloween party, brings the wild with a four-ring costume circus in the Convention Center, Opal Ultra Lounge and Blu Nightclub venues at MontBleu on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, at 8:00 p.m. Cost is $35 prior to Saturday, then $40 at the door if tickets are available. Costume contest with prizes.

On Friday, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino holds the 2nd Annual Rockin’ Dead Halloween Bash inside Vinyl starting at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are $25. Costume contest with prizes.

The race for the two open South Lake Tahoe City Council seats may turn out to be an interesting one as several people have expressed interest in serving the community with a four-year term.

As of Tuesday, eight people have been issued sets of filing papers with four people turning them in and being qualified to run.

Those running thus far are Patrick Jarrett, Ted Long, JoAnn Conner and Robert Topel.

The deadline to qualify is this Friday, August 12 at 5:00 p.m. If incumbent Hal Cole doesn't decide to run again, the deadline is extended to Wednesday, August 17.

The City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Lake Tahoe Community College and South Tahoe Public Utility District have all released advertisements, press releases and emails to the public, looking for candidates for their open seats this election season.

There will be two open seats for City Council, three seats for LTUSD School Board of Trustees, two for LTCC Board of Trustees, and two for the STPUD Board of Directors. All will be voted on during the next election, November 8, 2016.

You've spent your life savings on the dream, to buy a home in South Lake Tahoe. Better yet, you've found the perfect property where you can find a way to live in Tahoe and own a home that brings in some income.

There are current 56 different parcels in the City limits that are multi-family units that are also licensed vacation rentals and the City of South Lake Tahoe wants to prevent them from being rented, thus stopping the home owners from earning the needed income to keep their home.

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Code has changed, much to the appreciation of both homeowners and contractors who had to deal with different codes, depending on the location of the home, City or in the County.

The council voted to remove restrictions on the fire sprinkler code (Chapter 5.20) to be more in line with Lake Valley Fire District. The City's stricter code confused contractors who build houses in the city, and in the county, and it was also found to be cost prohibitive for homeowners wishing to remodel.

It was a very short South Lake Tahoe City Council agenda Tuesday, but one that brought out passionate comments on the dais, and what one witness called "bickering."

The lone new business item was for the creation of a City policy where local parades are concerned, an item requested to be placed on the agenda by Councilmember JoAnn Conner.

There are many parcels of land in South Lake Tahoe owned by El Dorado County that the City would like to have, and talks between the two are getting closer to making the land transfer a reality.

It's been 50 years since the City of South Lake Tahoe was formed, and a commemorative 123 page book was created to chronicle that first half-century.

The book is titled “A Small Town with a Big View” and is available for purchase at City Hall located at 1901 Airport Road. The cost of the book is $25.00 and they accept checks and cash, no credit cards.

The chapters of the book include; A City is Born, Laying the Foundation, Getting Creative, Welcome to South Lake Tahoe, Collaboration is Key, A Vision Realized, and Looking to the Future.

It was a changing of the guard during Monday's South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting. Wendy David moved from her position of mayor pro tem to mayor, and Austin Sass took over the second-in-command duties.

Councilmember Tom Davis, who has served as both mayor and mayor pro tem, was also interested in a fifth term in the pro tem spot but the nod went to Sass.

"South Lake Tahoe, you should be proud of yourself."

Those words, said by South Lake Tahoe Police Sgt. Brian Williams, were echoed throughout the evening as the City of South Lake Tahoe celebrated its first 50 years with a golden anniversary gala Saturday night.

Almost 300 people were at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel to share memories of the past, review of the present, and a look towards the future of a city that was formed because many of the residents were tired of being represented by a government in Placerville.

While the community is still in shock over the death of South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Mark Hounsell, his wife Jeanne and a family friend, a fundraising campaign has started to help their children as they move forward in life without a parent.

All four of Mark's children were in the 2004 Chevy Suburban on October 17, 2015 with Mark and Jeanne when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle left the roadway and crashed, killing all three adults inside.

During a special meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Monday, October 19, JoAnn Conner was publicly censured, a first of its kind for the City. An overflowing crowd spent over three hours in Council Chambers as comments were made both supporting Conner, and against what they said was "abusive, bullying and intolerant behavior."