political

Nevada is one of the few states that celebrate its Admission Day, and boy do we throw a party. A parade, competitions of strength and facial hair, hot air balloons, bloody marys, a carnival, pow wow, and free chili are just a few of the festivities awaiting the capital city on Saturday.

The party begins Friday this year with a ribbon cutting celebration of the 'new' downtown. The Nevada State Museum hits its 75th Anniversary this year and will have a day full of fun and surprises. Keep reading to see where you need to take advantage of all the best this holiday weekend has to offer.

Historian Michael E. Fischer will speak on Baby Face Nelson in Nevada in a free presentation at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Saturday, August 13, at 10:00 am.

Few people living in Nevada today know that Baby Face Nelson, whose given name was Lester Gillis, spent a great deal of time in Nevada. He was avoiding the heat from authorities in the Midwest. In Reno, he was afforded protection from arrest and incarceration because of his connections to Bill Graham and James McKay. Their political and business connections covered almost the entire state.

Location

Lake Tahoe Community College welcomes the community to a free film screening and talk on Tuesday, May 24 at 12 p.m. in the Board/Aspen Room inside the library building. The screening is “Episode 5: Prejudice and Pride” from the multi-part documentary Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. The screening will be followed by a talk led by Dr. Albert Ponce, who teaches History, Political Science and Ethnic Studies at LTCC. This bilingual event is free and open to all.

In a representative democracy, the system the United States supposedly has, the policy making is controlled by the representatives elected by the people. The idea behind representative democracy is that people will elect representatives that will serve their best interest. However, in the United States the funding for election campaigns is provided by large corporations, banks, and a handful of wealthy individuals that results in the election of representatives who serve the best interests of the large corporations, banks, and wealthy individuals.

Rarely do I use this space to comment upon political issues within our community. That said, with the “politicization” of the US Hwy 50 South Shore Community Revitalization Project I felt the need to share some background and perspectives for consideration.

On October 27, 2015, Sue Novasel, the County Supervisor representing South Lake Tahoe, Meyers, Tahoma and Pollock Pines was served a “notice of intent to circulate a recall petition” by a group of citizens who said they are “tired of the corruption and cronyism that has plagued our county for years.” It wasn’t only Novasel, but all five of the County Supervisors, Shiva Frentzen, Ron Mikulaco, Michael Ranalli and Brian Veerkamp.

How would you describe Millennials? Until recently I found myself apologizing for my generation as if I were ashamed to be part of the group of people that grew up with the internet, and cell phones, and electric toothbrushes, and CGI, and therefore didn’t know what it meant to struggle. But I’ve come to realize that perhaps this isn’t true.

Multimedia artist Cynthia Hooper, whose videos and paintings capture various landscapes found in California and Mexico, is bringing her artistic talents to Lake Tahoe Community College’s Haldan Gallery this winter. Research & Desire: Recent Videos and Paintings by Cynthia Hooper opens Thursday, Jan. 14, with an Artist’s Reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Haldan Gallery. Hooper will give a short talk about her work at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served, and all are welcome to attend this free event. The exhibit remains open until March 18.

The Mountain Democrat Editorial Friday December 11, 2015 titled “Total recall a total waste of time” on page A5 is far below the minimum standards of an honest newspaper. The article uses accusations of gossip, vague personal attacks, and sneering degradation of “some of the people” to dismiss the serious issues plaguing our County government.

Affordable housing advocates say it would open up more housing and help reduce the city's skyrocketing housing prices.

Airbnb has spent more than $8 million and hired a top political operative to defeat a San Francisco initiative on the ballot Tuesday that could threaten the growth of one of the most valuable global technology companies.

Proposition F, which would limit short-term rentals, was brought by affordable housing advocates fed up with the city's housing stock being used as rentals for tourists while residents face skyrocketing rents and evictions.

The community is invited to a free film screening of the movie, Latino Americans: 500 Years of History, on Monday, October 12 at 7 p.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College's Board/Aspen Room.

Following the movie, the college's history, political science and ethnic studies instruction Dr. Albert Ponce will lead a bilingual discussion. LTCC is one of 200 institutions around the county who received funding resources and support to host festivals, collect oral histories, facilitate informed discussions and hold other public events about Latino American history and culture.

A ground breaking ceremony at Edgewood Tahoe brought out community and political leaders, all wanting the celebrate their new project, the Lodge at Edgewood Tahoe.

Rain brought the ceremony indoors, but spirits weren't dampened as people speaking at the ceremony highlighted the major impacts the new project on the state line will make on South Shore's economic and community revitalization, as well as important environmental and recreational enhancements in the area.

Community Outreach: During the month of August, we concluded our “Coffee with a Cop” program. Members of the public expressed support for the program but several asked for us to do the same thing at the Starbucks located at the “Y” to help give locals who frequent this location a chance to participate. This said, our plan is to do another session for a month during the winter at the “Y.” When we have specific dates and times, we will forward this information.

Residents go to the City for a number of requests, and in order to make sure procedures are followed on those requests, new policies were created Tuesday during the South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting.

A Champions Plaza Recognition Policy was created in order to know how to handle the expected requests for names to be placed at the new venue at the corner of Highway 50 and Lakeview Avenue. The sculpture was selected earlier this summer.

Lawmakers from Nevada and California met Monday on the shores of Lake Tahoe to discuss how to protect a national treasure as it faces continued threats to water clarity, invasive species, wildfire and drought.

Ever since President Bill Clinton held the first meeting in South Lake Tahoe in 1997, the annual focus of the Lake Tahoe Summit is to protect what Mark Twain called "the fairest picture the whole world affords."

KOWL 1490 AM has pulled the plug on Rush Limbaugh. The South Lake Tahoe radio station was one of the original affiliates to carry the show, stemming from the host's days in Sacramento, CA.

The nationally syndicated show will be off the air as of this week.

Former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush said he is not concerned with billionaire and reality television star Donald Trump’s recent surge in the polls at a campaign stop in Carson City Friday.

An effort by some residents of Olympic Valley to turn the small Sierra Nevada community into a town has attracted notable opposition from Squaw Valley, the ski resort that would provide most of the new municipality’s income.

To help mark the late Malcolm X’s birthday, Lake Tahoe Community College is hosting a screening of his most famous speech followed by a faculty panel discussion on Tuesday, May 19 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Board/Aspen Room inside the library building.

This is a free event, and the entire community is welcome and encouraged to participate.

Some children live a life characterized by habit and routine. Imagine them being forced to leave their life behind all because there wasn’t enough space and funding. This is what foster children in Lake Tahoe are forced deal with. Primarily, SLT should pass a General Obligation Bond, and, though the cost of raising a child is exorbitant, this cost could be ameliorated by support from passing a General Obligation Bond measure.

The following is an opinion article from the Reno Gazette Journal and reprinted here:

It doesn't matter if you love or hate Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to agree that the announcement of his retirement just dramatically reduced our state's political power in Washington D.C.

Nevada will go from a state whose issues were often at the center of debate because of Reid's position as minority leader to a state without a congressional power player in either party.

Across the nation, adjunct faculty at colleges will be walking off the job Wednesday in recognition of National Adjunct Walkout Day. In South Lake Tahoe though, full and part-time faculty at LTCC will host a "Teach-In" to educate students and the public about adjunct positions.

From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., faculty, students and the public will meet in the Main Building's Commons to discuss part-time faculty concerns nationwide, including fair wages, improved job security, and better working conditions.

Dear Voters,

Today is the day you shape our City’s future. With your vote, choosing three members for our city council, you will speak on issues from economic development and the environment to jobs and the way we care for families and children. You have seven candidates to choose from, each proposing a path to move our City forward.

Tahoe Chamber has a long history of Representing Business to Government via advocating for policies that provide a fair and predictable process for businesses of any size. This process is guided by our Government Affairs Committee (GAC), the
board, the Chamber CEO and our Government Affairs Liaison.