South Lake Tahoe community

It was a great honor to serve as a member of the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Trustees for the last four years. As previously reported, I am stepping aside to focus on my career and raising my beautiful baby girl. I said many times while I was on the Board that every family in the District was my family, and every child in the District was my responsibility. Now that I have a child of my own, I think the parents of LTUSD will understand when I say that I need to focus on my own family for the time being.

The South Lake Tahoe community has not only been donating food to help their human neighbors, but also for their four-legged pets.

The Humane Society of Tahoe Truckee (HSTT) office in South Lake Tahoe has shelves full of pet food that if ready for pickup by pet owners who need assistance.

Their office is located at 3438 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City will hold its next Community Conversations evening on Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for the public to engage in meaningful conversation with city leadership and get answers to their questions.

To join in the virtual meeting, visit https://zoom.us/j/95871848873.

The town hall series from the City of South Lake Tahoe launched in September to be a quarterly discussion and a chance for a real dialogue about topics the community cares about.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The volunteers at Bread & Broth packed bags of food for the community Monday, bags full of food for not only a Thanksgiving meal, but for meals through the week.

From 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on November 23, almost 200 people picked up bags for their families containing a turkey breast, yams, green beans, rolls, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sparkling apple cider, fruit, vegetables, eggs, milk and much more. Those bags of food went to feed 549 individuals in the South Lake Tahoe community.

With fundraising taking on a different look due to the pandemic, many nonprofits have taken to the internet for a way to help their groups raise much-needed funds.

The Soroptimist International Club of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) has one week left on their holiday catalog. The gift catalog is full of things for the holidays from gift wrapping to gifts and kitchenware

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are three open seats on the South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors this election season, two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.

South Tahoe Now reached out to the candidates and below are their answers to a set of questions. For the two four-year terms, incumbent Kelly Sheehan is running for reelection, Duane Wallace is running after being appointed to fill Jim Jones's spot on the board until this election, and they are joined by David Peterson.

The Tahoe Women’s Community Fund (TWCF), a philanthropic leadership organization, is dedicated to building and engaging an inclusive and diverse membership of women interested in strengthening the South Lake Tahoe community through the power of collective giving.

TWCF is a collective giving organization created in 2015. Through a simple grant making process, the annual proceeds from membership provide financial support to nonprofits that address pressing issues facing the communities of Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe created two programs to help local business owners during COVID-19, a restaurant vouchers and reimbursement of expenses used to open under new health protocols.

Both of these will be ending at the end of the City's fiscal year on September 30.

During the City Council meeting Tuesday, staff reminded everyone in the business community to turn in their receipts and restaurant vouchers by that date.

Each year flu causes millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States. While it is unclear what will happen this fall and winter, if there is COVID-19 and
flu at the same time, this could place a tremendous burden on our health care systems and cause many additional illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Now more than ever, it’s important that everyone do their part to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, like flu and COVID-19, according to Alpine County Health Officer Dr. Richard Johnson.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - 2020 is turning out to be a year of large fires in California, and the South Lake Tahoe area is not immune from the danger of wildfire. It is very important to be prepared in case you must evacuate.

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

Listed below are ways those in the South Lake Tahoe can start to plan, in hopes the plans never have to be used.

If there were just two things residents should know, South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacol said it would be to "evacuate early" and "have a plan."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be two new members of the South Lake Tahoe City Council after the November 3 election. In the coming weeks the pubic will have chances to hear from the candidates both via zoom, in print and possibly in person. Below are eight of the ten candidates responses to questions asked by the local #IRunWithMaud group.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A collaboration between the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless, El Dorado County Behavioral Health, Barton Health and the Caltahoe JPA ambulance will be bringing a new service to South Lake Tahoe community members in crisis.

The emerging collaboration is called the South Tahoe Alternative Collaborative Services (STACS).

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their May 11 meeting, the South Lake Tahoe City Council approved $200,000 to be used in the South Lake Tahoe community through business grants, COVID-related expenses, and a restaurant voucher program to help regain momentum and recover costs during the pandemic.

The grant money has been disbursed through the El Dorado Community Foundation, the restaurant vouchers are currently being redeemed at local restaurants and local businesses are being reimbursed for expenses incurred through COVID-related purchases.

It is undeniable that the areas hit the hardest economically by the COVID-19 pandemic are those heavily reliant on tourism. South Lake Tahoe is unquestionably one of these areas, suffering not only because of the closure of its tourist economy but suffering higher infection rates due to the very tourism it relies upon. It is for these reasons that so much of the focus of the El Dorado Community Foundation, who serves all of El Dorado County, has been directed toward South Lake Tahoe. We recognized very early on that South Lake Tahoe would be the hardest hit region in the county.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Fire Foundation and Sysco joined forces to help communities impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and South Lake Tahoe was recently a beneficiary.

The two groups gifted over $5,000 in relief efforts to the South Lake Tahoe Family Resource Center for food for the families they serve.

This non-profit organization provides basic needs services, educational opportunities, family advocacy and bilingual counseling for children and adults in the South Lake Tahoe region.

Tahoe Magic wants to thank the hundreds of donors who have contributed during this COVID-19 crisis. We have received $236,893 to date in donations since mid-March and, in turn, we have helped more than 300 families, about 1500 individuals, with assistance totaling $204,094. We are spending your contributions almost as quickly as we are getting them. Every donation has gone directly back into the South Lake Tahoe community to support those needing help with basics: shelter, food and utilities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are two community-wide events in South Lake Tahoe Friday, June 12 to join voices around the world to eradicate racism, educate and peacefully protest.

Lakeview Commons - 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Attention parents of local first graders! Every first grader enrolled in the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) or at Zephyr Cove Elementary School will get a brand-new, hardbound book they can keep forever!

When parents go to their LTUSD school’s designated Materials Collection Date on June 9 or June 10, one new book will be gifted to each child along with a free puppet.

Parents of first graders at Zephyr Cove Elementary will be contacted prior to the last day of school with additional details for book and puppet pickup.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Nine weeks into the COVID-19 crisis, Bread & Broth is still providing food to those in the community who are being impacted by the loss or reduction of income due to the temporary closing of many of our communities’ businesses. Thanks to many generous monetary donors and volunteers, Bread & Broth is providing bags of food through their Monday and Friday food bag giveaway program at Grace Hall and B&B 4 Kids program.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Council approved $200,000 Tuesday to be used in the South Lake Tahoe community through business grants, COVID-related expenses, and a restaurant voucher program.

Following on the heels of their $50,000 donated to five nonprofits supplying food to the South Lake Tahoe community during the pandemic, the Council voted to follow the direction of the task force and allocate $100,000 to fund the COVID Compliance Grant Reimbursement Program, $50,000 for a Small Business Grant Program, and $50,000 to a Local Restaurant Voucher Program.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In time of need, the South Lake Tahoe community continues to come forward and help those less fortunate. As the effects from the coronavirus pandemic continue to affect families with job and income loss, community members rise to the occasion with several places to volunteers and donate.

One of those opportunities is with Steph Warren and the Altruism Project on Fridays at Bijou Community School.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There has been a huge outpouring of support for Tahoe Magic during the COVID-19 crisis. With that support is a growing need in the South Lake Tahoe community.

In just five weeks, the South Lake Tahoe non-profit has given away over $110,000 to more than local 785 families in need. In a normal year they give out about $30,000 to deserving families.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Wednesday night's Tahoe Supports Tahoe live stream concert was a successful one for the South Lake Tahoe community, raising $4,200 during the two-hour concert for Tahoe Magic.

"I am still feeling the warmth from Wednesday night’s Tahoe Supports Tahoe Live Stream Benefit Concert," said Tahoe Magic Co-Founder Wendy David. "Thanks to the musicians who donated their talent and time, and to the promotion efforts just ahead of the concert, we received 88 separate donations totaling $15,290.35 just during the 24 hours of April 15."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Saturday, April 18, hundreds of locals would have been dressing up and attending the 31st annual Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra Elegant Evening.

Even though canceled the club is holding their online auction along with contests and a live stream dedication to the event. Since 100 percent of funds raised at Elegant Evening go back into the South Lake Tahoe community to enhance the lives of its women and youth, the club is committed to doing the same this year.