tahoe basin

Tuesday's El Dorado County Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting was just as all other meetings about vacation home rentals have been: A full house and a large contingent passionately representing both sides of the issue.

Supervisor Shiva Frentzen sought conceptual approval of an urgency ordinance to place a moratorium on the issuance of new vacation home rental (VHR) permits in the unincorporated portions of the County located in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Snow fell at upper elevations Friday night, bringing 3-10" of much needed powder to Lake Tahoe ski resorts. Both Northstar and Heavenly reported 6", Sierra-at-Tahoe had 3", Squaw Alpine 4", Kirkwood 7" and Mt. Rose 10".

This is just a precursor to the next storm which is forecast to bring heavy snow the the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe Basin. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued, and, according to the National Weather Service in Reno, accumulations of 1-2 feet above 7,000 feet is expected with over two feet at the crest. Areas in Alpine and

There is an item on Tuesday's El Dorado County Board of Supervisor's agenda that caught many by surprise, especially those supervisors appointed to address the issue. Supervisor Shiva Frentzen is seeking conceptual approval of urgency ordinance to place a moratorium on the issuance of new vacation home rental permits in the unincorporated portions of the County located in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Washoe County, Nevada and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) are continuing to work together to streamline project permitting for their customers, and have announced a change in the permitting process for projects in the Washoe County portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

12/13

10:31 p.m. - VHR Violation - South Upper Truckee Rd - VACATION HOME RENTAL. NO VIOLATION OR CITATION ISSUED.

12/15

The rural mountain lifestyle we all enjoy at Lake Tahoe is not isolated from the major urban areas nearby. On a typical holiday weekend, the Tahoe Basin turns into a recreation thoroughfare as tens of thousands of day and overnight visitors who sustain our local economy drive up from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Reno.

Residents in South Lake Tahoe will soon be paying more for garbage pick-up after the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted 4-1 to approve South Tahoe Refuse's request to raise rates for residential customers by 8.81 percent, the biggest one-time increase ever added to the service.

The rate increase will go into effect January 1, 2018.

The monthly rate for SLT customers will go from $26.55 to #28.89 for unlimited service, and increase of $2.34. Qualified seniors (65 and over and part of Liberty Utilities Care program) will pay an extra $1.95, taking their monthly rate to $24.15.

Are you a college student looking for an internship this winter? Are you a retired school teacher who misses your students or providing education? Or maybe you simply love the outdoors and want to be involved in your community?

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is looking for volunteers to assist with their Winter Trek and Ski with a Ranger conservation education programs at Heavenly Mountain Resort from January through March 2018.

Almost 200,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as six large fires continue to burn out of control in Southern California. 500 confirmed structures have been destroyed and 23,000 homes are still threatened.

The largest of the fire, the Thomas Fire, has burned 115,000 acres and is five percent contained. It is in Ventura County between Hwy 150 and Hwy 126, north of Santa Paula.

The Creek Fire has burned 15,323 acres and is now 20 percent contained. It is Los Angeles County east of Sylmar.

Over 60 fire-fighting personnel from the Tahoe Basin Operational Area have been deployed to the Thomas Fire which is burning out of control in Ventura County, Calif. 15 engines, making up three strike crews, will be joining one thousand others fighting the fire which started at approximately 6:28 p.m. Monday evening.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - To show nature is the best medicine, Barton Health and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) have partnered together to give the community Wellness Outings.

Patients will have access to the forest through a guided outing with a USFS ranger and physician or nurse.

In addition to Wellness Outings, the partnership will provide wellness and injury prevention training for USFS rangers and firefighters, as well as accessibility of public lands to promote outdoor recreation.

Plans for the next phase of a multi-agency project to connect North Lake Tahoe to South Lake Tahoe along State Route 28 with a Class 1 shared-use pathway are underway, and the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management is seeking public input.

Vehicles without the proper traction control device on their cars while on El Dorado County roads this winter may be fined and/or towed.

Massive traffic jams on Sundays in Meyers throughout last winter led drivers onto side streets without chains or snow tires on their vehicles, creating a parking lot of disabled cars that were stuck in the snow. Those drivers attempting to circumvent traffic ended up using Manda, North Upper Truckee and other local roads but a new ordinance will try and alleviate those issues.

Very mild conditions will prevail through Saturday with a few record high temperatures possible. Things will start changing Saturday ahead of a strong cold front which will bring snow to the Sierra and northeast California Sunday and Sunday night.

The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Watch for Lake Tahoe on Saturday, November 25, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. as a potent Pacific storm moves inland, bringing rain and mountain snow along with those gusty winds.

Dear Editor;

In writing this letter, I am only expressing my own opinion and not that of
any organization or entity.

Vacation Home Rentals (VHRs) in the County are out of control. As is
evidenced by the number of residents complaining about noise, parking, trash,
over-occupancy, etc, it is time for our government representatives to act and
change the current ordinance to respect our rights to live in peaceful
neighborhoods.

There are many issues surrounding VHRs that need to be addressed, but I

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is testing their avalanche control above Highway 50 and Echo Summit on Tuesday, November 14. Some cannons were tested during the morning and another set will be tested in early afternoon.

Some loud booms will be heard around the South Shore during testing.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

11/1

4:29 p.m. - Battery - South Lake Tahoe - A FEMALE JUVENILE WAS ARRESTED FOR BATTERY AFTER SHE ASSAULTED HER 52-YEAR-OLD MOTHER.

11/3

There are slick roads Thursday morning as rain is falling at lake level and snow fluctuating above 7,000 feet.

The California Highway Patrol is reporting a jackknifed big rig on SR-88 just west of Silver Lake near Tragedy Springs Road. The truck is blocking the west bound lane and part of the east bound lane. Crews are on the scene of the incident which was reported at 7:43 a.m.

Chain controls are up east of Kirkwood on SR-88.

After a winter of historic snowfall and atmospheric rivers, what will 2017-18 have in store?

That has yet to be seen, but many resorts around the Lake Tahoe Basin are making plans for opening even without that "one good dump."

Planned opening days:

Heavenly Mountain Resort - Nov. 17
Kirkwood Mountain Resort - Nov. 22
Sierra-at-Tahoe,- mid-November
Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows - November 17
Northstar - Nov. 17
Mt. Rose - Nov. 4
Boreal - Nov. 8
Homewood - Dec. 8
Diamond Peak - Dec. 14

LAKE TAHOE - The Tahoe Fund is looking for those with solutions to help solve environmental challenges at Lake Tahoe, particularly those helping to reduce the risk of wildfire, addressing climate change impacts, and innovative ideas.

Here is the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County roadwork schedule from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for Sunday, November 5 through Saturday, November 11, 2017.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

Construction on U.S. Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe will be extended through the end of November, weather permitting. The work remaining includes the installation of new traffic signals at Tahoe Keys Boulevard and 3rd Street.

Expect lane closures and extra traffic on U.S. Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe from the "Y" to Winnemucca Avenue during these final stages.

The project is a three-year one and includes water quality improvements, a new stop light at Lodi, timed traffic lights from the Y to Trout creek, bike lanes, bus pull outs, sidewalks and retaining walls.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – California State Parks will kick off the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) fall prescribed fire program next week beginning Wednesday, November 1, 2017. If conditions are favorable, prescribed fire operations will take place in D.L. Bliss State Park on the southwest end of Lake Tahoe. This operation was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but was delayed due to resource needs elsewhere.

65 acres of understory in the area will be burned and it is expected to take one week to complete the job.

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.