El Dorado County Connections – One Stop has free services to help people who need a job.

Through the youth program, unemployed and underemployed youth can receive help with job searches and placement, paid on-the-job training, money for vocational or technical school tuition and more.

Free orientation sessions about employment services offered through the county are open to the public every Wednesday at 10am at 3047 Briw Road in Placerville. Preregistration is not required. Some services are limited or have income restrictions.

Connections One – Stop also has an office in South Lake Tahoe at 3368 Lake Tahoe Blvd., open Monday-Friday from 10:am-4pm. The center have access to job boards, free computer terminals and the Internet.

For more information, please call 530.573.4330 in South Lake Tahoe.

By Jim Miller, Sacramento Bee

There is no such thing as free money.

That chestnut of fiscal wisdom sometimes gets overlooked amid local or statewide campaigns to authorize borrowing to pay for public works projects, avoid spending cuts, or cover other endeavors without raising taxes.

But a huge new set of government borrowing data from the California Treasurer’s Office for the first time details how government entities – from the state on down to counties, cities and special districts – planned to repay $1.5 trillion in bonds sold since the mid-1980s.

Some of the borrowing has been financed with special taxes, or from the growth in property tax revenue in now-defunct redevelopment areas.

Read the whole story

By Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle

Local crabs for Thanksgiving are a lost cause, but crustacean lovers and local crabbers got a glimmer of hope Thursday.

New tests showed that crabs collected from the area around San Francisco, Half Moon Bay and Morro Bay have dropped to safe levels for domoic acid, the neurotoxin causing the unprecedented closure of the commercial crab season, which was supposed to open Nov. 15.

The new results from the California Department of Public Health are no guarantee the season will open any time soon, though. Local crabs tested high for domoic acid in previous tests, and in order to lift its health advisory against Dungeness crab for specific areas, all samples collected from that area have to test at safe levels — defined as below 30 parts per million — for two weeks in a row.

Read the whole story

 By Kathryn Reed

El Dorado County officials are at odds regarding whether it’s legal to reimburse the Diamond Springs-El Dorado Fire Protection District $169,859 in development impact fees.

The dispute stems from a nearly 8-year-old study that has the district out of compliance with the Mitigation Fee Act, which would prevent the county from writing the check.

Emails have been flying back and forth lately between the auditor-controller and county counsel offices. It came to a head this week at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

And, still, the issue is not resolved.

Auditor-Controller Joe Harn told Lake Tahoe News he would not sign that check until County Counsel Robyn Drivon gives him a more definitive response regarding how a recent court case affects the money in question. If Harn were to approve the check and it would later be deemed to be illegal, the county could be forced to refund the fees collected improperly because of the out-of-date nexus study.

The money for the fire district is a partial reimbursement for an engine the agency bought in January.

Supervisors in September approved the use of mitigation fees.

Mike Ciccozzi, who works in the county counsel office but is also the acting assistant chief administrative officer, told the board the case that came out this fall does not preclude the fire district from getting paid.

Harn agrees the district should get paid. But he said the money should come from the General Fund to remove any legal ambiguity.

Harn said beginning in 2013 he told county officials there was an issue with special districts being in compliance with the nexus studies that are required by state law.

On Nov. 17, the board approved the order for Harn to pay the fire district.

The county is considering having a workshop after the first of the year to help special districts understand the ins and outs of things like mitigation fees.  Lake Valley Fire Protection District is in a similar situation because its nexus study has not been kept up to date.

The next Board of Supervisors meeting is Dec. 8.

By Michael Virtanen, AP

ALBANY, N.Y. — Documents filed at the court examining the legality of daily fantasy sports in New York show a rapidly growing national business built on billions in entry fees.

An estimate by DraftKings says the industry will take in up to $4 billion in entry fees in the United States this year, and could reach up to $20 billion in 2017.

Daily fantasy companies like FanDuel and DraftKings generally charge roughly 10 percent of each wager for hosting games.

The insights into the industry are contained within court exhibits as the companies fight New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is attempting to halt what he considers illegal gambling under state law. A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in Manhattan before a state judge.

The companies say their games are legal and based on player skill.

New York is just one of several states where the daily fantasy sports industry is facing recent scrutiny. Several states that don’t have specific prohibitions are considering new regulations or laws.

The companies caught the New York attorney general’s attention with their ad blitzes this year around the start of the NFL season.

“The growth in (daily fantasy sports) advertising has been as spectacular as it was sudden,” the attorney general wrote in his motion for an injunction. “Advertising reached a peak in the weeks leading up to the 2015 NFL season, when it became nearly impossible to watch televised sports without encountering a (daily fantasy sports) commercial.”

A spreadsheet collected by investigators shows FanDuel and DraftKings spent $34 million on TV advertising with NBC and Comcast through Oct. 28 this year, compared with $3.2 million in 2014. In another court document, the attorney general said FanDuel has spent more than $75 million this year on all ads, saying it was “paying out over $2 billion dollars this year” and “anybody can play, anybody can succeed.”

U.S. entry fees were $20 million in 2011 and are expected to reach up to $10 billion next year, the DraftKings market estimate said.

Another document submitted to the court by the attorney general says the U.S. has a market of 63 million male sports fans between 21 and 50 years old, including 25 million fantasy sports players. They are described as passionate about sports, white collar, having high disposable income and “underserved by social and skill game developers.”

Both companies say they have hundreds of thousands of customers in New York.

New York-based FanDuel was forced to stop taking deposits from New Yorkers late last week, saying its bank and processors were deterred by Schneiderman’s efforts. It stopped letting customers in New York enter contests on Tuesday.

Both say they remain committed to ensuring their customers can keep playing and will argue their position Wednesday.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts will continue prescribed fire operations on the North and East shores of Lake Tahoe. Operations may take place on urban lots on the west side of Incline Village, lower Kingsbury Grade near Palisades Drive and the area adjacent to Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

Operations will continue through next week as weather and conditions allow.

Fall and winter bring cooler temperatures and precipitation, which favor prescribed burning.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Agencies coordinate with state and local county air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions closely prior to prescribed fire ignition.

Before prescribed fire operations are conducted, agencies post road signs around areas affected by prescribed fire, send email notifications and update the local fire information line at 530.543.2816.

Ben Wade, ex-Lake Tahoe Community College men’s soccer coach, has officially resigned.

“After speaking with you today I would like to turn in my resignation as both the director of outreach and equity as well as the head men’s soccer coach. I just do not have time to commit to both jobs, the commute from Susanville, and put in the hours that it takes to be a great father and husband,” Wade said in a Nov. 16 letter to college President Kindred Murillo.

Ben Wade

In what Wade calls a press release about the resignation that he sent to Lake Tahoe News on Nov. 21 it says he is retiring completely from collegiate coaching after 20 years.

“The timing is never right to step down from a program but I feel at peace with my decision,” he wrote.

In an email to LTN he said, “The fact that I have put my family first over my personal satisfaction and adrenaline of winning championships should be noted. I believe it is a most worthy and noble act.”

What exactly transpired to cause the college to remove Wade from his coaching and academic duties has never been disclosed, with the school saying it is a personnel matter and therefore confidential.

Wade had told Lake Tahoe News he was escorted off campus Nov. 5, but is now saying his assistant coaches led him off campus. In that same article Wade said he had no idea why he was being put on leave.

“There was confusion, there was obviously some anger on my part when I realized it was not in the best interest of my family or LTCC to finish out the rest of the season. The closed session dealt with my Equity job, not soccer. Two weeks prior I had spoken to administration about terminating the Equity position so that I could pursue a recruiting director position,” Wade told LTN in an email.

Murillo was not immediately available for comment. The resignation is expected to be on the college board’s Dec. 8 agenda.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Squaw Valley Institute will host a discussion led by Anna Cummins, Marcus Eriksen and the 5 Gyres Institute on Dec. 3 at the Resort at Squaw Creek that will examine the five gyres around the world, and offer tangible methods to reduce plastics pollution locally and worldwide.

The talk is also designed to raise awareness about the great Pacific garbage patch and its effects.

Doors open at 5pm and the presentation begins at 6pm.

The evening also features a Trashion Fashion Show, live auction, art exhibits, interactive education stations and a raffle to benefit Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships.

Seating is limited. Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 for students and children. SVI members are admitted free.

The Resort at Squaw Creek is offering complimentary valet parking for those who bring a new, unwrapped toy for their Magical Memories Toy Drive.

This map shows where the proposed development would go. Map/Provided

By Kathryn Reed

KINGS BEACH – Developers tout the preservation of thousands of acres of open space and the reduction of houses that would be built in addition to permanently retiring 600 units.

Opponents question the impacts to the Lake Tahoe Basin, which this development would border, overall traffic, air quality and other environmental concerns.

The Martis Valley West plan would transfer residential and commercial uses from the east parcel to the west parcel, preserving the 6,376-acre east parcel.

On Nov. 19 the Placer County Planning Commission heard the pros and cons of the proposal. The commission was taking input and not voting on anything. The draft environmental impact report is being circulated for public comment.

Sierra Pacific Industries owns the land, with Mountainside Partners the developers. The 760 units proposed to be built are outside of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Kurt Krieg with Mountainside Partners told the commission that when it comes to visual issues the studies show “less than significant impacts”. Traffic, he said, will not be a problem now that fewer units than what the land is zoned for will be built, thus having a 35 percent reduction in vehicle mile trips than if there had been full build-out. As for water, the site has wells that can be tapped. Krieg also pointed out that stormwater does not flow into the Tahoe basin.

He noted a study by the Conservation Biology Institute that backed up his assertions.

Blake Riva, principal with the company, went over some numbers:

·       50,000 acres of contiguous open space from Martis Valley through the Mount Rose Wilderness Area;

·       24,000 acres of open space in the Tahoe basin;

·       1,360 residential units currently zoned for the east parcel;

·       40 miles of existing private trails would become public.

The benefits, though, don’t outweigh the negatives, according opponents.

The League to Save Lake, Tahoe Area Sierra Club, Friends of the West Shore and others all asked for the draft EIR to be rewritten with more detail and then be recirculated.

“My overarching statement is this EIR is the most confusing I’ve ever reviewed,” Tahoe Vista resident Ellie Waller told the commission. This is from a woman who is well-versed in reading these types of documents. “The placement of cumulative impacts in the executive summary and not having a separate chapter like most EIRs is a prime example.”

A theme among the 10 people who spoke was cumulative impacts. Most said the information in the draft EIR is not substantive enough. And when people wanted to bring up the adjacent proposed Brockway Campground the chair of the commission, Ken Denio, didn’t want to hear those concerns. He wanted to only hear about the draft EIR. But the people’s point was the cumulative impacts section is so minimal it does not allow a robust discussion about what they perceive as real impacts.

“It is really astounding that this project will take the level of service from a D to an F. F is gridlock,” Laurel Ames with the local Sierra Club said of the traffic impacts.

Jennifer Quashnick with Friends of the West Shore questioned how the environmental document could look at traffic as though only 20 percent of homes would be occupied. She said even if these are predominately second homes, there is still the real possibility they could be full on many weekends.

One person asked for the entrance to not be on Highway 267 if possible.

Loren Enstad, who was fire chief of North Lake Tahoe Fire District from 1980-99, said firefighting resources are already stretched and that this project will add to the problem.

As for visual impacts, Anne Nichols with North Tahoe Preservation Alliance, said, “If you can see the lake, the lake can see you.”

While this project is outside of Lake Tahoe, the basin will be impacted. People have asked the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to weigh in, but have not had that request acknowledged by the bi-state planning agency.

—–

Notes:

·      Comments will be accepted until Dec. 22 at 5pm; email them to cdraecs@placer.ca.gov. The extension makes it a 60-day comment period instead of 45 days.

·       The draft EIR is online.

To the community,

Dan Deemer, a member of Kirkwood Mountain Resort’s guest services team, was one of the sponsor crew volunteers who came to help at Bread & Broth’s dinner on Nov. 2. After spending time on the serving line dishing out generous portions of chili and pizza, he took a moment to jot down his views on his time spent at Kirkwood’s Adopt A Day dinner.

“The opportunity to directly give back to the local community is extremely rewarding,” he wrote. “The appreciation of those who are in need can be seen in their smiling faces.”

If you have ever attended a B&B evening meal at either St. Theresa Church Grace Hall on Monday or Lake Tahoe Community Church on Friday, the outpouring of thankfulness and the enjoyment of a hot, nutritious meal are difficult to overlook. For many who attend the meals, it may be their first hot meal in days or the give away bags filled with canned good, vegetables, fruit, dairy products and bread-pastries may be their only food for the next few days.

This dinner experience would not happened without the financial support of Kirkwood Mountain Resort via the Vail EpicPromise Grant program and the consistently great Kirkwood team members who volunteer their time to help at the dinners. Joining Deemer that evening from Kirkwood were product, sales and services supervisor Christina Nevill and manager Jarrett Morgan, and Wade Kriletick from guest services.   These five volunteers worked really hard to make sure that all the guests that night went away happy with their dinner experience. Bread & Broth is very grateful for our Kirkwood partnership and always look forward to their sponsorship evenings.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth