To the community,

Regarding your editorial, “Keep Pierini as Douglas County Sheriff”, you say that DCSO candidate Dave Brady’s character has been questioned. That’s an odd use of the passive voice coming from a presumably professional journalist on such an important matter. Who questioned his character, and on what basis? Not including that in your editorial makes that sentence nothing more than an unsubstantiated slur.

During the sheriff’s candidate forum last week at CVIC hall in Minden, (Ron) Pierini blabbed the name of his gang task force officer to the crowd for the sake of puffing up his campaign. If you know enough to editorialize about who should be running DCSO, you would know that the Norteños – the primary gang presence in Gardnerville – targets gang officers and their families. Pierini recklessly put this officer’s life, and his family’s lives, in danger out of selfish vanity. Would that meet your criteria for questioning someone’s character?

As to editorial credibility, you might have asked Sheriff Pierini why his budget has gone up fivefold in 28 years — from $3 million to over $16 million, yet he fields the same number of patrol cars now as then, as he confirmed to the Record Courier in May 2013.

Sheriff Pierini’s experience, education, and training have proven to be the perfect qualifications for running the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department in 1992. Now, not so much. He and his very well paid command staff have no idea how to manage a budget. Given that it’s not their money and no one is looking over their shoulders, they have no incentive to learn.

Dave Brady has far more street-level law enforcement experience than Pierini, plus the education and experience to fix what’s wrong in DCSO. Brady should be elected sheriff.

Lynn Muzzy, Minden

By Kyle Roerink, Las Vegas Sun

Gaffes, follies and slips are as much a part of politics as campaign buttons.

In Nevada this year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, attorney general candidate Adam Laxalt and congressional candidate Cresent Hardy all made headlines for gaffes.

But none of those ranks among the biggest goofs in recent Nevada political history.

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Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort in South Lake Tahoe has been fined $10,000 by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for illegally discharging pool water earlier this year.

The Governing Board on Oct. 22 approved the agreement.

The staff report says, “… Diamond Resorts staff emptied a portion of the pool water by draining it onto an area of the Diamond Resorts property, instead of the preferred method for pools on commercial properties of draining into the sanitary sewer. The pool water overflowed the area of the Diamond Resorts property and flowed into the neighboring stream environment zone property, causing a slight sediment discharge as well as the possibility of polluting the ground water with treated pool water. In addition to the unauthorized discharge, the pool draining was done without the installation of any temporary BMPs.”

The Ski Run Boulevard hotel has since revised its policy regarding draining the pool.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – People in South Lake Tahoe are not only hungry, but they don’t know where their next meal is going to come from. That is called food insecurity. And it’s a growing problem here.

Poverty, of which hunger and food insecurity are byproducts, is such a concern that a survey was recently conducted by the El Dorado County Food Bank (which receives zero funding from the county) to gauge the needs of South Lake Tahoe.

One of the big things to be revealed is that what was once considered emergency supplemental food is now something people are relying on to sustain themselves on a regular basis. Twenty-two percent of the people surveyed require emergency food assistance at least once a month — so, 12 times a year.

Ninety-two percent of respondents said food distribution needs to be more often, 89 percent want more fresh food, and 70 percent need the distribution to be closer to where they live. Twenty-three percent have no transportation.

Most who are receiving aid are older and/or disabled, with 41 percent being at least 65 years old. Seventy-five percent are unemployed. Eighty-five percent of those working make less than $25,000 a year.

Twenty-eight percent of the households have children. And 99 percent of those have incomes of $25,000 or less a year.

Those statistics are all for South Lake Tahoe.

Respondents were people receiving aid and agencies. They were asked 30 questions.

South Lake Tahoe is following the state’s trend. For the second year in a row, the Census this month reported that California has the highest poverty rate in the country – 23.4 percent. That is 8.9 million people. Nevada came in second at 20 percent.

Carey Fong with the Food Bank spoke Oct. 21 to Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe about the growing issue of hunger and poverty in the city. Diane Weidinger, who runs the 25-year-old weekly hot meal program Bread & Broth, talked about that program.

Bread & Broth volunteers serve a hot meal to anyone who wants it every Monday at Grace Hall in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

“It’s almost an epidemic,” Weidinger said of the hunger in this community. “It’s a cycle. Once you are born into poverty, it’s almost impossible to get out without some assistance.”

Every Monday about 100 people are served a hot meal at Grace Hall at St. Theresa Catholic Church. It’s families, singles, older people – a mix of those in need. Another 40 receive a meal on Fridays at the Presbyterian Church. Other churches and organizations also give out food.

Bread & Broth is a benefactor of the El Dorado County Food Bank, while Christmas Cheer buys food from the Northern Nevada Food Bank. Fong said they’ve tried to get Christmas Cheer to switch agencies.

The El Dorado County Food Bank brings 360,000 pounds of food to South Lake Tahoe a year, with a value of $600,000.

The local need is growing and that is not expected to change. Nationwide there will be 79.7 million older adults in 2040. This is twice as many as there were in 2000. They are the ones on fixed incomes with transportation issues, who are in need of food.

The Food Bank is looking at how it can better cater to the needs of those in the basin today and going forward.

Ideas include having a distribution center here to help with storage issues, increasing the number of days and hours when food is handed out, nutrition education, creating community gardens, and advocating for higher paying jobs. A task force has been formed with the goal being to form an action plan.

Publisher’s note: This was given to the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21.

Dear Board Members:

Joe Harn

At the October 13, 2014, Budget Committee meeting, the CAO’s Chief Budget Officer presented an updated budget forecast for fiscal 2015-16. Her latest budget forecast indicates a $19,000,000 general fund shortfall for fiscal 2015-16. Further, her forecast assumes a $5,000,000 savings due the County’s investment strategy. I do not believe that this $5,000,000 savings is a reasonable assumption. I must conclude that using the projections from the CAO’s Office that we have a general fund budget shortfall of around $24,000,000 for fiscal 2015-16.

I urge your Board to take immediate action to reduce spending this fiscal year in order to prevent the need to make draconian budget cuts next summer.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Joe Harn, El Dorado County auditor-controller

A Stateline man has been arrested by Reno police officers on charges of unlawful contact with a minor.

Jose Manuel Rosas-Rojas, 58, was taken into custody Oct. 22.

Jose Manuel Rosas-Rojas

Officers had been looking for a man who had been riding a bicycle in south Reno near Damonte Ranch and approached young girls. The first case was reported in January. Two composite sketches had similar characteristics as described by the 8- and 15-year-old victims. On Sept. 10 another report was filed with the Reno Police Department that had similar circumstances as the previous cases, and with the suspect matching the composite sketches.

On Sept. 16, detectives with the regional sex offender unit were checking the areas where the incidents occurred and contacted a Hispanic man who looked like the subject depicted in the composite sketches. The subject was identified as Rosas-Rojas.

Since contacting Rosas-Rojas, detectives have re-interviewed the four victims from the three reported cases involving young girls. Officers said Rosas-Rojas was positively identified as the suspect in the Sept. 10 case, and as a possible suspect in the first two cases.

Officers are asking parents to speak with their children about any suspicious encounters with anyone matching Rosas-Rojas and report it to the Reno Police Department at 775.657.4601 or Secret Witness at 775.322.4900.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Updated Oct. 22 8:53pm:

The owner of Sierra-Tahoe Ready Mix is scheduled to be in court Thursday to face four felony counts of fraud related to product he supplied to contractors working on projects on the South Shore.

Mike Wallace, who runs the South Lake Tahoe company, deferred comment to his attorney Jacqueline Mittelstadt.

“We look forward to proving that the allegations have been grossly exaggerated when compared to what actually occurred,” Mittelstadt told Lake Tahoe News. “Incidentally, Mr. Wallace has a lien outstanding against the city for work performed.”

In the complaint, El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Cristy Lorente accuses Wallace of presenting a false bill for four projects.

In March, when the accusations were first leveled against Wallace, he told Lake Tahoe News that he changed the date of a mix because the customer, a firm hired by South Lake Tahoe, needed the paperwork immediately or else they said they would go elsewhere. Wallace said he changed the date to say it was the current year. However, Wallace said the concrete mix that was delivered was that year’s formula.

The projects in question include the Sierra Tract waterline replacement, Angora Creek sewer location, Pioneer Trail pedestrian improvement, and what the complaint called No. 1018.

In March, contractors who have used cement from this company defended the integrity of the material.

“Since these allegations first surfaced, Mr. Wallace has enjoyed vast support from his clients and others in the community as a result of his consistently high-quality work. His concrete mixes are precisely computer generated, and all of his completed work is rigorously tested,” Mittelstadt said. “Sierra-Tahoe Ready Mix has passed every test.”

Wallace is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 23 at 1pm in El Dorado County Superior Court in South Lake Tahoe where Mittelstadt said the intent is to plead not guilty.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Homewood Mountain Resort wants to offer guided snowcat skiing and snowboarding tours in the Ellis Peak area this winter.

Before it can do so the U.S. Forest Service must approve the proposal. The feds until Oct. 31 are taking comments on the idea.

Homewood wants to provide six to eight trips per day, three days per week depending on weather and snow conditions. Each trip would transport 10 to 12 passengers via a snowcat to the Ellis Peak area. Passengers and guides would ski back to the resort via existing glades, bowls and trees.

If the proposal is approved, the Forest Service would issue a temporary special use permit and evaluate the operation to determine the viability and appropriateness of the use for future seasons.

Comments or concerns should be sent to Jonathan Cook-Fisher at jcfisher@fs.fed.us.

Western Nevada College is looking for student and independent filmmakers to submit their work for possible viewing at the Carson City International Film Festival on Feb. 5-7.

To be considered for the competition, filmmakers must submit an original video up to 90 minutes in length and in DVD format by Dec. 1.

The film should illustrate global awareness and diversity, along with an understanding of social issues facing humanity. It must also include a significant degree of film craft. Films may take many formats – narrative, documentary, live-action or animation.

There is an entry fee of $25 ($10 for students). Monetary prizes will also be awarded.

Entry forms are online.

For more information, contact Valerie Andersen at 775.445.3222 or internationalfilmweekend@gmail.com.

By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times

The University of California is beginning to have second thoughts about its highly successful effort to bring more out-of-state students onto its campuses.

In a bid to boost revenue, the system five years ago began to aggressively recruit students from other parts of the country and from around the world. The significantly higher fees those students paid brought in about $400 million extra last year. But the effort stirred a backlash from California parents, who suspected that their children’s admissions chances were being hurt.

UC officials have taken great pains to argue that qualified California students were not losing slots to those from New York or China. But the complaints from parents and state legislators recently prompted UC President Janet Napolitano and other system leaders to consider putting limits on out-of-state enrollment.

Any such retrenchment faces its own set of complications.

In 2009, a year into the recession that badly hurt higher education funding, a commission on the future of the University of California recommended recruiting outside students whose tuition — triple what state residents pay — would help offset cuts in tax revenue.

Read the whole story