By U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Olympic gold medalists Lindsey Vonn (Vail), Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) and Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), and two-time medalist Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will lead a strong U.S. Alpine Ski Team of 22 men and women at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard on Jan. 24 announced its selections for the U.S. Olympic Alpine Ski Team that will compete at the Games in PyeongChang beginning Feb. 9. The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday.

The team includes 22 athletes who qualified for the team through one or more top-three finishes, top five finishes, and top 10 finishes, and then World Cup points. Qualification included 2017-18 FIS World Cup races through Cortina, Italy, and Kitzbuehel, Austria, on Jan. 20-21.

The alpine team will have its first Olympic competition on Feb. 11 with the men’s downhill. The women will kick it off with the giant slalom on Feb. 12.

Team facts

The winningest female ski racer of all time Vonn won Olympic gold in downhill in Vancouver in 2010, but was sidelined with an injury and did not compete in Sochi. She is coming back with a vengeance, on a hunt for Olympic gold once again. Vonn will be competing in her fourth Olympics. She finished second in both the downhill and super-G Olympic test events in 2017. Vonn has been named the first international PyeongChang 2018 Games ambassador. She’s won 79 World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing – downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and alpine combined – in her career.

Shiffrin is arguably one of the most dominant athletes in world sport competing today. She won the 2016-17 overall and slalom FIS Ski World Cup titles, and currently leads the 2017-18 overall, slalom and giant slalom World Cup standings. She became the youngest woman in U.S. history to win a World Championship and the youngest athlete in history (male or female) to win an Olympic gold medal in Sochi. Shiffrin has a hat-trick of World Championship gold medals in slalom – 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Known as “Mr. GS,” two-time Olympic champion Ligety underwent back surgery in January 2017, causing him to miss the rest of the 2016-17 season. The YongPyong Alpine Centre is a special venue for Ligety as it is the home of his very first World Cup giant slalom victory in 2006. He won his first Olympic gold in 2006 in the alpine combined in Torino, then again in his main discipline, giant slalom, in 2014 in Sochi.

Weibrecht grabbed the 2010 Olympic super-G bronze medal, and then in 2014, produced a truly inspirational run to claim silver. Nicknamed “Warhorse,” he has a knack for performing when it matters most – on the big stage.

The U.S. men’s American downhill racers are a strong and tight group of athletes. Veteran Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) suffered a knee injury in 2017 and is making a strong comeback for PyeongChang. In the 2016 Olympic test event, Nyman finished third in the downhill. Promising young talent like Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley) – who will make his Olympic debut – as well as Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah), also look to make their mark.

Just 10 months after a significant knee injury, Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) has made an impressive return to competition and continues to have her eyes on the prize in PyeongChang.

Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.) clinched her spot on a third Olympic team. Her father, Austrian Pepi Stiegler, was an Olympic Gold medalist in slalom in Innsbruck in 1964.

Young up-and-comers Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho), and Lindsey Vonn Foundation ambassador Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) also look to make an impression in PyeongChang.

2018 U.S. Olympic alpine skiing team

Men’s alpine
Bryce Bennett, Squaw Valley
Tommy Biesemeyer, Keene, N.Y.
David Chodounsky, Crested Butte, Colo.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Starksboro, Vt.
Mark Engel, Truckee
Tommy Ford, Bend, Ore.
Jared Goldberg, Holladay, Utah
Tim Jitloff, Reno
Nolan Kasper, Warren, Vt.
Ted Ligety, Park City, Utah
Wiley Maple, Aspen, Colo.
Steven Nyman, Sundance, Utah
Andrew Weibrecht, Lake Placid, N.Y.

Women’s alpine
Stacey Cook, Mammoth Lakes
Breezy Johnson, Victor, Idaho
Megan McJames, Park City, Utah
Alice McKennis, New Castle, Colo.
Laurenne Ross, Bend, Ore.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Eagle-Vail, Colo.
Resi Stiegler, Jackson, Wyo.
Lindsey Vonn, Vail, Colo.
Jackie Wiles, Aurora, Ore.

By Tay Wiles, High Country News

It was a pleasant day for September in California’s Central Valley, sunny and hot but not unbearably so. Kayla Brown sat cross-legged on the grass under an oak tree in a public park, surrounded by friends and family, including her husband, parents and two sons. Brown, who is 27 and sprightly, with a blonde ponytail and blue eyes, was holding court on 19th century American history and the run-up to the Civil War. A lot of Californians “actually sympathized with the Confederates,” she said.

Brown was in Marysville, just north of Sacramento, to take part in a Civil War re-enactment, a hobby she’s had since she was 11. Today, as usual, she was dressed as a Confederate. “I’ve been dying epically, valiantly, for the South for three days,” one member of the group said, smiling, as they took a break from the day’s skirmishes. Brown added: “The North was morally right, but somebody’s got to be a Confederate.”

Brown’s youngest son, 18 months old, toddled by, swinging a slice of apple tied to a string, making swooshing airplane sounds. “I hate public schools,” Brown said, moving the conversation from history to contemporary politics. The Common Core curriculum is a sham, she said; grade-schoolers are forced to learn about topics like contraception and gender identity. That’s why she is homeschooling her children. Gun laws are too strict in California, and mountain lions are over-protected. “We have more lions than anywhere else in the country,” one member of the group said. “That’s because we’re not allowed to shoot them for eating our livestock,” another added. (California residents can, in fact, shoot a mountain lion that is killing domestic animals, though they need to obtain a permit from the state.)

People here call far Northern California — the 20 or so counties north of Sacramento — the North State. The region is largely rural and white (though the Latino population has risen in recent years and there are several Native American tribes), and its politics are mostly red (only four counties went for Hillary Clinton in 2016). But the North State is also an idea that encompasses a shared regional identity for people like Brown, who has lived here her whole life and never wants to leave. “You have a lot of rural folk, people who have been here for three, four, sometimes even five generations,” she told me at the re-enactment. “We’re literally tied to the land.”

Read the whole story

The Truckee Chamber of Commerce has partnered with FlashVote to reach large numbers of citizens so they can easily give input.

Local residents, second homeowners, incoming commuters and visitors who have one minute a month to participate may sign up online for Truckee surveys. All surveys are designed to be one minute or less and the results of each survey are shared with participants. Surveys are live for two days, take about one minute, and can be completed via mobile phone.
 
“The Quality of Life Surveys will establish a baseline for 2018, to be measured again annually in order to identify trends that we need to carefully pay attention to. Questions include such concepts as optimism, work situation, and hope for the future in ways that have never been measured before in Truckee,” said Colleen Dalton, brand communications director for Truckee Chamber, said in a press release.

The three Truckee Quality of Life survey themes are live, work and play, reflecting Truckee’s core values (healthy lifestyle, community minded, natural beauty, family friendly, history, art and culture) as measured in the 2016 Truckee Tomorrow Phase I, Place Based Marketing Initiative.

Truckee River Winery’s 2018 Wine n’ Ice will take place March 7.

It will benefit the Truckee River Watershed Foundation, a local nonprofit that “identifies, coordinates, funds and implements restoration, prevention and monitoring projects directly related to the health, beauty, and economy of the watershed.” 

Ten competitors will be given the chance to sculpt 300 pound blocks of ice into sculptures.This year’s carving competition will be centered around the Truckee River Watershed Council’s new motto “foriver.” The top three contestants will win an assortment of prizes.

Registration is a $50 donation to the Banovich Memorial Fund. Truckee River Winery will be purchasing all ice blocks. Participants must be 18 and provide their carving tools. 

Registration ends Feb. 23.

By Noah Bond, KOLO-TV

Did you know one of the snowboard makers recognized as best in the world is in Northern Nevada? Online professional magazines consistently rank Smokin Snowboards at the top.

The snowboard making company has earned awards like “best park board.”

The company started because of one man who moved from the East Coast to snowboard.

“I moved out to Lake Tahoe in 1990. I was one of the first pro riders to move out west and that’s what got me into snowboarding,” said President and CEO of Smokin Snowboards Jay Quintin.

Read the whole story

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard

One of the most successful snowboard teams in the world will bring a star-studded lineup to PyeongChang, South Korea. Following final selection events this past weekend, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the selection of 26 athletes who will compete at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Included on the 2018 U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team is two-time gold medalist Shaun White (Carlsbad), three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, Vt.), and Sochi gold medalist Jamie Anderson (Meyers). The selections will be confirmed by the United States Olympic Committee when it formally names Team USA this Friday.

“The 2018 U.S. snowboarding team is led by three of the best snowboarders of all time in Shaun White, Kelly Clark and Jamie Anderson. Add in some of the best young talent in the world with Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, Ben Ferguson, Chris Corning and Hailey Langland, and we have the best U.S. team we have ever had,” Mike Jankowski, halfpipe, slopestyle and big air head coach, said.

Snowboardcross and parallel giant slalom athletes qualified from select World Cups this past season. Halfpipe and slopestyle athletes qualified through a process that included the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Dew Tour, with the team being recognized after last weekend’s finale.

The PyeongChang Opening Ceremony is set for Feb. 9. The U.S. Olympic snowboarding team will have its first competition on Feb. 10 with men’s slopestyle qualifiers.

• Team facts:
  17-year-old Chloe Kim, who has Korean parentage, will be looking for her first Olympic gold medal. She is a three-time X Games gold medalist.
• White will be returning to his fourth Olympic Games. He has gold medals from Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010.
• Anderson will be looking to defend her gold medal from Sochi 2014.
• Kelly Clark will be looking for her second Olympic gold, and her fourth overall Olympic medal. Clark will be attending her fifth Olympics.
• New to the Olympics, with six combined X Games medals, Julia Marino and Hailey Langland will be looking for their first Olympic podiums.
• 17-year-old Red Gerard will be heading to his first Olympics as one of the youngest athletes in PyeongChang. The only younger athlete on the U.S. snowboarding team is Hailey Langland.
• The most decorated snowboardcross athlete and snowboarder in history, Lindsey Jacobellis, looks to add more Olympic medals to her collection, having won silver in 2006.
• Nick Baumgartner has a podium from the Olympic test event in Korea and is a solid medal contender. He battled back from injury this season and made the big final in the last selection event, showing his speed is increasing as the Games approach.

2018 Olympic snowboard team
Men’s snowboard slopestyle/big air
Chris Corning, Silverthorne, Colo.
Redmond Gerard, Silverthorne, Colo.
Kyle Mack, West Bloomfield, Mich.
Ryan Stassel, Anchorage
 
Women’s snowboard slopestyle/big air
Jamie Anderson, Meyers
Jessika Jenson, Rigby, Idaho
Julia Marino, Westport, Conn.
Hailey Langland, San Clemente

Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Ben Ferguson, Bend, Ore.
Chase Josey, Hailey, Idaho
Jake Pates, Eagle, Colo.
Shaun White, Carlsbad

Women’s snowboard halfpipe
Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, Vt.
Arielle Gold, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Chloe Kim, Torrance
Maddie Mastro, Wrightwood

Men’s snowboardcross
Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, Mich.
Jonathan Cheever, Saugus, Mass.
Mick Dierdorff, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Hagan Kearney, Telluride, Colo.
 
Women’s snowboardcross
Lindsey Jacobellis, Roxbury, Conn.
Faye Gulini, Salt Lake City
Meghan Tierney, Edwards, Colo.
Rosie Mancari, Anchorage

Men’s parallel giant slalom
Aaron Muss, Rumson, N.J.
Michael Trapp, Hyannis, Mass.   

Publisher’s note: This is in response to Joshua Priou’s letter.

Mr. Joshua Priou:

I have done my research and I am well aware of the regulations which I will cite point for point later in my reply.  You mention the visit this past weekend, which we both agree met the letter of the regulations with the exception that 11 people self-reported having stayed at this home. How do I know? I spoke with both the bus driver and those leaving your property on Sunday. They reported having been a group from a Bay Area college dorm that had been delivered to multiple homes throughout South Lake Tahoe. Also, we agree that they were well behaved and generally one of the better groups.

What you neglect to include are previous visits that were not so wonderful. During past visits we have seen six to eight cars, boats in the street and 15 or more people arriving and disappearing into the house. We have seen maid visits last overnight and garbage left out for bears. None of which we have reported because we have tried to be good neighbors and respect the rights of the owners of the house. During the past New Year holiday we saw greater than 15 college kids arrive in eight cars. They arrived ahead of their chaperone and relieved themselves in the woods adjacent to the house. We warned your guests in person to follow the guidelines posted or they would be fined. We called the owner who I believe contacted you to ensure they were meeting the requirements cited and posted in their agreement. We did our best to ensure your business was not subjected to fines and adversely affected due to the actions of your guests. Rest assured, I will no longer fail to report violations.

Your description of the ideal vacation home paints a rosy if inaccurate picture. If you bother to read my letter to the City Council you would note that at no point did I suggest any law or regulation was broken. This is why I wrote them in the first place. You describe my letter as having incited an uproar while every other comment I have received has been complimentary in the restraint I applied to this same letter and the “tone” being balanced. I suggest this issue has been simmering in our local community and my letter expressed the same frustration that many others are feeling. Our neighborhoods are being invaded. You can paint this experience any way you like including stating that these massive custom homes are raising our home values and bringing business to our town among other positive implications. What you fail to recognize is that this has become an ever increasing invasion of where real people live.

You cited the regulations ,so let’s go through them:

1. All costs associated with responding to the VHR are covered by VHR fees. The city collects over $700,000 from VHR permit fees. These fees pay for enforcement officers, police, staff, city manager and city attorney. The city has been keeping track of these funds and they always have an overage.

You say this covers the full costs. I may be wrong but I would be surprised if a full accounting of the costs to our town are truly covered by I will accept that I may be wrong on this point.

2. Clean Tahoe is a nonprofit and does respond to all trash issues within the city limits, not just VHRs. There are fines associated with a trash violation that would be charged to the home owner to pay for their services.

My comments to the city suggested the Clean Tahoe program receive funding to pick up excess garbage that is left in the street so that it would not be left out until garbage day (Thursday in our neighborhood) and thus preventing your property from being fined.

3. There are five dedicated enforcement officers that are paid by VHR permit fees to patrol and respond to neighbor complaints. At this time there is an average of about one call per day to this enforcement team. Not sure if it is necessary to have five of them; the city is looking at this on a trial basis right now.

I agree that five dedicated enforcement officers is excessive. If management agents were consistent in inspecting their properties to ensure their guests were meeting the stated requirements, fewer police would be required and you would be charged less. In the motel industry, guests are directly observed entering and leaving their rooms.  VHR guests arrive without anyone present from the management agent to ensure they are within their agreed limits in the number of guests or vehicles. It is up to the local population adjacent to your business to report when your customers are not complying with your requirements.

4. The management agent or owners are held accountable to inspect their VHRs and ensure they are meeting current guidelines. The home owner pays a fee to the city to send a building inspector to the home for safety concerns.

As I stated in my previous comments, rarely is there a representative from the management agent onsite ensuring that their guests are complying with their requirements. Only if the neighbors report an issue does anyone know if your limits are being met.

5. There is a process for residents to contest an existing VHR license. Since 2015, the city required a zoning administration hearing to allow residents to protest a new VHR application. The city provided this hearing at an extraordinary cost to the home owner. It has since been proven to be an unsuccessful program. Now, if a VHR creates three permit violations within a 24-month period, their license will be revoked and they will not be able to operate as a vacation rental any longer. These violations can be a public disturbance, noise, trash, parking, and over occupancy issues.

As I stated in my letter, there are no other options for local residence to contest a VHR for issues not covered in the three strikes or initial contracting phase. The home across the street became a VHR with no notice to the local residents. Most residents do not know a VHR is being set up until the signs go up and the visitors arrive.

I have tried to be fair in my comments. I believe there is room in our town for both local home owners and VHRs as there has been in the past. The explosion in the popularity of VHRs over our well used hotels and motels has caused these issues. It is this very success that has brought these problems. It is fair for local home owners to insist that VHR owners and management agents take responsibility for their guests. It is reasonable to want owners and/or management agents at least be present when their guests arrive to ensure their own restrictions are being followed.  It is in your interest and it is in the interest of the residents whose neighborhood you are operating in.

Sincerely,

Scott Ramirez, South Lake Tahoe

El Dorado County sheriff’s officials are hosting community meetings throughout the county – except in the Lake Tahoe Basin — to enlighten people about the multimillion dollar public safety facility that will be built in Diamond Springs.

The complex is expected to cost $68 million. Of that, $11 million is coming out the county’s pockets immediately. The $57.14 million loan secured from U.S. Department of Agriculture will be paid back over 40 years with an interest rate of 2.75 percent.

A 30.7-acre parcel off Missouri Flat and Industrial roads in Placerville had already been acquired, with the main use for the sheriff’s department. Five buildings on 12 acres will be for law enforcement. Another 7 acres may become a solar farm. Development has not yet been planned for the remaining acreage.

Construction is expected to begin this spring, with completion in 2019.

Community meetings are as follows:

• Feb. 5, 6pm at the Pollock Pines Community Center, 2675 Sanders Drive, Pollock Pines
• Feb. 6, 6pm at the American Legion Hall, 4561 Greenstone Road, Placerville
• Feb. 7, 6pm at the Pioneer Park Community Center, 6740 Fair Play Road, Somerset
• Feb. 8, 6pm at the El Dorado Hills Fire Station, 1050 Wilson Blvd., El Dorado Hills
• Feb. 12, 6pm at the Pilot Hill/Cool Hall, 1701 Highway 193, Cool.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe Community College no longer has a full time theater arts instructor.

The college board earlier this month accepted the resignation of Susan Boulanger.

In an email to college faculty on Jan. 15, Boulanger wrote, “You know by now that I have decided to leave LTCC. I have given it a lot of thought, and I believe it is time for me to move on, to move forward. I don’t know what is next – maybe it will be in So Cal, maybe somewhere else, maybe even Tahoe! I’m open to opportunities and trust that God is going to open the right doors for me.”

Susan Boulanger

Boulanger’s job has been tenuous ever since October 2016 when it became public that the college was thinking of disbanding the department. Public outcry and a community task force salvaged the department. The result included drastic changes to course offerings and the number of theater productions reduced from three to one.

Adjunct faculty are taking over the courses Boulanger was slated to teach this quarter.

The spring production – the only performance the college was to have put on this academic year – will be overseen by Dave Hamilton, Boulanger’s predecessor before she was hired in 2009. It is going to be a series of four one-act plays.

“It is well documented we were having challenges with demand in our theater program,” LTCC President Jeff DeFranco told Lake Tahoe News.

Part of this was related to enrollment, part because of how the state a few years back changed how many times a person could take the same class.

DeFranco said the college does not intend to replace Boulanger. While it’s possible current faculty could teach one of her classes, adjunct instructors are likely to fill the void. He said the college is committed to continuing to offer for credit classes, putting on one production a year, and partnering with the community so the theater is used more often. Examples of the latter include Valhalla staging a play at LTCC last fall and the “Vagina Monologues” coming in February for two nights.

The college looks to fill full time positions based on need instead of filling a vacancy with the same type of instructor. That is why the theater position is going by the wayside.

Last fall the board agreed to hire a full time wilderness education instructor. The hope is that position will be filled in late spring, with the person able to begin teaching in the summer.

There are more students on the wait list for wilderness classes than all other departments combined. That is reason alone to add staff. Plus, a full time person will be able to grow the department through additional classes.

“If we want to be a premier destination community college, let’s move into that direction and provide true destination programs,” DeFranco said. “We are trying to do more things to bring students to campus.”

To that end, the board on Jan. 23 approved expanding the international program to attract more foreign students, as well as an outreach coordinator position.

A reason to target international students is per their visa they must take three in person classes per quarter. This greatly boosts enrollment.

The outreach person will be a recruiter of sorts as well as a liaison to local high schools.

Also on Tuesday night the board approved adding a full time political science/history instructor. That position has been vacant for two years.

Other staff changes include:

·      Director of Institutional Effectiveness Jeremy Brown’s last day was Jan. 12.

·      Systems Administrator Bill King retired at the end of December.

·      Instructional Dean Michelle Sower is scheduled to be on sabbatical in February and March.

·      Faculty members Scott Lukas and Sara Pierce will be taking on the role of faculty on special assignment to help fill the leadership gaps on a temporary basis.

·      Recruitment is under way for the director of Institutional Effectiveness.

·      The administrative assistant to the dean’s position is vacant.

·      A program coordinator for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning is being sought; this is a grant-funded position.

Publisher’s note: This is in response to Scott Ramirez’s letter.

Dear Mr. Ramirez,

Joshua Priou

My name is Joshua Priou and I manage the property that is located directly across the street from you, I have been the sole property manager since it became a vacation home rental in 2012.  After reading your article I became quite saddened to hear of your concerns and I felt it was necessary to clarify and shed some light on your comments.

·       The home was built in 2007 by a builder who chose to have his family live there. It only became a vacation rental after the new buyer purchased the home in 2011.  It was not designed to house as many people as possible. On the contrary, it is only a three-bedroom home that can only house 10 occupants. 

·       Not that I necessarily agree with a chartered bus arriving in your neighborhood, in this situation it was the right thing to do. These guests actually booked five houses with our company, your neighbor being one of them. It was a youth group that was chaperoned, and the chartered bus was ideal to avoid parking issues. They only used the bus to drop off on Friday evening and pick up on Sunday morning. It is my understanding that these guests did not over occupy the home, did not create any unreasonable noise, there were no trash issues, and obviously there were no parking problems. The group also paid $964.44 in transient occupancy taxes to the city of South Lake Tahoe.

·       I will comment that I am happy to hear you state “the owners are nice people” and “most of the visitors mind their manners.” But the front of your house has not become a bus stop. Rather, they parked across the street and only for a moment. I presume you will never find a chartered bus arriving at that home again.

·       Under the current city of South Lake Tahoe VHR Ordinance Section 3.50.440 Conditions of Operations, Sub-Section O: “Parking of Commercial vehicle(s) on a vacation home property, except temporarily for durations of less than four hours, shall be prohibited.” The code states that a chartered bus dropping off and picking up a youth group is perfectly acceptable and not a violation of the VHR Ordinance.

·       In 2017, this home only booked 70 nights of vacation rental guests. That means that 295 days of the year or 81 percent of the time, that home remained empty. I would think that your peace is overwhelming since you basically have an empty house across the street from you.

·       Lake Tahoe Accommodations are great stewards in bringing good guests and nice families to our tourist destination but we only hear of all the negativity about vacation rentals. Based on stats from the city of South Lake Tahoe, 99 percent-plus of all vacation rental reservations do not cause any problems. Instead of hearing from the upset neighbors and the minor problems they are seeing let’s hear what some of the guests that have stayed at this home have said about visiting Lake Tahoe and enjoying it in a vacation rental.

Kathy R – Hercules, CA
07/12/2017
My family had a wonderful time. The house was great! I have been coming to Lake Tahoe since I was little, the house was in an area where I had never stayed. The area was great also, nice and quiet and great for taking walks in the evening time.

Veronica A – Salinas, CA
03/01/2016
This place is beautiful! Better than I expected great location only 15 minute drive to the casinos. We were there for 3 nights and I wish I could of been there longer. The home looks like new with beautiful ceilings and so much detail the floors are heated such a clean place. The rooms were perfect and the beds were so comfortable and cozy. We totally took advantage of the huge kitchen it had all the appliances you need. We enjoyed cooking there and saved a lot of money. I also was able to do a load of laundry they even have detergent for you. They provide the towels, toilet paper, and had enough house cleaning supplies. My kids had a blast in the backyard there was snow we also took a walk down the street there is an area that looks like a forest so it was exciting. Customer service was great very helpful and polite. We rented snowmobiles at a reasonable price $65 for two and 1/2 hour we had fun! I would totally recommend this home and there is nothing bad I can say except I’m never staying at a hotel from now on… I can’t wait to go back! By the way we went to the oyster bar at the Hard Rock Cafe for those who love oysters.

Morgan D – Turlock, CA
01/17/2015
Our stay at his location was by far a wonderful experience ! My family and I couldn’t have been happier to have chosen this cabin. It met all our needs which made our weekend trip so enjoyable. We loved it so much we are already planning our next trip and def booking this cabin again. I would def recommend this cabin for others to book, and thanks so much to Lake Tahoe Accommodations for your service.

Lorena V – San Pablo, CA
04/02/2014
This cabin was the best it was so beautiful. Very clean. the kitchen was well equipped with everything we needed. No need to worry about anything. The cabin was a great size for a big family. We are already planning are next trip. Also the people at Lake Tahoe Accommodations are very nice and helpful check in and check out. Was very easy, great trip we will be back.

You offered solutions to the VHR dilemma you are facing. I need to clarify:

1.     All costs associated with responding to the VHR are covered by VHR fees. The city collects over $700,000 from VHR permit fees. These fees pay for enforcement officers, police, staff, city manager and city attorney. The city has been keeping track of these funds and they always have an overage.

2.     Clean Tahoe is a nonprofit and do respond to all trash issues within the city limits, not just VHRs. There are fines associated with a trash violation that would be charged to the home owner to pay for their services.

3.     There are five dedicated enforcement officers that are paid by VHR permit fees to patrol and respond to neighbor complaints. At this time there is an average of about one call per day to this enforcement team. Not sure if it is necessary to have five of them, the city is looking at this on a trial basis right now.

4.     The management agent or owners are held accountable to inspect their VHRs and ensure they are meeting current guidelines. The home owner pays a fee to the city to send a building inspector to the home for safety concerns. 

5.     There is a process for residents to contest an existing VHR license. Since 2015, the city required a zoning administration hearing to allow residents to protest a new VHR application. The city provided this hearing at an extraordinary cost to the home owner. It has since been proven to be an unsuccessful program. Now, if a VHR creates three permit violations within a 24-month period, their license will be revoked and they will not be able to operate as a vacation rental any longer. These violations can be a public disturbance, noise, trash, parking, and over occupancy issues. 

Mr. Ramirez, I am not sure of what your intentions were when you posted this letter to social media and then onto the local papers, but I would think it would be wise to research the information before writing about things you are unaware. I am sorry a bus pulled into your neighborhood for a short time to drop off and pick up chaperoned youth, but this letter has only sparked outrage in the community. Your findings are incomplete and unfounded as actual issues. Maybe it would be wise for you to make your voice heard in public hearings and with the City Council rather than hiding behind social media. Or schedule a meeting with me so that we can discuss our management program, explain how we have your neighborhood’s best interest in mind, and allow you to discuss your concerns of having a vacation rental across the street.

Joshua Priou, director of product development Lake Tahoe Accommodations