The last Friday of each month is the big band dance located at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.
This is open to anyone in the mood for Sinatra, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and that good ol’ big band sound.
Dance or listen to the Tahoe Dance Band from 7:30-10pm. Admission is $10/adult, $5 under 21. It includes appetizers, desserts, beverages, and a door prize ticket.
For more information, call Tara at 530.544.3626.
Taylor Graham
Bringing the power of poetry to a wider audience, El Dorado County Poet Laureate Taylor Graham will be forging a trail through the county over an eight-month stretch.
The trail will stop at a public library in each of the five supervisorial districts in the county, where Graham will be joined by special guests, local poets, and poetry out loud winners from previous years.
The event will culminate with a reading at the South Lake Tahoe Library in June. Graham has invited several poets who reside in each of the five districts to join her at their local events.
The kickoff event will be at the Placerville Library on Oct. 13 at 5:30pm. The event is free and family-friendly.
Taylor was named the inaugural El Dorado County poet laureate in April 2016. The two-year post began July 1, 2016.
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather
A continued dry spell and strengthening winds will set the stage for an enhanced risk of wildfire ignition across California into the middle of October.
Little to no rain is expected across the state through at least the second week of October. Low humidity combined with the lack of rainfall into next week will continue to dry out vegetation and add fuel for ongoing or future blazes.
“As temperatures climb and an offshore wind picks up, especially (today) and Saturday, the fire danger will remain high,” AccuWeather meteorologist Ryan Adamson said.
The TAMBA sponsored Corral Night Ride is Oct. 21.
Meet at the Corral parking area at 5:30pm. Expect to start riding about 6, and party until who knows when.
The $25 fee ($20 for members) goes toward Tahoe’s trails. There will be a barbecue supplied by Chimayó afterward. All ages welcome. Costumes encouraged.
The ride will again be a “poker ride,” meaning there will be healthy competition on who can make the best poker hand after receiving cards at each of the stops along the ride. Bonus segment up to Armstrong Connector for extra cards. Jokers wild.
For more info, email info@TAMBA.org.
· Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce’s After Five Mixer on Oct. 26 will be at Lake Tahoe AleWorX in South Lake Tahoe from 5-7:30pm. Cost is $10 for members, $20 for others.
· Bruce Seigel is now general manager Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe.
· South Lake Tahoe fire engineer Justin Keys has just been promoted to captain.
· Check out this study on CalPERS from Joe Nation with the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
· Resorts West, the manager of the Ridge Tahoe Resorts, has made management changes. Sam Slack has been named the chief operating executive for Resorts West and Resorts Investment Capital. Steven Wilhite is president of Resort Investment Capital, managing all sales and marketing aspects of the Resorts West Vacation Club memberships, and serves as project broker for the company. Kathleen Shoda, vice president and recently appointed general manager for Resorts West, is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Ridge Resorts and the on-site Resorts West profit centers.
The town of Truckee and Truckee Roundhouse are putting on a fix-it clinic on Oct. 14 from 1-4pm.
This is an opportunity to learn how to disassemble, troubleshoot, and repair household items instead of throwing them away. This is a do-it-together, community based event. Expert coaches with supplies will be available to guide people through the repair process.
Bring clothing, textiles, electronics, appliances, bikes, jewelry, and household items needing repair. All ages are welcome.
For more info, go online.
By Kathryn Reed
Better flow and access to the Stateline area for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists are major components of the proposed loop road. But with any endeavor there are consequences.
“We walk and bike a lot. The (new) highway would separate where we go,” Caroline Fallu told Lake Tahoe News.
She and her husband, Matt Asher, bought their home on Cellador Drive in South Lake Tahoe nearly three years ago. The real estate agent mentioned the loop road, but not to the extent it could impact their lives.
To get to the commercial area near the state line – be it California or Nevada – they will have to cross Highway 50 if the loop road is built. Today they have two easy routes to get to points past the casinos. In the future it will be one by vehicle.
There is no crosswalk planned to easily get them across the highway. Instead, they said, it will be a long walk or ride to do so to be legal. They suspect they’ll opt to risk crossing the busy highway in what could be an illegal manner.
TTD officials say the intersection of today’s Highway 50 and Heavenly Village Way needs help. Photos/Kahtryn Reed
Theirs is just one story of what could happen to residents if the highway were to be reconfigured.
Tahoe Transportation District is the lead agency behind wanting to take the current Highway 50 and reroute it behind Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and MontBleu, then turning the current highway in both states into a city/county street.
The hope is that it would make the casino corridor more pedestrian friendly. Plus, it would be more visually appealing. An added bonus is the affordable housing component that was added during the planning process.
The proposal is still in the environmental process, with comments on the draft environmental impact statement being addressed. The final EIS is expected to be released by the end of the year. That document would still need to be approved by the TDD and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency boards.
“I’m eager to get past the decision and get to design,” Carl Hasty, TTD leader, told Lake Tahoe News.
On Oct. 5, several dozen people attended an open house hosted by the TTD at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. The purpose was to begin discussing design components of the plan. While a definitive route has not been selected because it’s under environmental review, the assumption is the preferred alternative will be selected. It is that route that people on Thursday night were asked to comment on.
The various stations delved into specific components of the realignment. People were asked to comment about how they walk/bike in the area now and what they’d like to see in the future; where they park and where they’d like to see future parking as well as signage for it; where they access transit and where they’d like to see future routes/stops; and where they live in the area and where they’d like future housing.
For those who could not attend Thursday’s gathering, comments will be taken online starting Monday about the design components.
While the sites for future housing are not definitive, but instead place holders on a map, the district has pledged that the road work will not begin until affordable housing is built for the displaced residents. This will come when funding is secured.
Hasty said his agency is going after grants now to assist with acquisition of properties, which is expected to be the most expensive part of the project. Replacement housing would be the next step.
One attendee who was a bit verbally combative was certain those who would lose their homes or businesses would not be fairly compensated as was the case in some instances across the street at the Chateau site. A TTD rep was quick to point that was a private developer and the highway project is a public endeavor. This means fair market value will have to be paid to people. Renters will also be compensated. There are federal laws that protect people and govern agencies in these types of interactions.
By Wes Siler, Outside
Here’s the weekly reminder that the GOP is gunning for our land: a new bill introduced to Congress seeks to remove federal oversight of oil and gas drilling on public land, thereby allowing that industry to circumvent environmental regulations. It could also limit public access to that public land. The Federal Land Freedom Act does for freedom on federal lands what the Patriot Act does for patriotism.
To recap, the Republican party is conducting a war against our valuable public lands. Under the guise of states’ rights, limited government, and energy independence, they’re attempting to sell off public lands for energy development in a move that would actually reduce state revenue, irrevocably destroy our environment, and lock the public out of the places where we recreate.
Publisher’s note: This letter was read at the Oct. 3, 2017, South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting by Sharon Kerrigan Gomez, executive vice president of the South Tahoe Association of Realtors.
Good morning, Mayor Sass, esteemed members of the council and city staff. My name is Sharon Kerrigan and I represent the board of directors and more than 330 Realtor members of the South Tahoe Association of Realtors.
We are generally supportive of the items that you came to consensus on at the Sept. 5 meeting regarding bear boxes, occupancy, enforcement, violations and fines, and the elimination of a minimum home size requirement for vacation home rentals (VHRs), as well as removing the requirement for an in-person, on-site check-in meeting with VHR guests.
Sharon Kerrigan Gomez
We do have concerns, however, with the proposed restrictions to limit the number of VHRs. We have long maintained that this market will self-regulate, given the opportunity to do so. “Scares” of possible changes and restrictions result in “runs on the bank” pushing the numbers of VHR permits ever higher. The prospect of thousands more VHRs over time is highly unlikely – certainly given the high price associated with permitting, licensing, maintenance and improvements necessary to meet inspection requirements – and of course, enhanced enforcement.
We understand that our position on property rights conflicts with your views. The reality is that the ability to rent a property is a part of the bundle of rights that comes with property ownership – both on a long-term and short-term basis. With proper enforcement, VHRs will be more successfully regulated by the city. But instituting a minimum distance standard between VHRs will reduce the number over time in neighborhoods that are prime vacation spots, such as Heavenly Valley near the ski resort, and Al Tahoe as it is close to the lake, hiking trails in the meadow and two city parks – all with free public access. These are areas that would be negatively impacted by this restriction and should be allowed a higher concentration of VHRs. Hindsight is 20/20 and if we were to go back 50, 60 or 70 years to establish zoning prior to any development, these areas would be ideal candidates for tourist accommodation.
The idea of a cap is also subjective, and arbitrary, no matter what number you choose. Will there be a wait list, and if so, how will it be managed? What will the council do as the financial needs of the city increases and TOT revenues fall? The tourist core at Stateline simply does not have the units available to accommodate what will be lost by proposed restrictions, and the cost per night’s stay will be out of reach to a large number of our visitors. What about falling home values, reduced property tax revenue to the city, and other unintended consequences? We believe that remote home buyers will stop looking to purchase in South Lake Tahoe – we are already hearing about clients seeking vacation homes elsewhere – as concerns about resale value is a large factor. Reactionary, undue restrictions will come with a huge price tag to the city.
Having said this, we do fully support more and better enforcement. We attended the presentation by Host Compliance outlining new VHR management software, service and a call center with optimism! We believe the city should contract for this product and service as it will save time and work by city police dispatch, result in quicker response times and facilitate the collection and compilation of rich, robust data which may be used for future decisions by the city. We would like to see more empowered city personnel – perhaps deputized – who can fully handle complaints on site, including issuance of citations and fines. Combined, these actions should address the needs of city residents who have been disturbed by large parties or unruly guests, a very real problem which we acknowledge must be addressed. It is also very likely that going after unpermitted advertisers of short terms rentals and collecting fines could make this program pay for itself.
Finally, we understand that we have not presented alternatives to the cap and density proposals. In the end, we feel that there is no way to implement these new restrictions and still maintain the flexibility needed to ensure an ongoing, strong and vibrant tourist economy. We want South Lake Tahoe to continue to grow and provide strong employment, business opportunities – and services – for all residents – working or not. We feel city staff, City Council and community leaders are up to the challenges of making the positive changes our city needs – to address its growing pains and the problems that come with successful industry and population growth (what a great problem to have!). We’d love the opportunity to continue to be a part of developing those solutions.
Thank you for your time.
Lake Valley Fire Protection District board is in need of a member.
Bob Rossi recently resigned. His term ends in December 2018.
Applications are being accepted until Oct. 18 at 5pm. People must live in the district, be a registered voter and at least 18 years old. Applications are available at the office off Highway 89 in Meyers.
The board will have a special meeting on Oct. 19 at 6pm to interview candidates and select the person.