By Kathryn Reed

The lack of bullet proof glass in the lobby of the South Lake Tahoe jail as well as in the administrative office of the juvenile treatment center are a concern.

The adult facility had a full body scanner that was inoperable for more than a year. The youth facility doesn’t have one.

The lack of bullet proof glass separating visitors and inmates was another red flag.

The culinary program at the South Lake Tahoe jail received praise. Photos/LTN file

These were some of the findings in the El Dorado County Grand Jury report that was recently released.

The civil grand jury each year looks into a variety of issues that are usually driven by citizen complaints. The jails, though, are always on the inspection list. The grand jury operates July 1-June 30.

While there have been no deaths at either South Lake Tahoe facility since the last inspection, two adult inmates tried to commit suicide and one juvenile.

“Ninety percent of inmates currently incarcerated at the SLT Jail are housed on felony charges. Twenty-five percent are there as a result of Assembly Bill 109 which is the Public Safety Realignment Bill. This resulted in some inmates who had been incarcerated within California’s State Prison system serving their time in county jails throughout the state,” the report says. “Inmates received under AB109 pose a hardship for the general population of the jail. These inmates are often hardened offenders, gang members, and/or more violent, and are housed in county jail for longer than the 12-month maximum prior to AB109. Many inmates contained within the jail system have mental health problems but they are not segregated unless a safety and/or behavioral issue arises.”

The jail continues to have a difficult time retaining people, with 10 open positions.

Another safety concern is that the cameras in the gym area don’t work. The South Tahoe jail only has an indoor gym because of weather. Inmates may exercise for one hour at a time, two to three times week.

At the juvenile center there is an indoor exercise room, but because it doesn’t have heat or insulation it cannot be used year-round. An outdoor facility is also available.

The adult facility is aging and looks like it even though the maintenance log doesn’t capture all the needs, according to the grand jury.

While the culinary program received high praise, that is the lone vocational offering.

“Lack of vocational programs does not serve the rehabilitation needs of the inmates. Availability of additional vocational training programs could lessen the chances that an inmate will re-offend upon release,” the report says.

The sheriff and county as a whole have until Aug. 15 to respond in writing.

It was noted by this grand jury that Sheriff John D’Agostini never responded to the 2015-16 grand jury report.

By Joanne Marchetta, Darcie Goodman Collins, and Jan Brisco

School is out and summer is in full swing at Lake Tahoe. Visitors and residents are heading to beaches and launching boats, kayaks, and standup paddleboards to get out and enjoy the jewel of the Sierra. Millions of people visit Tahoe each year and the shoreline is where they go to experience its famously cold, clear, blue water.

Tahoe’s shoreline has been a thorny area for planning in the past, riddled by disagreements and litigation. It is an important planning area, however, one that sees the intersection of challenges associated with recreation access and protection of the environment and scenic natural beauty. When the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency updated the Regional Plan for the basin in 2012, we focused on our town centers. One area long unaddressed is the shoreline. Now we’re taking on this challenge with a new approach.

A collaborative planning process is under way linking together the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and more than a dozen public, private, and nonprofit partners. We are working together to create a new Shoreline Plan for Lake Tahoe. We reached a milestone in that process this July, releasing draft policy proposals and announcing the start of a draft environmental review for the plan.

We have much more work to do and this planning process is far from over. But the draft policy proposals recommended by our shoreline steering committee are a sign that our collaborative and inclusive approach is working this time around.

The shoreline steering committee represents a broad array of stakeholders, including League to Save Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association, Lake Tahoe Marina Association, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, California State Lands Commission, Nevada Division of State Lands, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

For the past year, we’ve been working to engage the public and navigate through some very difficult planning issues to come up with broadly supported shoreline policies that can enhance recreation access, improve the environment, and protect the scenic beauty of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. This has been a difficult balancing act for many different interests at Lake Tahoe. But it also represents a major opportunity to find areas of agreement and compromise and build partnerships that benefit the health of Lake Tahoe and our communities.

Draft policy proposals released this July would authorize a limited number of new piers, taking an approach that meters out development by defined areas around the lake and scenic sensitivity. Applications for piers that serve multiple property owners or retire future development potential would be prioritized.

The proposals would also authorize lakefront properties and homeowner associations to apply for new buoys; authorize two new public boat ramps; and encourage public access at Lake Tahoe’s 14 marinas, which could more easily upgrade their facilities after they have a certified “clean marina” program, an aquatic invasive species management plan, or bundle other environmental improvements into their project design.

We are working together diligently to balance the need for enhanced recreation access for both motorized and non-motorized watercraft with the need for environmental improvements and the need for protections for the world-renowned beauty of Lake Tahoe’s scenic shoreline.

We are also working to create a system of shoreline structures and access that can function during low lake levels with minimal disruption. Five years of drought left many piers and boat ramps high and dry at Lake Tahoe, and some marinas unable to function.

We are now asking people to review these preliminary shoreline proposals, weigh in with ideas and questions, and submit comments to help frame the scope for an environmental analysis of the Shoreline Plan and various alternatives that will be prepared and finalized over the next year. People can do all those things by visiting the website. And if your community group or homeowner association would like an in-person update on this shoreline planning initiative, more information about policy proposals or how to get involved, just email the planners identified as points of contact on the website.

While our shoreline steering committee and the public have reached a major milestone in this planning initiative this July, we have much more to do.

By continuing to collaborate and work together and bring our best ideas to the table in a spirit of partnership, we can and will develop a Shoreline Plan that improves the environment, protects the beautiful scenery of Lake Tahoe, and lets all lake enthusiasts enjoy this national treasure we all cherish.

Joanne Marchetta is executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; Darcie Goodman Collins is the executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe; and Jan Brisco is the executive director of the Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association.

By Tom McGhee, Denver Post

A Congressional committee vote on Tuesday amounts to a death warrant for the mustangs and wild burros that roam America’s range land, an advocate for the animals said.

The House Appropriations Committee voted to reverse a ban on destroying healthy wild horses and burros that was contained in a spending bill signed into law by President Trump in early May.

“Let’s be clear: House Appropriations Committee members just signed a death warrant for America’s mustangs and it will lead to the wholesale destruction of these irreplaceable national treasures,” said Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Campaign in a news release.

Read the whole story

By Joe Coscarelli, New York Times

Chester Bennington, the ferocious lead singer for the platinum-selling hard rock band Linkin Park, was found dead in his home near Los Angeles on Thursday. He was 41.

Brian Elias, the chief of operations for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, confirmed the death, in Palos Verdes Estates, and said it was being investigated as a possible suicide after law enforcement authorities responded to a call shortly after 9am.

Bennington, who was known for his piercing scream and free-flowing anguish, released seven albums with Linkin Park. The most recent, “One More Light,” arrived in May and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The band was scheduled to start a tour with a concert on July 27 in Mansfield, Mass.

Linkin Park was supposed to start its tour in a week, with a stop scheduled for Sept. 1 at Harveys in Lake Tahoe.

Read the whole story

By Yvonne Gonzalez, Las Vegas Sun

Term limits have helped make the Nevada Legislature more diverse in the almost 20 years since they were implemented, though the higher turnover has come with some costs.

Experts say term limits have brought in new faces but reduced institutional knowledge as veteran lawmakers are pushed out. They say lobbyists have more power and the Legislative Counsel Bureau is even more vital both in educating new lawmakers and keeping the legislative process moving.

Voters decided in the 1990s to limit lawmakers to 12 years (six terms) in the Assembly and 12 years (three terms) in the Senate.

Read the whole story

By David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee

The historic 129-acre Shakespeare Ranch on the shores of Lake Tahoe is for sale at a listed price of $69 million.

It’s only the third time in history the ranch has been on the market, according to Oliver Luxury Real Estate, which has listed the Glenbrook property along with Christie’s International Realty.

The listing is the latest in a number of high-priced Lake Tahoe luxury homes hitting the market. A Lake Tahoe mansion in Crystal Bay is listed for a record $75 million, the Drum estate sold for $29 million, and an Incline Village property once owned by casino mogul sold for $31 million.

Read the whole story

·       SciFi-Fantasy Con will be at the Lake Tahoe Hard Rock Sept. 29-Oct. 1.

·      Noam Pikelny, three-time Grammy nominated artist, founding member of Punch Brothers and member of Leftover Salmon, will be at The Loft in South Lake Tahoe on Nov. 18 at 9pm.

·      The International Camel & Ostrich Races are Sept. 8-10 at the Virginia City Arena and Fairgrounds. For tickets and more info, go online.

·     South Lake Tahoe Friends of the Library book sale is July 22 from 110am-3pm, with members getting in an hour earlier. Membership is $10.  A grocery bag full of books is $15 or make an offer for just a few. Mo’Betta Blues Band will be playing on the lawn from 11am-1pm.

·     Jerry Blackwill will give a free history talk July 22 at Donner Memorial State Park. Doors open at 5pm and the program begins at 5:30pm. Blackwill is the vice president of strategic planning for the Truckee Donner Railroad society and board president of the Sierra State Parks Foundation. A $5 donation is suggested.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and Heavenly Mountain Resort are putting on  Hike with a Ranger programs this summer. 

Hikes will take place every Friday and Saturday at 11am and 1pm at the top of the Heavenly gondola. The guided hike is approximately one hour and will continue every weekend through Sept. 2.

Hikes are moderate in terms of difficulty. Closed toed shoes and drinking water are required for attendance along with a ticket to ride the gondola. No reservations are required and attendance is on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

Meet the Forest Service ranger at the top of the gondola.

This program aims to provide an enjoyable outdoor opportunity to learn more about the Lake Tahoe environment. Rangers cover a variety of natural history topics.

For more information, contact Megan Dee at 530.543.2618 or email mldee@fs.fed.us.

By Carolyn Wilke, Sacramento Bee

Californians have been bracing themselves for a drier future accompanying a warming climate. But research by scientists at the University of California, Riverside, suggests that the state may actually get wetter in the event of severe climate change.

The study, published July 6 in Nature Communications, reports that more years in the state could look like El Niño ones, when California typically has wetter winters.

The authors found that average annual precipitation in California could increase by about 12 percent if nothing is done to curb carbon emissions. Average precipitation in the winter could increase by as much as 30 percent. A wetter climate, however, might not offset the overwhelmingly negative effects of a warming climate.

Read the whole story

The Tahoe Fund has started a campaign to raise $36,000 to support a project designed by UC Davis scientists to improve forest health in the basin. 

Because of drought and bark beetle infestations, tree mortality more than doubled from 35,000 in 2015 to 72,000 in 2016.

Tahoe Fund is partnering with scientists at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center to help repopulate the hardest hit areas along the North Shore with native sugar pine trees.

Scientists at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center plan to collect seeds from more than 100 different sugar pine trees around Tahoe. Over the course of the next year they will grow these seeds into 10,000 seedlings that can be planted in areas with the greatest mortality rates. The 10,000 seedlings will be distributed to public agencies to be planted along the North Shore in both California and Nevada. The program also includes distribution of thousands of seedlings to private homeowners who have experienced tree loss.  

The Sugar Pine Reforestation Project is one of the Tahoe Fund’s Signature Projects for 2017.  The campaign goal for this project is $36,000. Donations in support of this and other environmental improvement projects around the lake can be made online.