To the community,

Save Our County, Residents Involved in Positive Planning, and the Shingle Springs Community Alliance would like to thank the voters of El Dorado County for the adoption of Measure E. Measure E retains a new and improved 1998 Measure Y while sending a clear message that projects which create gridlock on our roads will not be tolerated.

Measure G lost by a slim margin, informing the Board of Supervisors that it is not just a “small” group of residents that want our resources, rural character, and quality of life protected, as promised in the voter-approved 2004 General Plan.

The “no” campaign by Parker Development, the Farm Bureau, Alliance for Responsible Planning, and the Winery Association promised to protect our open space, farms, wineries, rural economy, local jobs, worms, water, roads, rural quality of life, schools, public safety, fire protection, small businesses, our children, and seniors.

In light of those campaign promises we would expect to find common ground with the opposing groups when we ask the Board of Supervisors to stop ruling in favor of projects that violate our General Plan. Rather than wasting public and private resources by forcing lawsuits, the supervisors should stand with the people of El Dorado County in demanding that the required policies that protect our historical, cultural, agricultural, recreational, and natural resources finally be put in place.

We would like to express a special appreciation to the many individuals, business owners, farmers, and ranchers who have spent their time and energy to spread the word about the importance of protecting our rural quality of life.

Additionally, thank you to the many community groups that supported our shared cause, including Citizens for Sensible Development in El Dorado Hills, Friends of Historic Hangtown, Georgetown Preservation Society, our friends in Meyers, and especially Rural Communities United (RCU).

When the current Board of Supervisors recently overhauled our General Plan and Zoning Ordinance to favor higher-density, urban-type development, RCU was quick to take the lead in a lawsuit designed to stop the county from its abuse of “discretionary” power. We encourage everyone to support RCU with donations to fund the lawsuit that will further restore the voter-approved 2004 General Plan.

Supplemental information can be found at this website.

Sue Taylor, Save Our County

Crews had to call off the search Friday for a missing paddleboarder at Lake Tahoe because of darkness.

The paddleboarder was last seen June 10 about 3:20pm several hundred yards from Obexer’s Boat Company in Homewood.

According to North Tahoe Fire Protection District, the person was with a group, but got separated in the rough water.

The National Weather Service in Reno had issued a lake wind advisory for Friday. White caps were the norm. Wind gusts at times reached 40 mph.

Dive teams and helicopters assisted with the search.

Details about the missing person have not been disclosed.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Placer County planning commissioners on June 9 took no action regarding the Martis Valley West project, saying there are too many lingering questions to make a recommendation.

More than 200 people attended the six-hour meeting at Granlibakken in Tahoe City.

The issue will be heard again at a future meeting at the lake, though no date was give.

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. However, the development is close to Tahoe, near Brockway Summit. The Martis Valley West plan would transfer residential and commercial uses from the east parcel to the west parcel. A high-end resort style campground is proposed for the Tahoe side of the ridgeline immediately adjacent to the west parcel.

Most of the public who spoke opposed the project.

Traffic on Highway 267, fire safety and the ability to evacuate and potential impacts to Lake Tahoe were the commissioners main concerns.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Officials with the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are warning people to be extra cautious while engaging in activities that could start a wildfire.

Weather conditions have been changing in the past couple of weeks with consistently higher temperatures and decreased humidity levels, resulting in drier vegetation that is more prone to the spread of wildfire.

This is especially true for people engaging in target shooting on public lands. Numerous wildfires have been started by target shooting in past years in many Western states including Nevada. Many of those fires could have been prevented or stopped had the shooters been prepared or refrained from shooting during hot, dry and windy conditions.

Here are a few target shooting safety tips:

·       While shooting, have a 5-gallon bucket of water or 2.5-pound fully charged fire extinguisher readily available to put out a fire.

·       Bring a shovel. Use the shovel to dig a trench around targets before shooting to ensure that any fire caused by sparks can be easily contained.

·       Shoot at quality steel targets designed to minimize risks to both the shooter and environment. Refrain from shooting steel targets during hot, dry, and windy conditions.

·       Place targets on dirt or gravel areas clear of vegetation. Placing a target in dry grass increases the risk of fire.

·       Do not shoot trash and remove spent cartridges. Trash like old couches and TVs can often be found illegally dumped on public lands, but can be dangerous fire hazards when shot.

·       All types of ammunition can start fires under the right conditions. To avoid a chance of sparking, do not use solid copper, steel-core, or steel-jacketed ammunition and always avoid shooting in rocky areas.

·       Fireworks, exploding targets, and incendiary or tracer ammo are prohibited on public lands.

·       Do not smoke. Even if people are following all safety precautions in regard to shooting, they can still easily start a wildfire by smoking.

·       Park vehicles away from dry grass. The hot undercarriage of a car or truck can easily create enough heat to ignite the grass.

By Lake Tahoe News

For the first time in 19 years, a World Cup event will be staged at a Lake Tahoe area ski resort.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) today awarded Squaw Valley a women’s giant slalom race on March 10, 2017, and a women’s slalom on March 11, 2017.

The athletes will compete on Red Dog, the same run women competed on in the slalom and giant slalom at the 1969 World Cup and 1960 Winter Olympics.

Julia Mancuso, whose home resort is Squaw, intends to compete. This, though, is assuming her hip that was surgically repaired this spring after a shortened race season allows her to return.

“Growing up at Squaw Valley, I have been hoping for the return of the World Cup for a long time, and now we have the chance to show the world that our Olympic legacy is very much alive,” said Olympic champion Mancuso said in a statement. “The terrain at Squaw Valley is what raised me as a skier, and I know that when my peers stand on top of the course on Red Dog they will see what competitors saw in 1960 and 1969: one of the most challenging courses in the world. So many of today’s racers have trained and competed on Red Dog in the past, and now we can see this legendary venue re-emerge onto the world stage.”

The 2014 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships were on Red Dog. Mikaela Shiffrin, the reigning Olympic slalom champion, took the giant slalom gold that year.

The terrain so impressed Shiffrin that she returned to the course last April to train with fellow athletes from the U.S. women’s team. She expects to compete in the World Cup at Squaw next year.

“Red Dog is an awesome slope. The hill itself is super challenging and fun to ski,” Shiffrin said in a statement. “The middle section has a lot of terrain variation: a break over, fall-aways, side hills, and bank turns. You have to be able to really attack the course. By the time you hit the pitch, which is one of the longest sustained pitches on the world cup besides Sölden (in Austria), you are already 45 seconds into the run and your legs are burning. Then you come over the break over and you can see the finish and your thinking ‘oh man, I’m not even close! OK here we go!’”

The Red Dog Giant slalom course begins at 7,520 feet at the top of Snow King Peak, descending 1,267 feet before the finish at 6,252 feet at the base area of Squaw Valley. The slalom course will be on the lower portion of the same course, dropping 656 vertical feet from its start on Lower Dog Leg.

The addition of Squaw in March and Killington, Vt., in November brings the number of World Cup events to 16 for the 2016-17 season, the second highest ever.

Three weekends of art festivals are planned for the South Shore starting June 17.

From pottery, jewelry, sculpture, prints, paintings, photography, wearable art and woodwork to unique handcrafted items will be available.

Dates-locations:

• Round Hill Square:  June 17-19, 212 Elks Point Road, Zephyr Cove
• Round Hill Square: June 24-26, 212 Elks Point Road, Zephyr Cove
• South Lake Tahoe Middle School: July 1-4, 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

Artist to You has been bringing these collaborative events to Lake Tahoe for more than 20 years; contributing to local nonprofits such as Kiwanis, Tahoe Art League, Christmas Cheer and American Legion.

To the community,

On June 4, community members gathered to restore and stabilize the banks of the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe as part of Restoration Day — a new annual day of environmental restoration organized by the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

“We are grateful to all of our volunteers, as well as our partners with the city of South Lake Tahoe, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the California Conservation Corps,” said Marilee Movius, the League’s community engagement manager. “It’s great to see everyone coming together to restore the natural environment of the Upper Truckee River and protect Lake Tahoe’s clarity.”

Participants in Saturday’s Restoration Day event helped protect 363 native plants along 3,650 feet of stream bank of the Upper Truckee River near Lake Tahoe Airport in South Lake Tahoe. This stretch of river has been the subject of a number of restoration efforts in recent years, including last year’s Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day. The restoration of stream bank vegetation provides habitat for wildlife and prevents erosion that clouds the water and degrades Lake clarity.

“Revegetation has been challenging during the recent drought years, and this work will enable the young native plants to become more established and able to survive on their own,” said Jason Burke, stormwater program coordinator for South Lake Tahoe. “The volunteer day also provides everyone the opportunity to get outside and check on the success of the larger effort to restore this section of the river.”

Volunteers used shovels to build berms around recently-planted wood rose plants — the extra berm will help the plants capture and retain more rainfall during the summer. Participants also applied mulch around the plants and gave them a little extra water from the river to help them make it through the drier months.

“The efforts by the volunteers on Saturday are so important. It’s vital to revisit restoration sites multiple times after the initial work to ensure that plants survive and we get the intended restoration needed to protect the environment,” said Jen Greenberg, an environmental planner with the California Tahoe Conservancy.

“The hard work by Saturday’s volunteers will help the streamside plants survive and thrive in the summer heat, which will help continue to improve the condition of this reach of the Upper Truckee River, ultimately helping to prevent erosion and keep fine sediment from making its way to Lake Tahoe,” said Zack Bradford, the League’s natural resources manager.

As a thank you for their efforts to protect Lake Tahoe, Ernie’s Coffee Shop of South Lake Tahoe provided each volunteer a voucher good for a free meal at their restaurant.

Jesse Patterson, Lake to Save Lake Tahoe deputy director

Expect traffic delays on Highway 50 on the Nevada side during the June 18 Rock Tahoe Half Marathon.

The lakeside lane of westbound Highway 50 will be closed from  the top of Spooner Summit to the bike trail at Round Hill Pines. Traffic
through Cave Rock will be intermittently stopped, allowing one-way traffic through the tunnel.

The lane closure will be in effect from 6-11am, with significant delays at Cave Rock 8-9:30am.

Kingsbury Grade is highly recommended as the preferred route.

Additionally, access into or out of the peripheral streets and driveways may be prolonged at times.

This second annual race has 2,000 runners-walkers going from Spooner Summit to the Hard Rock. Start time is 7am.

By Ben Botkin, Las Vegas Review-Journal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., doesn’t expect to see nuclear waste stored at Yucca Mountain after he retires and leaves the Senate.

Reid, the Senate minority leader, has spent years using his position to prevent the mountain 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas from becoming a nuclear waste storage site. He’s retiring when his term ends after the November election.

“I can’t imagine Yucca Mountain’s going to come back,” he said in a meeting Tuesday with members of the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The group traveled to Washington to spend the week visiting the congressional delegation and learning about public policy issues.

Read the whole story

By Jessica Calefati, San Jose Mercury News

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature’s top Democrats have agreed on a framework for a state budget that makes a generous deposit into a rainy-day savings account and sets aside close to a half-billion dollars for affordable housing, administration sources said Thursday.

Despite a Wall Street slowdown that led Brown last month to release a revised $122.2 billion general fund budget that had shrunk slightly compared to January, legislative leaders convinced him to increase spending not just for housing, but also for child care and welfare programs.

But Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon weren’t the only ones who walked away from the negotiating table happy, the sources said. Brown convinced them to support a $2 billion rainy-day fund deposit he wanted instead of fighting to spend that money on new programs or services.

Read the whole story