By Kathryn Reed

Walking up to the parish hall, that distinct smell of Thanksgiving fills the cold autumn air.

Dave digs into his apple pie at St. Theresa on Nov. 23. Photo/Kathryn Reed

About 30-people deep are bundled up outside of St. Theresa’s in South Lake Tahoe. It was an early Thanksgiving for the hundreds who came to dine this Monday night. For most, it will be their only Thanksgiving meal this week. For even more, it will be their only hot meal of the week.

Last year Bread & Broth served 250 people. This year, enough food for 400 was prepared. Before 5pm, more than 200 people had come through the doors.

Dave thinks he may have been to all 21 of the Thanksgiving dinners prepared by the nonprofit. He’s at the church hall on most Monday’s when Bread & Broth serves a free hot meal to anyone who wants it.

“A lot of people don’t realize how integral this is to our lives,” Dave said

Grace Hall becomes one big family. Photo/Kathryn Reed

as he finished his apple pie. “I don’t think the appreciation is adequate.” This he said of those who partake in the meal.

Ed pointed to Diane Weidinger across the room and said, “She does a little better than anyone else when it comes to cooking a meal.”

He talked about the “subtle nuances” of the flavors that filled his plate.

Turkey, stuffing, corn bread, a roll, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, juice, milk, coffee – it was a feast.

Tables are filled with all ages, couples, families, men and women. Some in need of food. Some wanting companionship more than a meal.

In the foyer are sweaters and other warm clothing for the taking.

Bread & Broth makes the evening special. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Mary grabbed a blanket that she was going to strap to her bike as she was about to ride in the dark to her quasi home at the Y. For now she’s with a friend, but he’s getting married soon and will be moving. She’ll be homeless again soon.

On the give-away table she looked for shoes for a homeless friend, but couldn’t find any.

She was chatting outside with Leslie. Leslie lives in a motel room near Stateline.

The two women raved about the meal and complained about the cold Tahoe night.

Hot meals are served in South Lake Tahoe for free every Monday at Grace Hall at St. Theresa Catholic Church and at Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church on Fridays. Both start at 4pm and are part of Bread & Broth.

To donate or volunteer, call Diane Weidinger at (775) 588.3993 or email dianeweidinger@yahoo.com.

By Kathryn Reed

Gobble, gobble, gobble might be what turkeys do, but it was what kindergartners at Sierra House were doing, too.

With Indian and turkey hats made of construction paper, and faces showing determination not to spill, the youngsters went from room to room filling their plates with turkey, corn bread, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Sierra House students load up their plates. Photo/Kathryn Reed

This progressive feast has been going on for a few years at this South Lake Tahoe elementary school. Each of the Preppie K and kindergarten classes cook a dish that day at school. Only the turkey is cooked off-site by adults. When the feast is ready, they go from room to room loading up on edibles before returning to their classroom to indulge in the feast.

“I don’t want any of that,” one boy said. The adult in the room said saying, “No, thank you” is the proper way to respond to not wanting something. He corrected himself.

Manners were a large part of the lesson on this Thursday before the real Thanksgiving– even if the kids didn’t know it.

Pam Matteucci made sure none of her kids started eating until everyone was seated. Those seated first were to sit quietly with their hands in their laps. Before digging in they had to say “Happy Thanksgiving” to the person seated next to them.

Brandon Leavens enjoys his Thanksgiving feast. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“I like the turkey and popcorn. I like the popcorn because it’s salted,” Holly McLaughlin said. “I like the turkey because it’s meaty and juicy and I like meat.”

Brandon Leavens had no problem finishing his pie. He said it was really good and that his mom doesn’t make pumpkin pie. Max Szajner had his pie done before anything else on his plate

And like many adult Thanksgiving plates, some of the cranberry sauce was left behind.

“It shows the spirit of Thanksgiving Day because the Native Americans and pilgrims share their food,” explained Alison Riegel, one of the teachers.

The teaching of Thanksgiving was more than just a one-day lesson plan. Place mats were made in preparation for the meal; they were laminated so they could be reused. Necklaces that the kids wore were strung with colored macaroni. Hats were created. Classrooms were decorated.

Songs about turkeys were sung – something about “gobble, gobble don’t eat me.” But no one took it literally.

Bell ringers at Valhalla. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The annual holiday fair at Valhalla near Camp Richardson on the

Artisans display their work. Photo/Kathryn Reed

South Shore of Lake Tahoe is all about showing off what local artists, crafts people, soap makers, photographers, authors have been busy working on.

The three-day event concludes Nov. 22. The Grand Hall will be open from 10am-4pm. The event is free. A shuttle will take people from the overflow lot on Highway 89 to the front door.

Like years past, holiday music is provided by various groups. It ranges from adult bell ringers to children singing.

By Kathryn Reed

Why did three councilmembers want Jacqueline Mittelstadt fired?

Why did they fight to keep Johnny Poland off the streets?

Those questions and the ones below remain unanswered.

On Nov. 11, Lake Tahoe News sent an email to the city manager of South Lake Tahoe and the five councilmembers elected to represent all of the residents of the city. A deadline of 5pm Nov. 17 was given. With the budget and union negotiations going on, some leeway was given.

However, Councilmembers Kathay Lovell, Bruce Grego and Hal Cole never responded. Those are the three who initially voted to begin dismissal hearings against then City Attorney Mittelstadt and wanted to appeal the arbitration panel’s decision that said Poland should be reinstated to the SLT Police Department.

Although the agreement between the now assistant city attorney and the city says both sides are to be silent on the issue, answering some of the questions presented would clearly not pose a breach of that agreement.

At some point the council needs to decide if the public which it represents and whose money it spends has more of a right to know what’s going on with that money and behind closed doors than a couple of employees caught in the crosshairs. Though, perhaps the silence indicates the majority’s decision. The electorate, which will have a chance to vote in three new members next November, will get its chance to speak then.

Mayor Jerry Birdwell said via email, “Thank you for your email. Your questions are good ones and I hope you will have more success getting them answered than I have. I have been asking the City Manager most of these same questions for some time now, but I get no satisfactory answers from Mr. Jinkens. The citizens of South Lake Tahoe are entitled to know how their money is being spent.

“In June I openly asked for his resignation, and at this point I think the City Manager needs to be fired because he routinely, willfully ignores requests for information for councilmembers, the public, and from reporters.”

Lake Tahoe News sent Birdwell a follow-up email asking him to answer the questions directed toward members of the council. He said he would. He never did.

I asked for all answers to be in writing. Birdwell and City Manager Dave Jinkens complied with that request. Councilman Bill Crawford left a voicemail.

Here are the questions that were sent via email to the six mentioned above and all of the answers provided:

1. How much money did the city spend on Johnny Poland:

a) Payments to him and the costs for his benefits while he was not working? Please breakdown the figures, ie, salary, health, retirement.

Crawford: “Regarding the cost of Johnny Poland’s situation, I haven’t any more information than you have on that.”

b) What back pay is owed to him? Does this include interest? If so, how much?

c) The $75,000 Jinkens mentioned in April that was spent up to that point — please breakdown where/how the money went/was used.

d) The $30,000+ the attorney was paid to fight the issue in EDC Superior Court; does that include all of her costs? Or does the city still owe her more?

e) How many hours of city staff time, including at the police department, went into the Poland case? Please break it down by department.

f) What dollar amount do those hours add up to?

Jinkens: City cost to appeal the decision of the “Hearing board” to the Superior Court on a Writ of Mandate as the date of my request to staff was $35,131.18.

Note: The legal advisor for Mr. Poland and my office agreed before proceeding with the Hearing Board referenced below that either party could appeal a decision of the Hearing Board to the Superior Court. This agreement is what was relied on when the decision was made to appeal the ruling of the Hearing Board.

There were also costs incurred by the City before the matter went to trial to settle the case outside of court through a re-entry agreement for Mr. Poland, but I do not have the specific costs for these legal services that are part of the total legal bill from LCW.

City Legal Costs Associated (LCW) with the Notice of Discipline up to and including the hearing before the Hearing Board (three member panel):

The administrative process for handling disciplinary hearings against police officers is spelled out in State law and by agreement through existing memoranda of understanding, POBR Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights), and the City’s Personnel Rules.

The process within the Department and in accordance with the rules is time consuming for all parties and costly. Whether or not a decision is ever made to appeal a disciplinary action to the Superior Court, the cost of the existing disciplinary appeal process is time consuming and expensive for all parties. The existing appeal process that is part of existing memoranda of understanding and our Personnel Rules needs to be revised, streamlined and simplified for the benefit of all parties to get a timely decision. In order to amend the City’s disciplinary and appeal process, agreement between labor and management on the specific changes must be made after meeting and conferring in good faith in accordance with State law.

Billings from Liebert, Cassidy and Whitmore (LCW), the law firm that represented the Police Department during the appeal of Mr. Poland from a decision of the Police department to terminate him from 2007 on until the time of City’s appeal to the Superior Court are estimated to be $78,210.34.

The City Manager retained the services of an independent labor attorney (Linda Tripoli) to provide independent legal advice when Mr. Poland appealed the intention of the Police Department to terminate him to the City Manager. The independent legal counsel was intended to ensure that a separate legal review was done on the facts of the appeal and Law before the City Manager rendered a decision on Mr. Poland’s appeal. The cost of these services is $6,386.16

Cost of Court Recorder (1/2 paid by City, balance paid by Mr. Poland) is $2,555.00

From the information I have to date the approximate total sum spent by the City for legal services regarding matters relating to Mr. Poland to be $122,282.68

Note: Police Department management in the past years has also used on a consultation basis the services of police labor lawyer specialist Marty Meyer who may have provided the Department with some advice during the course of the early IA, but I do not have details in this regard at this time. Such advice would now if needed be coordinated through the City Attorney.

Back Pay: The back pay calculation is currently being worked on by Finance, Human Resources, the City Attorney and Mr. Poland’s legal counsel. It should be noted that Mr. Poland has been paid administrative leave since January 2009, and that the back pay will be reduced by his W-2s for other employment during the period he was off work with the City. Mr. Welty, his legal counsel, is to provide the W-2 to the City Attorney to help to calculate the proper payment.

Staff Time: Staff in the Police department did not keep specific records on how much staff time was spent by them during the disciplinary and appeal process. I know that they spent a lot of time on the IA and during the appeal. When the matter came to my office on appeal I spent many hours during the appeal hearing and reviewing the background information and reports on the matter, but I too do not know the exact number of hours spent.

I am told that Penal Code Section 832.5 requires that every law enforcement agency in California have in place a procedure to investigate complaints against peace officers. As with certain State mandated functions the City is reimbursed for certain costs but I do not yet know what that may be in this instance. The Police Department investigator in this case performed the investigation in accordance with his normal routine duties, not overtime so there is no additional PD cost.

2. When will Poland be back with the department?

3. What steps are needed to ensure he is ready to be back on the streets?

4. What is the police department and/or the city doing to prevent something like this from happening again?

5. Regarding the city attorney issue, how much did it cost the city regarding the Jacqueline Mittelstadt issue?

a) How much compensation in terms of salary/benefits was she paid while she didn’t work? Please breakdown the expense, salary, health insurance, retirement.

b) How much staff time and therefore money did it cost the city?

c) How much did the city spend on outside legal counsel?

6. What is going on with the complaint filed by Christine Vuletich against Patrick Enright and Jacqueline Mittelstadt?

7. What is the city’s policy for handling complaints from one city employee against another?

8. Why was Mittelstadt originally hired to be city attorney and Enright assistant city attorney?

Crawford: Why was Mittelstadt city attorney in the beginning? Because it was felt, and I agreed, she would be better in the courtroom on her feet than Enright and because of his experience in redevelopment people thought he was better fitted for that, which is probably also correct.

9. At the time of hire, did the council believe Enright was qualified to be city attorney? Why or why not?

10. What makes Enright now qualified to do the job?

11. When Enright is out of the office (vacation, sick, etc.) will Mittelstadt have the “power” of city attorney or will she have to defer to the city council in order to make decisions at that level?

Crawford: I assume she would represent the City Attorney’s Office if Enright can’t make a City Council meeting. Someone should be there.

12. How did city staff and elected officials first find out about Mittelstadt’s ongoing legal issues in Southern California? And when?

13. What bearing did that knowledge have on the council’s Sept. 3 decision to proceed with dismissing Mittelstadt?

14. What happened between Sept. 3 and Nov. 3 for the majority of the council to change its mind and want to keep Mittelstadt employed?

Crawford: Mittelstadt, the turning point on that on not continuing to try to fire her was Whitmore did a very poor job in his presentation. It seemed he was deceptive and wasn’t telling the truth about the complaints. He just failed. And, also, Jacqueline’s attorney, he made Lovell look foolish when she said there was going to be a lawsuit anyways.

15. What type of background checks, reference checks, etc. were done before hiring Mittelstadt and Enright?

16. Is there a standard policy for hiring any staff member? What are those? And how do they differ for city attorney?

17. Any comments from anyone?

Crawford: One member of the City Council said (Mittelstadt) was a poor manager of office. I don’t know how you determine that after two months.

Jinkens: I hope this matter better addresses your previous questions. Due to my commitment to respond to you (Nov.20), I am providing you with the best information I have to date on this matter based on the work of staff. The handling of police disciplinary matters is time consuming and expensive. We need to ensure that those complaints against police officers are fully and completely investigated, protect the rights of police officers during the administrative process, and develop a more streamlined and less time-consuming and expensive process for the benefits of all parties.

By Susan Wood

Alarmists and the apathetic beware: one thing is clear when facing a tropical phenomenon like El Nino this winter — weather is not an exact science.

With a moderate El Nino predicted to bring average temperatures and slightly more precipitation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and “2010 Old Farmer’s Almanac” have at least agreed in forecasting a season of extremes with snowfall and rain events quickly giving way to warm and dry California conditions.

The latter has led to a three-year drought in the state and Lake Tahoe falling below its natural rim for only the seventh time in the 109 years that records have been kept. Since Oct. 1 – when the water year starts — it dropped below the 6,222-foot mark twice. This week the lake level fell almost a quarter inch.

Consecutive drought years make the need for piers obsolete at Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared this another drought year.

Even with a rare post-Columbus Day storm that drenched the region and brought the lake level up by 2.6 inches over the 120,000 acres, the drought-like conditions returned and allowed evaporation of all that water that equals 8.7 billion gallons.

These extremes have climatologists, ski resorts and even basic weather watchers scratching their heads.

“There are certainly more variables, or I should say, extremes. But it’s been that way since the ‘70s,” said Gary Barbato, the National Weather Service hydrologist stationed in Reno.

The “Almanac” reports a winter of shoveling in December and power outages in January followed by an early quick thaw at the end of February into March.

Another water official is concerned about the frequency of the dry years and the intensity of the storms when they do show up.

“Tahoe can weather one year, but it’s harder with three, and we’ve had three in a row,” California Department of Water Resources hydrologist Morris Reuss said. “We’re hoping for a fairly decent water year.”

The average rise and fall of the lake level over the year may measure 3 feet. But when the loss totals 6 or even 9 feet over a three-year period, the pressure is applied to Mother Nature to make up the difference. And when she does, it’s sometimes too much, too fast. The runoff carries debris, sediment and silt into the watersheds. This movement into Lake Tahoe presents a whole other billion-dollar problem called lake clarity.

The Western Regional Climate Center has categorized the lake level drop as “not common, but not impossible,” said Reno climatologist Kelly Redmond, who just returned from a conference in Denver highlighting the properties of drought. The roundtable discussions included the possibilities of displaced populations in an “old-style” drought similar to, but not equal to, the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

A report issued from NOAA this week noted October as having the sixth warmest global (land and ocean) surface temperature since 1880. The combined temperature measured 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average of 57.1 F.

“With climate change, we expect a drying out of the Southwest and a wetter Northwest,” Redmond said.

Redmond, a resident expert on El Nino, indicated NOAA has remained rather “noncommittal on Lake Tahoe” facing any big winter.

“It should be slightly more wet, but not by much,” he added.

To put it into perspective, El Nino is a tropical weather phenomenon that originates off the shores of South America in which sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean show a warming trend around Christmas – hence the “Christ child” Spanish name for the weather phenomenon. According to NOAA, the current El Nino has prompted ocean temperatures to rise 11 degrees Fahrenheit. This rise creates weather disturbances and storms that can slam California.

El Nino’s above average precipitation focuses on weather in the Southwest section of California, with the Lake Tahoe Basin teetering on the cusp of a rainy South and a dry Pacific Northwest.

Indeed, certain El Ninos – usually considered strong ones as in 1982-83 and 1986-87 – have produced abundant snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.

Whether it measures up to the anticipation from the scores of Tahoe die-hards who showed up in full force over the past week at Pray for Snow parties remains to be seen. “El Nino” flew off the tongues of skiers and boarders eagerly waiting winter as much as the beer, snacks and snow calls.

Either way, today’s forecast is a good start.

A winter storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service starting at 1pm and ending at 10pm Friday. Moderate to heavy snowfall measuring 8 to 16 inches along the Sierra Nevada crest above 7,000 feet and 3 to 8 inches is forecast at lake level. Near zero visibility is expected due to strong wind, which could make for hazardous driving conditions.

The calendar says winter starts Dec. 21, but Tahoe says it’s here now.

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE — The English language does not have enough adjectives to justly describe the five young women who were honored Wednesday by Soroptimist International South Lake Tahoe.

Erika Cook, Hannah Elder, Glory Pillsbury, Diku Sherpa and Kelsey Smith were recognized as Young Women of Distinction for their academic and extra curricular achievements.

All are South Tahoe High School seniors with ambitions that, if fulfilled, are likely to have a lasting impact in whatever community they live in as adults.

Standing, l-r, Diku Sherpa, Hannah Elder, Kelsey Smith; front Erika Cook and Glory Pillsbury.

“I don’t know how at such a young age these girls have accomplished so much,” Ivone Larson, STHS principal, told the more than 70 people in attendance at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

She introduced each of the women — all of whom were sitting with at least one family member — giving a synopsis of their achievements that led Soroptimist to single them out.

Larson on Cook: “Erika is not only a fun-loving outstanding student with a 4.5 gpa, she is also actively involved in a multitude of service organizations including being in the S-Club, she is the corresponding secretary in National Honor Society, she is the treasurer of the Key Club, and is the director of Student Affairs for the Associated Student Body. She has volunteered in the Lake Tahoe Marathon, the Pennies for Polio project, and the Multiple Sclerosis Walk. During high school she has received the All State Award for earning straight A’s, was nominated to attend People to People conference as well as Camp Ryla, received multiple Golden State Student Awards, is the team captain for soccer, and was most recently selected for the soccer First Team All League by the Sierra coaches.”

Larson on Elder: “Hannah participates in ALLY, a tolerance club at STHS, is president of the Friends of the South Tahoe High School Library, makes Baby Book Bags for Barton Hospital newborns through AVID, is a staff member of Bookworks, a nonprofit bookstore which generates funds for the Tahoe Family Resource Center, and is the founder and president of the Book Club at STHS. Notice a merging theme? Hannah has a 4.1 gpa and surprise — her favorite subject is English. She has applied to an interesting variety of colleges and her first choices are Stanford or Berkeley to major in Classical/Ancient Civilization.”

Larson on Pillsbury: “Glory has a 4.0 gpa and loves life sciences. She wants to become a nurse practitioner and would love to go to Africa to start her career while helping people in need. She is active in Key Club, and continues to raise funds to sponsor schools in Africa through Schools for Schools and the S Club, and raises funds to fight polio through the National Honor Society. As a Girl Scout since she was 5, Glory mentors young Girl Scouts by coordinating the activities for the Scouts on the North Shore. She has earned numerous merit badges, her favorite, of course, being the Wilderness Badge, as well as the highly prestigious Silver Award in recognition for her commitment and dedication to Girl Scout service. She has been in ASB Leadership since middle school and continues to serve on the council. She tutors other students through National Honor Society. As a result of her noted leadership, citizenship, and academics, she was sponsored by Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe to attend Camp Riley, a leadership camp that provided her a life changing experience at the end of her junior year.”

Larson on Sherpa: “Diku Sherpa left her family and friends in Nepal to join her father and brothers here in the United States when she was 14 years old. When she arrived in Lake Tahoe, Diku quickly acquired the English language, adding to her already long list of languages including Nepalese, Hindi, Sherpa and Tibetan. Due to inadequate health care providers in her native Nepal, Diku would like to attend Sonoma State University and pursue a career in nursing as she has been inspired by one of her role models, her step mother, Catherine Gaehwiler. Diku’s talents and interests vary. In high school, she has played basketball and volleyball and has participated in Generation Green, a group geared toward environmental protection, and the Key Club, which is a member of the Kiwanis International family focused on teaching leadership through serving others. Outside of school, her passion is horseback riding, playing guitar and piano. She has extensive volunteer experience including volunteering for the Lake Tahoe Marathon, participating in and volunteering for the AVID program, setting up the school assembly for Heritage Week, planting trees in the Angora Fire burn area, helping with the Christmas Dinner for Angora Fire Victims, participating in the Mystery Box program with kindergartners, and participating in the Project Learning Tree program.”

Larson on Smith: “Kelsey Smith loves to run. Whether running for fun on trails throughout Echo Summit, or working on reaching her goal of running a marathon on all seven continents, many would argue that she doesn’t run, she flies. She has won so many awards that it is hard to name them all. She received the AP Scholar Honor Award; she made the Nevada All-State Academic Team from 2007-2009. She won the Nevada Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year in ’08 and ’09, is the Wendy Heisman winner from South Tahoe High School, was the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic All-American for 2005-2007, and in 2008 she won both the 3200m and the 1600m at the Nevada State Track & Field Championships. She is the Nevada State Champion in Cross Country Running, was named the Female Athlete of the Year by the Tahoe Daily Tribune, and is the Runner of the Year for the state of Nevada. Whew! I am out of breath just listing some of the awards Kelsey has earned in her spare time – while maintaining an incredible 4.61 gpa. With her love of math, yes, AP Calculus is her favorite class, combined will all she has already overcome in her life, it is no wonder that she wants to attend Stanford to major in biomedical engineering and become a pediatric surgeon. By helping kids, she will continue to make a difference in the future of our world.”

All of the young women thanked Soroptimist for the honor — some even saying they’d like to be a member of the Tahoe club one day.

By Kathryn Reed

For weeks several council members have harped on wanting the budget to be brought before them — notably Hal Cole and Jerry Birdwell who make up the finance committee.

Finally, it was on Nov. 17. In a matter of seconds it was a done deal.

No discussion.

No comments.

Nothing but a 4-0 vote. Councilman Bruce Grego was absent.

It all seemed a bit surreal.

Most of the discussion Tuesday centered on the seven bargaining units in the city that had been negotiating with staff to amend their contracts to help bridge a $3.4 million budget gap.

During those discussions Councilman Bill Crawford asked how without all the unions agreeing to cutbacks could the city come up with a balanced budget. Finance Director Christine Vuletich said she would explain it when the budget was before the council.

But she never had to because a vote was taken and that was that.

The last time the city discussed the multi-million dollar budget in any depth was at the Sept. 29 workshop.

What happened in last 49 days is unknown. Lake Tahoe News has requested the final budget to be provided now that the council has approved it.

In years past approval of South Lake Tahoe’s final budget was a lengthy process with councilmembers going over it in a deliberate manner. Without their scrutiny of it in public, the public doesn’t visibly know how thoroughly they have dissected it.

Considering staff and councilmembers have less than a stellar image with those who live in the city limits and surrounding area, to not have any discussion on such an important document is almost shocking.

In an era when questions keep being raised about how money is spent and who has discretion to spend it, it would have seemed logical for details to have been provided even if no one was left in the audience to ask the questions.

The summary document that was provided lacks details — as would be expected.

The summary does explain in generalities how the $3.4 million deficit was overcome.

Nearly $600,000 comes form ongoing savings from three frozen positions, four temporary people filling jobs, the Redevelopment Agency paying the bulk of the city attorney’s salary, one layoff, and $80,000 in miscellaneous savings.

About $1.4 million is saved in furloughs and equivalents.

Reserves were depleted by $1,446,792 to bring the savings to $3.42 million.

In the 2009-10 budget (the fiscal year started Oct. 1) expenses total $101,498,655, with revenues projected to be $102,352,148 for a net revenue of $853,493.

The general fund, which is the core operating budget for the city, is projected to have $28.99 million in revenues. However, expenses are tallied at $30.49 million.

Besides passing a budget more than a month late, the council managed to seemingly upset the majority of its employees who are represented by unions. This is because the three groups that renegotiated their contracts — South Lake Tahoe Employees Association, South Lake Tahoe Administrative and Confidential Employees Association, and South Lake Tahoe Safety Management Committee – thought every group had to come up with a deal by Nov. 17.

It was the deadline. The deadline the council said it wanted a budget for 2009-10. Staff came through without all the bargaining units needing to amend their contracts.

The groups which didn’t reach a deal were South Lake Tahoe Firemen’s Association, South Lake Tahoe Police Officers Association, South Lake Tahoe Police Supervisor Association, and South Lake Tahoe Police Association (non-sworn employees).

It was the firefighters who came out in force Tuesday. They filled the back of the room, many standing because all the seats were filled. They were visibly and audibly disgruntled with the city — accusing the city of negotiating in bad faith.

The city negotiating team is made up of City Manager Dave Jinkens, Vuletich and another finance department employee, Fire Chief Lorenzo Gigliotti, and Human Resources Director Janet Emmet.

Most of the councilmembers felt like they were caught in a “he said, she said” situation. Because of this, either Cole or Birdwell will sit in on future negotiations. The council agreed 4-0 to this procedural change.

This is unusual. Elected officials usually trust staff and are not part of a negotiating team. This is a clear signal the council has lost faith in city leadership.

Scheduling is a main issue the police and fire personnel want addressed. Both groups believe by reworking the schedules it will save the money the city was seeking.

On a 3-1 vote the council accepted the amended contracts with the unions that had signed off on them. Though it should be noted the votes to approve the amendments were not unanimous by the workers.

Cole voted no because he didn’t agree with the amendment stating staff and unions would go back to the tables within in six months. He wanted it sooner.

Firefighters said they are wary of returning to the table anytime soon because they don’t trust the city’s negotiating team.

Apparently all those snow calls at last week’s Sierra-at-Tahoe party were heard because the forecast for the next few days is for a bunch of white stuff in Lake Tahoe.

Snow and rain is supposed to arrive tonight, with a couple inches accumulating at lake level. This means even more will be falling on the slopes.

Don't expect a repeat tonight of this sunset Nov. 16 at the Tahoe Keys pier in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Expect it to be windy on Wednesday and Thursday, with temps in the 40s during the day.

Thursday night and into Friday is when the bigger storm is expected to hit. Friday’s high is forecast to be 31 degrees – the day Heavenly opens. (Bring the fatties.) That high is at the lake, not on the mountain.

It won’t warm up much on Saturday, but the sun is expected to be out when Squaw’s lifts start turning on what could be a powder day.

By Kathryn Reed

For the person schussing down one of the myriad slopes in and around Lake Tahoe, it’s all about fun.

For the people running the resort, it’s a business. Skiing impacts a variety of industries – lodging, restaurants, massage, retail and others. If the resorts don’t do well, no one does well.

With the Ritz-Carlton opening Dec. 9 at Northstar, it may bring an infusion of cash to the North Shore. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The California Ski Area Association says the 4.2 million skier visits each year in Lake Tahoe make it a $600 million industry. The organization says a skier visit equates to $150 per day being spent at Tahoe businesses.

The past couple of ski seasons have been less than stellar, though.

It’s hard to know if the ski resorts have hurt themselves by starting the season so early – Mammoth and Boreal opened in October, albeit not every day. Before snowmaking became what it is, the Lake Tahoe area was lucky to have good snow at Christmas.

Now skiers expect to be on their boards at Thanksgiving. If they aren’t, the Bay Area media write and broadcast stories about the lackluster snowfall and predictions for a bad ski season. It’s silly, false, wrong and just bad journalism.

Those media types also have a penchant for playing up big storms that turn out to be mini-events – but it keeps people from making the trek to Tahoe. For locals, it makes for a fabulous, uncrowded powder day.

The reality, though, is California and Nevada departments of transportation know how to clear highways of snow. And forecasts miss the mark more often than they hit a bull’s eye.

It is true that fingers are crossed, snow dances are under way and all eyes are on Mother Nature. After all, it doesn’t matter what new lift, event, five-star hotel or menu item a resort comes up with, if the snow isn’t good and plentiful, the skiers stay home.

They did that in 2008-09. The National Ski Areas Association said in Tahoe the number of skier visits was down 10 percent last year compared to 2007-08. In part this was because of the spastic snowfall, part because of the economy.

One positive about the recession may be those on the West Coast who want to ride will do so closer to home instead of flying to Colorado or Utah.

Pundits in the ski industry are cautiously optimistic the 2009-10 season will be better than last year. It’s possible with the Olympics at Whistler in February it may generate enthusiasm for winter sports. It might also drive people to Tahoe instead of Canada because they don’t want to deal with the chaos.

It was 1960 that the Winter Olympics were last on the West Coast of North America – when Squaw Valley welcomed the world, and in turn put Tahoe on the map.

Squaw is capitalizing on the 50-year anniversary with a slew of events. Olympic Heritage Celebration is Jan. 8-17. For details, go to www.SquawValley1960Celebration.com.

Squaw is one of many resorts looking to attract more skiers and boarders. The North Shore resort once sold season passes for as much as $1,900; now they are as low as $369.

Across the lake at Heavenly Mountain Resort the current season pass is $369, but it had been $329 – what it was a few years ago.

One of the best deals continues to be the Learn to Ski or Board program on the North Shore for $25 on Dec. 12-13. Details are at www.gotahoenorth.com.

Sierra-at-Tahoe (www.sierraattahoe.com) is selling three-packs of lift tickets for $45 per ticket through the end of the year.

Northstar is banking on the Dec. 9 opening of the Ritz-Carlton at the top of the gondola to make it the resort of choice.

For those who don’t have a season pass, check out REI, Costco, Snowbomb.com, and DiscountLiftTickets.net for deals on daily tickets. Once in Tahoe, sometimes deals can be found, too – but most are found off the hill.

Be sure to read Lake Tahoe News all week to find out what is going on with nine of the Lake Tahoe area ski resorts for the 2009-10 ski season.

What’s new and going on at the ski areas in the greater Lake Tahoe area for the 2009-10 ski season?

Lake Tahoe News has the answers and then some beginning Monday. Nine of the region’s downhill resorts will be featured Nov. 16-20.

Northstar-at-Tahoe makes snow Nov. 13. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe News will be a source of information about the ski industry throughout the season.

Road conditions are available 24 hours a day via the Home page.

Check out the Events page to know what is going on as well.