This month we ride along with South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Matt Hazelet for a day as he goes about combatting homelessness, mental health issues and addiction in the community.
Wow. Just wow. You know what I’m talking about. It’s been all over social media garnering hundreds upon hundreds of comments, the hottest topic of conversation at bars, coffee shops and in the school pick up line. It’s even gone viral. I won’t say much about Parker Alexander of Tahoe Heartbeat’s untoward online comments, to say the least, about immigrant children in our schools and the enormous fallout as it has already been exhaustively commented on, debated and covered. Although it did get me thinking, how secure, really, are immigrant/ undocumented children, medical patients and worshipers now that the Trump administration has lifted a prohibition on immigration enforcement in schools, hospitals and churches. So, I asked around town. Officials at these institutions have been preparing protocols and policies for if immigration officers show up and the situation is more complicated than people may think. See our news brief on page 15.
In late January, I spent a day riding around with South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Matt Hazelet. When Dave Stevenson became the police chief several years ago, he wanted to address some of the seemingly intrac-
table issues in town that caused repeated calls for service with more than just a law enforcement approach. He spearheaded a consortium including other agencies and organizations in town to try and take a collaborative approach toward homelessness, mental health and addiction instead of going at it piecemeal. Hazelet is the police representative dedicated to those problems in South Lake Tahoe.
Hazelet spends his days checking in with people on the street, actively coordinating to address emergent issues in the field, deploying various strategies both to deal with a situation immediately and try and craft long term solutions for people in crisis and for the community. It’s a complicated mission. Each call we went on presented unique challenges requiring unique responses. My story is mostly a day-in-the-life snapshot, a ground level view of how these problems manifest in real life and how they are being addressed one encounter at a time.
This month we revive a Mountain News favorite feature. Our trusty reporter Kae will be writing a food column. In years past, we’ve had a few different food
columnists, including Kae at one time. Already an accomplished cook, she made a New Year’s resolution to diversify and expand her culinary repertoire and takes us along this month with a recipe for curry. I am hoping readers find it useful in planning their personal menus, but more than that, I hope people find it makes their meals more delightful and pleasurable.
So, Tahoe Guy recently took a trip to Colorado and visited three different ski towns. He’s brought back some ideas about things that enhanced his visitor experience and ways Tahoe could move in that direction, improve community spirit and health, and elevate the experience for visitors and locals alike.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to run the Mountain News I’ve needed the village this month in both respects. Thanks to my village members Kae, Joann, Mr. Murphy and my parents for going the extra mile—or many miles—to support me and my family.
-Heather
The month of February and Valentine’s Day (February 14, 1844) have historical significance for Lake Tahoe. It was on that day that explorer John C. Fremont is said to have “discovered” Lake Tahoe. It is of greater historical importance to acknowledge that the Washoe people had been inhabitants of the Tahoe Basin for thousands of years before Mr. Fremont looked down on the lake from the top of Red Lake Peak.
Each year our community loses scores of people we loved and who loved Lake Tahoe. People who graced our community by volunteering, serving as leaders, teachers and role models who inspired us to leave Tahoe better than we found it. Some of the people we lost: John Cristando (opened John’s cleaners in 1969), Joan Hargis Sheets (beloved teacher at Meyers Elementary), Felix Brosch (Renaissance man and nature lover), Karen Martin (world traveler and exquisite human being), Mike Taylor (STHS teacher starting in 1967), Jack Francis (personified a “life well lived”), Audrey Shirts (treasured Tahoe local since 1959), Dorothy Shea (school librarian and
lover of life), Ethel Aubrey (a bundle of energy and delightful exuberance), Rudy Shelley (pharmacist and owner of the Bijou Shelley’s Drugs), Deborah Mallatt (outdoorswoman), Robert McDowell (left Tahoe better than he found it), Scott Cummings (Okie, elite athlete and Face Rat), Noel Farmer (community activist and sailor), Donna Hawksford (volunteer and lover of the arts).
As illegal storm runoff was flowing from the proposed Barton Hospital site on January 31, the TRPA on February 1 (a day late and a dollar short) delivered a ceaseand-desist letter to Barton for inadequate flood mitigation. Nevada residents and adjacent Oliver Park property owners had been sounding the alarm for months about this disaster waiting to happen and are organizing (www.bartonstayinca.com) to stop this project.
California residents aren’t much happier about the hospital’s proposed move to Nevada and are questioning the
hospital’s PR version that California’s seismic laws are forcing the hospital to relocate. In his December 5 public letter, Dr. Brooks Martin gives Barton a dose of their own medicine by exposing the hospital board’s false diagnosis of an unfixable seismic retrofit and prescribes a much less costly and practical solution. He goes on to say that Barton’s board has shot the community of South Lake Tahoe in the heart and suggests that the decision be reexamined.
In Trump’s 1987 playbook, The Art of the Deal, he advises: “Think Big—I will be thinking anyway, might as well think big. I believe in the power of negative thinking; I always go into the deal anticipating the worst. Use Your Leverage—The worst thing you can do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. Fight back—When people treat me badly or unfairly or try to take advantage of me, my general attitude has been to fight back very hard. Get the word out—The final key to the way I promote is bravado; I play to people's fantasies.”
Some of these strategies might explain the jet stream of executive orders and economic dictates, but many economists doubt that initiating tariffs against our biggest trading partners, pushing cheap labor out of the country,
slashing public jobs, and allowing Elon Musk to take control of the Treasury’s Payment System will improve our economy and usher in his so-called Golden Age of America. Trump has since posted that tariffs will cause: “Some pain . but we will make America Great Again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid.”
West Shore property owner Mark Zuckerberg paid Trump $25 million to settle a lawsuit that Trump brought against Zuckerberg’s social media company Facebook/Meta. The Wall Street Journal reported the lawsuit was brought by Trump after he was banned from Facebook for his participation in the January 6 attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The $25M payment seems to have bought Zuckerberg access to the White House along with two front row seats (reserved for billionaires) at Trump’s Inauguration.
In mid-January, 92-year-old Jerome Evans sent out an SOS on Nextdoor for help digging out his car when the next snowstorm hits. In Jerome’s 35 years in Tahoe, he served on many boards and city commissions but today lives alone on a limited income. Without hesitation Jim Yorker, Mario Cruz, Paula McGhee and Kaplan Reyes separately volunteered to help Mr. Evans. Heartwarming.
To be continued….
What is the South Tahoe
of
or STAR, up to?
Formed in 1980 as the South Tahoe Gaming Alliance by leaders of the Stateline casinos, the name changed to Lake Tahoe Gaming Alliance, and is now South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts, or STAR.
Lew Feldman, who is listed as the registered agent with his law firm’s Zephyr Cove address on the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office’s website, did not respond to inquiries.
While the organization has had an executive director in the past, today it doesn’t. Nor does it have a designated spokesperson.
Nonetheless, Steve Teshara, who was ED of the Gaming Alliance from August 1991 through December 2002, provided information and some answers.
He said the group’s mission is “To be a catalyst for improving the South Shore by supporting economic, environmental, and community-related initiatives that help transform the destination and create improved quality of life opportunities.”
Strategic goals include creating “a positive local perception of the South Shore resort industry among local governments and agencies and the community through the development and execution of projects and initiatives consistent with the organization’s mission.”
Today, members of STAR include reps (usually the top person) from Harrah’s, Harveys, Bally’s, Golden Nugget, Margaritaville, Edgewood and Heavenly.
The Gaming Alliance folded in 2003 before being re-imagined a year later as STAR to reflect the additional, non-gaming members.
While the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office has information online, detailed reports are only available by paying $2 per page; viewing records for free at the Carson City office isn’t an option.
Financially STAR has left or tried to leave its fingerprints throughout the South Shore. As a private organization, its financials are not public.
Teshara did not answer these questions: What is the annual operating budget? Where does the money come from? Do members pay equally?
Media and Nevada state records reveal a bit about STAR’s expenditures and actions. Here is a partial list:
• 2024: $16,000 to Elevate Douglas County, a political action committee run by Bryan Davis, who used to work for Edgewood.
• 2024: $2,500 to James McKalip who ran unsuccessfully in the 2024 Republican primary for Douglas County Commissioner. (In January he was appointed to the county Planning Commission.)
• 2024: $1,000 to Brian
Dempsey who ran unsuccessfully in November 2024 as a no political party candidate against Danny Tarkanian (R) and Jason Gibson (D). (Lost to McKalip in his bid to be appointed to Planning Commission.)
• 2022 and 2018: $5,000 each year to Wes Rice (nonpartisan), Douglas County commissioner representing the lake.
• 2018: $5,000 to Dan Coverley in Douglas County sheriff’s race.
• 2018: $5,000 to Steve Sisolak (D) in Nevada governor’s race.
• 2015: Committed to spend $250,000 annually to advertise commercial flights at Lake Tahoe Airport. With that endeavor never materializing, no need for the money.
• 2010: $20,000 in conjunction with LTVA donated to Christmas Cheer, Tahoe Youth & Family Services, South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center (now Live Violence Free), and Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club.
• 2010: One of six sponsors of Poverty to Prosperity Forum.
• 2010: Opposed former Bill’s Casino becoming strip club, and earlier was against proposed topless bar on Lower Kingsbury Grade.
• 2009: Donated to Building New Bridge concert to raise funds and celebrate the return of Jaycee Lee Dugard.
• Has weighed in on need for pothole repairs in Stateline.
• Gaming Alliance used to have a seat on Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority board.
• Has contributed to annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Teshara specifically highlighted these accomplishments by STAR:
• Financial investment in the launch of regular public transit service connecting Reno-Tahoe International Airport with South Shore. Originally launched as the Tahoe Casino Express in early 1990s.
• Stateline Stormwater Association: Support for establishing
• 2000: Supported President Bill Clinton’s signing of Lake Tahoe Restoration Act after helping the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., write the bill.
To the editor,
I wanted to thank you for the article about the many problems with Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. (Published January, 2025.) I had been a volunteer with them for over 30 years, starting with the Millhams. I had a background as a falconer, and worked with Tom Millham rehabbing and releasing many golden and bald eagles over the years.
I was the one that trained Em, our bald eagle, that was found with a severe wing injury at Emerald Bay. Tom asked me to see if Em could be trained as an education eagle rather than euthanize him. I spent many hours sitting and reading to Em so he could get used to humans and their voice. He learned to take food from our hand, and sit on a glove as we walked him outside for exercise and sun. All of the volunteers on the “raptor” team loved working with Em, and he was a favorite at local school education programs.
I don’t believe Em died of old age. I believe he became extremely depressed and miserable after all his handlers were dismissed from LTWC.
He had been taken outside daily for exercise and sun, and would chirp his excitement when his handlers arrived to feed him. He was very social with humans. Since he could never be released due to his wing being amputated, his care was different than an eagle that would be returned to the wild. We gave him a mirror next to his perch so he could interact with his reflection and not become bored.
In the months before his death, the new LTWC staff took away his mirror, and often would not take him outside for
weeks for fresh air and sun. All his familiar handlers that he loved had been terminated. Em would sit alone in his room with little human interaction. None of the new LTWC ever asked the previous “raptor” team handlers for suggestions or input. It breaks my heart what LTWC did to Em and Tippy the Kestrel. Dr. Kevin Willitts is a gem, and is the only board member that truly cares about the welfare of the animals. He just wants to stay out of this mess. All of the dismissed raptor volunteers were locals in the community, and were only concerned for the welfare of the animals. The current board only cares about the donations and paying themselves money. I don’t think they care about the welfare of the animals at all. The fact that the current executive director refuses to be interviewed says it all.
Don't be surprised to receive a local call with an 837 area code this is the number for new customers in the 530 area.
El Dorado County residents may call the VHR Hotline (530-573-7999) to report suspected violations.
Lake Tahoe Community College hopes to break ground in summer 2026 on an $8.6 million public safety training complex that could be completed in early 2027.
Tahoe Rim Trail Association received $17,921 for youth backcountry camps from the Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, who represents South Lake Tahoe, and the West and North shores, introduced a bill that could impact locals because it would prohibit undocumented immigrants from federal and state low-income health care insurance.
Sugar Pine Foundation and Tahoe Rim Trail Association are partnering March 7 for a 3-mile snowshoe at Echo Lake Go online (https://tahoerimtrail.org/event/expedition-echo/?mc_cid=6f36491240&mc_eid=e78fb04efc) for info and to sign up.
South Lake Tahoe officials had to choose between more than 120 entries to pick the winners of the “name a snowplow” contest. They are: Hank the Tank (Hunter, 4th grade); Dora the Destroyer (Sawyer, 5th grade); Mike Waplowski (Matthew, 5th grade); Dwayne “The Plow” Johnson (Townes, 5th grade); Plower of Power (Ingrid and Gwen, 3rd grade); Snow Demon (Ripley, 4th grade); Sparkles (Hazel J., 1st grade); Queen of Plows (Zienna, 4th grade); Big Dog (Hazel P. and Willow, kindergarten); and Snow Bull (Amelia, 4th grade).
Lake Tahoe Community College in January was awarded a seven-year accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. This comes after LTCC received full accreditation in 2018, while in 2012 it was dinged
with five recommendations for improvement.
South Lake Tahoe Rec Center (1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.) will be the site of a community blood drive on Feb. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is contemplating protective status under the Endangered Species Act for the Carson Valley monkeyflower which has lost half its habitat because of urban sprawl and development in Douglas County.
The annual Fresh Tracks 5K Snowshoe Walk and Race: The Eric Nageotte Memorial is Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. at Camp Rich. The beneficiary is Metavivor, metastatic breast cancer, in honor of Renee Gorevin, Kelly Shanahan, Adrienne Shepard and other Tahoe and Carson Valley women. Go online (www.tahoemtnmilers.org) to register or for more info.
El Dorado County Board of Supervisors approved Supervisor Brooke Laine’s nomination of former South Lake Tahoe Planning Commissioner Pat Frega to be the District V representative on the county Planning Commission.
AARP Tax-Aide of South Lake Tahoe is providing free tax preparation for local taxpayers of all ages through April 14 at the recreation center (1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.). Pick up a tax packet to complete before coming in for tax preparation. Certified volunteers meet with taxpayers on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Email SouthLakeTahoeLC@gmail. com for more information.
Lake Tahoe Unified’s State of the District event is March 19. The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the district office with a meet-and-greet, followed by a district update, an opportunity to share ideas, and a panel discussion.
Keri Strategier, registered nurse with Barton’s Family Birthing Center, won The DAISY Award for extraordinary nurses.
February is American Heart Month
Throughout February, existing Barton Health patients with a hypertension diagnosis may schedule an appointment (530543-5623) at their primary care office for a blood pressure check and heart health education. Free blood pressure monitors will be provided courtesy of the Barton Health Foundation.
TRPA is hosting a series of webinars. Planning 101 was Feb. 10, with Development Rights 101 coming in late March. All webinars are recorded and available online: https://www.tahoeliving.org/.
Anton Andreyevich Iagounov, 38, of South Lake Tahoe, was sentenced Feb. 6 to two years and three months in prison for four counts of impersonating a federal officer.
Sierra Club Tahoe Area Group on Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. at the Incline Village Library meeting room is hosting South Tahoe High grad Graham Kent He will be speaking about Alert Wildfire, the cameras he pioneered that help with early wildfire detection.
On Jan. 30 the South Tahoe Transit Joint Powers Authority became a reality with the swearing in of board members EDC Supervisor Brooke Laine and SLT Councilmen Cody Bass and Keith Roberts. Assistant City Manager Hilary Roverud is the executive director.
Joining the Tahoe Fund is Shaydar Edelmann, vice president and general manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort. Research by UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) and Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) has shown a significant correlation between lower water levels and higher methane release rates, which could help inform reservoir management strategies and influence policy decisions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Overland Meat is having a Valen-
tine’s Day meat and lobster special. Choose between steak and lobster tail ($25.99) or filet mignon and lobster tail ($32.99). For more information about the Feb. 14 deal, call (530) 544-3204.
A condition of approval in January by the TRPA Governing Board of the Homewood Mountain Resort master plan is that the resort must remain open to the public.
A federal grand jury in January returned a 17-count indictment against Kami Elois Power 54, of Gardnerville, accusing her of wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft while she was as an office assistant at a family-owned construction company in South Lake Tahoe. She is accused of embezzling more than $1.4 million.
The 2024 School Accountability Report Cards for LTUSD schools became available this month through each school’s website as well as through the district website (https://www.ltusd.org/schools/school_ accountability_report_cards_sarc_).
Time to think about your child being part of Bijou Community School’s bilingual immersion program. Interested parents should call Martha Ubias or Julia Cedano at (530) 543.2337 and submit a completed form (https://bijou.ltusd.org/) by Feb. 14.
Barton Health is hosting one-day intensive childbirth preparation class on Feb. 22 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Barton Center for Orthopedics & Wellness (2170B South Ave., South Lake Tahoe). Cost is $45. Register online: https://www.bartonhealth. org/health-services/pregnancy-birth/childbirth-classes/.
Have a community item for Heard? Email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line "Heard."
Tahoe Knight Monsters hockey update
The team recently completed a lengthy road swing through Maine, South Dakota and Iowa and will head out again to Kansas City before hosting the Adirondack Thunder from Glen Falls, New York on February 6 through February 8. As of this writing, the Knight Monsters are in second place in the Western conference and first in the Mountain division. The most recent home game I attended as of this writing (Jan. 25) was a sell-out. Not a bad inaugural season so far. Following the February 6 through February 8 homestand, the next home games will be on February 28, March 1
and March 2, and then March 6, March 8 and March 9.
Schools get report cards, too!
LTUSD recently shared with the school community the new SARC report (School Accountability Report Card) which details some facts about the district as a whole and individual schools as well. I’ll just share a few of the items that caught my attention, generally based on 2022-24 data.
I have to start with a caveat that I have questions about the accuracy of all the data based on a couple things I saw that are clearly not accurate. For example, the report tells us that the average class
size is 14 for English Language Arts and 13 for social science, which is nowhere near the reality that we experience. It also says that the counselor to pupil ratio is 503.64 to 1, which isn’t true either.
So with that caution about accuracy, I’ll mention a few other findings in no particular order of importance.
In 2022-23 at STHS, we had 74 percent of teachers fully credentialed. As of 2024-25, STHS’s ethnic demographics are (approx.) 48 percent Hispanic, 43 percent white, three percent Filipino and five percent other ethnicities. Here’s an interesting conundrum to ponder: around 96 percent of students are enrolled in courses required for UC/CSU, but in 2022-23, only 50 percent of graduates completed all requirements for UC/ CSU.
STHS’s graduation rate in 2023-24 was 95 percent. This sounds pretty good but is somewhat misleading because our non-grads get funneled off to Mt. Tallac High School, which gets them through on state minimum requirements (significantly less than what a STHS diploma requires).
room. So now while they are trying to focus on preparing their classroom, curriculum and materials, they are instead forced to scramble to find childcare. I only mention this because it illustrates the ways in which things have gone over the past several years. People who aren’t valued and supported tend to look for it elsewhere, and we already have a hard enough time attracting and retaining a stable teaching staff.
That aside, I’m going to wish the new iteration of our school board well as they tackle the challenges from without and within.
Retirement recognition—Mark Hoefer
Will undocumented residents on the South Shore be safe going to school, seeking medical care or attending worship services following a Trump administration directive allowing federal immigration officials to enter schools, hospitals and churches, reversing a long-standing policy making those locations off limits to immigration agents?
(CBP) agents onto campuses without a valid court order. Our District adheres to California State Law and expects all visitors to comply with both District policies and legal requirements. California law ensures the protection of students' rights, prioritizing their safety and wellbeing in educational settings.”
Guidelines issued by LTUSD to teachers should an ICE officer show up in their classroom include notifying administrators, requesting and documenting an ICE agent’s name and badge number, asking why ICE is on campus, asking to see any legal documentation justifying their presence, and asking that ICE officers go about their business with as little disruption as possible.
Another item that sounds positive— expenditures per pupil in 2022-23 were approximately $1,000 above the state average.
One final item that jumps out to me as the biggest challenge to success is our “chronic absenteeism” rate of 39.4 percent based on 2023-24. It’s about even for males and females, if you were wondering, but regardless, teachers can’t teach you if you’re not there, and you don’t tend to have much success when you’re missing classes that often. I can tell you based on my experience, pretty much without exception, that any failing grades correlate with massive absences. I don’t think I’m breaking news with that.
LTUSD Board of Education notes
On a separate LTUSD note, I dropped in on the LTUSD board meeting January 23 to see if the vibe and direction promise anything better with two new members, Bob Anderson and Ellen Camacho.
Among the highlights were a couple teachers who spoke on the failures of the infant care program sponsored by LTUSD, which left them without promised childcare a mere four days before they were scheduled to return to the class-
Mark Hoefer is finally calling it quits and moving on to enjoy the fruits of retirement with wife, Anjanette, who has no doubt waited long enough for Mark to take a break. Most recently, Mark served as one of STHS’s few critical campus aides—a mostly thankless job of herding wayward cats all day – and did it with unflagging positivity and cheer. Before that, he stepped in to fill many roles over the decades, coaching Nordic ski and cross-country running teams—a lot of unsung service over a long time, which gave many kids the opportunity to compete, to develop skill and confidence, and just to have fun as part of a team.
On a related note, I want to thank Nick Ashmore of Café Fiore for his generous support in sending Mark off with a fantastic dinner. I also want to thank Kyle McQueen at Sonney’s BBQ for hosting us and two of his excellent staff, Kelsey Thatcher and Jonathan Halvorsen, for just being outstanding at their jobs. Good people all around.
VHRs: a hit and miss-adventure
A word of caution to those of you who use VHRs when you visit other places – particularly when the property owner or manager is “on-site” or in an “adjoining” property. Sometimes – as it turns out – that might mean they are holed up in a creepy little room attached to the house you are in – the kind that’s about 20 square feet with one covered window and is mere feet away from where you are hot-tubbing and lounging. Sure, the economics work for them, but it’s still just weird and like I said—creepy.
As always, feel free to email mikesmutterings@gmail.com
Barton Health spokesperson Mindi Befu said in a statement to the Mountain News that “Barton Health is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of all patients who seek medical services. We treat every individual who enters the health system, regardless of background or circumstances.
Locally, such institutions are preparing for that possibility, putting in place guidelines and policies to address situations where federal immigration personnel may want to access their properties and speak to, detain or arrest people or take other law enforcement action.
Lake Tahoe Unified School District Superintendent Todd Cutler told the Mountain News, “State law prohibits school officials from allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection
Barton Health does not ask for or document information about a patient’s immigration status. As a healthcare provider, Barton Health follows patient privacy laws. Patient Health Information without consent is only shared when required by law.
If a law enforcement agent makes a request to Barton or at a Barton facility, employees are instructed to notify our compliance team who then works with law enforcement to ensure all laws are followed including patient privacy.
Our focus remains on providing high-quality, compassionate care to all individuals in a safe, non-discriminatory environment.“
Guidelines issued by the California Attorney General for immigration actions at healthcare facilities closely mirrors the direction set forth by local schools— asking agents to identify themselves and provide legal documentation for being on site and conducting operations.
Whittell High School /Zephyr Cove Elementary Principal Sean Ryan said his schools’ policy is to only release students to a parent or legal guardian or their designee.
Mark Thomsen, spokesperson at Lake Tahoe Community College said the school has an open campus, so no need for
anyone to check in. He said the college will not share student information or records without a warrant, court order or judicial subpoena.
None of those interviewed would directly answer what would happen if a federal immigration officer ignored protocols and policies or did not provide a legitimate reason to be on the premises or access certain information, but refused to leave or follow directions and just barged ahead.
Guidelines from the California
IMMIGRANTS
Continued on page 22
South Lake Tahoe Police Officer Matt Hazelet arrived at work at 6am on January 28. He was immediately dispatched to the site of a fire behind Raleys. A homeless woman had ignited trash and other materials. Hazelet, a former firefighter, extinguished the fire and cited the woman. Then he gave her a ride to a friend’s house where she would have a warm place to stay. During the ride, he offered to hook her up with mental health treatment, social service support and other resources. She declined all off them. Then it was off to Barton Hospital’s ER. A homeless patient was being discharged and had nowhere to go. Hazelet arranged for a ride to a shelter in Reno, as the local Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless facilities were full.
Hazelet is the police department’s STACS designee. STACS stands for South Tahoe Area Collaborative Services and is a consortium of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, South Lake Tahoe Fire, Barton Health, Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless, El Dorado County Behavioral Health, Clean Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, Tahoe Youth and Family Services and the Tahoe Transportation District. It was formed about five years ago to address problems of homelessness, mental health and addiction in the community. The idea is to coordinate and collaborate on providing services to those
affected instead of going at such issues piecemeall as well as addressing the wider impacts of such problems. Hazelet is the second SLTPD officer to serve in this position. He previously worked in a similar position in Amador County, where he grew up, before transferring up to Tahoe. The Mountain News rode along with Hazelet one day to see what he does.
Continuing on with his morning, Hazelet heads out to a homeless encampment he previously discovered in Trout Creek Meadow. No one was around when he first stopped by and he posted a notice to vacate. Now, he wants to see if the people have left or if he can offer services to help address their situation, whatever it is. When he arrives, the people have vacated the site—no one is around and the tent is gone. They have left behind,
however, trash and other items such as pillows and pots and pans and more. Hazelet pinpoints the location using his phone and emails Clean Tahoe to remove the trash and debris. Next, Hazelet and another officer check under the Trout Creek Bridge, a known site of homeless encampments. They find a woman in a tent. She is known to the officers. Hazelet tells the Mountain News he has found housing for her on several occasions, but she always ends up back here. He last placed her at a shelter in Placerville a few months ago because the THC shelter was full at time. Hazelet even drove her down. After a while, she left that facility and travelled to Reno to visit friends and to try and improve her living situation. Unsuccessful, she has returned to Tahoe, partly, she said, because she has some pending
After years of being a highly contentious topic at South Lake Tahoe City Council meetings and among residents, the Heavenly Village parking garage barely registers a tire squeal.
It helps that the debt for the four-level $7.7 million, 412-space facility was paid off Jan. 5, 2024, and that there hasn’t been a rate increase since 2009.
The city is in the process of upgrading the garage, with the second phase slated to be finished at the end of July.
same five also comprised the Redevelopment Agency board.
Enhancements to the city-run parking garage at Heavenly Village
This was back when California allowed jurisdictions to create redevelopment agencies, which came with property tax benefits. The state Legislature dissolved these agencies in 2012 so Sacramento could collect more money, resulting in fewer dollars staying local.
The garage came into being when the city realized there wasn’t enough parking in the $250 million redevelopment project area that at the time was considered to be
“All revenues are used for operational and capital needs. The city has made significant capital expenditure commitments for the next several years,” Finance Director Olga Tikhomirova said. “Once improvements are completed, City Council can choose using excess revenues for other programs and purposes.”
The South Tahoe Joint Powers Parking Financing Authority owns the garage. The city’s police department runs it, with security provided by South Shore Security.
“The parking garage can be transferred to the city, and the STJPPFA can be dissolved or continue existence for other projects,” Lt. Jeff Roberson said.
A bit of history
The city in 2002 created STJPPFA, whose board members are the same people on the City Council. These
anchored by the two Marriott properties—the Grand Residence Club and Timber Lodge. They opened in 2002, two years after Heavenly Mountain Resort’s gondola.
While those lodging assets still exist, today Heavenly Village is much more than a place to put heads in beds.
It bustles with locals and tourists out for a bite, shopping, or riding the gondola to ski or sightsee.
In many ways the city was lucky Marriott Vacation Club took over the development rights from American Skiing Company, then the parent company of Heavenly.
ASC planned to build the lodging, but kept finding itself mired in financial woes. The New York Stock Exchange delisted it in March 2002. This was the same month Vail Resorts bought Heavenly for $102 million in cash and liabilities.
Phase I—completed
• New cleaning vendor/contract.
• Cleaning more frequently.
• Pressure wash the stairwells every other week.
• Moved payment kiosks away from exit by the elevators. Kiosks can be found on floors one, two, three.
• Changed traffic pattern in garage to allow entrance/exit at two locations.
• Upgraded internet for pay system stability.
• Added cameras and monitoring system to parking levels, roof, stairwells.
• Personnel in place at intersection for high traffic times to smooth exit flow.
• Structural repairs to garage caused by weather exposure.
• Parking stalls restriped.
• Elevator repair-replaced elevator floor and doors.
• Added fences to third and fourth floors for safety purposes.
• Parking ambassadors in office during daytime hours.
Phase II—completion expected summer 2025
• Upgrade the payment system in the garage for seamless process.
• Automate invoicing for failure to pay.
• Replace license plate reader-based paid parking system with current technology to reduce customer interaction, downtime, and backend citations.
• Install a parking guidance system to provide capacity information before Entering.
• Add 14 electric vehicle charging stations.
• Add exit guidance signage for smooth highcapacity exiting flow.
• Add advance parking guidance system allowing drivers to see available parking spaces before entering the garage. Future pending improvements:
• Snowmelt and boiler system replacement.
• Elevator replacement.
• Paint the interior of the garage.
• Add lights to interior of garage.
Source: City of South Lake Tahoe
ASC had purchased Heavenly for $288.3 million in 1997 from Kamori Combined Entities, a Japanese investment company. Kamori acquired the resort in 1990 for an undisclosed sum from an ownership group led by Bill Killebrew. Since 1964 the Killebrews, who still reside on
STACS Continued on page 20 PARKING Continued on page 18
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the South Shore, had a majority ownership of Heavenly. December will mark 70 years since Heavenly opened. Financial matters
The garage opened in June 2003 with 420 spaces. Eight spaces were lost to leasing space out for storage and layout changes.
For years the garage failed to break even. However, figures from the city show it’s now profitable:
• 2020 gross revenue $1,377,063; net $504,292
• 2021 gross revenue $1,359,666; net $457,315
• 2022 gross revenue $1,566,968; net $357,319
• 2023 gross revenue $1,854,561; net $261,487.
The 2002 bonds were refinanced once in 2013. The total interest paid was $9 million.
“(The) 2013 parking garage bonds were due to be paid off in 2034, but had an early call date of Oct. 1, 2023,” Tikhomirova explained. “The city paid off the bonds early in 2024 using the bond reserves as well as the accumulated fund balance in the parking garage fund from operating surpluses in previous years.”
Because rates have not been steady for 16 years the city is contemplating adjusting them.
Today the only business with a validation program is the movie theater, which opened in January 2005.
It’s possible to purchase winter passes for the ski season; with no financial benefit to Heavenly.
The city has not seen a huge spike in business since the casinos stopped allowing free parking nearly seven years ago.
“Based on analysis of parking garage revenues from end of year 2015 to end of year 2024, it’s not clear that the implementation in the summer of 2018 caused a long-term change in parking behavior,” Tikhomirova said. “There was a spike in parking garage revenue the year prior to casino implementation, then a flat increase across 2018 and 2019, and then a significant decline during the pandemic. It appears there might have been an immediate response to casino implementation; but with paid parking having become normalized at Stateline there seems to be no ongoing or residual impact.
Making resolutions is not something I usually do at the start of the year. I have set one goal, though—to make a new recipe once a week.
I have all of these cookbooks, food magazines, and recipes I’ve collected through the years. It’s time to sort through the ones I want to keep and toss or donate the rest. I haven’t figured out how best to save the recipes that aren’t in a cookbook. That will be a future project. Some are on the computer, others in a big binder, and then there’s the old-school recipe box. When it comes to the cookbooks, do I keep them with the strips of paper signaling a recipe is worth revis-
iting? Or should I copy it and either put it in the binder or have an electronic copy? Guess it depends if I want to keep the cookbook.
All of this worry about recipes is making me hungry. Good thing I have leftovers from the recipe below. Using quinoa instead of rice is pretty much my norm these days. This recipe will be great no matter which you choose.
I’m not cooking much with vegetable oil these days, in fact there isn’t any in the house right now. Avocado oil has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which is why I used it.
If you don’t have unsalted butter, no worries. Wait until the end to add any salt if need be. And don’t buy kosher salt just for this recipe. If you have “regular” salt, you may need a little more than the amount listed. Be sure to get as much water out of the tofu as possible so it absorbs the flavors, plus the texture will be better. It might take an entire kitchen towel to do so. I have a press designed specifically to extract the water. I highly recommend one if tofu is a regular in your cooking repertoire; plus, it won’t break the bank.
Tofu and Green Pea Curry
4 T vegetable or avocado oil, divided
1 16-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
3+ tsps kosher salt, divided
3 large shallots, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 large serrano chile, finely chopped
1 1-inch piece ginger, minced
5 garlic gloves, minced
¼ C double-concentrated tomato paste
2 tsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 T ground coriander
1 T paprika
2 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp sugar
1 C fresh or frozen green peas
½ C cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Cilantro, chopped Rice or quinoa
Cook rice or quinoa according to package instructions.
Heat 1 T of oil in large nonstick pan over medium-high. Add tofu, season with salt, cook about 5 minutes until golden brown, then flip tofu so other side browns. Transfer to plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to skillet, then add shallots, chile, ginger, garlic, tomato paste, flour and cumin seeds. Stir often until tomato paste is brick red—8-10 minutes.
Add coriander, paprika, curry powder, sugar and ½ C water. Stir constantly
until spices smell fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Return tofu to pan, and add 1¼ tsp salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly thickened, 6-9 minutes. Add peas, tomatoes, and butter. Stir until butter melts and peas are warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, add lemon juice. Add more salt if needed. Put tofu concoction over rice/quinoa, sprinkle cilantro on top, serve.
STACS
Continued from page 16
court cases for shoplifting and trespassing. “I showed up and tried to deal with it,” she says. “I’m not trying to run. This is the closest place to the court and the middle of town.
I don’t know where else to go.” Hazelet says she can’t stay here. Not only is it trespassing, it’s dangerous. If the water were to rise, she could be swept away.
Hazelet tells her he will try and find a shelter bed for her. Since the TCH shelter is full, perhaps in Placerville and she can have her court case transferred there. While he could arrest the woman on the spot, Hazelet chooses not to. “She would just be out the next morning and back here,” he says. “If she wants shelter, I’ll try and facilitate that.”
Hazelet later tells the Mountain News he previously tried to reunify the woman with a family friend in Southern California, but that didn’t work out and she ended up in Tahoe, again, only one of two cases where such a solution failed during Hazelet’s almost two-year tenure in this position.
If people can find friends or relatives elsewhere to take them in,
TCH and the police department will coordinate on getting them there.
First is a conference between the two agencies, the homeless individual and the person offering to take them in. All parties have to commit to a plan of action for the person—getting them housed, getting their issues addressed and taking steps to create a stable life. “There has to be a plan so we’re not just spending money to send them off somewhere,” says Hazelet. In such cases, travel expenses are approved by Hazelet’s higher ups at the police department. Sometimes Hazelet can find some sort of grant or designated pot of money at one of the agencies he works with.
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On that same phone call, Hazelet learns that a bed has opened up at TCH and they can take the woman under the bridge. He returns to the spot with a community service officer and they load up the woman along with her belongings—a bicycle, three garbage bags, two shopping bags, a backpack, a duffel bag and a suitcase and haul it over to the TCH shelter. TCH limits the amount of personal belongings clients can bring with them and Hazelet tells her he can store her excess stuff at the police department for up to 60 days.
Hazelet checks the Stateline Transit Center, where homeless are
A homeless man named Steven, loitering outside the 7-11 at Stateline, spots Hazelet driving by and flags him down. He is hoping Hazelet can find him a place to stay. He has been couch surfing and hanging out at the casinos. Sometimes, when a homeless person acquires a little bit of money, they will play the penny slots at one of the casinos just to be inside and keep warm. Hazelet says perhaps he can find Steven a spot in the Placerville shelter. Steven’s girlfriend doesn’t want to go to Placerville and says, anyway, she already has a bed at TCH. In a later conversation with Kim Peterson of TCH, she relates that the woman lost her bed at the shelter after being gone for several days. Clients forfeit their space there if they are away for more than one night. The woman received more permanent housing through TCH a year ago, says Peterson, but was evicted for being drunk and belligerent.
known to hang out, to see if anyone is there he can assist in some way.
On this day, no one is there.
Then it’s off to the home of a mentally ill woman known to the police department. When she goes off her medication, which happens periodically, she bombards police with paranoid calls of people stalking and assaulting her. Hazelet speaks to the woman, her mother and other family members with whom she lives, and encourages them to get her back on her meds and pursuing treatment. The last few times the woman went off her medication, Hazelet had to take her into custody as a danger to herself because she was drinking shampoo.
He’s hoping to head it off at the pass this time.
Sometimes, when Hazelet has to respond to a mental health call, he will take along a counselor from El Dorado County Behavioral Health. Having someone not in uniform can sometimes defuse the situation and put a subject at ease and more willing to cooperate. “People can have negative preconceived notions about the police,” he says.
Sometimes, when responding to
crisis calls in the field, El Dorado County Behavioral Health will ask Hazelet to come along to ensure the safety of the counselors in a volatile circumstance.
Hazelet notices Kenny Collier hanging out by CVS at the Y and stops to talk. When Hazelet first encountered Collier, he was an “angry drunk” who didn’t want any help, Hazelet says. Hazelet did manage to coax him into the TCH shelter, but he was kicked out for breaking a window. After a run-in with the law where he fought with police officers, Collier was subject to court-ordered alcohol monitoring among other conditions and sobered up. Hazelet convinced TCH to give Collier another chance and now Collier has permanent housing through the agency. Collier told Hazelet he has been saving up money from his public benefit checks and is getting ready to buy a big screen television for his room. Hazelet swings by Clean Tahoe and checks in with executive director Katie Sheehan. He plays with Sheehan’s eight-month-old daughter, Maxine, while they talk. Hazelet’s monitoring of
Continued on page 21
homeless camps and finding housing solutions for people has kept illegal encampments tamped down, she says. “The huge explosion camps seem to be a thing of the past.” Clean Tahoe personnel are out in the community on a daily basis and may come across people in need of a what STACS can offer. They share that information with Hazelet and other partners. “The STACS relationship is working out really well,” says Sheehan. When he first came on board in April 2023, one of Hazelet’s initial assignments was to clear the large homeless encampment in the Motel 6 meadow. He said for three or four months, he was out there multiple times a week, telling people they would need to go and giving them a date by which to be gone. He also tried to identify people’s challenges and connect them with services and resources. Very few took advantage of his offers of help. On the appointed day, he and a group of officers came in and started arresting people, a few at a time. Within a couple of days, wanting to avoid arrest, people started accepting his offers of support and resources. Clean Tahoe then came in and did its thing. Since then, says Hazelet, encampments in that meadow have been minimal, though one man camping
there did die of hypothermia recently. Since that property was sold to California Tahoe Conservancy last year and is now state land, policing the meadow is now overseen by the California Highway Patrol. It is this kind of carrot and stick approach which makes him effective, says Hazelet. And just because he arrests somebody doesn’t mean he doesn’t also try to help them. “I’ll ask them if they’re interested in shelter, interested in rehab, interested in other services while I’m driving them to jail.”
Addiction, which can underlie mental health and homelessness, can be somewhat difficult to address, says Hazelet. Hazelet encounters people who say they are tired of being addicted or tired of living on the street and want to seek drug treatment. Inpatient rehab waiting lists for the homeless and low-income patients can be months long and it is often hard for the addict to stay motivated and committed to seeking treatment in the meantime. “Things that take a long time are difficult for the homeless population,” Hazelet says.
Hazelet can, however, often get addicts into outpatient treatment the same day through Barton’s addiction medicine program. This can sometimes allow the person to kick their habit altogether or at least stay focused on recovery until a spot at an inpatient program opens up.
Hazelet estimates there are 50 to 100 homeless people on the streets of South Lake Tahoe—it
varies by season. Some do not want help or do not make good use of the services they accept. Not a whole lot can be done about that. People can be taken into custody if they are a threat to themselves or others or are suffering from a grave disability and cannot care for themselves. That doesn’t apply in most situations Hazelet handles. People who are perpetually at serious risk and cannot seem to meet their own needs or manage their lives, even minimally, can be placed under a conservatorship. This is time consuming and quite difficult to accomplish—as taking away someone’s rights should be, says Hazelet—and requires obtaining a court order. Securing a conservatorship has only happened in one instance since Hazelet has been on board.
Overall, Hazelet likes being proactive instead of just responding to calls for service and taking people to jail,
which does little to address larger issues people may be facing and may even exacerbate them, leading to a vicious cycle of repeated police intervention. Hazelet is proud he is helping break that cycle wherever possible, even when it takes multiple attempts. “It’s knowing what resources are available, having those relationships, cutting through the red tape. My work is important and it does make a difference. And, it’s fun.”
IMMIGRANTS
Continued from page 15
Attorney General’s Office advise not obstructing or impeding federal immigration officers, but rather verbally requesting they comply with directives, verbally objecting if they don’t and documenting their actions. Teachers in LTUSD have been instructed not to interfere with immigration officials, though one teacher told the Mountain News some teachers might push back. Another teacher told his class he would shut the door in the face of federal immigration officials according to a student. What would be done with any information and documentation regarding federal immigration activities is unclear. The California Legislature recently approved $50 million in funding to counter federal immigration actions and policies, but how those funds would be utilized in specific cases is not spelled out.
In his statement, Cutler also told the Mountain News, “Our District works closely with local law enforcement to maintain a secure environment where students can focus on their education without fear.”
Lt. Jeff Roberson of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said his officers’ hands are tied with respect to countering any federal enforcement actions, even if conducted illegally. While California law prohibits
aalocal law enforcement from assisting, coordinating or collaborating with federal immigration operations, they are “very limited” in what they can do to stop such operations, said Roberson. Basically, they can’t help, but they can’t hinder either. If SLTPD receives a call that federal immigration officials are acting outside the bounds of the law, “are we going to fight them? No,” Roberson said. Roberson stressed that SLTPD would not be part of any federal immigration actions. “Why would we alienate our community like that?”
ICE did not respond to a Mountain News email seeking to determine if its agents would comply with the procedures, policies and laws set forth by various entities. Would they seek to cooperate or act unilaterally?
The Sacramento Catholic Diocese, which includes South Lake Tahoe, issued a statement decrying the fear and anxiety recent immigration enforcement actions have generated in its communities. It encouraged people to continue to participate in its religious activities. It did not state how it will respond if immigration officers come to its churches and other sites.
The diocese does offer free and low-cost legal services for immigrants.
It likely won’t surprise anyone here that South Lake Tahoe made the list as one of the best lake towns in the United States. It came in at No. 8.
However, it wasn’t the top lake town in California. That honor went to Folsom at No. 2. Lake Elsinore is the only other California city to make the list at No. 30. No Nevada cities made the cut.
Out of 46 cities, Traverse City in Michigan took the top spot.
Using data from personal finance website WalletHub, Stacker came up with the rankings. Stacker cre-
ates data-driven content.
This is what Stacker said about South Lake Tahoe: “Pick your pleasure in the picturesque South Lake Tahoe—camping, skiing, golf, and boating, to name a few. Whether you want full-time living, bed-and-breakfast, or full-scale casino and resorts, the city is only an hour drive south from Reno. Though known as a vacation getaway, above-average schools make it viable for settling down as well.”
Criteria that was considered to come up with the rankings included affordability, weather, safety, economy,
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the basin’s first area-wide stormwater district. Ongoing funding started in 1998.
• Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority: Advocacy with the Nevada Legislature for state law establishing TDVA in 1997. (Some of the STAR board members are also on the TDVA and LTVA boards. Teshara at one time was simultaneously executive director of TDVA and the Gaming Alliance.)
• South Shore Area Vision Plan, 2011. (Paid Design Workshop $50,000 for planning document.)
• Advocated for Edgewood Hotel and Golf Course
Realignment Project, 2012.
• Advocated for development and adoption of the South Shore Area Plan approved by Douglas County and TRPA, 2013.
• Lake Link micro-transit: Advocacy and financial support for summer 2022 launch.
• Tahoe Blue Event Center: Investment in the initial financial feasibility study. Advocacy at local and regional levels, and at the Nevada Legislature to establish funding for planning and construction.
Email: mountainnews2@gmail.com
Mail: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95618.
Now that I’m an old lady and, therefore, a useless and invisible member of society, I’ve become interested in the ravens.
I’m talking specifically about the birds, not the football team. So gentlemen, you’ve reached the point in this column where you can stop reading. Ladies, let’s move on and learn something new, while your husbands are watching the Ravens. The football team, not the birds.
I’m convinced people who don’t look up never see the ravens that are long-term residents of Tahoe, and unlike tourists, not an invasive species. In fact, ravens are highly adaptive, clever and cooperative, so they’re really not like humans at all.
Over the winter I’ve devoted a considerable amount of time to studying ravens, outside of training my cattle-guard dog to refrain from leaping to kiss strangers. And religiously watching Dateline murder mysteries, even
though we all know the husband did it.
The rest of the time, I’ve been reading about ravens. So far, I’ve accumulated over six minutes devoted strictly to the study of these birds. By Supreme Court standards, this pretty much makes me an expert on the subject. Even though I’ve never owned a bird or even had the bird flu.
I’d like to share what I’ve learned, although I don’t have a college degree because they are such sticklers on things like class attendance. And, after eating a high school cafeteria dented-can lunch, I failed high school biology for refusing to dissect a frog floating in formaldehyde, whom I’m certain ate the same lunch as me and became disoriented, resulting in his tragic fall into the formaldehyde pond.
So, let’s learn about ravens. But not in the funky-formal, freedom-obliterating, water-boarding
style of most American prisons and kindergartens because we believe learning something new should be fun and filled with erroneous facts and devoid of intellectual value, like most media today. Then we can blab about it non-stop at those mandatory social mixers and office parties, boring everyone and insuring we will never be invited back again, thus creating one of those very rare occasions where everybody is satisfied with the outcome. Speaking of being socially obtuse, it’s interesting to note that the ravens in our community live here year-round, and yet have not realized the necessity of purchasing a second home. While other seasonal cherry-picking, fair-weather fowl species leave Tahoe, ravens remain and like ski bums, are active through cold winters. Much like our local thieves, they take advantage
of human presence by raiding garbage cans and construction sites.
Some even work in pairs to distract people and steal their food at local ski resorts and beaches.
However, they refrain from stealing skis and bikes, leaving that activity to the least intelligent species in our community. Generally, those are the dummies and lazy asses who never learned to fly right.
Did you know that ravens are reminiscent of our own past?
Eons ago, when we first arrived in Tahoe and survived by practicing similar communal roosting behavior, we also found safety in numbers. And we utilized information sharing to protect us against Tahoe’s most dangerous predators—like below-minimum-wage employers, horny pit bosses, psycho roommates, baby laxative drug pushers and sketchy landlords who over-charged on rent and then wanted to move in with us.
Similar to ravens, there was rampant social bonding among the younger members of our flock to maintain warmth during cold mountain nights. And breeding was intentionally timed to coincide with the spring thaw, when the male flew off to roost with some other chick.
Unlike humans, there are notable signs of intelligence among ravens. They have the ability to solve complex puzzles such as locating free food at restaurants and ski resorts. Also unlike humans, they plan for the future. They use tools and modes of transportation they haven’t stolen. They recognize faces for years, which is a skill humans lose when they have a bad breakup or become senior citizens. And they slide down snowy slopes, mimic sounds to get a reaction, make snowballs, toss sticks and pinecones in the air, and remain curious, which are all skills most humans devalue when they become adults.
Notably, a group of ravens is often referred to as a “conspiracy” by bird haters and everyone else traumatized by Alfred Hitchcock. However, given their vocal nature, empathy and desire to bond through communication, I prefer the lesser-known term—a “storytelling” of Ravens. And so, I’m telling their story. Their joy of playful flight on thermal winds, their wisdom, flexibility and eagerness to learn through life, insist I do. And I hear them. Because I’m a playfully meandering, lost-but-found, overly-aged and still curious, child.
Lucky me. I drove with a friend to Colorado and got to ski at Telluride, Crested Butte, and one glorious day at Silverton, jumping in and out of a helicopter.
It was an amazing opportunity to explore incredible terrain and also to compare some strikingly gorgeous mountain communities to our own little South Lake Tahoe. Silverton, Crested Butte, and Telluride are all old mining towns that experienced a financial and cultural boom around the turn of the 19th century and their character and architecture reflect an old-west identity, with stately municipal buildings and walkable downtowns tightly packed with commercial spaces that cater to tourists and locals alike. South Lake Tahoe has a vacuum where this is concerned. We lack a downtown corridor. If you ask the tourists, it’s Heavenly Village, but you’d be hard pressed to find any Tahoe local who’d agree with that perception. Our city council meets at the airport, our police and courts by Al Tahoe, our high school on the side of Tahoe Mountain… you get the idea. Our population is large enough that we can support more than one “downtown,” but we lack the zoning to facilitate that sort of density. All around the world, people gravitate to walkable commercial zones with tightly packed retail spaces and low speed limits. So much of our town feels like a suburban afterthought, where cars rule and pedestrians and bicycles are a nuisance. How about some bold reimagining of our commercial and civic spaces. Friends of Ski Run is a great start. Lakeview Commons is fantastic. Let’s keep
pushing this density-based, communitycentered trajectory.
The other inescapable reality hovering over Telluride and Crested Butte like some radioactive Godzilla fart is of course Vail Resorts. Telluride is not owned by Vail but has an agreement with them, allowing Epic pass holders to ski a number of days there. Thanks! The gondola that transects the mountain from the Telluride Village to Telluride the town can be ridden for free, that’s right, no Epic pass required. No way Vail would agree to that if Telluride was Vail property. On the mountain itself, there are friendly mountain guides everywhere in teams of two so they can chat with each other and help when more than one group needs direction or advice.
In contrast, Crested Butte is owned by Vail and they are suffering from some of the same corporate consolidations and staff-stretching shenanigans that Vail rams down our throats in Tahoe. Their maintenance and operations folks CBLMCWA Local 7781 has already voted to authorize a strike against Vail Resorts.
The 12-day Park City Ski Patrol strike was successful in raising wages by $4/ hour and guaranteed other wage parities. It’s good to see tools, like collective bargaining, working for employees when it comes to making a difference with a large corporation. Hopefully the pressure that Vail is clearly under from all sides will continue to result in sustainable wage growth and better communication with the communities to which they are inexorably linked and maybe—just maybe—even an
agreement with our city council over the parking annexation at Cal Base. We were also lucky to catch a bit of the Annual Crested Butte “Alley-Loop,” the self-described most unique Nordic marathon and costume party around. The town literally covers its central street, “Elk Avenue,” in groomed snow and runs races right through downtown for the serious and the silly to race and reconnect with community. In our town, we have lots of similar festive and athletic congregations, such as TAMBA’s Halloween Coral Party or TAP’s Dancing with the Tahoe Stars or Brewfest or Sample the Sierra or the Lake Tahoe Marathon. But there is something to be learned from the “Alley-Loop”: unlike many Tahoe events that cater to one subculture or are designed to draw in tourists, this one felt like the whole town stopped what they were doing and participated, maybe because their main street was no longer passable, LOL. It got me to reflect on what, if anything, really brings our entire town together— certainly not the American Century Golf Championship.
Then there was that magical day at Silverton. “We’re not a resort. We’re a ‘Ski Area,’” said Fabio, one of our Heli Guides. Fabio didn’t have long flowing golden locks of hair, but his turns through the gnar and variable snow were as flowy as could be. “Dude, you’re like Picasso on snow,” one of our crew said.
Silverton is a time warp. No village. No base area with Gucci little shops and cafes. Just a road, a couple spots to park, an
LZ for the heli, and a double-wide trailer where we met. “It’s a huge upgrade to our facilities,” said Fabio. During Peak season skiers must be guided even off the one two-seater lift. There is an expectation that visitors should hike to reach more terrain and I don’t think they’ve figured out how to make a slope less steep than double black. Groomers, what are groomers? Terrain Park, you mean like couloirs and cornices? It was wild and fun.
Not to be outdone by the mountain, Silverton the town is about as far away from a Vail experience as imaginable. No recognizable food chains—just a handful of restaurants that seem to take turns being open for the night. Don’t expect a lot of choices, but the food was actually some of the best we had on the trip.
Silverton is not a place that is accessible to everyone. Heliskiing is expensive and I was very lucky to be able to link up with a larger group of likeminded and like-ability skiers and riders for one glorious day of frolicking amongst 14,000-foot peaks. If this is something you’ve dreamed of, it is well worth the trip and the investment. It feels like how skiing should be, without the veil.
M.C. Behm is a full-time resident of South Lake Tahoe and author of “Once Upon a Quarantine” and “The Elixir of Yosemite.” Available locally and online. To learn more or respond to columns visit www.behmbooks.com or email mcbehmbooks@gmail.com.
I love snow. I love to play on snow; that means almost anything that slides on snow. Well, I do draw the line at sleds and saucers, you know, toys for the unskilled. Mainly because those two seem like the most dangerous way to slide, no brakes and no steering?!?
I’m also not that picky about where because almost anywhere that I can do that sliding is good with me—ski resort, backcountry, meadows, beaches (a lucky thing we get around these parts), neighborhood streets, frozen lakes, although that is called ice skating, which counts too. And this brings up another factor, which is that I don’t really care what the snow condition is; if I can slide on it, I’m going.
This makes me think of one of the times we skied Mount Shasta. Nearing the summit, we meet
two other people. We are hiking with boot crampons and our skis on our packs; the other two have left their skis at a point somewhere below. One of them says, “Why are you bringing your skis up? There’s no good snow up there.”
I reply, “I can see white stuff to the top, so I am skiing it!”
We all hang out at the top for a while. The other two leave before us, walking down from the summit. It’s a perfect day so we spend another 40 minutes simply enjoying being there, then click into our skis and begin the drop back down. The snow is sun and wind affected, not great snow but great to be skiing from the summit. It doesn’t take long before we catch our two
buddies still walking down to the spot where they left their skis. As we fly past them with a Yahoo! It doesn’t look like they are enjoying their walk downhill to their skis at all.
Okay, kind of like the sleds and saucers, there are two snow conditions I can skip: breakable death crust and frozen death cookies; hmmm, those both have the word death in them . guess I’ll stay home and get some chores done . chores, yuk.
I do spend a good deal of my skiing days at the ski resorts. Who can complain about being whisked up a mountainside in minutes so you can blissfully slide back down to do it again? Oh yeah, there are lots of complainers out there, and for good reason: long lines, out of control and/or disrespectful others doing the same, Vail. I don’t want to be one of those grumpy old dudes going, “Oh skiing was so much better back in the day—that was the golden age of skiing!” uh, but… Our world of sliding on snow
really has changed a lot. I feel very lucky to have grown up with parents who were skiers in the ‘50s and were passionate enough to have had a cabin on the North Shore to come spend weekends with friends and family enjoying the magic of sliding on snow. I don’t remember my very first years on snow but at about five or six years old, some of those memories begin to take shape. Those are absolutely some of my best memories in life, skiing around with Mom and Dad and our friends. That part of the day when everybody else in the group was headed into the lodge while my Dad was still urging me to go for “Just a couple more runs”; I wanted to go in, my fingers were too cold—“Okay, one more.”
The excitement of driving to the mountain all loaded into the station wagon—some things never change. A lift line was one lane wide and there might have been eight people in front of you— some things really change. Only gonna get one more run because my fingers are too cold—some things never change.
One of my favorite things at the ski resort is seeing the little kids out there charging around. They are so good at such a young age, and it is fun to see those that are really moving around the mountain, helmets and cool outfits, great equipment and in such
On the same day the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2024 annual report on the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill came out in January, the federal agency allocated more money for the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Another $3.1 million has been designated to further prevent and combat the spread of aquatic invasive species here.
Now in its fourth year of funding, the legislation is a five-year, $455 million investment to restore habitats and enhance resilience for people and nature.
The report noted $1.4 million had been allocated to the Washoe Tribe to monitor and control aquatic invasive plants and fish, while also focusing on the recovery of native species like the Lahontan cutthroat trout. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has received $2.3 million to combat AIS in the Taylor-Tallac ecosystem.
an enthusiastic way, no crybabies! Actually, it seems like the crybabies are usually some adults sitting in the middle of the run or some nuts on their powder skis whining about how shitty the snow is, not the little kids—they just want to point ‘em downhill!
Possibly the coolest, dare I say cutest thing, is how little they are making snowboards for the really young kids. There is this mom and her little daughter I have seen up there several times; that little girl is going to be amazing very soon. Those little ones will someday be the heart and passion of this gift of mountains we have been given. I hope they will be able to save the soul of skiing and boarding that the corporate disease rampant right now is killing so fast.
The golden age of skiing? I am not sure there has ever been any one golden age. It has all been hanging out in the mountains playing with snow and gravity. I would love to time travel back to the ‘30s and ‘40s to experience skiing back then. Those people were hard core real skiers; you had to want it, wood, leather and wool, no groomed slopes and either walk up or if you were lucky, a rope tow. Not to mention the difficulty of reaching a ski hill by car or train. Maybe that was the iron age of skiing and now we in the marshmallow age; no, it is all the golden age and I’m glad to get to be a part of it. Oh, it’s starting to snow—I am going skiing!
Let’s play
All told, the basin is to receive $17 million from this legislation to combat AIS.
“One of the stand-out initiatives is the Lake Tahoe watercraft inspection program, which is supported by $5.2 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to establish two new permanent inspection stations that will facilitate efficient longterm inspections,” the report says. “This enhancement will expedite the processing of recreational watercraft while preventing the spread of invasive species.”
Northern Nevada is also benefitting from the sagebrush ecosystem conservation program, where nearly 200 projects across several states will receive $50 million.
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The Academy Awards nominees are out and of the ten for Best Picture, I have, so far, seen two. Part of that is my laziness in getting to an actual theatre for the films that haven’t streamed yet and part of it is that I’m just not as interested in many of the film subjects. And I suppose some of it is being an old retired guy. Back when I was still teaching film classes, I used to watch everything as part of staying current on what was happening in film and the industry. But now I am mostly just watching films for my own enjoyment.
Conclave is not only up for Best Picture, but has seven other Oscar nominations, including Ralph Fiennes for Best Actor and Isabella Rossellini for Best Supporting Actress.
The film follows the very secretive process for choosing a new Pope for the Catholic Church. The film starts with the passing of the current pope and Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Lawrence is given the task of organizing and running the process steeped in over 1,000 years of history. The entire College of Cardinals is convened, where they will be sequestered and locked away from the entire outside world, and do not leave until they elect a new Pope. But even though the cardinals represent God, they are men, and so politics, secrets, and the desire for power fill the halls as different factions try to win the most powerful seat in the Catholic Church.
You might think that a bunch of old men, stuck in the Sistine Chapel, talking a lot, might be boring, but the Oscar-nominated
So, Teresa and I saw Wicked and we just saw Conclave (which just dropped to a $5.99 rental on Prime and Apple). I’ll throw in a short review for that in a minute. Of the others, the only one I still really want to see is Anora. It sounds like a very creative bunch of fun. Oh, and I will catch Dune: Part Two as I do still keep up with most science fiction films. For the rest, I think I’m taking a break from serious films with intense, negative or depressing subjects or characters as central themes, which would include The Brutalist, Nickel Boys, I’m still here and The Substance. Also, though I think he is a brilliant artist, I don’t really care that much about Bob Dylan and the biopic A Complete Unknown, and Emelia Perez, a French musical in Spanish about the Mexican drug cartels, just didn’t grab me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that these are not all excellent films, and I will probably get around to watching most of them at some time, it’s just that my film tastes are a bit different for now.
screenplay by Peter Straughan taken from the novel by Robert Harris, is anything but. The plots and intrigues, with mysteries and revelations, are on par with any mystery thriller. And it’s all staged amid the pomp and circumstance of the high Catholic Church, with two more Oscar nominations for production and costume design. The cardinals are in ceremonial attire, whose design is hundreds of years old, while they stand about scrolling through their cell phones. All the camera shots are perfectly balanced, reinforcing the rigid structure of the traditions honored.
Conclave is a beautifully acted, beautifully designed drama and even gives you a surprise ending. The film is tightly paced and Ralph Fiennes gives one of his best ever performances. I’m a little surprised at Isabella Rosellini’s nomination. She’s very good but has so little screen time, that it hardly seems enough for a nomination. Teresa really liked this film as well and overall you wouldn’t guess that choosing a Pope could be so interesting. On a different note, there’s a new Wallace and Gromit movie out on Netflix called Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl Yes, Academy-Award-winning Aardman Animations is back with another Wallace and
Gromit adventure. For those who don’t know (or remember), Wallace and Gromit is a Claymation film series dating back to short films that started in 1991, with their last full-length feature being Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit back in 2005. The films deal with Wallace, a good-natured, eccentric, cheese-loving inventor whose inventions don’t always work as planned, and Gromit, his loyal and intelligent anthropomorphic dog, set in Lancashire, England.
This film opens with Wallace and Gromit waking up in their house full of Wallace’s time-saving inventions (many of them remind me of “Doc” Brown’s inventions in the first Back to the Future). As the day goes on, Wallace brings out his latest invention, an AI garden gnome called Norbot, designed to help with chores in the yard and around the house. Norbot looks just like your standard garden gnome, except fully functioning. As he begins to prove his usefulness and Wallace is completely taken with the results, Gromit begins to feel left out and underappreciated. Meanwhile, Feathers McGraw, a villainous penguin captured in the 2005 film, learns of the invention from his prison cell, and since Norbot is online, manages to reprogram the gnome
to work his nefarious scheme to break jail and steal the famous Blue Diamond. Norbot builds an army of angry robot gnomes, which break McGraw out of prison and begin terrorizing the city, so it’s up to Wallace and Gromit to save the day again. The film has a lot of slapstick humor reminiscent of silent films, which makes sense since Gromit and Feathers McGraw (and some other characters) never speak. Besides, the expressions on their Claymation faces often speak better than any dialogue. What’s funny is that McGraw’s face actually has zero expression; it never moves. But with the way they set up the scenes, you know exactly what he is thinking. The film also makes fun of our continuing use of and reliance on smart technology. There are action film references to James Bond and as many full-on action sequences as any Mission Impossible film.
Overall, Vengeance Most Fowl is wonderfully structured with a tight pace, great camera work, humor and action the whole family will enjoy. It has the same creativity as the original films and the Claymation style, along with a little CGI, is still just as fun to watch.
