How was your New Year’s? This year I found myself alone on New Year’s Eve, so I bought a split of champagne, got some takeout and settled in to say goodbye to 2024. But at my age, staying up late is becoming more of a chore, so I drank my champagne early, went to bed and called it good.
Halfway through our 31st year in business, I thought I would take some time to look back on 2024 and highlight a few things the Mountain News has brought to its readers.
Last year, we wrote about the unique Tahoe Science class at South Tahoe High School where students get hands-on experience in studying the local Tahoe environment and even contribute to research in the basin by measuring and collecting data about natural phenomena in this place we all call home. We were the first to report on neighborhood concerns and community impacts with Barton Health’s proposal to move its hospital to the Nevada side. We reported on the changing dramatic landscape on the South Shore with the dwindling of live theater and what it means for local culture. One of the goals of agencies around the basin is to increase public transit options and increase ridership. Our reporter Kae Reed actually rode public transportation to see
how it’s working and where it can be improved. And the year wouldn’t be complete without our summer reading edition featuring works by local authors and our endof-year Made in Tahoe, featuring local craftspeople of all sorts. And that’s just a sampling of our cover stories.
Of course, we are interested in not just telling our readers things we think are important to know, but hearing from them about what’s on their radar. That’s why we have continued our Since You Asked feature where readers can pose a question about something in the community and we find the answer. In 2024, we answered questions about the continued work of Destination Stewardship, delved into whether vacancy taxes really work or not, reported in the years-long negotiations between Barton Health and the nurses union toward a contract, found out when, why and how Lake Tahoe has been allowed to fill to capacity and more, all at the request of readers. So, those who have a question about something on the South Shore, please feel free to write in and ask.
This month’s Since question involves possible government cutbacks at federal agencies in Tahoe as the new Trump administration takes office. See page 9.
We start this year off with a cover story on the longtime, local non-profit, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. There
has been controversy and strife regarding its operations and management and we talk to people past and present to find out what’s going on. Also check-out Letters to the Editor this month for a perspective on the charity as well as a couple of responses to Mayor Tamara Wallace’s New Year ‘s message about the year ahead for the city. This month, we also explain the Heavenly annexation and take a detailed look at what is going on with the Motel 6 property.
Of course, no issue of the Mountain News would be complete without the contributions of our columnists. We have six local writers—Peggy, Mike, Trish, Tahoe Guy, Spoke Junkie and Dave —who bring their take on what’s going on in Tahoe from politics to humor to the outdoors and more. Often, they even break news and their viewpoints add to the community conversation. I like to think reading our little paper is like sitting around at a bar or a coffee shop with your friends and neighbors, shooting the breeze about what’s going on in town, and building connections on the South Shore. I hope our readers do, too.
-Heather
Rewarding incompetence at TRPA
The Nevada legislature and the California Attorney General have sent letters to the TRPA requesting the updated environmental information for 2024 that Executive Director Julie Regan promised to deliver at the Nevada Legislative Committee hearing in August. To date, the TRPA has not delivered the requested information to Nevada or California.
The elephant in the room is the TRPA’s failure to hold the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority (TDVA) to the conditions of the permit to build the Event Center. The TDVA was required to measure and monitor the vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) generated by the Event Center. Instead, the TDVA ignored this requirement and is now saying the traffic monitoring system was too expensive to implement. Board member Cody Bass stated, “The Event Center is a great economic help…however, we really have to do what we say we have to do when it comes to compliance.”
Regan acknowledged that the TRPA was at fault for not checking and enforcing the conditions of the permit for the Event Center stating, “Lesson learned, we share
some responsibility for not catching this sooner” . . . Puh-Leeze! This is a major screw-up. The TRPA has been the environmental super cop in the Tahoe Basin for 55 years and they let the construction approval conditions of a $100M, 5,000-seat arena slip by them . really?
2 News Nevada’s Josh Meny asked the TRPA’s PR representative Jeff Cowen why the TRPA was not able to meet and verify their VMT reduction goals or provide environmental reports to Nevada or California. Cowen’s response was vague and confusing.
At the December 18 TRPA Governing Board meeting, the agenda included a performance review of the executive director, Julie Regan. As if on cue, the board members began to praise the director for her leadership. This seemingly orchestrated love fest prompted comments from the board like: Cody Bass (City SLT), “You’re doing a great great job,”
and Cindy Gustafson (Placer County’s Tahoe supervisor who voted to approve the massive expansion at Palisades after 100 of her constituents spoke in opposition), “Thank you Julie for an incredible year.”
After singing Kumbaya, the board got the checkbook out and voted unanimously to give Ms. Regan a raise from $207,926 to $218,323 plus a one-time $5,000 bonus for her exemplary performance. This was a real Pepto Bismol moment.
spend annually to operate.
IN ALL FAIRNESS
On January 5, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act. Starting in 1983, workers with earned Social Security benefits and a government pension had their Social Security checks arbitrarily reduced by two thirds or denied entirely. It has taken two decades (with congressional sponsors from both sides of the aisle) to repeal this unfair legislation. The new law will restore earned Social Security benefits for the estimated three million retirees who were affected.
Regan acknowledged that the TRPA was at fault for not checking and enforcing the conditions of the permit for the Event Center stating, “Lesson learned, we share some responsibility for not catching this sooner” . . .
The dishonesty of board members praising the executive director, knowing that the agency has serious deficiencies with compliance and enforcement, is a mission failure. Rather than passing out cash and trophies, the board should instead be pressing for higher performance standards. The governing board seems to be saying F.U. to environmental advocates when it yields to more and more development without enforcing the required and agreed to mitigations on existing projects.
SMALL WONDERS
The TRPA should stop boasting about what a great job they are doing followed by generous raises and a bonus for the executive director. Their metric for measuring their success conveniently omits their many policy and compliance failures. If, in fact, they are doing the great job that they claim, wouldn’t the public be praising the TRPA? Self-promotion makes this organization seem desperate to justify their existence and the $28M they
With the national birth rate steadily declining over the past 30 years, it’s good to know that people in SLT are still making babies. In the predawn hours of December 5, our neighbors Mitch and Charley (Taylor) Siwy dashed to Barton Hospital on very short notice to deliver baby Cameron (Cam). The little man weighed in at all of six and a half pounds. The Siwys give Barton’s maternity department a five-star rating for excellent care. The parents are both over the moon but already showing signs of serious sleep deprivation. Congratulations!
More Tahoe babies: On November 8, Drue and Cole Baginski welcomed their adorable baby girl Avery and on December 10 Mackenzie and Nicholas Kushner met the amazing Raegan Mae. Can you say population boom?
To be continued .
Will local federal employees lose their jobs under the incoming Trump administration?
– Updating Resume
Hundreds of people in the Lake Tahoe Basin are employed by federal agencies, with unknown numbers telecommuting. All could be impacted by the incoming administration’s threat to cut federal jobs and eliminate remote work.
The ripple effect could touch everyone because when jobs are cut, people move and take their kids out of school, meaning fewer people to shop locally, eat out, or contribute to the economy in other ways. When tax revenues decline, services are cut.
With the U.S. Forest Service being the largest federal employer in the basin with more than 110 full-time workers, the loss of positions could be noticeable, especially to South Lake Tahoe because Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit’s headquarters are here.
LTBMU is a partner with numerous entities on projects from trail building to water quality to transportation. If projects can’t go forward, that could affect LTBMU’s partners’ abilities to do work, which in turn could mean those agencies must downsize.
Charles Clark, LTBMU spokesman, said, “We can’t speculate on the plans of the incoming presidential administration.” That doesn’t mean conversations aren’t being had locally.
The Forest Service resides within the U.S. Department of Agricuture. President-elect Donald Trump nominated law-
about cuts throughout the federal government, the U.S. Forest Service before the election said it would eliminate all of its more than 2,500 seasonal positions for this year. That’s 35 to 40 LTBMU jobs.
“This decision was made to address the dynamic and evolving budget environment going into fiscal year 2025. The Forest Service’s budget is primarily
A few examples include helping with maintaining trails, campgrounds, and other recreational facilities. We are working closely with individual partners to explore creative solutions to fill gaps where we can,” Clark said.
TAMBA, the local nonprofit mountain bike group, which in 2024 built 12 miles of trail and maintained more than 100 miles of existing trails, is on a fund-
With the U.S. Forest Service being the largest federal employer in the basin with more than 110 full-time workers, the loss of positions could be noticeable, especially to South Lake Tahoe because Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit’s headquarters are here.
yer Brooke Rollins to lead it. The lawyer is CEO of the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, which she and Larry Kudlow, both advisors in the first Trump administration, founded in 2021 to promote Trump policies.
While Trump is talking
provided through discretionary appropriations provided by Congress each year,” Clark said.
Cuts exclude the nearly 11,000 seasonal firefighters hired throughout the U.S.
“Non-fire temporary seasonal employees typically perform a range of important duties.
raising mission to compensate for LTBMU cutbacks. When it comes to other federal agencies in the basin and the next president, consequences are unknown.
The Stateline FBI office has three agents. One reports to the Roseville office, which covers 30
of California’s 58 counties; another agent represents Northern Nevada via the Reno office; the third is a city police detective.
Roseville folks didn’t comment, however a person familiar with the FBI said, “… if there are cuts to our small resident agencies, smaller communities like ours will suffer disproportionally.” That means more crimes not being investigated.
Even though FBI Director Chris Wray was appointed by Trump, he plans to resign prior to the Jan. 20 inauguration. The FBI falls under the Justice Department. Trump selected former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to be its top person after Matt Gaetz declined the job because of sex trafficking allegations.
The U.S. Coast Guard office in Tahoe City has 15 active-duty personnel and six reservists. They responded to 61 cases in FY24, which ended Sept. 30.
Lt. j.g. Amanda Bourgeois, based in San Francisco, said, “At
this time there will be no change in personnel or equipment at Lake Tahoe (through September).”
The Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been tapped to run it.
While the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency seems like a federal agency, it isn’t one. No president or his designee can trim TRPA staff.
“We are not in the president’s budget. We get funding from competitive federal grants, agreements with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, transportation money as the (metropolitan planning agency),” Executive Director Julie Regan said. “We don't get federal pensions or PERS as state staff. We are our own independent entity.”
However, staffing and funding impacts to partner agencies could affect TRPA. Still, Regan said TRPA weathered the Great Recession which came with cutbacks to state and federal agencies, and she added TRPA is used to adjusting to new norms with every administration change.
Although the inaugural 1997 environmental summit funded reps from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Environmental Protection Agency to work out of TRPA’s office, dollars for those jobs dried up years ago.
Other nearby federal agencies include the Bureau of Land Management—no response— and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—“We have nothing to share.”
Both agencies fall under the Department of Interior. Former presidential candidate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been selected to lead it.
Email: mountainnews2@ gmail.com
Mail: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 95618.
Photo Lisa Herron
Whether the incoming president cuts U.S. Forest Service jobs remains to be seen, but already the agency is axing all non-firefighting temporary workers for 2025.
Considering Implants?
Interested?
Disclaimer:
Editor:
We are a group of long-time LTWC staff, volunteers and members, extending back to the days when the doors were first opened. We have serious concerns regarding the current management of the non-profit as well as the welfare of the remaining resident wildlife.
• LTWC staff no longer responds to calls regarding injured or orphaned wildlife. Callers are told you have lost your certification to rescue animals through the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. Quite often, the phone is never answered at all. Lacking a qualified local rescue facility, animals now must be taken to Placerville, Auburn, or further. When ‘baby season’ happens in a few months, this problem will become compounded many times over.
• Educational programs are now minimal. LTWC no longer has a presence in our public schools, which was a main-
Dear Editor,
The following was sent to the Boardof Directors of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care and is reprinted here at the authors’ request.
stay of the program for many years.
• Volunteers who have collectively spent thousands of hours working at the facility were suddenly locked out last spring, with no explanation. Some volunteers have left over allegations regarding mistreatment and a hostile work environment. This also leads to concerns about your fiduciary responsibility since the expenditures for paid staff have increased significantly over the same time period.
• Webcams have been out of service for months.
• Members of the public are blatantly refused entry to your Board of Directors meetings, giving the appearance that there is no transparency or accountability to the public who have long supported the organization with millions of dollars. E-mails, letters and phone calls to the Board and Executive Director Catherine Mendez have gone unanswered since June.
• Your website states “While some have voiced concerns online and in
the media, we welcome constructive dialogue.” Why have letters, e-mails, and phone calls expressing concerns gone unanswered? Why are ‘cease and desist” letters being sent to community members questioning your actions?
As individuals who have supported LTWC through volunteerism and significant donations, we are requesting that you provide the opportunity to have these concerns addressed in a public forum immediately. Since neither the staff nor the Directors have been forthcoming to date, it is time to be transparent with the community which has supported you for so long. Whitewashed guest editorials to local media do not begin to answer our questions.
Denise Upton, former LTWC Board President and former Animal Care Director & Educational Coordinator
Kathay Lovell, former South Lake Tahoe Mayor and for-
We want answers Mayor's misstatements about taxes
Linda Mueller, former LTWC Board member and longterm supporter
Bruce Richards, large LTWC donor, volunteer project manager for Al Tahoe Site, large donor fundraiser
Dave Santori, long-term volunteer/supporter/educational assistant
Michelle Harvey former LTWC Wildlife Technician and Ambassador Team Caregiver
Teresa Bertrand, former LTWC volunteer
Leona Allen, wildlife advocate and long-time LTWC donor
Mayor Tamara Wallace, in her New Year’s Day message to the community, says, “I want to help others by taxing
less.” I wish that were true. In 2020, she supported a council-led tax measure to increase our sales tax by one percent. The council paid a consultant over a $100,000 to promote this tax increase. That measure
passed and the sales tax in the city increased from 7.75 percent to 8.75 percent.
In 2022, she supported converting the temporary city-imposed six percent cannabis development tax to a more permanent six
percent sales tax. As a retired senior citizen with medical cannabis needs, both of these taxes are an added financial burden.
The Tahoe Neighborhoods Group and the Measure T Committee take exception with many statements made by Mayor Tamara Wallace in her “first letter to the citizens of SLT as the mayor” column dated January 1, 2025, in South Tahoe Now In Mayor Wallace’s letter, she claims that Measure T has cost the city $2M each year but provides no documentation to support this statement. This unsubstantiated claim contradicts the city’s financial reports and undermines the credibility of the city manager and the city’s finance di-
rector whose publicly available financial reports show the number of lodging room nights and hotel tax (TOT) collections have increased since Measure T. She goes on to claim that school enrollment has declined because of Measure T. The decline in school enrollment was happening long before Measure T. The LTUSD saw a sharp decline in student enrollment going back to the late 90’s and a steady decline over the last twenty years with more static enrollment in the last few years. She states that 1400 VHR-related jobs were
lost without providing any labor statistics or analysis. She states that “almost none” of the 1400 former VHRs turned into long term rentals as promised. That statement defies what is evident and measurable in our neighborhoods. Measure T is an initiative that was born out of a desire for residential zoning to be protected. Mixing tourists and residents in our neighborhoods proved to be disruptive on many levels. It was anticipated that tourists would find places to stay in our traditional lodging properties
(hotels, motels, condos and timeshares) located in tourist and commercially zoned areas and that has measurably shown to be the case. Attempting to draw a straight line between every negative economic indicator in SLT and the elimination of VHRs in residential neighborhoods is simplistic and illogical thinking.
mer LTWC Board Member
Sue Novasel former El Dorado County Supervisor and former LTWC Board Member
Andrea Olsen
Jason Burke has joined the Tahoe Transportation District as its new senior transportation planner. Burke comes to the agency from the city of South Lake Tahoe where he was the complete streets program manager and was acting director of public works during the Caldor Fire, overseeing emergency operations from the evacuation of vulnerable residents to coordinating first responder operations.
Meteorologist Claire Martin will be speaking at Lake Tahoe Community College on January 28 at 3pm in coordination with the Sierra Storm Meteorologist Conference. The title of her speech is “Hell or High Water—A Canadian Perspective on the Environment and Climate Change.”
Sawyer Storm Vivas came into the world on January 2 at 4:30pm as the first baby of the year born at Barton Memorial Hospital. Proud parents are Andrew Vivas and Cree Whitton. Sawyer is their third daughter born at Barton. The family received a cart with $2,800 of gifts and services donated by local businesses.
Tahoe Youth and Family Services and Live Violence Free will be screening the documentary At What Cost on January 16 at the South Tahoe Association of Realtors, 2307 James Avenue. The film explores the impact of the Nevada sex trade from a variety of angles. Doors open 5:30pm. Free, but reservations are requested at www.LiveViolenceFree.org/movie.
Kahle Community Center is hosting its annual Father-Daughter Dance including treats, drinks and decadent desserts at Harrah’s on February 1. Cost is $20 per person. Tickets available at the community center.
The city of South Lake Tahoe has purchased two new snowplows. “Ensuring safe and passable streets during winter storms is one of our top priorities,” said Public Works Director Anush Nejad. “These new snowplows enhance our efficiency and responsiveness, allowing us to better serve the community.”
tipped Art of Deception by local author Geoffrey Bott in the New York Times Book Review, Best of 2024.
As a way to reduce single-use plastic water bottles on the South Shore and to educate people, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority has distributed refillable bottles to properties from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay. Bottles are also at Explore Tahoe.
The Sugar Pine Foundation in 2024 planted 23,120 trees. Most seedlings went in the Caldor, Slink and Little Valley fire burn scars, with other large plantings at Burton Creek and Sugar Pine Point State Park. Register now (LiveViolenceFree.org/ bowl) for Live Violence Free’s bowl-a-thon fundraiser on Jan. 23.
The plans by Barton Health to move the hospital to the old Lakeside casino property are moving forward with a meeting at the TRPA office (128 Market St., Stateline) on Jan. 16 from 5-7 p.m. Deadline to submit comments (BartonProject@trpa.gov) regarding the scope of the South Shore Area Plan amendments and environment assessment is Jan. 31. Project details are online: https://www.trpa.gov/wp-content/uploads/ Barton_Scoping_Notice_FINAL2.pdf
AARP Tax-Aide of South Lake Tahoe will be providing free tax preparation for local taxpayers of all ages (not just seniors) from February 6 through April 14. Preparation packets will be available at the city Rec. Center beginning January 21. Bring the completed packet and meet with a trained volunteer beginning February 6 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. Contact SouthLakeTahoeLC@ gmail.com for more information or with questions.
In 2024, the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association volunteers and staff logged more than 19,000 hours on various projects, including: maintaining over 100 miles of trail; clearing over 300 downed trees; building or rebuilding 11.8 miles of trail; and constructing 485 square feet of rock wall.
Barton Health recently earned three top designations for maternity care: Baby Friendly USA’s Baby Friendly designation for adherence to World Health Organization and UNICEF protocols; and U.S. News & World Report’s High Performer Rating and Maternity Care Access Hospital Designation, placing it in the top ten percent of hospitals.
Enrollment specialists are on hand through January 15 (Nevada) and January 31 (California) to help those who wish to enroll in a health care plan for the coming year. Free. Call 530/600-1984 to book an appointment.
Baby and Me group for parents and infants up to 12 months old: Tuesdays, 3pm to 4pm, Barton Center for Orthopedics and Wellness.
California Tahoe Conservancy forestry aides have prepared 379 conservancy lots and 141 forest service lots for thinning and management to lower wildfire risk, promote resilience and address climate change.
Bus service to the Tahoe Blue Events Center for Knight Monster Hockey Games and other events has been expanded. The Route 50 Express Service from the Y to Kingsbury Transit Center will coordinate with event times to make sure attendees arrive on time and depart shortly after an event finishes. Visit www.tahoetransportation.org for a detailed schedule and information.
Following the passage of Measure U, the Lake Tahoe Unified School District is accepting applications for its Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. Visit https://www. ltusd.org/fmp__rfq_s___bond_2024/ltusd_ citizens__bond_oversight_committee_for information and to apply. The deadline is January 17 at noon. The Lake Tahoe Unified School District is seeking input on its Local Control Accountability Plan to determine priorities for local spending to improve student outcomes. Take the survey by January 24 at https://www.ltusd.org/fmp__rfq_s___ bond_2024/ltusd_citizens__bond_over -
sight_committee_
After every major storm this winter, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and the South Tahoe Public Utility District are asking city residents to dig out the nearest fire hydrant to help ensure it is easily accessible in the event of a fire. Shovel three feet around the fire hydrant and clear a path to the street. Take a pic and post to @southlaketahoefire or show a pic at any SLTFR station and receive a free mug. Live in El Dorado County or Douglas County? Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and Lake Valley Fire Protection District are kicking off their own Adopt-A-Hydrant campaign with free giveaways at their respective stations.
Hayley Williamson has been chosen to chair the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for the upcoming year. Williamson is the Nevada-at-Large representative on the agency’s board. Governor of California appointee Vince Hoenigman has been selected as vice-chair.
Filmmaker Riordan Cicciu recently completed a 30-minute documentary about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail which is being featured in a Sierra Nevada Alliance fundraiser. To view the film and donate, visit https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=M3geTePx8Hw.
The US Forest Service is accepting reservations for Winter Trek an environmental education program focusing on winter ecology at Heavenly. Tours last approximately three hours and are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visit https://docs.google. com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc6EwRpRv31D3kHU8je3caPghUw_2uXjO97F3I332s5jRVIqQ/viewform?pli=1&pli=1 to register.
Got a community item for Heard? Email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line “Heard.”
Photo Provided
Proud parents Andrew Vivas and Cree Whitton welcome daughter Sawyer Storm Vivas, Barton Memorial Hospital's first baby of 2025, born January 2.
ReadersMagnet
Finding someone to do my thinking for me
A little Christmas vacation recap
We’re at that stage where you try to figure out how you can get the kids back home for Christmas—or more accurately, where can you go that you can also get the kids to go. Oh, you ask, why not just have the kids come home to Tahoe?
Well, we have one who’s relatively nearby and a mountain devotee, and one who’s snow-averse and fled the icy confines of Tahoe as soon as he could. And now he drives a Toyota Yaris, which, if you’re aware, is great on gas mileage and reliability but aggressively not great with snow or ice. He came home for the holidays a couple years ago—you know— that big winter when roofs collapsed and all the roads closed. At any rate, he got stuck here and couldn’t get back to his job on time. So for now, Tahoe is out of the Christmas mix, and, being parents, we now try to make it work for them instead, finding warmer climes to gather. So where does one go between here and southern California for a family meet-up in the winter? You guessed it— Fresno! Just kidding. C’mon,
be serious—nobody goes to Fresno on purpose.
With apologies to Fresno (and yes, Stockton’s worse), let’s move on . . .
Yes, time with the kids. A chance to probe and pry into their lives a bit and a chance for them to work on their skills of deflection. It took Anne years to figure out that our daughter, “the Dot,” knew how to distract her mother from asking about her by simply telling tales about her friends instead. It worked for quite a while, so I guess the Dot did learn something in school, after all. Our son Charlie, aka “Chappie” or “Chap,” has always been “the vault,” so he didn’t have to learn how to shut down inquiries. I don’t know if I’ve met a more stubborn person than the Chap, and it’s one of the things that fills me with both frustration and admiration.
All hail the helmet
There’s a well-told story that the legendary Johnny Carson posed the question to Detroit Red Wings’ great, Gordie Howe, "You wear a cup but not a helmet. Why is that?" to which Howe replied, "I can always find someone to do my thinking for me."
Now, this was decades ago,
and for many athletes, that captured the cavalier attitude they had about head protection— along with a healthy dose of machismo that was more in fashion at the time. But sports have gotten faster, impacts harder and we’ve learned much more about what happens to the brain in these moments—and what happens to it 10 or 20 years down the road as well. Besides, good ol’ Gordie was much more the deliverer of impacts than the receiver, so let’s be wary of taking cues from punishers.
Into the present day, just last week the Dot mentioned that a few days back she had wiped out and hit her head while skiing with her boyfriend at Sierra-at-Tahoe. She’s a fantastic skier so I’m sure it surprised her as much as it did us, but somehow, she caught an edge and ended up slamming her noggin back on either the groomer pack or maybe on one of her skis. You know how those moments are— you’re never really certain what happened, right? But the point is, her Smith helmet took the impact, dented in like it’s supposed to and aside from some neck soreness the next couple days, she came away unscathed.
She has a physical therapy patient who wiped out at high speed on a road bike and went headfirst into a wall or fence of some kind. His helmet exploded, as it was intended to do, and he mostly had to worry about all the cuts from barbed wire and muscle injuries he suffered— rather than a traumatic brain injury. These helmets have come so far, which is great, but you have to remember there’s a catch —they need to be replaced every few years to be as effective as possible.
Granted, gear companies have a vested interest in your replacing your helmet more often, but they also aren’t preaching anything different from what the experts and medical professionals espouse. Let’s take a look.
Salomon urges a new helmet every five years as their website explains: “The inside of your helmet is made from EPS foam that is designed to absorb shock in case of an impact. The way you use and store your helmet during its lifespan, as well as small, everyday shocks, can change the fundamental characteristics of the EPS, which means your helmet will no longer provide the optimal protection it’s intended for.”
They are careful to add that “Kids’ helmets need to be replaced more often because their craniums continue to grow until they’re around 16 years old, and . . it’s essential the helmet fits the child’s head correctly.” Salomon also emphasizes replacing a helmet after a fall or collision “that results in a significant impact to the head.” The foam protects by “deforming, or even breaking, to absorb the energy that’s transmitted to your head.”
Once that has happened, the helmet will no longer provide the same level of protection.
Now, as I said, you’ll hear the same admonitions from more neutral sources—and no doubt from trauma surgeons.
SKI magazine offers essentially the same take, based on information from the Micheli Center, which dedicates its research to sports injury prevention. Their recommendation is to replace your helmet every five to six years, even if it hasn’t been damaged. They point out that helmets naturally break down over time. They also point out
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that you can’t see the internal cracks that occur with the usual (for some of us) bumps and thumps, and those mean that the helmet will not absorb an impact the way it’s intended to the next time. Whether we’re talking helmets for biking, skiing, climbing—whatever—neurosurgeons call them a “single-use item” for head protection. I know that’s a tough financial pill to swallow, but so is the cost of a traumatic brain injury or other long-term head or neck damage. Most gear experts now recommend MIPS helmets (multi-directional impact protection system), which reduce rotational forces during impact. As the name implies, these minimize head injuries from rotational and angular impacts. Some experts differentiate those with Spherical MIPS as superior to other MIPS helmets. Some specify brands and models in this regard but I’m going to stop short of endorsements here since I’m not exactly a poster child for new gear—my own helmet being from the year . . . well, let’s just say it’s pre-Covid. So, yes, the Ramones make the mushing of the melon sound kind of fun—you know, “Suzy Is a Headbanger,” “Teenage Lobotomy” (yeah, kind of redundant) and “My Brain is Hanging Upside Down” —but we’re probably better off being able to recognize our loved ones and remember the fun we had yesterday. Let’s “give our heads a shake” and make sure the helmets are good to go.
As always, feel free to email mikesmutterings@gmail. com
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“I’ve been preparing taxes for 54 years, and I still love my job. We give every client comprehensive and friendly personal service. We’re here throughout the year, not just at tax time, to respond quickly to any of your concerns. hope you look to us in the New Year to help you achieve your financial goals.”
Turmoil at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care
tion for why the numbers it provided to the Mountain News for animal arrivals and those rehabilitated are the same.
Data from California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) obtained by the Tahoe Mountain News through the Public Records Act provides details the nonprofit did not. This agency oversees facilities like LTWC.
LTWC must report each year to CDFW all the animals it took in, the number released, transfers to another entity, those pending (still at the center), total euthanized, the number that died, and those dead on arrival.
CDFW reports from LTWC:
• 2020: 704 animals arrived, 379 released, 16 transferred, 38 pending, 52 euthanized, 195 died, 24 DOA. Percent released 53.8.
• 2021: 679 animals arrived, 416 released, 19 transferred, 25 pending, 53 euthanized, 153 died, 13 DOA. Percent released 61.3.
• 2022: 573 animals arrived, 236 released, 19 transferred, 22 pending, 94 euthanized, 176 died, 26 DOA. Precent released 41.2.
Continued from page 16
What was supposed to be a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art animal rehabilitation center looks like it has a long way to go.
What was supposed to be a centerpiece of pride for South Shore locals and a draw for tourists has failed to materialize.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care appears to be struggling to care for animals, communicate with the public, function as a professionally run nonprofit, and deliver on its original mission statement.
Those still affiliated with the facility who spoke to the Mountain News disagree with these assessments.
“The increased professionalism in the last few years has been astounding. It is a world-class rehabilitation facility,” Alexis Holmes, LTWC attorney, said. “My job is to bring everything into compliance.”
Executive Director Catherine Mendez would not make herself available for an interview, with Holmes saying Mendez was too busy, in part obtaining the necessary credentials to apply for the state permits that were forfeited by a former employee, and hiring an
animal care director.
Many who were once part of the rehab center have little good to say about its operations, with some scared to speak on or off the record for fear of retaliation.
Animals at the core
While the purpose of LTWC—to rehabilitate injured wildlife for return to the wild— has not changed since it started in 1978, it’s been a rocky road since moving in October 2019 from the founders’ back yard to the 27-acre site on Al Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe.
Tom and Cheryl Millham instituted the nonprofit, operating it out of their home off Elks Club Drive for 22 years.
“We were able to release about two-thirds of the animals. We took care of about 25,000; that would be about 16,000 we released to the wild,” Tom Millham said. “That means 9,000 perished upon receipt or had to be put down.”
LTWC’s response regarding numbers was murky, with board President Coralin Glerum emailing,
“… in the wildlife rehabilitation industry, the term ‘rehabilitated’ refers to any animal that comes in
term rehabilitated does not have the same connotation and more commonly reflects a level of heal-
• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Mammal and Birds Permit—Active.
People on the move
Several past board members and staff told the Mountain News they left because of dysfunction.
Mendez is the third executive director, with Cheryl Millham the first and Heidi Volkhardt Allstead leaving in July 2023 after 17 months on the job.
“I think things were getting really well aligned when I was there,” Allstead said. “I think a few people were really vindictive and were not wanting what was best for the organization. The people who were problematic are no longer there.”
She would not name names, but said it involved the board. The board as a whole is the ED’s boss.
“I’ve worked with a lot of nonprofits and consulted for 30 years. This was the most complicated not because of the mission, but the most complicated because of the people,” Allstead said.
joined the board in 2015 while living in Incline Village. She has since relocated to the South Shore.
When she brought in people she knew, it started to change the atmosphere, according to former board members and staff. “Hostile work environment” is a phrase many have used.
Sue Novasel had been affiliated with LTWC for more than 30 years, first as a volunteer, then a board member, with a hiatus when she was county supervisor.
“In a fit of frustration I quit the board in August 2023,” Novasel said. “A lot of longtime volunteers were having issues and complaints. I was not involved in the day-to-day, but I was hearing all of it. When I asked about it, I was rebuffed.”
Novasel was frustrated the original plans to create a sanctuary had been put on hold indefinitely. This was one of the selling points to donors and the community for the move, that an animal education center would be built. That it would be a tourist draw.
Glerum acknowledges the sanctuary, which she calls a de facto zoo, was in the original plans.
“None of us had the bandwidth, money or energy to move forward.” She said the focus needs to be on completing the basics all these years later.
“A lot of enclosures as constructed did not adhere to CDFW regulations, so we had to adjust. The process has been larger than we expected,” Glerum said.
Bitterness at the new site started when the Millhams wanted to remain affiliated with the organization, but were told no way. They kept Tom Millham for three months before offering the couple three retirement options.
“They were so nasty to us. We had to sign an NDA to get the small pittance of retirement money they gave us,” Cheryl Millham said.
“They didn't want people to know how nasty and absurd they were against us. That was my life and to take someone’s life away from them really hurts.”
the doors of the center. This is because all animals receive exams, documentation, and other procedures even if they arrive DOA. In the general public however, the
ing that ensures survival in some capacity. This is why that word is too loaded for us to use accurately in public settings.”
That was LTWC’s explana-
died, 45 DOA. Percent released 37. Holmes said, “… the main statistics we keep in order to monitor the quality of care LTWC offers is the post-24-hour survival rate
Continued on page 17
statistic. This data shows that we have a post-24-hour survival rate of 72.02 percent for birds and a post24-hour survival rate of 75.25 percent for mammals, which are excellent numbers.”
Those numbers are for 2022, 2023, and through October 2024, though details of how they were calculated were not provided.
Because wild animals are considered state property, CDFW licenses people, centers and keeps track of numbers.
On July 1, the state expects to implement new protocols for rehab centers. Comments on the proposed changes were taken through Dec. 6. The state did not explain how things could change.
Since mid-October LTWC has not been allowed to take in any injured animals.
“They cannot perform any
wildlife rehabilitation work until they have a Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit, which they have not yet applied for,” CDFW spokesman Peter Tira said in December. “At this time, they only possess a Restricted Species Permit, which allows them to possess native wildlife otherwise illegal to possess in California.”
Other LTWC licenses:
• CDFW: Scientific Collecting Permit—Pending. Would be a new permit allowing LTWC to take and possess wildlife for educational purposes.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Special Purpose Possession Permit—Active.
• USFWS: Eagle Exhibition Permit—Active.
• USFWS: Federal Migratory Bird Rehabilitation Permit— Active.
Between Allstead and Mendez’s arrival in January 2024, Glerum stepped off the board to be interim executive director. Glerum
“If you were to build a sanctuary, you would need another staff, another board. That is a completely different operation,” Glerum said.
Denise Upton was the first animal care director at the current site, having been an integral part of the operation under the Millhams. The director holds the critical permits. Most state and federal animal permits are issued to a person, not a facility. This is why LTWC is temporarily out of the rehab business.
Continued on page 20
Photo LTWC
An animal sanctuary was once envisioned for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
Photo Kathryn Reed
Building materials are strewn about in the back area of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.
Photo Kathryn Reed
Kevin Willitts, left, longtime veterinarian at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, in 2012 prepares a young bear to be released back into the wild.
Photo Kathryn Reed
The amphitheater for educational talks is outside of the main facility where the animals are held.
Motel 6 restoration: it’s going to be awhile
It’s going to look worse before it looks its best—the it being some of the 31 acres of land encompassing the now-boardedup former Motel 6 and adjacent restaurant.
This property fronting High-
Witnesses to the Cove East restoration that was completed in 2002 and the nearby Upper Truckee Marsh restoration that was finalized in 2022 know those areas looked like construction zones, then fledging natural areas before
habitat and water quality,” Carney said.
With the river acquisition, it puts 96 percent of the lower section of the Upper Truckee River into public ownership. The Dunlap property remains the outlier.
in concrete and how many hotel rooms would exist. However, rules changed to inflate the value of these assets in town centers.
CTC and the city in September entered an agreement in part to make sure the property doesn’t
way 50 in South Lake Tahoe has long been coveted by the California Tahoe Conservancy in order to restore what were 25 acres of sensitive mountain meadow and wetlands, and four acres of former floodplain.
“One of the most important things for any place in the country where they’ve had floodplain developed is usually it’s lost for good. Rarely is there an opportunity to acquire floodplain for conservation and restore it closely to what it was,” Chris Carney, spokesperson for the CTC, said.
Demolition of the buildings should be finished by the end of the 2025 building season.
Then the site will be stabilized so no debris flows into the Upper Truckee River and adjoining floodplain. Restoration won’t begin sooner than 2028, and even then, it is likely to be a multiphase, multi-year undertaking.
CTC spent $15.4 million last spring to buy the property from descendants of the Knox Johnson family. The Johnson-Springmeyer clan used to own thousands of acres in the city limits; family members were some of South Lake Tahoe’s pioneers.
No price tag has been put on the demolition and restoration, but it will be in the millions.
ever looking fully restored.
The same will occur here; only this project will be more visible with its prominent location.
The site is now officially called the Upper Truckee Marsh South property.
Going forward
What exactly restoration will look like is undecided.
“We will have public meetings and opportunities for the public to weigh-in so we can think through the long-term future of the property for conservation,” Carney said.
Even so, there are limitations to what can be done based on the land mass being so sensitive.
Behind the buildings is a long-established city-owned and maintained paved bike trail that is a major connector. It’s not a matter of whether there will be a trail, but how it will be incorporated into the restoration. It was built on eight feet of fill.
Cove East had similar fill that presumably came from when the Tahoe Keys was developed in the 1960s.
“In those cases, we took the opportunity to get the fill out and restore it to wetlands and floodplain for the surrounding area for
The Upper Truckee is the largest tributary to Lake Tahoe and carries the most sediment.
This acreage connects to the 568-acre Upper Truckee Marsh owned by the CTC and the 206acre Johnson Meadow parcel across the highway that the Tahoe Resource Conservation District owns.
A slew of agencies will be part of the permitting process, including the city, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, and other state agencies. Development assets
The CTC, which last year celebrated its 60th anniversary, holds about 4,700 state properties that equate to more than 6,600 acres in the basin. Because CTC’s purpose is to protect the environment, promote public recreation and access to the lake, the Motel 6 site was never going to become affordable housing as some had hoped.
Even so, this parcel comes with assets the Conservancy could sell or trade. The TRPA has made coverage, aka the hardscape, and tourist accommodation units actual commodities. In theory this was to limit how much land in the basin would ever be covered
become an even worse eye-sore before restoration begins.
With the state owning the land, the city no longer receives property tax, no hotel means no transient occupancy dollars, and no restaurant means no sales tax.
That is why the agreement also says, “… the parties will discuss the potential for using TRPA development rights from the demolition of the existing structures on the motel parcel within the city of South Lake Tahoe for a project or projects that will have an eco-
nomic or environmental benefit, with a preference for affordable housing. Anticipated projects and options for use of development rights will be considered at the parties’ quarterly meetings.”
This, though, does not guarantee the development rights will stay in South Lake Tahoe. They could be used anywhere on the California side of the basin.
“We cannot reserve any rights to any jurisdiction. A lot of funders were involved in this,” explained Marlon Charneau, CTC’s Tahoe livable communities program supervisor. “But we do want to work with local jurisdictions to support various projects. What they look like we are not sure.”
CTC is working with TRPA to determine the development rights numbers. TAUs will be about 140, the restaurant is considered commercial floor area, the caretaker’s unit is a residential unit, and all the paved areas add up to coverage that is measured in square feet.
The commodities can’t be banked until after the demolition and site stablilization. Per TRPA rules, because they come from a stream environmental zone their values triple if they are used in a town center. Instead of 140 TAUs, it would be 420 TAUs.
“We are still in discussions with TRPA about what we are going to do with development rights, including the coverage,” Charneau said. “We haven’t figured that out yet. We want the highest and best use out of it; what benefits the environment and community.”
Photo Kathryn Reed
Continued from page 17
Upton relinquished the director’s job in 2022 to focus on education, and left the organization in November 2023.
“Like many of the other people, I was treated poorly,” Upton said. “We had a great group of people, then all of a sudden the dynamics changed. Something is toxic over there. It’s like a culture of exclusion is what it has become. They find a way to push you out.”
Upton points to how board meetings were open to anyone, but not now. Glerum and Holmes confirmed non-board members are allowed only by invitation.
Kassie Quackenbush, who started as a volunteer—which is a norm for staff and board members, took over for Upton, including holding the permits. Quackenbush and Eliza Cameron were co-wildlife rehabilitation managers.
Quackenbush would not speak on the record as she contemplates legal action. Holmes said the board is reviewing its legal options against Quackenbush.
Cameron, who left shortly after Quackenbush, could not be reached.
“Based on the internal investigation (Quackenbush) was unhappy with the organization. It’s unclear why she was unhappy with the organization. Rumors out there are she did not get along with the executive director,” Holmes said. Holmes is the first attorney to be a spokesperson for LTWC. She is married to board member Tara
Christian, also an attorney.
There is disagreement about whether Quackenbush was asked by the state to forfeit the permits.
In the past it would have been a bigger deal for LTWC to be non-operational because for years it was the only state licensed facility to care for black bears. Now there are three others. The three LTWC bears were sent to Sonoma County.
Kevin Willitts, longtime volunteer veterinarian and lone original board member, did not return calls or emails.
Glerum said, “We had a discussion with him. He’s not going anywhere.”
Legal bills are becoming greater at LTWC as it recently settled a lawsuit brought by a former animal care manager not named here. Details were not provided by either side.
Former board member Greg Erfani is evaluating his legal options after donating more than $35,000 for a beaver structure he said was never built.
LTWC says not so fast.
“(The Lackie-Erfani Water Mammal Building) is fully constructed and the current uses are Porky's enclosure and the other half is used as necessary for the needs of the organization, i.e. animals that need to be kept warm, as this is one of the heated buildings,” Holmes said. (Porky is the porcupine who lives at LTWC full time.)
“LTWC does not get many water mammals, so this building
is often repurposed for organizational needs. For example, LTWC records indicate that LTWC received a mink, two beavers, and no otters since the move to Al Tahoe,” Holmes said. “Moreover, the last two beavers LTWC received, one beaver was immediately returned to its family in the river and the other beaver was transferred to another facility better suited to its needs.”
Erfani acknowledges his and his partner’s names are on the building, but says what they paid for isn’t what exists.
“There is a building, but no water feature. They named it a small mammal water feature. How do you rehab water mammals with no water?” he asked.
Erfani left the board in May 2024 after being on it for a handful of years.
“I disagreed greatly with the direction they are going, with the overpaying of an ED with little experience,” he said.
He questions the safety of the animals, pointing to several leaving of their own accord, and then other wildlife entering despite the fencing and rebar underground.
“They have done internal reports on this but have not made them public,” Erfani said.
Those in the know jokingly call it “self-release” when an animal escapes.
Bruce Richards, who called his affiliation with LTWC a fulltime job for 11 years, was involved with fundraising, the transition to Al
Tahoe, technology, and being on the board from 2014-15 and 2017-20.
He and his wife, Adele, have their names on a plaque at the entrance to the main building after contributing more than $135,000 to the nonprofit.
(Glerum and Willits have their names on the wall, too, but in smaller letters.)
“It was really a hands-on board at the time,” Richards said. Then things changed dramatically.
“In late 2021 the board structure evolved. A group of people from Incline Village came in and took control. They were friends with one board member. This group from Incline had no hands-on rehabilitation experience and virtually no business management experience,” Richards said.
Richards has both types of experience.
“They decided they were not going to build the education center and instead channel money into staff,” Richards said.
The professional engineer gave notice April 2023 with four structures left to be built. He had planned to have them done that Au-
gust, but the board was ready for him to exit in July.
Tensions were rising between board leadership and me because they knew I was critical of decisions and staffing. Their way to deal with conflict is to get rid of people,” Richards said.
Current status
As of mid-December, LTWC had sent seven cease and desist letters to people commenting on social media.
“These letters are an attempt to correct the patently false rumors being spread in the public,” Holmes said. “They are now calling LTWC a slaughterhouse. These are serious accusations that need to be addressed.”
The accusations are because animals in their care keep dying.
A baby eagle was killed in August by what LTWC says was a coyote attack.
Tippi, a female kestrel who was an ambassador, was euthanized last fall. Holmes said, “(The) cause of death is undetermined and the atherosclerosis theory cannot be proven.”
Em the bald eagle died in
WILDLIFE
Continued on page 29
Photo Kathryn Reed
Shawn Clayton, LTWC lead wildlife care technician, talks about the
visible on the screen.
Photo Kathryn Reed
Parts for the electric fence are scattered outside the facility.
Answers about Heavenly annexation
South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County officials are hashing out a tax sharing agreement so the proposed annexation of Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California side can go forward.
“The city has done everything it needs to do to submit the application to LAFCo (the Local Agency Formation Commission). We haven’t yet because we need to work with the county on tax sharing,” South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin said.
He is aiming for sales and property tax agreements to come together the first quarter of this year.
Ultimately, it is up to LAFCo, an independent arm of the county, to rule on annexation.
Once LAFCo deems the application complete, the seven-member board has 90 days to make a decision, which is followed by a 30-day objection period. If approved, it’s sent to the state Board of Equalization.
“Anyone can oppose it, but the property owners are the ones that count,” LAFCo Executive Officer Shiva Frentzen said.
Without all of the documents, she couldn’t answer if Heavenly has the power to outright kill the annexation.
“We looked at the map and unfortunately we don't have all the necessary
information to decide on the number of landowners, registered voters, and assessed land values to answer your question,” Frentzen said.
In addition to Heavenly’s California Base Lodge, the city proposes annexing about 30 parcels totaling nearly 2,800 acres. This includes Van Sickle Bi-State Park.
Heavenly owns two parcels. One brings in about $144,448 per year, the other $650 annually in property taxes for El Dorado County, according to county Auditor Joe Harn.
Per state law, sales tax numbers for companies are confidential.
Vail Resorts, which owns Heavenly, in its quarterly earnings data released in December reported, “For fiscal 2025, the company now expects $240 million to $316 million of net income attributable to Vail Resorts.”
In its annual report released in March 2024, the Colorado-based company said, “Rental gear, ski school lessons, and dining represent 25 percent of annual resort revenue.”
The county levies the 7.25 percent state sales tax, while the city’s rate is 8.75 percent. If the annexation goes through, Heavenly guests would pay an additional $1.50 on every $100 spent.
Other than the 1.5 percent, sales tax does not go directly to the city. The bulk goes to the state.
“Of the county’s 7.25 percent, the county General Fund gets a penny, a half cent goes to South Lake Tahoe and county public safety, and a quarter cent goes to the local transportation agency; in Tahoe the TRPA,” Harn said.
Lift tickets are not taxed at Vail Resorts’ three California properties. They are taxed at Vail and Breckenridge in Colorado.
While the city isn’t currently entertaining creating a recreation tax or the like where lift tickets would be taxed, it has discussed it in the past. Tickets are sold summer and winter at the gondola, which is in the city limits. Even if annexation fails, this is still a potential revenue stream the city could tap in the future. When Heavenly
was developed, the city agreed not to levy a tax on lift tickets at the gondola while it still had debt related to the project, which it is still paying off at this time.
Village
Cole Zimmerman, spokesperson for Heavenly, did not address what concerns
Photo Kathryn Reed
South Lake Tahoe wants to annex Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge and the entire California side of the resort.
Bad advice from the experts
The new year is upon us, and you know what that means. It’s advice-giving time. Normally, I don’t like getting advice. But it is free, so it’s like food samples at Costco. You just have to take some.
However, it’s best to consider the source. Upon reflection of my past, those sources have been an elite collection of Sahara casino hookers, lifer waitresses who have been cleared of attempted murder, massage therapists high on patchouli oil, part time ski instructors/full time barstool jockeys, and two amply endowed German banquet dept. matrons, who eventually succumbed to my constant poking at their rules and bosoms.
Now, being of mature body and immature mind, I chose Claude, an A.I., who, over many conversations, has come to know and respect me.
So when I asked him for advice on making my New Year’s resolutions, he said, and I’m quoting him exactly here:
“Well, well, well . . look who’s a glutton for punishment!”
I had to remind him that I was just looking for the kind of advice an intelligent, emotionally balanced, occasionally sober friend could offer me. And Claude replied:
“I want to be upfront that, as much as I enjoy our banter, my ability to be a friend is inherently limited.”
My ability to be a friend is inherently limited? That is a fair warning. And would make a great tattoo.
Which is probably bad advice. So don’t get that tattoo unless your staff, former friends, and the neighborhood dogs insist on it.
Now, let’s explore the abundant world of bad advice for 2025. It should compel you to question humanity and your sanity, as this is the sole purpose of my column.
Here’s my tried-and-true list of bad advice for the New Year—because I tried them and they were truly bad. Mostly in the sense that, in the rear-view mirror of life, shitstorms are closer than they appear.
1. Spend recklessly and don’t think about the consequences: Like handing buckets of money to a draftsman who doesn’t answer his phone and is confused over the location of your house plans, permits, variance, surveys and whether people are real or just another set of his badly drawn prototypes.
2. Hold more grudges this year: I tried really hard. But in time, I realized the people who made me the maddest are often the funniest. Particularly when they aren’t trying to be.
3. Resolve to indulge in more social media for your source of balanced, accurate news: As much as I love conspiracy theories, salacious gossip, unfounded rumors, political hysterics and the senior dementia circle of imagi-
nary friends, I still prefer a more logical and proven source for making important life decisions, like the Magic 8 Ball.
4. Don’t talk to strangers: My mother told me this the first day we met at the adoption center.
And since she was a stranger, for the next 20 years, I only talked to her springer spaniel. Even after we buried her in the backyard— the spaniel, not my mother. However, at the age of five, it didn’t stop me from bringing home an 85-year-old lady who insisted she was being starved and held as a sex slave. Turns out she was a neighbor living in a poolside apartment with free maid service and catered meals, along with a tolerant family who let her wander about the neighborhood enlisting stray children to rescue her while they try to figure out what a sex slave is, thereby advancing their education. Or maybe just their sex education.
5. Make it your mission to leave every room, office, gym and brain space messier than you found it: This is a disgusting habit and must stop. Because eventu-
ally I have to return to the same space and won’t be able to find someone else to blame it on. And sure, you can get pissed when your boss uses your office counter like a candy-holic charcuterie board. Or you can do something positive like my Hubby does and just let the perennially famished Labrador lick all the tabletops and counters. It’s almost like you cleaned it yourself. Almost. So, try not to clutter pristine brain space thinking about it.
This bad advice should set you on the road to new escapades in the coming year. Of course, it can also lead to home detention, job terminations, getting slapped by two Bavarian beer stein-slinging Octoberfest champions and becoming the defender of octogenarian sex slaves.
Clearly, I realize this might not be the sagest advice. But remember, it’s 100 percent free and worth every penny you no longer have because you’ve been fired. Happy New Year and may your 2025 be filled with laughter and the occasional ill-advised adventure. Cheers!
Lifting the "Vail"
Vail sucks. Just ask the striking ski patrollers in Park City or the poor skiers clobbered by a chair on Comet lift. But that sentiment is the easy way out. Vail is fine with sucking. Vail is happy to suck money out of our pockets and out of our town’s coffers. Unless we do something about it.
Vail is a publicly traded company, MTN on the New York Stock Exchange, and the decisions that they make are about profit and returns for shareholders. Having a vibrant local community is not in their calculus. They don’t need our mountain town. In fact, it would be easier for them if we locals didn’t exist. They would actually prefer that visitors only spend money at their restaurants and shops and accommodations, as is the case in “Vail,” the town in Colorado, where Vail Corp. quite literally owns whole damn town— where you eat, shop, and sleep. It’s like living in Squid Game.
How do we, the community of South Lake Tahoe, not become a hidden Korean island of death and fight back against Vail?
There must be more that we can do besides packing our own PB&J sandwiches and sneaking flasks of whiskey with us onto the resort in case we need to survive another chair detachment.
Lowering the speed limit in town, which we recently did, is actually a pretty smart step. Not only does it make our streets safer, but it might just encourage additional tourist dollars to flow into more local shops. I say, let’s keep lowering it. Take it all the way down to Minden and Gardnerville levels.
Supporting the ski patroller strike in Utah or any other collective bargaining
action against Vail is a good idea. I have friends in town who have worked in patrol, but nearly all left for higher paying professions. The Park City Patroller’s union did not mince words about Vail’s tactics when it came to scabbing and busting their strike: "Through the company's [Vail Corp.] tactics of pressuring, coercing, and intimidating skilled patrol leaders to travel to Park City to join the ‘Patrol Support Team,’ you caused irreparable harm to both your patrol labor force and patrol management across all affected resorts…" It is likely this same callous spirit of negligence that exacerbated the deferred maintenance, ultimately resulting in the disastrous malfunction on Comet chair that sent five people hurtling to the ground and ended in airlifts to the hospital.
Which brings us to the current parking debacle that we are all living
learned about the issue, I’ve changed my mind. I support our city council’s decision to terminate the “Parking Agreement”; we need to fight back against Vail Resorts. According to our Mayor, Cody Bass, “What Vail pays is minuscule when compared to the City’s cost of road repairs and police and fire response to traffic incidents and parking violations caused by Heavenly patrons.” Annexation of the California Base Lodge and surrounding area into the city limits is logical and it is fair. Regrettably, Vail Resorts does not operate by logic or fairness; they operate by profit.
Last year MTN Vail Resorts made $2.88 billion in net revenue, yielding over $230 million in net income. Last year MTN paid dividends to shareholders at approximately $8.24 per share. Vail is not running this Squid Game because it cares
Vail is not, in the end, interested in being a best workplace or a caring company. They know that they have a product that people want, skiing and riding. So, the only language that they will listen to is Squid Game language.
with at California Base. In case you have had your head in a snowbank or haven’t looked up Ski Run Boulevard and seen the innumerable signs, we can’t use surface streets surrounding Cal Base as an overflow for parking anymore. At first this felt like just a stupid pissing match between corporate Vail and our city council that ultimately would hurt us, the local Squid Game pawns. But as I’ve read and
about our mountain town and its income. They want to make money. So, the only leverage we have is to make it more difficult for them to do so. It is a pain in the arse having to make reservations or do a silly drop-off-juggling-act with kids, but we are making a point and taking a stand against Vail Corp’s abusive policies of profit over people and commodity over community. There are some reports that all the negative
pressures (mostly from Park City) seem to be having an impact with stock prices beginning to fall and lots of negative vacation experiences making news and filling social media.
Vail doesn’t have to be this way. There are other large publicly traded companies in town that cater to the same tourists, but simultaneously value and compensate their employees with living wages and good benefits. In 2024, Marriott was listed as #4 in People’s Companies that Care list, #3 on Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women, and #8 on the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Vail didn’t even make the bottom of these lists.
Vail is not, in the end, interested in being a best workplace or a caring company. They know that they have a product that people want, skiing and riding. So, the only language that they will listen to is Squid Game language. Like it or not, we’re all Player 456 grabbing onto the rope and playing a little bit of Tug of War with Vail. If we win, it means Vail will pay its fair share for the services our town provides. If we lose… what could go wrong? More bodies falling from lifts? Were any of the victims in green track suits?
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
Remembering the days of wild hookers
Ski technology is ruining skiing! It’s just too damned easy to ski nowadays. Okay, to be sure, I say this purely for selfish reasons. I have been a skier for a while and a snowboarder long enough to remember a totally different experience on powder days. It used to be that when we would get a good storm, if you had the desire and the hard-earned skills, you could go out and get into some very nice powder runs. Yes, the skills generally took years to develop. I remember so well a certain powder crash we used to call the “wild hooker,” which was when one of your long-ass skinny skis would suddenly hook out away from where you thought you were going, sending you into an out-of-control 180-degree spin around backward and a short flight
onto your back, hopefully not into a tree or rock but just deep snow, scary and harmless . hopefully.
Many “wild hookers” were had!
Despite how long it took to learn powder skiing skills, once you got there it was amazing. Generally, there were likely to be only really good skiers in the trees getting freshies. You could go back out to that same area two or three days later and easily still get fresh lines. Well, those days are over, gone, kaput. For one, there are just a whole lot more people playing in the snow now.
done before. Back around 1970 to 1972 when Rossignol ski company made the Haute-Route powder ski, at a full 70 millimeters underfoot (my current cross-country ski is wider), this beautiful bright red ski was a big deal if you skied off-piste. They were cool, but I found them to be too stiff for me.
Back in 1988, Atomic introduced the Powder Magic, a fat ski at 115 millimeters underfoot (at
a time when skis averaged 65 to maybe 70 millimeters underfoot) and shorter than normal. Then in 2002 skis got rocker, thanks to Shane McConkey’s creation of the Volant Spatula. This was a ski that more resembled a water ski than a traditional ski, wider under foot than at tip and tail, and bent upwards like the base of a rocking chair; in fact, he started his experimenting with an actual water ski. Suddenly fat skis with huge amounts of rocker were everywhere; they were and still are so easy to play on in deep snow. Snowboards even started using rocker profiles. Those fat skis with or without rocker have so much surface area that they are simply easier to move through and over almost any type of ungroomed snow. Whether it is fresh blower light powder or Sierra Cement or even tracked out lumpy snow, they work well.
Now one might think this is a totally new thing, a ski made for powder skiing, but it has been
Then Earl Miller, another inventor/ski visionary out of Utah, made the Miller Soft. At a fat 82 millimeters underfoot and super soft, Earl felt his ski would settle into the snow into that shape we now call rocker. It did work well…in its day.
Well, thanks a lot, all you ski visionaries! Now you have to get to the lift line an hour before opening on a powder day; then if you are fast and you know where to go, you can probably get a lap or maybe two on fresh tracks. Every “powder hound” and their friend, spouse, neighbor and distant cousin here for their once-ayear ski holiday is out there tracking out the powder and it is done in a matter of an hour or so. It ends up being the most frenzied and ridiculous race in ski culture—yuk.
Don’t get me wrong, I get it, skiing and boarding powder is one of the most magical things a person could ever experience in life and this new equipment has become the magic wand that makes
it so very easy to do. And no, I’m not out there ignoring these amazing new magic wands, trying to be old school, rippin’ it up on my old Haute-Routes, though I do own two pairs of them just to look at and share with others. I do have more than one pair of fat powder skis, the fattest being 125 underfoot and so rockered you can barely ski them on a groomed run, but oh my powder goodness, they are so fun!
There are still fat ski detractors out there who say they don’t like fat skis because they float on top too much and don’t allow you to get down into the snow for those snow-blowing overhead face shots. Yeah, maybe sometimes, but you don’t have to ski those yourselves and total respect because you undoubtably have put in the time to ride those more traditional skis in deep snow. One big difference, though, is you guys will go home once the snow is tracked up a bit, but the fat rockers are still super fun in that condition.
Well, all we need now is a real Sierra storm so we can use these weird magic wands, and no, I won’t be lining up with 800 of my best friends at 7:30am.
Let’s play
ANNEXATION
Continued from page 23
Heavenly and Vail would have if the city or county would want to implement a tax on lift tickets.
For the city, annexation is all about collecting an unknown quantity of money that would at a minimum go toward expenses related to services involving Heavenly.
“I don’t think there are cons with the city annexing the California Base Lodge,” Irvin said. “We already plow all the roads, maintain the roads in spring and summer.
If there is a fire, Fire Station 1 is the first to respond. If there is police activity at California Base Lodge, we will likely be the first to respond.”
In other words, Heavenly receives city services without paying city taxes.
Zimmerman countered: “The city of South Lake Tahoe’s annexation proposition would add a new layer of municipal jurisdiction over Heavenly that would introduce uncertainty requiring both the resort and the city to expend substantial time and resources with no identifiable, incremental benefits to the community, the resort, our team members, or guests.”
It would be a different layer, not an additional one.
The land in question is located in El Dorado County, from which the county receives most of the property and sales tax dollars. Lake Valley, as the primary county fire department here, receives some funds.
“Heavenly Mountain Resort has shared its objections to annexation,” Zimmerman wrote more than once in an email, but did not provide details of what those are other than to say they are “reflected in publicly available records.”
“The city has yet to clearly articulate the benefits, leaving us with more questions than answers. Ski resort operations are highly complex, with a long history of land-use regulations and requirements with partners such as the U.S. Forest Service, TRPA, and El Dorado County,” Zimmerman said. Irvin contends, “There would be no change to them with regards to environmental regulations. They would have the opportunity to have a greater relationship with the agency providing them services.”
Heavenly believes the city has soured relations with the termination of the parking agreement on Ski Run Boulevard.
Irvin doesn’t believe the issues are linked.
Both sides say they are committed to keeping the lines of communication open. After all, Heavenly still flies the city’s flag at Cal Lodge.
Peripherally impacted entities:
• Daniel Cressy, LTBMU public services staff officer: “The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is not involved in the potential annexation of unincorporated lands surrounding Heavenly Mountain Resort. Regardless of the outcome, resort management and operations on national forest lands would not be affected.”
• Jeff Cowen, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency spokesperson: “The annexation would be akin to a change in ownership. The land-uses allowed are already under the Regional Plan. One caveat is if the city decides to change area plan boundaries or include the annexed area in an area plan such as the Tourist Core Area Plan, that would require TRPA review and approval.”
nia side of the Van Sickle would also not be changed by an annexation.”
• Carla Hass, county spokesperson: “Because we're in active negotiations with the city, we're not going to provide comment for your story. We’ve been discussing all the potential annexations in the basin for approximately six months. I cannot say when we anticipate negotiations to conclude.”
The city has a separate application before LAFCo that includes annexation of 80 parcels (79.28 acres) that include private and public land adjacent to the city's boundary southeast of the Sierra Tract and Barton Memorial Hospital.
South Lake Tahoe documents say, “The projected amount of property tax base being transferred to the city ($12,200) is approximately equivalent to the estimated cost the city will incur to provide public services.”
• Chris Carney, California Tahoe Conservancy spokesperson: “Changing the boundary of the city’s jurisdiction would not result in any changes to how the Conservancy manages the California side of Van Sickle. I’ll add that the state of California’s ownership of the Califor-
LAFCo’s website says, “The affected territory currently receives municipal services from El Dorado County and Lake Valley Fire Protection District, even though it is adjacent to the city of South Lake Tahoe and accessed only through city streets, and is geographically removed from the rest of the inhabited portions of El Dorado County.”
Those are often called islands in land use terms, something LAFCo doesn't like. This is one reason that the city’s annexation grew—to avoid creating islands.
The area in green represents the land the city of South Lake Tahoe wants to annex.
Photo Kathryn Reed
South Lake Tahoe officials would like tax dollars from Cal Bar and other Heavenly Mountain Resort dining and retail establishments to flow to its coffers.
And that's a wrap for 2024
Ah, the end of another year. It’s been pretty tumultuous this year for the film industry, which has been scraping back slowly from all the hits it has taken since the pandemic. Fewer films were greenlit due to the varying strikes, and overall box office is still slightly below last year.
The year also started with some high-profile flops like Furiosa: A Mad Max Story and The Fall Guy, though Dune: Part Two was a certified blockbuster. But thank the stars for animation, which made up about 25 percent of this year’s box office with hits like Inside Out 2, which became the highest grossing film this year ($1.7 billion in global sales), Despicable Me 4 and the most recent blockbuster Moana 2 With Joker 2 and Madame Web both tanking, superheroes had only one bright spot with Deadpool and Wolverine (one of the few R-rated superhero films), which crossed the $1 billion mark. Other fall sequels like Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Gladiator 2 picked up the slack, and Wicked has already passed them, sitting at number six for the year and still growing.
As we can see, sequels still rule with the top 14 films this year being sequels or franchise entries. Okay, Wicked isn’t a sequel, but
it is a film version of a hugely popular musical. Of course, there are other films that didn’t make the big money but are critically acclaimed and will most likely be nominated for Oscars. Films like Anora, Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, Sing Sing or Conclave are potential Best Picture nominees, though none of them broke the top 50 in terms of box office. For me, as I have said, I tend to watch most films these days at home, often watching smaller, lesser-known films. Two of my favorites this year were Ghostlight and Hundreds of Beavers neither of which broke $1 million at the box office and neither of which will be nominated for Academy Awards.
Teresa and I did catch two of this fall’s big releases, Wicked and Moana 2, and we both liked them a lot. Moana 2 is Walt Disney’s next chapter to the 2016 hit (expect at least a third). In the sequel we find Moana, now an official wayfarer, looking for signs of other people as she explores beyond her island. After receiving an unexpected call from her ancestors, she finds out there is a curse from the storm god Nalo that keeps all the peoples of the islands from being able to connect with each other. She also discov-
ers that if she cannot lift the curse, her own people will eventually die out. She must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters in search of an island that holds the key to removing the curse. She gathers a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers as well as her pig Pua and of course the rooster Hei Hei, one of the best animal sidekicks Disney has ever created.
As she embarks on the dangerous journey, she will also be reunited with the demigod Dwayne Johnson, I mean Maui, who is also looking for the island.
The best part of this film are the stunning visuals. The Disney animators have created everything from epic scale beauty to thrilling action sequences to new and unusual sea creatures while still tossing in the trademark Disney slapstick humor.
The story, however, is not as well constructed. Moana is already a self-realized wayfarer with a relationship with Maui and we don’t get much story arc or character growth.
Without Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songs are mostly formulaic and not very memorable. However, the soundtrack outside the main songs does effectively evoke the spirit of the people.
Overall, Moana 2 tries hard to recapture the spirit and wonder of the first film. It looks fantastic, but just doesn’t quite have all the magic of the original.
As for Wicked, the question was, will it be worth all the hype?
Being based on the musical, it follows that storyline but extends it and adds two new songs. We start just after the story we all know, with the celebration of the death of the Wicked Witch of the West in Munchkinland. Glinda the Good appears and when asked, relates the backstory of Elphaba, who will eventually become the Wicked Witch of the West. We then journey back in time to her unfortunate birth and childhood to where she is accepted with her sister to Shiz University where she will meet spoiled, self-centered Glinda (who is still called Galinda at that point). They have a mutual dislike, which of course means they must share a room together. A lot of time is spent at the university, where Elphaba and Glinda preside over what is basically Hogwarts meets 90210. After a few scenes and songs, they go from hated roommates to best friends.
Eventually Elphaba’s ability to use magic is noticed by the Wizard of Oz who wants to meet
her, and off they go to the Emerald City. But things are not as they seem and the friendship between the two will be strained to the breaking point.
The film is one giant land of cool set pieces and well blended CGI, the whole look being rather fantasy steampunk with a healthy dose of Art Deco thrown in. And in this fabulous landscape are large groups of dancers of all shapes and sizes, be they Munchkins, university students or Emerald City residents, strewn about the sets, doing very cool choreography as the leads Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo very effectively belt out Stephen Schwartz’s moving songs. I think they both (and especially Grande) have nailed the characters. Oh, and there are cameos from Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel in one of the best bits in the film. Is it worth the hype? Yeah, I’d say so. It does drag a little in a couple places towards the middle but even at two hours and 40 minutes run time, you will not get bored. Also, remember that this is only the first of two movies, so this story is only half over and the fireworks are just beginning.
WILDLIFE
Continued from page 20
mid-December essentially of old age. The site has an electric fence around it, but in early December it was not activated. Glerum said this was to save money while it only has ambassador animals on-site.
LTWC employs about 15 people when it’s busy with animals. That drops to about 10 in the winter when fewer animals are on the property.
The budget fluctuates between $800,000 and $900,000 a year.
The Millhams’ budget was about $120,000, which included salaries.
“They used to get free food from local supermarkets, then they started buying food,” Richards said. Farmers at the Tuesday market in South Lake often would take produce to LTWC.
The board president says donations like acorns, pumpkins, apples and tree branches are still
welcome. “We used to have volunteers go behind grocery stores and go into dumpsters. Grocery stores knew this,” Glerum said. “Recently I talked to Whole Foods and they said we can’t have expired produce even for animals.”
Walking into the main building—the once place the public can visit—it looks dreary and uninviting five years after the move.
Two TVs are on one wall showing the animals still there.
Webcams had been set up in nearly all of the animal structures so people could watch them from home. The public isn’t allowed to visit the animals in person so they don't become habituated.
“We need a new system. That system is not working the way we hoped. We will be working at complete replacement of the webcam system,” Glerum said. “It will cost a lot of money. We are constantly having to fix the one we have.”
Richards, who installed the system, is baffled.
“BS,” he said. “They could easily be streaming webcam video today like they have been since 2018 when I installed the current systems. Nothing has changed with the equipment since I left; and it was running great.
“It’s a very nicely designed site IT system that I carefully documented in a 50-page IT Support Manual that I wrote. But that manual presumes that the IT support person understands how complicated IT systems work.”
Richards said if something is broken, he will fix it for free.
He sees the webcam issue as a larger reflection of the current state of affairs at LTWC.
“This is why LTWC is failing. They fail to recognize the amount of expertise it takes to make an enterprise like LTWC operate and they systematically force out the very people that have that
expertise. That’s why their IT systems are breaking down,” Richards said. “That’s why they lost their permits. That’s why their attrition is so outrageous. It’s a great example of management with no experience making bad mistakes and ruining a once great company. They think that every problem is solved by replacing someone or something. But experience is very, very, very hard to replace. And hardware is expensive.”
Walking the perimeter of the facility it’s easy to peek in through the slats and corners where the fencing comes together.
In early December, wire fencing, PVC pipe and other construction material were scattered about, two cargo shipping containers with debris behind them were on site, plywood covered some windows, while others had haphazard wire mesh attached.
An overturned pail with material for the wire fencing sat out-
side the fence.
Glerum and Holmes say the entry could be more welcoming. It’s on the to-do list.
As for the window coverings, plywood is sometimes used during the winter to protect the building, the duo said. They try not to waste any product, so sometimes the outer areas become storage sites. They are hoping the permits will come this month so rehabbing wildlife resumes. Those left behind believe things aren’t so bleak. Those who are gone disagree.
“There are dozens who care about LTWC. Bring volunteers back, create transparency, and let’s build that education center,” Richards said. “Let’s get back to what made this organization great in the first place. We can’t do that with this board in place.”
An entire month of community exposure
distributed to popular South Shore locations
Disney
Moana 2 is the follow up to Disney's wildly successful Moana
Air Quality Management District
Smoke Reduction Incentive El Dorado County residents in the Tahoe Basin can receive incentives of
to $2,000* To replace a non-EPA-certified woodstove with a new efficient, cleaner burning, eligible EPA certified device!
Photo Nate Williams
Members of Pole for the Globe and Tahoe Fire Dancers light up the night at Lake Tahoe Golf Course on January 4.