SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The El Dorado County board of supervisors met in South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday to discuss several items of note for Tahoe residents, including the VHR ordinance, a proposed polystyrene ban and a mural for Giada Lancellotti. The supervisors also toured the new rec center, which will be opening in spring 2026.

Invocation and public comment

This meeting took place before Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday also known as the days of awe. Prior to public comment, Rabbi Evon Yakar conducted the invocation. “We must continue to guarantee our county, its cities and towns, its schools, and all the agencies bearing the great seal of El Dorado County are welcoming and embracing of all of its citizens,” said Yakar.

Yakar also referenced the Jewish concept of Cheshbon HaNefesh, or accounting of the soul, which calls upon people to introspect in order to improve their future. He then blew the shofar, a trumpet made of a ram’s horn, to mark the invocation.

Public comment primarily focused on the consent agenda budget items, where people questioned why peace officers were not getting raises and why security cameras were being installed at various places in the county when a gate repair had not been performed at the airport.

VHR ordinance

The vacation home rental (VHR) ordinance was updated last year and implemented before Thanksgiving, applying to both the west slope and Tahoe. In Tahoe, there are 762 active permits and 17 hosted rentals, with a wait list of 203.

Brendan Ferry, VHR program manager, and Kevin Bailey, code enforcement officer both emphasized that they were trying to focus on illegal rentals and increasing the fine amounts.

Ferry pointed out that the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) numbers were down 3% from last fiscal year, and he believed this happened in part because they increased enforcement on illegal rentals. Airbnb collects TOT on behalf of the county and presents it as one check. This doesn’t parse out data of where they were collected, meaning they may include unpermitted VHRs as well as legitimate hosted rentals and VHRs.

According to statistics collected from the beginning of the year to mid-August, there was a higher number of unpermitted violations, which also resulted in a fine payout of $136,981. Bailey said they were interested in getting a dashboard running that would allow the public to view VHR enforcement data in a quarterly report.

During public comment, people commended the increased enforcement and faster response times from the team, and said they would prefer to call them rather than the sheriff’s office. Some wondered if the overturning of Measure T would have effects on El Dorado County, as anecdotally, numbers are down for VHRs. Others wanted to increase the permissions that VHR enforcement officers had in order to more effectively crack down.

The board made a motion to bifurcate the policies of the east and west slope after hearing that the 500-foot buffer was difficult for those with more agricultural properties interested in renting, and were interested in creating a task force or advisory committee similar to what District 5 Supervisor Brooke Laine did for Tahoe.

Mural for Giada Lancellotti

After Giada Lancellotti was killed while riding her e-bike this summer, friends and family attended the board meeting to advocate for naming the Tahoe Paradise Park bridge in her honor and painting a mural on it to represent her life. Laine brought the item on behalf of Lancellotti’s family.

Matt Kauffmann, who is known for his murals around town and recently painted one at Sugar Pine Village, presented on the proposed mural, which would show Giada participating in different seasonal activities.

Supervisor Greg Ferrero commented that he was not a fan of murals and that they need to have a strict policy for naming things like bridges and a public art policy.

Supervisor Lori Parlin agreed, “There’s a lot more to this than we thought.”

County counsel David Livingston noted that El Dorado did not have a public art or naming of facilities policy, though they had one for naming buildings. “This is perhaps overdue,” he said.

During public comment, parents Charles and Kelly Lancellotti expressed their support, saying, “The bridge symbolized a safe passage for cyclists and pedestrians. Adding Giada’s memorial to the bridge reminds everyone of the reason for these safe passages.” Many of Giada’s friends also spoke to the significance of the bridge in her life.

David Reichel of the Meyers Community Foundation offered their support and willingness to pay for the mural.

Both Nick Speal and Tyler Jack urged the board to not overcomplicate things for the project and the family. “You want to talk about complicated, wake up and be one child short. There’s no policy for that. That’s complicated,” said Jack.

Laine suggested that they approve the project and direct staff to create a policy for naming and future public art. She also noted that the Tahoe community is very proud of the murals in the community. “It would demonstrate great support and honor Giada, and I think we could do that today,” said Laine. That motion passed unanimously.

Snow removal

Last year, El Dorado County reported that their snow removal in the basin would likely be cut back drastically due to a lack of staff. This year, there are six people in the hiring process, though the county may also pull from the hiring pool of South Lake Tahoe’s snow removal operators.

Two mountain blowers and two replacement graders were ordered using Measure S funds, along with two replacement sanders and two replacement plows. $481,000 was budgeted for sand, salt, hauling of sand and salt, rental houses, snow stakes, beet juice, chains, cutting edges and plow guards. Salt is now available from Nevada rather than needing to be shipped from Utah, bringing the price down slightly.

Public comment noted that the continued lack of snow removal services was likely because there was no significant increase in the pay for operators.

Polystyrene ban

Laine recommended that the board support an ordinance in the Tahoe Basin banning sale of polystyrene, plastic food packaging and single-use water bottles in the county, which would prevent waste and microplastics entering the lake. This would be similar to the South Lake Tahoe ordinance banning sale and distribution of single-use plastic water bottles.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe and Speal both expressed their support for the ordinance. Scott Loberg and a representative from the Patriots of El Dorado County felt it was government overreach. Other attendees noted that some retailers in the area were not informed that the item, which could affect their business, was on the agenda.

Laine noted that Supervisor Cindy Gustafson in Placer County was planning on bringing a similar ordinance for the part of the county in the Tahoe area. Parlin said that she was in support of it, as it created consistency throughout the basin.

Supervisor Brian Veerkamp was the sole opposing vote, though Supervisors George Turnboo and Ferrero agreed that they felt businesses could police themselves.

New recreation center

After open forum, where the board heard from people on Proposition 50 and the transit joint powers authority (JPA) involvement, they toured the new recreation center, which is still under construction. Ricky Riddle, capital and facilities program manager, and John Stark, director of parks and recreation, conducted the tour.

The new facility is well underway. Supervisors saw the various facilities that would be in place such as the gymnasium and spot for the batting cage, the pool with a lazy river and lap pool, the spot for the rock-climbing wall and commercial kitchen. They were also able to tour what would be the event space and primary senior nutrition room as well as the exercise room.

The supervisors expressed their surprise that the building was slated to be finished by spring of next year. Laine also asked John Stark about the proposed fees for residents and non-residents, which he said will be brought at the next city council meeting on October 21.

The next Board of Supervisors meeting will also take place on October 21.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.