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Ribaudo: Notes from the front row

Carl Ribaudo
Special to the Tribune

Local Musings

Change. Why does change become so difficult for so many communities? Just consider some of changes facing South Shore, including paid parking, the loop road, and many others that are sure to emerge. It appears there are some that always arise to resist the change and some that are for the change. The best comment I have heard on the issue comes from Dave Grohl, drummer from the Foo Fighters band and director of the “Sound City” documentary, in which he said that some people fear what comes next and others are excited by it. Guess that sums it up.

From the looks of the weekend beach parking it looks like tourism levels are up. I rode around the lake on Sunday and parked vehicles were everywhere around the lake. I am amazed at the ingenuity of some of these people despite agency effort to put boulders or obstacles where they don’t want people parking. Somehow they still find a way.



Want to know how your privacy is slowly being eroded at the local level? Over the Fourth of July, law enforcement had checkpoints in several locations. I was stopped on my motorcycle, there was no probable cause. How about Douglas County using their new cameras to set up surveillance at the celebrity golf tournament. Just in case. Surveillance of what? Seems very much like the NSA collecting all your information just to have it. I am a big supporter of law enforcement, but what I do have a problem with is a lack of discussion at the national, state or local level on just how much privacy we are willing to give up. Government at all levels is way in front of that discussion, much of it driven by the availability of technology. Slowly around the edges you are losing your Fourth Amendment right to privacy.



The Big Picture

I recently returned from a motorcycle trip to Oregon and one refreshing difference is how well their state park system is organized. This well-managed state park system stands in stark contrast to the challenges that face California State Parks, which have a backlog more than $1 billion worth of maintenance. State parks have suffered from neglect brought on by years of budget cuts. At the same time, Oregon State parks have done quite well through the recession, the difference being funding mechanism. California funds its parks from its general fund, while Oregon has dedicated funding through its lottery. Just this past March, California Little Hoover Commission released a report suggesting California Parks were in a state of crisis. John Laird, California Secretary for Natural Resources, has formed a blue ribbon committee to assess the state park system — hopefully they will look to other states and see how they are managing their resources. California was once a leader in state parks. Times have changed.

Recommendation

Don’t miss a bagel and a cup of coffee at Rude brothers. The best time is early and take a walk to the Lakeview Commons.

It’s a Wrap

While many local eyes were on the celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood, some had their eyes on the British Open at Muirfield. While all eyes were on Tiger Wood and Lee Westwood, who was leading the tournament after Saturday, Phil Mickelson birdied four of his last six holes and won by three strokes. I have long respected Phil. Sometimes it seems he does not play to his level or he makes some questionable shot choices, but you have to admire one of the great rounds of golf that will probably move Phil into the top 20 golfers of all time. Now if only us regular golfers could putt half as well.

Carl Ribaudo is a contributing columnist to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. He is also a consultant, speaker and writer who lives at the South Shore. He can be reached at carl@smgonline.net.


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