This week I attended the Unified Command Training hosted by Placer County Sheriff, Cal Fire/Placer County Fire, and Placer County OES held in Olympic Valley. Agencies from throughout the region participated in the sessions. While these trainings are held annually on the western side of the County, this opportunity to focus on Eastern Placer County’s unique geography and challenges is critical.

As a result of the numerous declared emergencies throughout Placer County in the last several years, the Sheriff and County Fire proposed an organizational change to better address critical incidents and emergencies. By imbedding full-time members of both departments in our County Office of Emergency Services, there will be improved response during incidents and will also provide more resources for comprehensive pre-planning for the situations that arise in a County of our size and geography. This week’s training is an example of the increased opportunities that result from assigning staff from multiple departments into a cohesive response team.

In addition to this training, the Board of Supervisors will hear a presentation specific to evacuation at the July 25 meeting in Tahoe (Granlibakken Resort at 9:45am). The topic of evacuation comes up at almost every public meeting I attend and is of grave concern to all of us who live in high fire danger areas. I urge you to attend or watch online. As in all our meetings, the public can make comments and ask questions. In addition to the Board presentation, our office will be hosting a hybrid Town Hall on August 17 at 6pm at the North Tahoe Event Center specific to evacuation. Please try and attend one of these important meetings.

Finally a bit about trash! Many of you have seen the news coverage of the July 4 trash issues on a USFS beach in Zephyr Shoals. It was a horrible incident and is a reminder of the importance of the public services needed to protect our environment. Fortunately we didn’t experience a situation of that magnitude in Placer County. That is due in large part to the coordination, cooperation, and dedication of multiple agencies serving our beaches and public parks. In addition to contracts with North Tahoe PUD and Tahoe City PUD, the County contracts with Clean Tahoe to provide supplemental trash service in-between regularly scheduled servicing from Tahoe Truckee Disposal. We have also deployed additional dumpsters in high traffic areas where trash has regularly exceeded capacity.

More work needs to be done to expand our stewardship messaging, our trash infrastructure, and our enforcement and we need your help! We encourage you to assist by reporting overflowing trash cans, dumpsters, and or other trash locations. Please see below for more detailed information on reporting:

• In Kings Beach and Tahoe City, Placer County contracts with Clean Tahoe to manage litter and overflowing public trash cans. You can report illegal dumping or overflowing trash cans using their online form, by emailing northshore@clean-tahoe.org, or by calling 530-544-4210. They will dispatch a worker to pick up the items or empty the public trashcan within 24 hours. If reports made to Clean Tahoe are outside their scope, they pass the information on to Environmental Health who directs the information to the appropriate entity.
• Within the Tahoe National Forest, you can report overflowing or damaged trash cans to the local Ranger District office, and they will pass the report to their appropriate maintenance crew who will address the issue. Phone numbers for the Ranger District offices can be found here.
• In the State Park Recreation areas, you can make reports to the onsite ranger’s station, usually located near the parking lot.
• In all other parts of Placer County, you can submit a complaint about illegal dumping to the Environmental Health Department using their online complaint form. If the illegal dumping occurs in public right-of-way, then DPW Roads crew to remove the waste, otherwise the report is passed to the appropriate entity.

Stay safe and be prepared,
Supervisor Cindy Gustafson

THURSDAY, JULY 20 | 5:30PM
VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM

TUESDAY, JULY 25 | 9AM
GRANLIBAKKEN TAHOE

The Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 25 includes a number of items that are specific to or impact Eastern Placer County, including:

• Presentation on Emergency Preparedness Efforts
• Amended and Restated 5-Year Agreement between Placer County and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association, dba North Tahoe Community Alliance and Dissolution of the Capital Projects Advisory Committee
• Engagement and Visioning Update for the Old Fire Station in Tahoe City
• Memorandum of Understanding with Tahoe Transportation District for Regional Tahoe Transportation | Project Implementation
• Lease to Locals Funding and Contract Renewal Request
• Truckee River Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Plan

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 9 | 10AM-12PM
KINGS BEACH STATE RECREATION AREA

Hosted by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. The 27th annual Lake Tahoe Summit is a chance for everyone to come together to discuss ways to improve the environment of the Tahoe Basin. Each year, the Summit highlights progress made to protect and restore this national treasure, and looks ahead at the challenges that Lake Tahoe and the surrounding communities face. LEARN MORE + SIGN UP

THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 | 10AM
NORTH TAHOE EVENT CENTER

The Planning Commission holds public hearings and makes recommendations on proposed general plans, studies, and zoning text amendments; reviews and makes decisions on major land development proposals; and encourages citizen leadership and participation in the planning process. The items that are scheduled so far include: Tahoe Basin Area Plans Amendments, Snow Museum DEIR Comment, Tahoe Mountain Sports Rafting Permit and CUP, and Truckee River Raft Rafting Permit and CUP. LEARN MORE

In an effort to improve lake clarity and reduce sediment loading from roadway runoff to protect the natural beauty of Lake Tahoe, Placer County is moving forward with construction of the transformative Lower Secline Water Quality project in Kings Beach. The Placer County Board of Supervisors recently authorized a contract award of $580,951 to F.W. Carson Co. out of Incline Village, Nevada, for construction of this vital water quality improvement project - located on Secline Street south of state Route 28 and encompassing the western portion of Brockway Vista Avenue in the Kings Beach commercial core. LEARN MORE

In times of crisis, a well-coordinated and swift emergency response is crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. Placer County, with its vulnerability to wildfire and severe winter weather, has recognized the need for more robust emergency planning efforts by public safety agencies. Recently, the Placer County Board of Supervisors took a significant step forward in improving cooperation and coordination by restructuring its emergency management model. Central to this enhanced model is the addition of a dedicated lieutenant from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and an assistant fire chief from CAL FIRE NEU/Placer County Fire Department. See Office of Emergency Services Assistant Director Dave Atkinson's full story in Moonshine Ink. READ MORE