SLT council discusses idea of not having rep on TRPA board

By Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe City Councilman Bruce Grego’s desire to send a message to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency by not filling the city’s seat on the Governing Board was voted down by his colleagues, but not before the idea was well vetted.

Grego’s contention is he believes the bi-state regulatory agency interferes with land use issues and stalls progress.

“They have been here 40 years and it’s the same garbage from them year in and year out,” Grego said at the Jan. 25 council meeting.

Mayor Hal Cole said having a city rep on the board is necessary, especially if the Tahoe Valley Community Plan is going to get approved.

Councilman Tom Davis said the problem is the board is “tilted to non-basin residents.”

Councilwoman Claire Fortier said, “I think everyone here harbors some kind of feeling against the TRPA, but now is not the time (to protest).”

Councilwoman Angela Swanson called the appointment potentially the single-most important one on their agenda.

Once the discourse was over, Grego agreed to make a one-year appointment and to have the council revisit the possibility of leaving the TRPA seat vacant if things don’t change in the coming year. Fortier was unanimously appointed to the Governing Board.

The other one-year appointments are:

Angela Swanson:

• California Tahoe Conservancy

• Cal Tahoe JPA

• Waste Management JPA

• Tahoe Transportation District, alternate

Hale Cole:

• City Selection Committee

• Abandoned Vehicle Abatement

• Recreation (Measure S) JPA

Bruce Grego:

• LAFCO

• TTD

• League of California Cities

• Waste Management JPA, alternate

Claire Fortier:

• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

• Cal Tahoe JPA

Tom Davis:

• Airport Commission

• Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority

• Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce, non voting

• South Lake Tahoe Lodging Association, non voting

• TRPA, alternate

• League of California Cities, alternate

Irvin Coe was reappointed the citizen rep to Clean Tahoe. City Manager Tony O’Rourke was directed to pick a staff person to be on Clean Tahoe.

John Collins will resume being the representative on the El Dorado County Commission on Aging.

O’Rourke and City Attorney Patrick Enright will be the PADMA members.