Placer County helps Tahoe residents with planning issues

Steve Buelna

Placer County recently created the position of an ombudsman for the Community Development Resource Agency’s Tahoe office to resolve problems.

The idea came about from discussions between North Tahoe business leaders and county staff. They wanted to improve customer service and business development in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Lake Tahoe, with its numerous overlapping layers of regulatory authority, can be a difficult path to follow for those wishing to start, expand of change a business, the county said.

Steve Buelna, a 13-year county employee and a supervising planner in the Tahoe office, will be the ombudsman/facilitator for all Tahoe projects. He acts as the county’s single point of contact and communication, and has the authority to work with, and provide direction to, all agency division staff.