NTCA Reinvests Over $6 Million in Tourism-Generated Funding; Sierra Club Cabins on Hipcamp; Kiley Delivers Over $8 Million to Strengthen Water Systems; More

CALIFORNIA DISTRICT 3

Congressman Kevin Kiley (R-CA) secured more than $8 million in new funding to support critical public safety upgrades, strengthen water infrastructure, and enhance environmental resilience across California’s third district. These investments will improve emergency response capabilities, ensure safe and reliable drinking water, and protect vital natural resources for years to come.

The funding is part of the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 that the House passed the week of Jan. 5.

The Tahoe City Public Utility District has been awarded $1.25 million to replace aging and undersized water mains. These upgrades will reduce excessive leaks — currently occurring at rates up to 20 times industry standards — while ensuring reliable drinking water delivery and adequate fire suppression capacity.

The South Tahoe Public Utility District will receive $1.2 million to replace deteriorating water main lines and install new fire hydrants. This project will proactively address aging infrastructure, reduce water quality risks, and ensure a safe, resilient drinking water supply while improving fire protection capabilities.

A total of $350,000 has been awarded to the Nevada City Police Department to replace nearly obsolete portable radio equipment. This funding will modernize communications systems, ensuring officers have reliable, up-to-date tools to respond effectively to emergencies and protect public safety.

~ Kevin Kiley press release

PLACER COUNTY

The Placer County Superior Court has denied a request from Friends of West Shore, North Tahoe Preservation Alliance, and Tahoe Sierra Clean Air Coalition (doing business as tahoecleanair.org) to reverse the Placer County Board of Supervisors’ approval of amendments to the county’s Tahoe Basin Area Plan (TBAP).

The court’s Jan. 3 order allows the county to continue implementing updated development guidelines approved by the board of supervisors in 2023.

The amendments are intended to focus redevelopment efforts in North Lake Tahoe’s town centers of Kings Beach and Tahoe City and facilitate achievable housing by encouraging environmental restoration, supporting local businesses, and reducing traffic congestion, among other goals.

Changes to the county’s TBAP were required to ensure consistency with updates to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s development guidelines for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

In its ruling, the court found that the county’s TBAP amendments would not, as the petitioners alleged, result in significant changes to density and building heights that would require additional environmental review. It also found that wildfire risks and changes to local road infrastructure that could affect emergency evacuations had been appropriately considered.

~ Placer County press release

NEVADA CITY

A Nevada City tradition returns this Martin Luther King Jr. Day as the MLK Community Choir presents a free noon gospel concert at the historic Nevada Theatre on Monday, Jan. 19.

Led by longtime choral director Stan Thomas-Rose, the MLK Community Choir brings together approximately 50 local singers from diverse musical and spiritual backgrounds. The program revives the traditional MLK Day concert format originally guided for four decades by Zenobia Brokenbrough and the Bethel AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church Choir, who remain actively involved in this year’s performance. Singers from local churches, Music in the Mountains, InConcert Sierra, and other regional ensembles will join voices in a collective expression of hope, justice, and unity.

The MLK Day noon concert tradition began in 1982, when Rosa Lopez and Ken Crow invited the Bethel AME Choir to perform live on KVMR from the Miner’s Foundry. 

After the tradition paused following its 40th anniversary in 2022, producer Paul Emery is proud to help revive this community event. While admission is free, donations will be welcomed to support concert costs and ensure the tradition continues.

This year’s program focuses on building community and uniting the nation peacefully. Audiences can expect a moving blend of gospel songs, hymns, spirituals, patriotic selections, poetry, guest speakers, audience sing-alongs led by local musicians, and a beloved original song that traditionally closes the concert.

Join friends and neighbors this Martin Luther King Jr. Day as Nevada City comes together in music, remembrance, and a shared commitment to walk forward toward that “shining city on a hill.”

For more information, visit paulemerymusic.com/martin-luther-king-day.

~ Paul Emery Music press release

TRUCKEE

The Truckee Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Town of Truckee, will kick off its January Town Talk with a conversation on insurance availability in California, featuring Joey Alfonso, a Farmers Insurance Agent, who will present an overview of the California FAIR Plan and what it means for local businesses and property owners.

As wildfire risk and insurance market changes continue to impact communities across the state, many property owners are facing non-renewals, rising premiums, or limited coverage options. During this Town Talk, Alfonso will explain how the California FAIR Plan works, who qualifies, and when it becomes a viable option for residential and commercial properties. He will also address common misconceptions about the program and how it fits into the broader insurance landscape. This will be an informal conversation with plenty of time for questions. Moonshine Ink recently reported on the FAIR Plan in Tahoe/Truckee’s News of Note in 2025.

The event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. on Jan. 26 at the Martis Valley Lodge.

~ Truckee Chamber of Commerce press release

NEVADA COUNTY

Assessor Rolf Kleinhans reminds Nevada County homeowners to take advantage of potential property tax savings through the Homeowners’ Exemption. This exemption may reduce a property’s assessed value by up to $7,000 per year, resulting in approximately $70 in annual property tax savings. To ensure the exemption is applied to the 2025/26 secured property tax bill, homeowners must file by Feb. 15 to receive the full benefit.

The Homeowner’s Exemption is a California property tax benefit available to eligible homeowners who occupy their property as their primary residence.

To qualify, one must:

• Own and occupy the property as one’s principal place of residence.
• Use the property as a primary residence as of Jan. 1 (the lien date).

To claim exemption, homeowners must file a one-time form with the county assessor where the property is located. Visit the Nevada County Assessor’s Office to access the Claim for Homeowner’s Property Tax Exemption form and filing instructions.

~ Nevada County Assessor’s Office press release

NORTH LAKE TAHOE

As part of the TOT-TBID Dollars at Work program’s Annual Grant Cycle, the NTCA Board of Directors approved and recommended a total of over $6 million in tourism-generated funding for 12 projects and programs focused on enhancing community vitality and improving quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.

At the recommendation of those who make up the TBID Advisory and Zone 1 committees, the NTCA Board of Directors approved the expenditure of up to $688,935 in TBID funds. Through the TBID, both visitors contribute to North Lake Tahoe’s vitality through purchases at activity providers, restaurants, and retailers. TBID funds must be spent on programs and activities that directly benefit the businesses paying the assessment.

The five projects to receive TBID funding support include initiatives that contribute to community vitality, economic health and environmental stewardship:

• Workforce-Strengthening Childcare & Youth Development Programs (Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe) 
• Eastern Placer Employer Housing Concierge and One-Stop Housing Resource Hub (Truckee-Tahoe Workforce Housing Agency) 
• Tahoe Wood: Strategy Development for Local Wood-Based Business Opportunities (Tahoe Prosperity Center) 
• The 72-Mile Deep Clean of Lake Tahoe (Clean Up the Lake) 
• Providing Public Access to Lake Tahoe Real-Time Conditions and Water Quality Along the Placer County Shoreline (UC Davis TERC)

In addition, the NTCA Board of Directors voted in support of the TOT Advisory committee’s motion to recommend to the Placer County Board of Supervisors up to $5,451,815 in TOT funds (generated by overnight visitors who stay in local hotels or short-term rentals) be invested into seven projects. They will be reviewed in February 2026.

Learn more at northtahoecommunityalliance.com.

~ North Tahoe Community Alliance press release

OLYMPIC VALLEY

The Alpenglow Sports Winter Speaker Series presented by the North Tahoe Chamber, continues on Friday, Jan. 23, with Mike Hattrup’s presentation of “From Red Square to White Peaks.” Attend the event in person at the Palisades Tahoe Olympic Village Event Center, or tune in via the livestream on Alpenglow Sports’ Youtube channel. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner, drinks, raffle tickets, and more, and the show starts promptly at 7 p.m. The nonprofit beneficiary of the evening is Tahoe Waterman Foundation.

For the third show of the season, highly accomplished skier and industry leader, Hattrup is taking the stage to present “From Red Square to White Peaks,” through which he will blend classic ski imagery with the adventure of traveling to Russia. He begins in Moscow, exploring Red Square and the Kremlin, and ends in Kamchatka with some of the best, and worst, skiing Hattrup ever experienced.

Despite growing up in Seattle, and having access to plenty of world class volcano skiing, nothing could have prepared Hattrup for the Kamchatka, a peninsula that contains more than a third of all volcanoes on the Pacific Rim, is home to Russia’s largest geothermal plant, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As an AMGA Certified Ski Guide Mike has skied in the European Alps, Norway, Japan, Greenland, and more, yet his time in Russia cemented itself as one of the most influential times in his career.

Visit the Alpenglow Sports’ website to learn more about the event, grab online giveaway tickets, and/or get involved with the Donor Party.

~ Alpenglow Sports press release

CALIFORNIA

Ski California, the industry association representing 36 downhill and cross-country ski areas in California and Nevada, has partnered with OpenSnow as the official source of its snow forecasts. OpenSnow, a trusted source for the most accurate U.S. weather forecasts, snow reports, and AI-powered weather maps, has long been a valued source of Sierra storm forecasting.

On average over the past 10 years, OpenSnow’s lead Sierra forecaster Bryan Allegretto’s average forecast variance for each storm is about 1.5 inches. For the better part of the past two decades, his daily, detailed forecasts have become the beacon by which people make informed decisions about where and when they want to recreate in the snow, when to travel or avoid it, when the best conditions will occur for resorts to make snow, or how the weather might impact resort operations.

Follow Allegretto’s Sierra forecast here, and his team’s Mammoth Mountain forecast here.

~ Ski California press release