Lake Tahoe Community College’s new forestry program will launch this fall quarter with generous scholarships in place for participating students, thanks to a grant from the Tahoe Fund. The Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy at LTCC is also receiving grant funding from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation for required gear and equipment purchases, allowing even more students to be able to participate in the program.

Following the worst fire season on record, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is taking aim at high insurance costs for residents in areas threatened by wildfires. “With more Californians rolling up their sleeves and reaching into their own pockets to protect their homes and businesses, insurance pricing must reflect their efforts,” said Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in a news release. “Holding insurance companies accountable for accurately rating wildfire risk in the premiums they charge Californians will help save lives and reduce losses. My new regulations will help encourage a competitive insurance market for all by putting safety first and driving down costs for consumers.” At a meeting during last week’s Forest Futures Salon, the change in regulations, which is planned to go into effect this summer, was addressed by fire officials from around the region, along with officials from the California Department of Insurance.

As ski towns rush to meet the needs of their local workforce, many are beginning to adopt temporary housing plans which would accommodate van lifers who commonly populate ski towns both as tourists and local workers. The Mountain Housing Council discussed the examples of van life solutions in other ski towns as well as possible locations for workforce housing car camping sites at its January quarterly meeting.

Truckee’s cost of living has increased over the course of the pandemic. Much of the local workforce can’t qualify for affordable housing units established over the past year. The Below Market Rate Housing Program seeks to change that.

There are currently 9,528 local workforce households that are inadequately housed. The Mountain Housing Council wants to change that. The council was formed to help different organizations within the region come together to collaborate on solutions. At its July meeting the Mountain Housing Council declared a housing emergency in the region in order to address the immediate needs of workforce and community housing.

The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation this week provided a pair of updates on its summer efforts through the wildfire season, while also laying out plans moving ahead. Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation CEO Stacy Caldwell provided further details on the nonprofit’s recently announced three-year, $30 million Forest Futures Campaign, which aims to help prevent catastrophic forest fires in the region.

Finding housing in the Truckee-Tahoe area has been a longstanding issue, but a number of local organizations are working to ease the burden of finding an affordable place to live in the region. Tuesday’s Good Morning Truckee session featured four speakers from various organizations. They discussed what they’re doing to help find and create affordable housing for the area’s workforce.

The work this past year by the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation took center stage during this week’s Good Morning Truckee session. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 the foundation has overseen the distribution of roughly $5.6 million in funding during a record-breaking year, while also handing out more than 500,000 meals to those in need within the community.

“We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

That advice from Sir Winston really hits the mark. We work hard to be successful. Our careers become our focus, but one thing I have learned is that in the end what really matters is relationships and family. What you do for others. And health.

Today marks the start of the second of a three-week shelter-in-place order issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. North Lake Tahoe businesses — particularly restaurants, retail shops and gyms — must endure the financial fallout of COVID-19’s second surge. Kristin York, vice president of business innovation at the Sierra Small Business Development Center for the Sierra Business Council, said her organization helps federal, state and local governments administer small business loans and grants.