Former councilmember John Friedrich runs for city council on a ‘people-focused platform’

by | Sep 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – John Friedrich, who previously served on city council, is ready to get back in the race. He says he’s “proud of what we accomplished,” and raring for more. His platform is based on the results of a survey he’s putting out, and is updated in real-time. “The people are the boss of city council,” said Friedrich.

Friedrich previously served on city council and as mayor pro tem, but stepped down in September of 2024. However, he says he was inspired to come back and motivated through engaging with politics again. “In the end, what drew me back was people and all the good work we can still do together.”

Other candidates have laid out their personal platforms, but Friedrich took a different approach: he asks people to fill out a survey and uses that to guide his priorities. “I’m creating a community shared vision and really taking the idea that ‘government is by and for the people’ literally,” said Friedrich. “The role of city council is to facilitate the will of the community we serve and there is a shared intellect and wisdom of our community.”

Friedrich believes that this work will help engage people civically and serve as an objective measure of what people want.

He prided himself on being in the community during his previous tenure, highlighting his work on engaging with the Filipino and Latino communities that would have been impacted by the loop road, funding Sugar Pine Village and Lake Link, partnering with Lease to Locals and passing a plastic water bottle ban.

Housing is a major priority for him and currently top of the list. He said he is interested in continuing to facilitate affordable housing, working with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s plan to remove barriers to building housing and creating programs to help people afford to buy housing.

He also felt there was a link there with business, and supported incentivizing business as a way to help promote job, housing and economic development. “Let’s cut through the red tape and make it easy to do good things.”

Friedrich is the chief development officer of Skycharger and prioritizes environmental stewardship balanced with development and tourism. “We’re gonna have visitors and it’s not our job to put up the gates. We are all visitors compared to the Washoe, and besides, it’s not the visitors that are the problem, it’s the cars.”

“Climate change is the largest threat to Lake Tahoe. We should be a national leader in climate solutions and sustainable tourism,” said Friedrich. He supported the establishment of solar energy (which he felt could help address concerns around power supply to Tahoe) and an electrified fleet of vehicles for the city and Lake Link.

“We see that data centers are competing with people for power. By maximizing renewables, and local energy production with residents and businesses, we get closer to meeting our goal,” said Friedrich. “I think it’s important that we look for alternatives to energy, as well as hold Liberty Utilities to their promises around renewables and costs.”

Friedrich also expressed support for funding staff for fire and police departments, along with their mental health, as well as the roads. “Wherever we can, we have to find funding for police, fire and the roads. That’s the foundation of public government.” He also has a vision for the future of redesigning Highway 50 to be safer and more like a local road than a highway.

Another major point that Friedrich wants—putting city hall closer to the center of town. “It’s noted in the 56 Acres Plan. In my view, the current place that city hall is should be a visitor’s center or a park and ride. Moving city hall to the heart of town would make it a lot easier for people to go.”

In general, people are a major focus for Friedrich, especially in uplifting the many cultures in the community. He wants to bring the multicultural committee back, as well as engage directly with communities, especially immigrants. “They are the heart and soul of South Lake Tahoe.” He emphasized how he wanted to make them feel safe in a politically tumultuous time, leveraging the state of California’s laws and the way it informs local police departments.

“I’m passionate about turning the spotlight back to people so we can get refocused on where we want to go together,” said Friedrich. “To me, it’s an antidote to the way politics usually is—people should be part of what policy is and feel like they can shape that. We should all be measured by our ability to facilitate the will of the people.”

To read more about John Friedrich’s campaign and platform, visit https://www.johnefriedrich.com/.

Business owner and entrepreneur wants to be a ‘heartfelt leader’ for city council

by | Sep 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Dyna Boen, managing director of Escalent’s telecommunications, consumer goods and retail practices, is officially running after previously applying to fill the seat on city council last year. A major part of her platform is rebuilding trust in local government.

Boen got more politically involved in Tahoe a few years ago with No on Measure N. “As a Californian, we’ve had enough with taxes, sales, income, property. I’ve always paid my fair share of taxes and I saw the impact the measure could have on retirees who can’t live here full time.”

But, she says, “I’m not a career politician. Running for politics is completely new to me. But I run a $30 million business and job creation and building kickass teams is what I’m known for.”

One of the major reasons she applied for the open seat last year was to help promote unity and collaboration among city council. “When people work together, you can see the progress. I wanted to break that gridlock that was happening on city council. I believe in the importance of compromise, and I was asking myself, who do these blocks really serve? Not our community.”

Boen describes herself as an “in-the-middle” candidate who is pro-business and economic security. She told the Tribune that she felt her experience as a business owner and as a mother who lives in Tahoe, enjoying the “spirit of adventure” and environment put her in a unique position to serve the community.

“The community has all the ideas. It’s a matter of trialing them,” she said.

She said she strives to create a welcoming business community by removing red tape as a councilmember. She also is interested in job creation, calling it her “north star.” Boen suggested, after listening to community members, that council could help drive the economy during shoulder season by partnering with local businesses and creating sporting events, which she feels are consistent with the Tahoe brand.

However, she also noted that there was a dependence on second homes and visitors that couldn’t be ignored. Boen is in favor of vacation home rentals, with the caveat that they should have increased enforcement.

To that end, Boen expressed support for funding the police, along with the fire department and public utilities.

For housing, Boen said she believed that the community could come up with solutions there as well and pitched the idea of rent control for South Lake Tahoe. “We need to look at other examples and see what’s right for us.”

Like others, Boen was also interested in funding road infrastructure and repair in Tahoe. “Paved streets send a message to the world. It tells you about the priorities of the city and is tied to economic success, as well as lake clarity. It also makes you feel like city council is actually paying attention when they fix the streets.”

Overall, Boen feels that city council should focus on the quality of life for people. She pointed out the crumbling stairs at Regan Beach as an example of something that should be prioritized. “That’s a locals beach and the stairs are dangerous. Why is it so hard to provide accessibility to the place that everyone works really hard to enjoy?” She also emphasized that she wanted more consideration for veterans and retirees who would be impacted by those quality of life issues around the city.

Boen said she follows her alma mater Stanford Graduate School of Business’s motto of “Change lives, change organizations, change the world” while adding “for the better” to the end of it. She is especially invested in transparency and fiscal transparency for the city. “It’s the taxpayers’ dollars, so we should share the numbers.”

Boen said she’s seen people express that they’re embarrassed of city council and wants to change that. “Resisting and blocking change will only slow things down.. How about we create the future together through collaboration?”

“I’m willing to give a little to get a lot done for the community. I want to be a heartfelt leader who can create a win-win situation for everyone,” said Boen. “All I ask for is that the community votes for someone who is a team player and will get things done for all of us.”

To read more about Dyna Boen’s campaign and platform, visit https://thedynadifference.com/.