SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Wednesday’s State of the City 2026, Mayor Cody Bass highlighted the achievements of city council in the past year. Bass paid special attention to economic vitality and small business support, and also addressed the strategic priorities of the council.
Most of city council was present, with the exception of councilmember David Jinkens who could not be present. Bass gave a special shoutout to councilmember Heather Horgan, who stepped up to the position after the resignation of former mayor Tamara Wallace. He also commended city staff for maintaining their services after major transitions in the past year, notably the departure of former city manager Joe Irvin and city attorney Heather Stroud.
“When we really look at what has happened… we have a lot of economic vitality here,” said Bass, noting the success of the Target, Elements, the Hangar and the businesses at the Y that replaced K-Mart.
Regarding housing, this summer, Sugar Pine Village residents will be moving in to Phase 1B, while the final phase (which will include the local tenant preference policy) continues. Earlier this year, Rep. Kevin Kiley gave $1 million for the development of housing at 3900 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. Lastly, the shelter pass program passed by council, which would allow people seeking shelter in cold weather to use a pass for local motels and hotels, assisted 45 people.
On environmental protection, the council approved the expansion of more EV chargers, such as the ones at the rec center. The Tahoe Valley Greenbelt and Stormwater Improvement project, which aims to create paths and a play area behind the Aleworx at the Y, will also help with sediment mitigation efforts. It’s set to finish in September of this year.
On the roads, Lake Link will be expanding to cover the entirety of the city come July. Bass called it a “long-term investment” to get people comfortable to coming to Tahoe without a vehicle. He also hoped that in the future, they could invest in electric flights from Reno or Sacramento to Tahoe.
Road rehabilitation, which has always been a hot topic, is happening in earnest, with work happening to harden key roads that have deteriorated significantly. “We now spend ten times more on road rehabilitation than the year I joined council,” said Bass. This year’s road budget was $4.8 million. Bass noted that Fire Station 3, which has been in operation since the 1950s, will be rebuilt using the parcel near the bank that was recently acquired.
The city also had several openings in the past year, including the skatepark, the recreation center and the Bijou trail connector that opened this week. Bass noted that Fire Station 3, which has been in operation since the 1950s, will be rebuilt using the parcel near the bank that was recently acquired
In the future, Bass said they will focus on working with businesses, through the Business Visitation Program and business permitting concierge program, both of which aim to hear from businesses and streamline their processes.
“The creation of a second economy is at the forefront for us,” said Bass.
