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.