unedtied 4/09 Tahoe Mountain News
By Kathryn Reed
Clothes sit in piles. Loaves of bread are nearby. The counter has baby food. Pamphlets covering issues running the gamut from health to contractors to parenting fill a wall.
This is clearly a resource center. And it’s a center whose resources are failing to meet the needs of the community.
The Family Resource Center adjacent to Bijou Community School provides the basic needs of food and clothing to anyone in the community. Many of the other services, like parenting classes, women’s support groups, translation services, child care and English-as-a-second-language classes are for the Latino community.
“We really work with the Latino population to get them integrated into the community,” said Delicia Spees, executive director.
With the last bilingual counselor leaving county mental health April 15, that person will help FRC where he can. With stress levels going up, the need for counseling is bound to grow.
For nearly 20 years FRC has been giving away its services. Volunteers make it work. Grants, fundraisers, money from Bookworks (the used bookstore near Freshies) and donations keep the agency afloat.
But with the need escalating, the coffers are running low. Spees said if the grants she applied for don’t arrive in May, FRC may have to shut its doors.
Where people would go is unknown. So many nonprofits on the South Shore are reeling from the economic debacle. With service clubs raising less money, they have less to give. With people out of work, they have less discretionary income and may now need to be on the receiving end.
In February 2008, 2,567 people were served in some way by the Family Resource Center. That number grew to 4,204 two months ago.
People in need of food in February 2009 totaled 730. That’s up from 402 a year ago.
Those searching for clothes went from 85 in February ’08 to 219 in February ’09.
“We try to make sure the families that are hurting are taken care of,” Spees said.
She relayed a story about a woman who recently came into the FRC. The woman had worked in the casinos for 23 years, part of it as a pit boss.
“She looked at me and her eyes started watering because she recognized me,” Spees said. “She said, ‘I can’t believe I’m here.’ She said, ‘I never thought I’d be here.’”
That woman needed food to feed her family.
“Any of us could be there and now it’s worse,” Spees said.
She is grateful for the donations that keep coming. Safeway brings bread twice a week, sometimes milk. Commodities come from the El Dorado County Food Bank.
Money comes from mental health, First 5, Lake Tahoe Community College, Lake Tahoe Unified, United Way and other places.
The annual Cinco de Mayo party is the one fundraiser the group stages. This year it is May 4 at Heavenly’s California Lodge from 5-10pm.
Spees said the center’s biggest need is cash. It goes back into the community. Sometimes it’s given out to people who need help with rent, to buy food, pay utilities.
“We make sure it’s for people who really need it,” Spees said.
However, not many questions are asked of the people who walk through those doors. Paperwork is not part of the process to receive aid. Spees’ philosophy is that asking for help is hard enough.
Through the everyday stress of her job, Spees has been dealing with rebuilding her home that burned in the 2007 Angora Fire. She moved back in last month.
Bread and Broth
People are milling about outside St. Theresa Church. It has little to do with hearing the gospel. It has everything to do with getting a hot meal.
“We plan a meal for 100 servings each week. When we have leftovers, they are distributed at the end of the meal for folks to take home,” explained Diane Weidinger who runs Bread and Broth. “We save everything and waste nothing.”
The number of people served fluctuates – 65 to 100 every Monday. However, in January and February the numbers spiked 15 percent compared to a year ago.
Bread and Broth, which is non-denominational, started in 1989 by parishioners at St. Theresa and Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian churches.
No questions are asked of those who take a seat. Elderly on fixed incomes, families, homeless – the eclectic mix break bread together. Socializing is up to the individual.
It may be their one well-balanced hot meal of the week.
Donations are what keep the pantry full. Raley’s, Safeway, Grass Roots and Starbucks bring in bread, dairy products, vegetables and desserts.
“We have no idea until the Friday before we serve on Monday what is donated. This is where a cook needs to get creative,” said Weidinger, who also wears the chef’s hat.
El Dorado County Food Bank was responsible for providing one-third of the nonprofit’s food at the start of the year.
It takes nearly 4,000 volunteer hours to run the program.
“We have been able to keep afloat in these rough economic times with cost cutting measures, great PR and food donations,” Weidinger said. “Future financial stability will include these, in addition to creative fund-raising activities.”
To keep money coming in, Bread and Broth has come up with a couple ways to donate. Adopt-a-Day costs $250 – the expense of cooking a meal for 100 people. A business, individual, group of friends or the like can pick a day to sponsor a Bread and Broth meal.
If enough people pick a day, it’s possible the program could add a day.
On May 31 the group is raising funds through “Clean Out Your Pantry to Help Ours.” Bread and Broth hopes to make money from gently used kitchen and house ware items. Email Evye Szanto at evyeszanto@gmail.com for details.
Boys & Girls Club
Families are on a waiting list for the local Boys & Girls Club. About 60 elementary kids who want to participate in the after school program have been denied.
Money is the culprit.
“Right now our elementary kids are the ones who are impacted. We can accommodate all the middle school kids,” said Karen Houser, executive director. “Our needs grew so much in the last four years.”
Kids who go to the center at least four days a week got first priority.
It’s not just at-risk kids who go to Boys & Girls Clubs. It’s for anyone.
Still, programs keep being added as staff and resources allow, whether it’s sports or academic oriented.
With less money coming in, the agency’s budget has been reduced by 33 percent to deal with declining revenue. It went from about $750,000 a year to approximately $490,000.
About 120 students go to the Al Tahoe site, while another 80 are at the Bijou facility.
Jenessa Crouch, 14, was elected student club president April 1. She can’t imagine Boys & Girls Club not being around. She knows the food served there is sometimes dinner for those who attend.
Sarah Miranda, 14, likes that she is able to do her homework at the club.
Power Plus is an academic support system that all kids through grade eight must participate in.
Even though Boys & Girls Clubs are national, no money comes from the parent organization. It must be raised locally. Grants, fund raising and donations – even in-kind goods like paper towels and toilet paper – are what keep this group going.
The South Tahoe group last month was awarded a chunk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $9.2 million in grants to combat gang violence. The $154,072 will go toward gang prevention, work with the Youth Task Force and the Unity Project.
Community needs
These three organizations represent a sampling of the nonprofits on the South Shore serving varied clientele. What they have in common are dwindling resources and escalating demand for services.
They are not alone. No nonprofit has gone unscathed in this economic downturn.
What is worrisome is that the need is likely to grow.
With ski resorts shutting down this month, the number of unemployed locals will rise. Barton’s 43 announced layoffs didn’t account for the handful of others who were let go earlier. Pier 1 Import’s closing means about six more are out of work next month. AAA’s closure this month will see the elimination of three jobs. The casinos have a skeleton crew.
Add the self-employed who don’t show up in unemployment statistics, along with those who’ve had pay cuts, hours cuts and forced furloughs to the list, and the picture is more dismal.
The one bright spot might be that with people out of work it will mean the potential for more volunteers at the nonprofits.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Gaming troubles on South Shore
3/09 unedited Tahoe Mountain News
By Kathryn Reed
Gamblers say there is no such thing as a sure bet. Now the gaming establishments are starting to say the same thing – except for perhaps Red Hawk in Shingle Springs.
Each quarter profits keep declining for Nevada casinos. For a state that counts on that revenue (it doesn’t have income tax) to bankroll most of its expenses, the affects are looming seemingly as large as the fiscal mess in California.
It’s not that gamblers are winning more. The problem is not enough people are bellying up to the green felt or one-armed bandits. This in turn means layoffs.
Harrah’s-Harveys, both owned by Harrah’s Entertainment in Las Vegas, have laid off hundreds of workers since the start of the year. Housekeepers, kitchen staff, accounting personnel – all are looking for work at a time when jobs are scarce everywhere.
Harrah’s Tahoe deferred comment to flaks in Reno. They didn’t return calls.
Many of those unemployed live in California, meaning they are tapping into the Golden State’s resources. The Family Resource Center has been inundated with out-of-work casino employees needing assistance. Many of these people who had access to a health clinic at Harrah’s are likely to turn to Barton’s community health center.
Another culprit of Nevada’s woes is California’s growing Indian casino business. About 50 tribal facilities operate up and down the state, with several on the corridors into Tahoe. Red Hawk opened in December off Highway 50 and is said to be full much of the time. Thunder Valley is on Interstate 80 and Jackson Rancheria catches folks headed to Tahoe via Kirkwood.
An irony is Red Hawk is El Dorado’s largest employer with about 1,800 workers.
Red Hawk’s draw
Mark (he didn’t want his last name used) is one of those players who is either hitting Red Hawk or Thunder Valley instead of Nevada.
“It’s no fun to drive 2.5 hours after you lose. I live eight miles from Thunder Valley,” the 51-year-old Roseville resident said, even though this particular Monday he is playing at Red Hawk. “I don’t go up there anymore (he said of Tahoe).”
Marie Lucy feels the same way. The 63-year-old El Dorado Hills resident likes Red Hawk because it’s close to home. She likes saving on gas and avoiding Tahoe traffic.
With approximately 2,100 slot machines, 75 table games, six restaurants, four bars, lighted-covered parking, and an entertainment lineup that keeps growing, the incentives for gamblers to venture past Shingle Springs is minimal.
One floor is smoke-free. The smoking area doesn’t smell as bad as the big four Stateline casinos. Another plus is picture windows looking out onto the green foothills.
People – workers and gamblers – seem to be in a good mood this spring morning. A fun vibe permeates the place. The same cannot be said when walking into the Stateline casinos.
Industry officials blame Red Hawk for Stateline’s 23.7 percent gaming revenue drop in January.
This could get worse with the casino expanding its bus services. On April 11, Red Hawk will offer daily bus service from Modesto, Stockton and Lodi. It already brings people via public transit from Sacramento and the Bay Area. It’s free for rewards club members.
More than a dozen buses may swing by in a day.
Buses to Stateline casinos seem like a relic from the past.
Troubling financial times
“All I know is this has been a weak first quarter for everyone. I think the county sold us down the river with Red Hawk and kept everything on the West Slope,” said Tom Davis of Horizon and MontBleu.
Davis is referring to the $190 million the Miwok’s will pay El Dorado County over 20 years. None of that is projected to make its way to the basin.
California will take about 25 percent of Red Hawk’s slot profits for the next 20 years.
The first check to the county is expected in December on the casino’s one-year anniversary. Part of that money goes for roads, some for public safety and some is discretionary.
Supervisor Norma Santiago said the casino is requiring more money for public safety than anticipated. The county received $250,000 before the casino opened for law enforcement issues and expects another quarter million in June.
Sheriff Jeff Neves said things are running smoothly.
“From the sheriff’s office standpoint, I have actually been pleasantly pleased that the casino has not been as big of an impact as we thought it would be,” Neves said earlier this month.
Six deputies and one supervisor were hired with the projected casino money. The cash pays for an additional car to patrol the casino area 24/7.
“The casino overall has been a non-issue. I say this because from the traffic side we really thought we would see a noticeable traffic volume increase on Highway 50,” Neves said.
When deputies are called to the casino, it has been mostly for thefts. With the surveillance system in place, the culprits are apprehended quickly.
2008 was a dismal year for casinos nationwide. The American Gaming Association calculated 2008 revenue throughout the country at $32.6 billion. This is a drop of $1.45 billion or 4.3 percent from the previous year.
That association said in Nevada the revenue decline from 2007 to 2008 was $1.2 billion or 9.7 percent.
Local casinos are not faring well, though specific numbers are not available.
The parent company of MontBleu and Horizon is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“We will come out stronger. All I can tell you is we are planning stuff for the summer right now,” Davis said.
Harrah’s Entertainment on March 13 reported a 13.3 percent decline in revenue for the fourth quarter compared to the same period a year ago. On March 26 the company released a statement about how it plans to restructure its debt and avoid defaulting.
When the gaming enterprise was bought by Apollo Global Management and TPC Capital in January 2008 for $30.7 billion, it included assuming $12.4 billion in debt and about $1 billion in acquisition costs.
By Kathryn Reed
Gamblers say there is no such thing as a sure bet. Now the gaming establishments are starting to say the same thing – except for perhaps Red Hawk in Shingle Springs.
Each quarter profits keep declining for Nevada casinos. For a state that counts on that revenue (it doesn’t have income tax) to bankroll most of its expenses, the affects are looming seemingly as large as the fiscal mess in California.
It’s not that gamblers are winning more. The problem is not enough people are bellying up to the green felt or one-armed bandits. This in turn means layoffs.
Harrah’s-Harveys, both owned by Harrah’s Entertainment in Las Vegas, have laid off hundreds of workers since the start of the year. Housekeepers, kitchen staff, accounting personnel – all are looking for work at a time when jobs are scarce everywhere.
Harrah’s Tahoe deferred comment to flaks in Reno. They didn’t return calls.
Many of those unemployed live in California, meaning they are tapping into the Golden State’s resources. The Family Resource Center has been inundated with out-of-work casino employees needing assistance. Many of these people who had access to a health clinic at Harrah’s are likely to turn to Barton’s community health center.
Another culprit of Nevada’s woes is California’s growing Indian casino business. About 50 tribal facilities operate up and down the state, with several on the corridors into Tahoe. Red Hawk opened in December off Highway 50 and is said to be full much of the time. Thunder Valley is on Interstate 80 and Jackson Rancheria catches folks headed to Tahoe via Kirkwood.
An irony is Red Hawk is El Dorado’s largest employer with about 1,800 workers.
Red Hawk’s draw
Mark (he didn’t want his last name used) is one of those players who is either hitting Red Hawk or Thunder Valley instead of Nevada.
“It’s no fun to drive 2.5 hours after you lose. I live eight miles from Thunder Valley,” the 51-year-old Roseville resident said, even though this particular Monday he is playing at Red Hawk. “I don’t go up there anymore (he said of Tahoe).”
Marie Lucy feels the same way. The 63-year-old El Dorado Hills resident likes Red Hawk because it’s close to home. She likes saving on gas and avoiding Tahoe traffic.
With approximately 2,100 slot machines, 75 table games, six restaurants, four bars, lighted-covered parking, and an entertainment lineup that keeps growing, the incentives for gamblers to venture past Shingle Springs is minimal.
One floor is smoke-free. The smoking area doesn’t smell as bad as the big four Stateline casinos. Another plus is picture windows looking out onto the green foothills.
People – workers and gamblers – seem to be in a good mood this spring morning. A fun vibe permeates the place. The same cannot be said when walking into the Stateline casinos.
Industry officials blame Red Hawk for Stateline’s 23.7 percent gaming revenue drop in January.
This could get worse with the casino expanding its bus services. On April 11, Red Hawk will offer daily bus service from Modesto, Stockton and Lodi. It already brings people via public transit from Sacramento and the Bay Area. It’s free for rewards club members.
More than a dozen buses may swing by in a day.
Buses to Stateline casinos seem like a relic from the past.
Troubling financial times
“All I know is this has been a weak first quarter for everyone. I think the county sold us down the river with Red Hawk and kept everything on the West Slope,” said Tom Davis of Horizon and MontBleu.
Davis is referring to the $190 million the Miwok’s will pay El Dorado County over 20 years. None of that is projected to make its way to the basin.
California will take about 25 percent of Red Hawk’s slot profits for the next 20 years.
The first check to the county is expected in December on the casino’s one-year anniversary. Part of that money goes for roads, some for public safety and some is discretionary.
Supervisor Norma Santiago said the casino is requiring more money for public safety than anticipated. The county received $250,000 before the casino opened for law enforcement issues and expects another quarter million in June.
Sheriff Jeff Neves said things are running smoothly.
“From the sheriff’s office standpoint, I have actually been pleasantly pleased that the casino has not been as big of an impact as we thought it would be,” Neves said earlier this month.
Six deputies and one supervisor were hired with the projected casino money. The cash pays for an additional car to patrol the casino area 24/7.
“The casino overall has been a non-issue. I say this because from the traffic side we really thought we would see a noticeable traffic volume increase on Highway 50,” Neves said.
When deputies are called to the casino, it has been mostly for thefts. With the surveillance system in place, the culprits are apprehended quickly.
2008 was a dismal year for casinos nationwide. The American Gaming Association calculated 2008 revenue throughout the country at $32.6 billion. This is a drop of $1.45 billion or 4.3 percent from the previous year.
That association said in Nevada the revenue decline from 2007 to 2008 was $1.2 billion or 9.7 percent.
Local casinos are not faring well, though specific numbers are not available.
The parent company of MontBleu and Horizon is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“We will come out stronger. All I can tell you is we are planning stuff for the summer right now,” Davis said.
Harrah’s Entertainment on March 13 reported a 13.3 percent decline in revenue for the fourth quarter compared to the same period a year ago. On March 26 the company released a statement about how it plans to restructure its debt and avoid defaulting.
When the gaming enterprise was bought by Apollo Global Management and TPC Capital in January 2008 for $30.7 billion, it included assuming $12.4 billion in debt and about $1 billion in acquisition costs.
Bus riding in Tahoe
unedited 3/09 Tahoe Mountain News
By Kathryn Reed
Tahoe’s bus ridership isn’t like other areas. That was one conclusion from a study that was presented to the transit board in March.
The South Shore’s working class – ages 25-64 – makeup most of the people using BlueGo. Most –73.4 percent -- ride Monday-Friday
Only 12 percent are youth riders. According to transit administrator John Andoh, that number is usually 40 to 50 percent. He attributes Lake Tahoe Unified’s effective bus system for low ridership on public transit.
Of the 503 local surveys, 31.4 percent ride the bus to work, 19.6 percent use it for social-personal trips, 13 percent for school, 12 percent to shop and 9 percent said other.
Andoh said the South Shore presents unique challenges by needing to cater to locals and tourists. Locals are more apt to use the regular BlueGo, while tourists are the predominate riders on the ski shuttle.
Of the locals, 64.1 percent said are dependent on BlueGo and 27.8 percent rely on the ski shuttle.
Three percent of locals using the bus got to a transit stop via a bicycle.
Income facts were reported by 457 local survey takers: 35.2 percent live in households with incomes of less than $10,000 per year, 27.9 percent with household incomes from $10,001-$20,000 per year, 10.2 percent between $20,001 and $30,000, 8.4 percent between $30,001 and $40,000, 5 percent between $40,001 and $50,000, and 12.8 percent earn more than $50,000.
Andoh and the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority will use the 69-page report to address concerns that were brought up as well as plan a marketing strategy. Boosting tourist ridership is likely to be a focal point.
Rider issues include wanting buses to run later, earlier and more frequently.
Andoh is tweaking the schedule to fix what isn’t working either by having buses go on different streets or changing routes. Tahoe Keys route will be changed because it’s not going where riders want to go. The Meyers and Lake Tahoe Community College routes are being praised. The last time Meyers had a fixed route was 1987.
Another survey will be conducted in the fall so the agency has comparable data.
Expect changes at the Y transit center to be finished by the end of June. This includes installing security cameras, restrooms open, a customer service agent seven days a week form 8am-5pm, and an overall sprucing up of the facility.
A permanent transit provider is expected to be voted on in May. MV Transit, the interim agency, is one of three finalists. The others are First Transit and Silverado Stages.
California budget issues are forcing the STATA board to reassess its budget. With the sates eliminating the Transit Assistance Fund, STATA is losing $180,000 this fiscal year and $330,000 next fiscal year. Altering routes and raising fares may be the solution to the setback which totals $400,000 for the next fiscal year.
Two public workshops this month will address the situation. They are April 16 at the South Y Transit Station from 3-5pm and April 17 from 2-5pm at the Stateline Transit Center. The STATA board will have a public hearing May 15 at 10am at 128 Market Street, Stateline and at the South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting May 19 at 9am at 1901 Airport Road.
For more details, go to www.bluego.org or call (775) 589-5284.
By Kathryn Reed
Tahoe’s bus ridership isn’t like other areas. That was one conclusion from a study that was presented to the transit board in March.
The South Shore’s working class – ages 25-64 – makeup most of the people using BlueGo. Most –73.4 percent -- ride Monday-Friday
Only 12 percent are youth riders. According to transit administrator John Andoh, that number is usually 40 to 50 percent. He attributes Lake Tahoe Unified’s effective bus system for low ridership on public transit.
Of the 503 local surveys, 31.4 percent ride the bus to work, 19.6 percent use it for social-personal trips, 13 percent for school, 12 percent to shop and 9 percent said other.
Andoh said the South Shore presents unique challenges by needing to cater to locals and tourists. Locals are more apt to use the regular BlueGo, while tourists are the predominate riders on the ski shuttle.
Of the locals, 64.1 percent said are dependent on BlueGo and 27.8 percent rely on the ski shuttle.
Three percent of locals using the bus got to a transit stop via a bicycle.
Income facts were reported by 457 local survey takers: 35.2 percent live in households with incomes of less than $10,000 per year, 27.9 percent with household incomes from $10,001-$20,000 per year, 10.2 percent between $20,001 and $30,000, 8.4 percent between $30,001 and $40,000, 5 percent between $40,001 and $50,000, and 12.8 percent earn more than $50,000.
Andoh and the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority will use the 69-page report to address concerns that were brought up as well as plan a marketing strategy. Boosting tourist ridership is likely to be a focal point.
Rider issues include wanting buses to run later, earlier and more frequently.
Andoh is tweaking the schedule to fix what isn’t working either by having buses go on different streets or changing routes. Tahoe Keys route will be changed because it’s not going where riders want to go. The Meyers and Lake Tahoe Community College routes are being praised. The last time Meyers had a fixed route was 1987.
Another survey will be conducted in the fall so the agency has comparable data.
Expect changes at the Y transit center to be finished by the end of June. This includes installing security cameras, restrooms open, a customer service agent seven days a week form 8am-5pm, and an overall sprucing up of the facility.
A permanent transit provider is expected to be voted on in May. MV Transit, the interim agency, is one of three finalists. The others are First Transit and Silverado Stages.
California budget issues are forcing the STATA board to reassess its budget. With the sates eliminating the Transit Assistance Fund, STATA is losing $180,000 this fiscal year and $330,000 next fiscal year. Altering routes and raising fares may be the solution to the setback which totals $400,000 for the next fiscal year.
Two public workshops this month will address the situation. They are April 16 at the South Y Transit Station from 3-5pm and April 17 from 2-5pm at the Stateline Transit Center. The STATA board will have a public hearing May 15 at 10am at 128 Market Street, Stateline and at the South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting May 19 at 9am at 1901 Airport Road.
For more details, go to www.bluego.org or call (775) 589-5284.
Recycling on the South Shore
unedited March 2009 Tahoe Mountain News
By Kathryn Reed
By April 22 (aka Earth Day) blue bags will fill Lake Tahoe.
Well, not literally. But they will have been distributed to every residential customer of South Tahoe Refuse.
Blue bags are this area’s form of curbside recycling. Just about anything recyclable can go in the bag – paper and cardboard, metals, glass and plastic. No food waste, plastic utensils, glassware or Styrofoam is allowed.
A pilot program started at the first of the year shows Douglas County residents participating more through mid-March (36.6 percent), compared to El Dorado County (22.2 percent) and South Lake Tahoe (13.6 percent).
On average, each blue bag people are filling weighs about 9.5 pounds, which is higher than the refuse company expected.
“Trash has decreased dramatically in all three jurisdictions,” said John Marchini of STR.
Mixed paper represents what most people are putting in the bags.
“We’ve been surprised how low the percentage of aluminum and plastic is,” Marchini said. He speculates it’s a reflection of the economy – that more people are bringing those items to the buyback center.
The number of people wanting money for recyclables has more than doubled in the last year. STR used to see about 65 people day. Now it’s between 150 and 170.
It will take a couple of years to know if the blue bag truly captures more recyclables than the workers on the conveyor line on Ruth Avenue who manually separate the goods.
California projects a 3 percent increase in material being recycled when curbside programs are implemented, according to STR.
Jeanne Lear with STR said about 1,000 tons of goods equals 1 percent in how the state does its measuring.
From Jan. 1 to March 19, Douglas County through the blue bag program brought in 22,862 pounds for recyclables, El Dorado County 26,823 pounds and South Lake Tahoe 23,073 pounds.
STR folks hope more education will spur people to use the bags.
A laminated card that is given out with the blue bags explains what to recycle and what to toss. It also has some statistics like each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees and 380 gallons of oil; glass never wears out; and making cans from recycled aluminum uses 95 percent less energy than making them from raw materials.
By Kathryn Reed
By April 22 (aka Earth Day) blue bags will fill Lake Tahoe.
Well, not literally. But they will have been distributed to every residential customer of South Tahoe Refuse.
Blue bags are this area’s form of curbside recycling. Just about anything recyclable can go in the bag – paper and cardboard, metals, glass and plastic. No food waste, plastic utensils, glassware or Styrofoam is allowed.
A pilot program started at the first of the year shows Douglas County residents participating more through mid-March (36.6 percent), compared to El Dorado County (22.2 percent) and South Lake Tahoe (13.6 percent).
On average, each blue bag people are filling weighs about 9.5 pounds, which is higher than the refuse company expected.
“Trash has decreased dramatically in all three jurisdictions,” said John Marchini of STR.
Mixed paper represents what most people are putting in the bags.
“We’ve been surprised how low the percentage of aluminum and plastic is,” Marchini said. He speculates it’s a reflection of the economy – that more people are bringing those items to the buyback center.
The number of people wanting money for recyclables has more than doubled in the last year. STR used to see about 65 people day. Now it’s between 150 and 170.
It will take a couple of years to know if the blue bag truly captures more recyclables than the workers on the conveyor line on Ruth Avenue who manually separate the goods.
California projects a 3 percent increase in material being recycled when curbside programs are implemented, according to STR.
Jeanne Lear with STR said about 1,000 tons of goods equals 1 percent in how the state does its measuring.
From Jan. 1 to March 19, Douglas County through the blue bag program brought in 22,862 pounds for recyclables, El Dorado County 26,823 pounds and South Lake Tahoe 23,073 pounds.
STR folks hope more education will spur people to use the bags.
A laminated card that is given out with the blue bags explains what to recycle and what to toss. It also has some statistics like each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees and 380 gallons of oil; glass never wears out; and making cans from recycled aluminum uses 95 percent less energy than making them from raw materials.
Barton hospital layoffs
unedited March 2009 Tahoe Mountain News
By Kathryn Reed
Barton’s simultaneous downsizing and growth may seem incongruous, but hospital officials say it makes sense.
On March 27, 43 of the 989 employees in the health care system were shown the door. The current cutbacks represent 4.3 percent of the staff. Twenty-six worked full time and the rest were either part-time employees or worked per diem.
Gone are six nurses (two full time, four part time), 19 non-nursing patient care jobs (10 full time, seven part time, two per diem), and 18 support staff (14 full time, three part time, one per diem).
Some had worked for the organization for more than a dozen years.
While these middle class workers are off the payroll, the top salary makers are still cashing checks.
Barton officials say those who are left will not face a pay cut, will continue to receive bonuses and will not have to take a furlough.
Salaries for the laid off workers is not public information. However, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the hospital must disclose to the IRS the wages of the top money-makers. The CEO of this little hospital makes the same amount as the president of the United States.
Here are the annual salaries from the 2007 IRS form (the most recent available):
CEO John Williams -- $399,103;
CFO Dick Derby -- $268,851;
Director of Hospital Operations Kathy Cocking -- $212,991;
Pharmacy Director Barry Kiel -- $162, 337;
Human Resources Director Leann Kankel -- $153,828;
VP of Nursing Mary Bittner -- $147,291;
Director of Risk Management Kathryn Biasotti -- $144,454;
Information Systems Director Robert Quadri -- $140,296;
Former employee Pamela White -- $137,515;
Clinical pharmacist Terri Cherry -- $136,443;
ER nurse Aran Borgman -- $121,739
Former PR Director Linda Thompson -- $113,331.
What they are making in 2009 is unknown. These figures also don’t represent what the hospital pays in terms of health and retirement benefits, or bonuses.
On they day the layoffs occurred, Barton’s website listed seven job openings.
The nearly 1,000 employees in Barton’s system work at the hospital, community clinic, Stateline urgent care, various doctors’ practices, Carson Valley and other Barton owned sites. No one at Carson Valley Medical Center is gone. Barton owns half of that facility.
Barton is one of the largest employers in South Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe Unified employs 445, South Lake Tahoe a couple hundred and U.S. Forest Service about 100 full-timers.
Internal workings
On the flip side are the rather recent newbies to the Barton system who continue to garner a paycheck.
The March issue of the Tahoe Mountain News had an ad welcoming Drs. Stephen Bannar and Terry Orr to Barton. They had been with Tahoe Fracture. Ear-nose-throat specialist Dr. Ronald Roth joined Barton this year, too. A year ago Barton acquired Lake Tahoe Orthopaedic Institute in Round Hill.
Sciuto would not say the downsizing was the result in any overlap of services created by the acquisitions.
She attributed the layoffs to the lack of patients, loss of reimbursements from the state and feds, and the uninsured not paying their bills.
“… with less people coming through our doors, we need less employees to service those patients,” Sciuto said.
She said the decrease in patients is the result of unemployed locals not getting regular health screenings and others putting off elective procedures. A substantial part of Barton’s business is from people playing here who get hurt. Barton would not disclose those numbers, but other businesses in town are reporting revenues down 20 percent from a year ago.
Sciuto also said the diminishing permanent population is causing problems. However, the truth is that base is not going away as fast as people are wont to say. The 2000 Census counted 23,609 residents in South Lake Tahoe. A 2008 city report tallied 23,517 residents, with expectations of it growing to 24,179 by 2013.
According to one hospital board member, the operating margin is 2 percent on an annual budget of $127 million – which doesn’t leave much wriggle room when the economy starts to go sideways.
The board had been talking for a little while about what to do about cutting costs. The ultimate decision was made March 26. A handful of employees had been laid off earlier in the year as well.
Between staff cuts and slashing the operating budget, Barton expects to save $6 million. Each department is facing cutbacks – from cutting paper usage to banning bottled water to slashing advertising budgets.
Most displaced workers received a severance check. Counseling will be available, as well as services to help find a new job and referrals to local employers.
Sciuto would not promise this is the only round of layoffs, but said the board and management do not anticipate more.
She added that patients should notice no changes at any Barton facility because of the layoffs.
Looking forward
Barton plans to use its 16 orthopedists to create an institute that people from out of the area will want to come to. As in, don’t use your local doctor; use a specialist on the South Shore of Tahoe.
“We hope to draw people from outside the basin to come here, recognizing they will get better care here than in their own home town,” Sciuto said. “Orthopedic care will help sustain our entire health care system in South Lake Tahoe.”
She points to things like the community clinic and home Hospice which drain the coffers, but that are services Barton wants to provide if another component of the operation can fund them.
Sciuto says a change in leadership at the hospital (CEO John Williams came on board a few years ago) for the willingness to create a state-of-the-art orthopedic center. Dr. Richard Steadman wanted to do that, too, but was turned down. He went to Vail to open a world renowned clinic there in 1990. Steadman wanted to do research and Barton said no at the time.
Nineteen years later and research is OK at Barton. In fact, a research component was necessary before Barton could get its accreditation in January for its orthopedic fellowship program.
Front desk issues
A full-time person now helps run the information desk instead of being solely staffed by Auxiliary volunteers. This change had nothing to do with the layoff situation.
Sciuto said the change was made “because there were a lot of things being asked of them that we didn’t feel comfortable to ask them to do. We have to be very careful of patient privacy and make sure visitors don’t know who is there and why they are there.”
She said the volunteers are still a vital component of the hospital.
Telemedicine coming
By June Barton plans to have a telemedicine program in place. This will allow consultations with specialists not on staff at the hospital who can assist in patient care around the clock.
As a small private hospital, Barton doesn’t have the resources to employ specialists across the spectrum. Telemedicine could save a patient time and money. Patients will also be able to interact with the specialists.
By Kathryn Reed
Barton’s simultaneous downsizing and growth may seem incongruous, but hospital officials say it makes sense.
On March 27, 43 of the 989 employees in the health care system were shown the door. The current cutbacks represent 4.3 percent of the staff. Twenty-six worked full time and the rest were either part-time employees or worked per diem.
Gone are six nurses (two full time, four part time), 19 non-nursing patient care jobs (10 full time, seven part time, two per diem), and 18 support staff (14 full time, three part time, one per diem).
Some had worked for the organization for more than a dozen years.
While these middle class workers are off the payroll, the top salary makers are still cashing checks.
Barton officials say those who are left will not face a pay cut, will continue to receive bonuses and will not have to take a furlough.
Salaries for the laid off workers is not public information. However, as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the hospital must disclose to the IRS the wages of the top money-makers. The CEO of this little hospital makes the same amount as the president of the United States.
Here are the annual salaries from the 2007 IRS form (the most recent available):
CEO John Williams -- $399,103;
CFO Dick Derby -- $268,851;
Director of Hospital Operations Kathy Cocking -- $212,991;
Pharmacy Director Barry Kiel -- $162, 337;
Human Resources Director Leann Kankel -- $153,828;
VP of Nursing Mary Bittner -- $147,291;
Director of Risk Management Kathryn Biasotti -- $144,454;
Information Systems Director Robert Quadri -- $140,296;
Former employee Pamela White -- $137,515;
Clinical pharmacist Terri Cherry -- $136,443;
ER nurse Aran Borgman -- $121,739
Former PR Director Linda Thompson -- $113,331.
What they are making in 2009 is unknown. These figures also don’t represent what the hospital pays in terms of health and retirement benefits, or bonuses.
On they day the layoffs occurred, Barton’s website listed seven job openings.
The nearly 1,000 employees in Barton’s system work at the hospital, community clinic, Stateline urgent care, various doctors’ practices, Carson Valley and other Barton owned sites. No one at Carson Valley Medical Center is gone. Barton owns half of that facility.
Barton is one of the largest employers in South Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe Unified employs 445, South Lake Tahoe a couple hundred and U.S. Forest Service about 100 full-timers.
Internal workings
On the flip side are the rather recent newbies to the Barton system who continue to garner a paycheck.
The March issue of the Tahoe Mountain News had an ad welcoming Drs. Stephen Bannar and Terry Orr to Barton. They had been with Tahoe Fracture. Ear-nose-throat specialist Dr. Ronald Roth joined Barton this year, too. A year ago Barton acquired Lake Tahoe Orthopaedic Institute in Round Hill.
Sciuto would not say the downsizing was the result in any overlap of services created by the acquisitions.
She attributed the layoffs to the lack of patients, loss of reimbursements from the state and feds, and the uninsured not paying their bills.
“… with less people coming through our doors, we need less employees to service those patients,” Sciuto said.
She said the decrease in patients is the result of unemployed locals not getting regular health screenings and others putting off elective procedures. A substantial part of Barton’s business is from people playing here who get hurt. Barton would not disclose those numbers, but other businesses in town are reporting revenues down 20 percent from a year ago.
Sciuto also said the diminishing permanent population is causing problems. However, the truth is that base is not going away as fast as people are wont to say. The 2000 Census counted 23,609 residents in South Lake Tahoe. A 2008 city report tallied 23,517 residents, with expectations of it growing to 24,179 by 2013.
According to one hospital board member, the operating margin is 2 percent on an annual budget of $127 million – which doesn’t leave much wriggle room when the economy starts to go sideways.
The board had been talking for a little while about what to do about cutting costs. The ultimate decision was made March 26. A handful of employees had been laid off earlier in the year as well.
Between staff cuts and slashing the operating budget, Barton expects to save $6 million. Each department is facing cutbacks – from cutting paper usage to banning bottled water to slashing advertising budgets.
Most displaced workers received a severance check. Counseling will be available, as well as services to help find a new job and referrals to local employers.
Sciuto would not promise this is the only round of layoffs, but said the board and management do not anticipate more.
She added that patients should notice no changes at any Barton facility because of the layoffs.
Looking forward
Barton plans to use its 16 orthopedists to create an institute that people from out of the area will want to come to. As in, don’t use your local doctor; use a specialist on the South Shore of Tahoe.
“We hope to draw people from outside the basin to come here, recognizing they will get better care here than in their own home town,” Sciuto said. “Orthopedic care will help sustain our entire health care system in South Lake Tahoe.”
She points to things like the community clinic and home Hospice which drain the coffers, but that are services Barton wants to provide if another component of the operation can fund them.
Sciuto says a change in leadership at the hospital (CEO John Williams came on board a few years ago) for the willingness to create a state-of-the-art orthopedic center. Dr. Richard Steadman wanted to do that, too, but was turned down. He went to Vail to open a world renowned clinic there in 1990. Steadman wanted to do research and Barton said no at the time.
Nineteen years later and research is OK at Barton. In fact, a research component was necessary before Barton could get its accreditation in January for its orthopedic fellowship program.
Front desk issues
A full-time person now helps run the information desk instead of being solely staffed by Auxiliary volunteers. This change had nothing to do with the layoff situation.
Sciuto said the change was made “because there were a lot of things being asked of them that we didn’t feel comfortable to ask them to do. We have to be very careful of patient privacy and make sure visitors don’t know who is there and why they are there.”
She said the volunteers are still a vital component of the hospital.
Telemedicine coming
By June Barton plans to have a telemedicine program in place. This will allow consultations with specialists not on staff at the hospital who can assist in patient care around the clock.
As a small private hospital, Barton doesn’t have the resources to employ specialists across the spectrum. Telemedicine could save a patient time and money. Patients will also be able to interact with the specialists.
Donner Summit info
Media Release July 8, 2009 Contact: Tom Mooers (530) 265-2849
DONNER SUMMIT LANDS
DESIGNATED FOR CONSERVATION
Nevada City, CA – Conservation non-profit Sierra Watch released its Donner Summit Conservation Priorities today, furthering the case for permanent protection of Donner Summit. The report designates land for conservation based on a combination of forest health, wildlife habitat, and water quality values.
“Donner Summit is one of last great unprotected places in the Sierra Nevada,” says Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch. “This report establishes the ecological importance of the region and reinforces the urgent need to Save Donner Summit.”
The region in question spans the crest of the Sierra south of Interstate 80; it includes towering peaks, headwaters of the American and Yuba river systems, and old growth forests. Donner is perhaps best known for its recreational and scenic values, including a popular stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s arguably the most important cultural crossroads of the American West, traversed by ancient footpaths, the Emigrant Trail, and the Old Lincoln Highway. And its natural resources are significant on a global scale.
“The Sierra Nevada is recognized as one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world, and Donner Summit supports important, and increasingly threatened, elements of this diversity,” says Michael White of Conservation Biology Institute. “Our Donner Summit Conservation Priorities demonstrate that this iconic region presents one of the truly great opportunities to protect a functioning Sierran landscape for generations to come.”
The future of Donner Summit, however, is uncertain. In 2005, developers Foster/Syme bought nearly 3,000 acres of Donner Summit land, including the existing Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, and immediately began to shape a development proposal.
That proposal, as outlined in initial planning documents, would carve up the landscape into a series of sprawling development projects. In order to service the new subdivisions, developers would remake Donner Summit with new roads through local forests, new dams in Sierra headwaters, and 200 acres of sewage ‘spray fields’.
Sierra Watch commissioned a team of planning and biological experts to offer an alternative framework for planning the future of Donner Summit, based on its conservation – as opposed to its speculative – value. Consultants distilled decades of research, tapped local expertise, and layered digitized maps to create the final map and report, available online at www.sierrawatch.org; click on “Donner Summit”.
The report compiles a range of existing research, from carnivore networks to stream corridors. Compelling data includes the presence of standing trees that sprouted in the 13th century and, remarkably, more than 115 species of butterflies.
“With the healthiest forests in the Sierra Nevada, the headwaters of key river systems, and an unparalleled sense of place, Donner Summit deserves better than pavement subdivisions,” said Mooers of Sierra Watch. “This report provides a baseline for planning a healthy future for the region.”
Sierra Watch is a non-profit organization working to protect the incomparable natural resources and unparalleled quality of life in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Sierra Watch spearheaded the collaborative effort to protect Tahoe’s Martis Valley and provides conservation leadership for threatened Sierra landscapes. For more information, call (530) 265-2849 or visit www.sierrawatch.org.
# # #
DONNER SUMMIT LANDS
DESIGNATED FOR CONSERVATION
Nevada City, CA – Conservation non-profit Sierra Watch released its Donner Summit Conservation Priorities today, furthering the case for permanent protection of Donner Summit. The report designates land for conservation based on a combination of forest health, wildlife habitat, and water quality values.
“Donner Summit is one of last great unprotected places in the Sierra Nevada,” says Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch. “This report establishes the ecological importance of the region and reinforces the urgent need to Save Donner Summit.”
The region in question spans the crest of the Sierra south of Interstate 80; it includes towering peaks, headwaters of the American and Yuba river systems, and old growth forests. Donner is perhaps best known for its recreational and scenic values, including a popular stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s arguably the most important cultural crossroads of the American West, traversed by ancient footpaths, the Emigrant Trail, and the Old Lincoln Highway. And its natural resources are significant on a global scale.
“The Sierra Nevada is recognized as one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world, and Donner Summit supports important, and increasingly threatened, elements of this diversity,” says Michael White of Conservation Biology Institute. “Our Donner Summit Conservation Priorities demonstrate that this iconic region presents one of the truly great opportunities to protect a functioning Sierran landscape for generations to come.”
The future of Donner Summit, however, is uncertain. In 2005, developers Foster/Syme bought nearly 3,000 acres of Donner Summit land, including the existing Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort, and immediately began to shape a development proposal.
That proposal, as outlined in initial planning documents, would carve up the landscape into a series of sprawling development projects. In order to service the new subdivisions, developers would remake Donner Summit with new roads through local forests, new dams in Sierra headwaters, and 200 acres of sewage ‘spray fields’.
Sierra Watch commissioned a team of planning and biological experts to offer an alternative framework for planning the future of Donner Summit, based on its conservation – as opposed to its speculative – value. Consultants distilled decades of research, tapped local expertise, and layered digitized maps to create the final map and report, available online at www.sierrawatch.org; click on “Donner Summit”.
The report compiles a range of existing research, from carnivore networks to stream corridors. Compelling data includes the presence of standing trees that sprouted in the 13th century and, remarkably, more than 115 species of butterflies.
“With the healthiest forests in the Sierra Nevada, the headwaters of key river systems, and an unparalleled sense of place, Donner Summit deserves better than pavement subdivisions,” said Mooers of Sierra Watch. “This report provides a baseline for planning a healthy future for the region.”
Sierra Watch is a non-profit organization working to protect the incomparable natural resources and unparalleled quality of life in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Sierra Watch spearheaded the collaborative effort to protect Tahoe’s Martis Valley and provides conservation leadership for threatened Sierra landscapes. For more information, call (530) 265-2849 or visit www.sierrawatch.org.
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