TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Truckee Town Council met on Tuesday, March 11, to discuss resolutions opposing federal funding cuts affecting local forest health, wildfire mitigation, and social and economic stability.

The first resolution focuses on the impacts of federal funding and staffing cuts on forest health and wildfire mitigation, emphasizing the increased fire risks to Truckee and surrounding communities. It is written with a countywide perspective to encourage regional partners to adopt similar measures. The second resolution highlights the economic and social consequences of these funding cuts on Truckee’s government, local businesses, and community organizations. Both resolutions were drafted with input from the Council Legislative Committee, consisting of Mayor Jan Zabriskie and Vice Mayor Anna Klovstad, who ensured the language remained nonpartisan and focused on local impacts.

There has been overwhelming public support, with 34 written public comments—all in favor. Several community members spoke during the meeting, urging the council to act. One resident emphasized the need for council participation, noting that Congressman Kevin Kiley has not responded to community feedback.

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The president of the Tahoe Donner Association discussed their ongoing cross-border forest management partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, which was near completion in January but has since stalled due to funding freezes. He warned that these cuts are already undermining critical wildfire mitigation efforts in Truckee. The executive director of the Truckee Trails Foundation also voiced support, while another longtime community member called for unanimous passage of the resolutions, stressing the urgency of the situation.

Additional speakers highlighted the far-reaching consequences of the funding cuts. A representative from the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation expressed concerns about the loss of federal grants, loans, and nonprofit funding for wildfire prevention. They pointed out that 100,000 acres in the Truckee region are designated as immediate priorities for thinning, but 60% of these are on federal lands, making it impossible to move forward without Forest Service resources.

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The president of the Sierra Business Council revealed that their organization lost $300,000 in federal grant funding for the next two years, canceling two critical wood processing projects and eliminating $50 million in infrastructure support. Other speakers included members of 100% Renewable Truckee, the North Tahoe Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, who called for stronger language in the resolutions rejecting these cuts. One resident called the crisis “existential,” while another urged the council to demand in-person meetings with Congressman Kiley.

During the discussion, Councilmember Courtney Henderson reaffirmed that wildfires do not respect jurisdictional boundaries, emphasizing the need for collective action. Vice Mayor Klovstad and Councilmember Henderson will take this issue to the CivicWell Policymakers Conference, where they plan to encourage over 100 California elected officials to pass similar resolutions in their own regions.

Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to pass both resolutions, drawing applause from the public. Moving forward, staff will distribute the resolutions to partner agencies, allowing them to adopt identical or similar measures, issue letters of support, or take no action. The Town also plans to coordinate an in-person meeting with Congressman Kiley’s office in Rocklin, with regional agencies signing a joint letter opposing the funding and staffing cuts.

Truckee has long prioritized climate action and emissions reduction. In 2017, the town set ambitious goals, including 100% renewable electricity for municipal operations by 2020, 100% renewable electricity town-wide by 2030, and an 80% reduction in community-wide GHG emissions by 2040. While these targets have helped the town track climate progress, updates were needed to align with state mandates and regional efforts.

One key update addresses the municipal operations renewable energy target, which was not met by 2020. To accelerate the transition, the town is considering purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). These certificates, which represent the environmental benefits of renewable energy, could offset electricity that is not yet sourced from renewable or zero-carbon energy through the Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD).

In 2018, the State of California set a 2045 carbon neutrality target, requiring all public utilities to provide 100% renewable or zero-carbon electricity by that year. Truckee remains committed to this goal and will continue working with utility providers to expand renewable electricity options. In 2021, the town partnered with the Truckee Tahoe Airport District and TDPUD to launch the Climate Transformation Alliance (CTA)—a public-private coalition dedicated to achieving carbon neutrality for the North Truckee-Tahoe community by 2025.

The updated climate goals include:

• 80% reduction in municipal and community GHG emissions by 2040
• Achieving carbon neutrality by 2045
• 100% renewable electricity town-wide by 2030
• 100% renewable or zero-carbon energy by 2045
• Updating the Climate Action Plan every five years
• Conducting annual municipal GHG emissions inventories
• Enhancing community outreach and engagement

During the meeting, council members discussed the feasibility of these ambitious targets. Vice Mayor Klovstad emphasized the importance of being mindful of how and when energy is used, encouraging greater awareness of individual and community energy consumption. Council members also expressed appreciation for TDPUD’s efforts in advancing renewable energy initiatives.

In the end, the council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution, updating Truckee’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, renewable energy, and carbon neutrality goals. 

Council was asked to provide direction to Town staff on developing sidewalk vending regulations, including outreach and enforcement strategies.

Sidewalk vendors are non-motorized vendors operating in public areas such as sidewalks, plazas, and trails, though food trucks are not included. Recent California laws, SB 946 and SB 972, establish guidelines for how local jurisdictions can regulate sidewalk vending, with any regulations required to focus on health and safety concerns. Under state law, jurisdictions may impose restrictions such as limiting hours of operation, requiring health department approval, mandating a California seller’s permit, prohibiting stationary vendors in residential districts, restricting vending at farmers markets and special events, setting limits on size, signage, lighting, and noise, ensuring ADA compliance, and enforcing generally applicable laws. However, jurisdictions cannot ban vending in specific areas of town, restrict vending to designated right-of-way locations, limit vending to certain zoning districts, require non-governmental approval, regulate based on competition concerns, or cap the total number of vendors.

The key question before the Council was whether staff should develop a sidewalk vending ordinance and, if so, whether it should take a more restrictive or more permissive approach. Staff recommends collaborating with the Truckee Chamber of Commerce and the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association (TDMA) to balance regulation with business support, as some complaints about street vendors have been reported.

Councilmember Henderson sought clarification on the purpose of the framework and was undecided on whether it should be restrictive or permissive. Councilmember Dave Polivy supported a more restrictive approach to ensure fairness and compliance, emphasizing that all vendors should be treated equally. Councilmember Lindsay Romack leaned toward a more permissive stance, while Vice Mayor Klovstad preferred starting with stricter regulations, noting that it is easier to relax restrictions later than to impose them retroactively. Mayor Zabriskie stressed the importance of avoiding any perception of favoritism and ensuring equal treatment for all vendors.

Ultimately, the Council agreed to engage business organizations such as TDMA and the Chamber while also reaching out to existing sidewalk vendors. Whether the final ordinance will be more restrictive or permissive remains to be determined.

With an incoming storm, the Fire Hazard Severity Zone update presentation has been rescheduled to March 19 from 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. at Town Hall. The Town is working with Nevada County, the Red Cross, and disaster response organizations to ensure preparedness.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning and backcountry avalanche watch from Wednesday through Thursday, with heavy snow and strong winds expected. The Sierra will see whiteout conditions and snowfall rates of 2-4 inches per hour, while Western Nevada may experience blowing dust, travel disruptions, and possible valley snow by Thursday morning.

The storm will drop 2-3 feet of snow along the Sierra Crest, with 6-18 inches for Sierra and eastern communities. Another system on Sunday could bring gusty winds affecting travel, recreation, and aviation. Forecasters have 70% confidence in at least a foot of snow along the northern Sierra Crest, while Mono County is expected to receive less than 12 inches.

During the general public comment section, the owner of Grocery Outlet in Truckee raised concerns about an ordinance prohibiting certain food packaging containers, particularly the polystyrene ban. They noted that while their store has complied with the regulation, customers have expressed frustration over the reduced product selection, especially since Safeway and Save Mart reportedly continue to sell products containing polystyrene.

Another community member spoke about ways to push back against executive orders they disagree with, highlighting an app called 5 Calls, which provides contact information for state representatives and senators in California, allowing users to voice their opposition. They also mentioned the ACLU as a recommended organization for those looking to donate in support of advocacy efforts.

The next Council meeting will be on March 25 at 5 p.m. at Town Hall located 10183 Truckee Airport Road. 

Zoe Meyer is a reporter for the Sierra Sun, a sister publication for Tahoe Daily Tribune. She can be reached at zmeyer@sierrasun.com.