After lengthy meetings in Washington,DC, the Mayor sent the Minister of LAA to Bogota, Colombia for a very important conference. The OAS is conducting this 3 day event at offices in the capitol city to facilitate discussions concerning the ongoing crisis in European financial markets and its effects on the export/import trade in South America.
The Minister, getting more comfortable by the day, is confident that the talks will provide strategies for member states to confront reduced exports to the European Union countries, primarily Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. While Germany still has a growing economy, its growth rate is slowing. The minister will report back to the mayor the results of the conference that ends on Wednesday of this week.
Black Friday
Results are in and Friday retail sales were well ahead of last years. Now this could be the result of certain promotional items placed to bring in shoppers, but end of season figures can only be guessed at this time.
Homewood resort Meeting
A community meeting was held recently and the main topic was the resort plans for the Homewood Ski Resort. In a nut shell, the owners said if it does not go forward, Homewood Ski Resort will be closed, thereby sealing the end of West Shore ski business and create insurmountable economic problems for the entire West Shore. Summer season alone cannot keep small businesses in a year around operation.
Cutrite Equipment Closure
The Mayor interviewed the owner(s) of Cutrite and was informed that they,too, were victims of legal attacks by roving plaintiffs and their lawyers. What has become a nightmare for small businesses in Caifornia has shown up again: a location that does not meet ADA Standards (Federal) in California is liable for fines AND DAMAGES! Hence, without sufficient capital or business opportunity, a small business has little choice but to shut down immediately and /or do the code compliance work-then go out of business, as Cutrite did.
It is a sad commentary on the ANTI-business stance of the State of California, and a sad commentary on the legal climate here in Tahoe.
Signs at the Tahoe House Bakery indicate they will make the necessary upgrades to comply to keep their business open. We hope that they will be able to stay open.
Was the lawyer's name Azevedo? Nobody knows at this point, but a lawyer by that name just filed a notice in the local paper.
Bear Hunt
The State of Nevada announced a bear hunt,statewide, to allow culling of an over population of bruins in their state. No bears have been taken yet inside the basin, but, only time will tell. It seems that there are few places a hunter could line up a safe shot anywhere near the Lake.
Indian Summer,again.
Resorts are open, at least a few. Many reporting a few runs, but nothing complete yet. With only 2" last week, before Thanksgiving, it appears certain that resorts around the Lake will have to wait until the first big storm of the season, probably December, first week.
Gasoline Prices Plummet
Yes, prices are down, even in Northern California. In the Bay Area, prices reached $3.50/gal. this weekend, the holiday weekend. Prices in L.A. were higher @ $3.76/gal. Go figure.
Real Estate Sales
Low interest rates(under 4%/annum) have brought a few more deals together here on the West Shore. While closings may still be off in the future, a number of sold signs have appeared. Commercial real estate, on the other hand, appear to be stagnant, especially here in Tahoma/Homewood/MeeksBay.
Cord wood
So, that's the latest on the local scene. Remember: buying a cord of wood-a cord equals 4'X4'X8'. It's not a nominal measure but a TRUE measure. Almond and Oak from the Central Valley is notoriously cut short. Our advice: measure once, measure twice, and measure after stacked at the destination. 128 cubic feet = 1 cord, tightly packed. as example. If your stacked "cord" is 3'6"x3'6"x7'6"; you've been shorted almost 24 cu. feet! or roughly 20% or put another way you've PAID an additional $75.-$85/cord! So, measure, every time.
