Photo: Rich Pedroncelli / AP
FIL – The Democratic senators of the United States of California, Dianne Feinstein, left, and Kamala Harris, walk together to speak at the 21st annual Top Lake Lake, Tuesday, August 22, 2017, in South Lake Tahoe, California. The summit is convened by federal, state and local leaders to discuss restoration and maintain Lake Tahoe. (AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli)
Editor’s note: This article originally reported that sen. Kamala Harris will speak at the Top of Lake Tahoe. Harris will not speak, according to Brenda Gonzalez, Harris’ press secretary.
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Next week, California Senator Dianne Feinstein and Govin Newsom will speak at an annual event for Lake Tahoe in addition to the governor of Nevada, other senators, and congressmen.
The 24th annual Lake Tahoe Summit, hosted by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Tuesday, August 25, is an opportunity for leaders in both states to discuss the biggest problems facing the region. This year’s event will be completely virtual due to the pandemic.
In addition to Feinstein and Newsom, the scheme includes comments from Sens. Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, as well as Congressman Tom McClintock, John Garamendi and Mark Amodei. The Washoe Tribe will open the event with a prayer and a blessing. The keynote speaker is two-time Olympic gold medalist David Wise, who lives in Reno. The event begins Tuesday at 10 p.m. Registration is open to the public and available online.
“The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Resilient Tahoe’, which reflects the legacy of 50 years of two-state cooperation through the interstate compact and 24 years of two-part cooperation at the Top, while looking forward to future environment, infrastructure and economic challenges, “Cortez Masto said in a statement.
The theme of firepower at the time was considering the flow of tourists to the Lake Tahoe Basin this summer during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Tahoe continues to navigate complex challenges that have been on the agenda for years – fire prevention and forest health, lake clarity and overtourism. As population centers grow in the Bay Area, Sacramento and Reno, the Lake Tahoe area is affected by the effects of increased visitor numbers.
Every year, the Lake Tahoe Summit is a moment when federal, state and local leaders illuminate the region and promote environmental restoration. The summit began in 1997 when President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore came to the Basin to sign an executive order confirming federal support and millions of dollars in funding to restore Lake Tahoe’s clarity.
It was the first time a president and vice president had a joint visit to the lake and the Tahoe Daily Tribune called it “unusual.” Clinton told thousands of people attending the event, “I want you to do your part to save Lake Tahoe.” That same message is still repeated today as locals take to the streets to protest against the tourists flooding into the Basin this summer.
Julie Brown is Tahoe Contributing Editor at SFGATE
