County to ban alcohol on Truckee River ?

On Tuesday, April 29, 2008, the Placer County Supervisors will consider a second reading of an ordinance that would ban alcohol on portions of the Truckee River in the North Lake Tahoe area during designated summer holiday periods. If the Board approves the ordinance at this meeting, the ordinance will take effect 30 days after that date.

In their regular quarterly meeting in Kings Beach on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, the Supervisors voted unanimously to preliminarily approve this ordinance. This ordinance requires two readings to become effective. If approved during the second reading, the ordinance would ban possession of any open container of alcohol, or consumption of any alcoholic beverage within three feet of the water’s edge on both sides of the river. The limit would begin at the outfall of Lake Tahoe, upstream of Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City, and end at the upstream edge of Alpine Meadows Bridge, near River Ranch, and includes all islands and outcroppings within the river.

If approved, the prohibition would apply only during summer holiday periods designated by the Board of Supervisors. The exact dates would be established by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors. Proposed dates are July 4-6, 2008 and July 3-5, 2009, with future dates to be acted upon in future years.Violations would be punishable by a fine not to exceed $150 for the first violation, $500 for the second violation and $1,000 for the third violation occurring in any calendar year.

In a parallel action, California Senator Dave Cox has sponsored SB 1159, which would authorize Placer County to impose the alcohol ban on the Truckee River itself between Fanny Bridge and River Ranch during designated summer periods, a power the county would not otherwise have. The Senate has approved the bill, and it is now currently in the the Assembly.