South Lake Tahoe turmoil: Mayor admits embezzling, her deputy is arrested after fight

The political leadership of South Lake Tahoe has been shaken up this week by a pair of scandals: The resort city’s mayor admitted she embezzled from her church, and the mayor pro tem was arrested after a run-in at a Stateline pub.

Mayor Tamara Wallace released a letter to local newspapers on Sunday, Oct. 5, in which she said her “guilt, shame and grief” over the embezzlement drove her to attempt suicide on Sept. 11, and she had spent the subsequent weeks in mental health treatment.

She said she had “in effect, turned herself in” for the extended theft from Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church, where she worked as an administrator. She didn’t say how much she had taken but said she planned to repay it. As of Monday, the El Dorado County district attorney had not announced any charges.

The day after Wallace’s announcement, the sheriff’s office in Nevada’s Douglas County reported that South Lake Tahoe’s mayor pro tem, Cody Bass, had been arrested the previous month after a physical altercation with a restaurant employee.

The arrest report, cited by the online news site South Tahoe Now, said Bass had shown up in the late hours of Sept. 25 at Lake Tahoe AleWorx, from which he had earlier been ejected, and threatened an employee there. He was gone when a sheriff’s deputy arrived, but then returned once more and was arrested on the basis of video of the incident, the sheriff’s office said.

Bass has a Dec. 22 court date for misdemeanor charges of trespassing and harassment.

Wallace and Bass are both in their second terms on the five-member city council, having first been elected in 2018.

In 2021, during Bass’ first term, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI and drug possession. He pleaded no contest to the drug charges; the jail component of his sentence was suspended.

Bass went on to serve in 2024 as the city’s mayor, a yearlong position appointed by the council. When Wallace took over that post this year, Bass became mayor pro tem, with duties including filling in when the mayor is not available.

If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.