Lake Tahoe residents have had a rollercoaster week, learning their mayor stole money from a local church, before trying to end her own life, only to then find out another city official allegedly assaulted someone at a restaurant.
Earlier this week, South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace admitted to embezzling money from a local church and wrote in a letter she made public that she was so guilt-racked over her actions that she attempted suicide on September 11.
The day after the letter was released, news broke that the city's Mayor Pro Tem, Cody Bass, allegedly attacked someone in a restaurant and had been arrested on assault charges.
Despite the chaos, at least for now, neither of the scandal-ridden city officials appear to be vacating their seats. Sheree Juarez, a spokesperson for the city, told SF Standard that both officials planned to attend an upcoming October 21 City Council meeting.
Wallace admitted that she stole money from a Presbyterian church where she worked in a letter published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune and on South Tahoe Now. She did not disclose how much money was taken but she said her theft did not involve any of the city’s money.
The mayor then explained that the extreme guilt she felt for embezzling from a church resulted in her attempting to end her life.
“I was so filled with guilt, shame, and grief that I experienced a mental health crisis that made suicide seem to be the best solution,” she wrote. “It was only by the grace of God that I failed.”
She said she has sought help and has spent 18 days receiving treatment in a mental health facility, doing “intense, all-day, everyday group and individual counseling sessions.”
The mayor also shared some of her past trauma that she believes may have contributed to her mental health crisis, noting that she was abused as a child, that her son, Christopher, died from fentanyl poisoning, and she shared the stress she felt from receiving death threats while she was a city council member.
She acknowledged that while tragedy in her life may have contributed to her mental health deteriorating it does not excuse her actions.
“These things may be reasons, but not excuses for my behavior,” she wrote.
She continued, saying she did not want to be "like many public servants and individuals who try to lie, hide, and delay the consequences of something they have done" and was "taking a different path."
“I am telling the truth and admitting what I have done,” she wrote.
City spokesperson Juarez told the outlet that the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office was investigating the embezzlement claims.
The Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church issued a statement in response to Wallace’s admission, which was shared in the Tahoe Daily Tribune:
“Tamara Wallace has formally acknowledged committing a significant offense against the congregation of Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church.
When this was discovered by the church, her employment was terminated on September 26, 2025, and the matter was appropriately referred to law enforcement authorities. She did not attend our church and was not a member. Our congregation has suffered extensive loss, and as we address this loss and its impact, we remain committed to prayer, compassion, transparency, and justice.”
On September 26 — the same day Wallace was fired from the church — Bass was arrested after he allegedly had a physical confrontation with an employee at AleWorx. The incident reportedly happened after midnight.
According to a report in KRNV in Reno, Bass said that he’d been kicked and threatened at the bar, and allegedly said he was “going to have people kill” one of the employees. He reportedly had previously been banned from the bar, according to the report.
Investigators obtained surveillance video of the confrontation and said it was determined that Bass was the aggressor.
He was charged with misdemeanor counts of assault, trespassing, and threats/harassment by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office, but the offices later dropped the assault charge.
He was booked into a county jail and released a few hours later, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
In a Facebook post after the incident, Bass insisted that he had “truly done nothing wrong.”
“On the evening in question, I was assaulted for the second time by the doorman at AleWorx on the sidewalk in front of AleWorx while I was walking to Lucky Beaver to get some food. I reported the assault to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office,” he wrote. “Despite my testimony, the deputy chose to place me under a citizen’s arrest, accepting the doorman’s account over mine.”
He disputed reports that he assaulted anyone and said he had never been banned from the bar, and that he had only had one drink the night of the incident.
“I will absolutely not be stepping down from my position on the City Council, as I have done nothing wrong. I am committed to going through the due process to prove my innocence,” he wrote. “As business owners, we should expect our establishments, especially those that welcome patrons, to be represented by individuals who show respect for others and do not intimidate or assault people.”
South Lake Tahoe City Council member David Jinkins told SF Standard the incidents were a “surprise to all of us,” but said that “all [city] services remain intact and unaffected by recent events.”
The Independent has requested comment from both Wallace and Bass.
If you are based in the U.S. and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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