Recent Articles

            And just in case you thought the fun was over as you sit at home bored, more courtroom below and ahead. ************             “You seem to have more than the average share of intelligence for a man of your background,” sneered the lawyer at a witness on the stand.             “If I wasn’t under [...]

            Given our strange new (homebound) world, perhaps you could use a little humor, ridiculous, verbatim courtroom testimony – a reprint of an old column. More to follow. *** Q.        Now, doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, in most cases he just passes quietly away and doesn’t know anything [...]

https://soundcloud.com/truckee-tahoe-radio/truckee-springs Grayson and John from Truckee Donner Land Trust were interviewed by 101.5 on Truckee Springs about their latest campaign, Truckee Springs. The 26 acre project includes: expanding the public trail system (including the Legacy trail) and granting access to the Truckee River from Downtown Truckee with the addition of a pedestrian bridge. The goal [...]

Small businesses are vital to Truckee and North Lake Tahoe’s economy. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has hit local businesses incredibly hard due to the lack of tourism, ski rentals, and dining, among other reasons. Businesses in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe continue to operate the best they can in compliance with “shelter-in-place” rules, but [...]

Our community is well aware of the significant amount of short-term vacation rentals (STRs) around Truckee, Lake Tahoe, and Donner Lake. The term “STR” encompasses a wide range of housing including single family residences, condominiums, and accessory dwelling units. Due to the recent surge in popularity of the short-term rentals, it is common to hear [...]

As you few readers know, we annually present a handful of our favorite Bulwer-Lytton winners.   The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is named after novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The contest is to write a bad opening sentence to an imaginary novel like his: “It was a dark and stormy night.”   **** Stephen Douglas, that's the "Little [...]

As you few readers know, we annually present a handful of our favorite Bulwer-Lytton winners.   The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is named after novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The contest is to write a bad opening sentence to an imaginary novel like his: “It was a dark and stormy night.”   **** Space Fleet Commander Brad Brad [...]

           While voter apathy is quite common in many common interest development associations (often referred to colloquially as homeowners’ associations (HOAs)), one issue that bucks that trend by engendering strong opinions and driving member participation within communities is short-term (transient) rentals.  The proliferation of Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar online platforms has led to an increase [...]

As you may recall, after the 2008 market crash and recession I wrote a handful of Law Review columns strongly criticizing institutional lenders for dealing unfairly with their borrowers. I met with innocent homeowners, many who were talked into filing applications for loan modifications, only afterwards to be foreclosed on by the lender. Most lost [...]