A California mayor admitted embezzlement. Now her No. 2 faces misdemeanor charges

When the mayor of South Lake Tahoe admitted she had embezzled money from the local Presbyterian church where she worked as a bookkeeper, locals were stunned. Tamara Wallace appeared to tell all in a letter to local news outlets. She said she felt so much shame she attempted suicide, before checking herself into a mental health facility.

That news was still unfolding when word came that the city’s No. 2 elected official, Mayor Pro Tem Cody Bass, had been arrested in Nevada in the wee hours after a dust-up with an employee at the AleWorx brewery in Stateline. News reports say the bar had banned Bass. Now he faces misdemeanor charges of trespassing and harassment.

South Lake Tahoe.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The double-barrel setbacks have locals in the town of 21,000 angry and embarrassed and debating what should happen next. One thing is already clear: Though Wallace has resigned, Bass says he’s not budging.

The mayor pro tem and the three other men who remain on the City Council convened Tuesday night, in an odd and sometimes acrimonious public hearing that had residents alternately praising the leaders and calling for them to resign.

No one did. Instead, the council unanimously installed Bass as mayor, saying he was next in line for the job anyway. Bass and his three fellow council members also voted to solicit applications from South Tahoans to fill Wallace’s council vacancy. The council will then interview the candidates and either make one of them a replacement or decide instead to hold a special election to fill the spot.

In the meantime, the spotlight lands on Bass, who cuts a striking figure at 6 feet 4 with long, thin blond hair flowing from underneath an unusually prominent hat that appears to be his signature. The newly appointed mayor is also known around town as the operator of South Tahoe’s first full-fledged cannabis dispensary and as someone who has had his share of conflicts with authority.

Besides the recent bar imbroglio, Bass twice faced charges of driving under the influence. In a 2012 case, Bass pleaded no contest to DUI, El Dorado County’s online court records show. He got a six-day jail sentence in 2013, along with four years of probation, the records show.

In 2021, authorities busted Bass again, this time for driving under the influence of drugs, court records say. He again pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was served in a “work alternative program,” records show. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of $1,830.

In that same case, the future council member also pleaded no contest to two counts of possession of a controlled substance. Tests revealed the substances found by police were ecstasy and ketamine. “The drugs I was in possession of are therapeutic drugs,” Bass told a local news outlet. He did not respond on Wednesday to text, email and phone messages requesting comment.

A sign warns drivers to watch out for bears near South Lake Tahoe.

(Max Whittaker / For The Times)

Bass, about to turn 45, also made local headlines in 2018 when he and the city were locked in a prolonged legal battle over whether he should be allowed to continue to operate his cannabis dispensary. Bass won and his store on Highway 50 remains in business. That same year, he faced four counts of income tax evasion brought by a county grand jury, the Tahoe Tribune reported. Bass told the newspaper he had been targeted with “bogus” charges after a search warrant failed to turn up any evidence against him.

“I promise you they will not prevail on any level,” Bass said. Court records confirm that the charges were dismissed.

None of that seemed to damage Bass’ popularity in November 2018, when he finished second in the voting for City Council, 600 votes ahead of Wallace. Both won reelection in 2022.

During Tuesday night’s council meeting, Bass treated speakers deferentially, even as some excoriated him, Wallace and even council members who face no criminal accusations. “I’m absolutely innocent,” Bass said, referring to the brew pub charges. “And I ask my council and my community not to judge me on that until I’m able to go through the due process.”

He said the city was doing “great things” and urged residents to look forward, adding, “We have a lot of important business for the city that we need to be focused on.”

One man who spoke near the start of the meeting was having none of that. “I’m making sure it’s mentioned, Cody’s arrest,” said the middle-aged man. “This is not what our city needs. Cody, we need a leader that can shine. …This is a global, precious jewel, which is Lake Tahoe.”

Today’s top stories

Workers check mail ballots as they arrive at the ballot processing center in the City of Industry in 2024.

(Richard Vogel/AP)

Voter turnout exceeds expectations in California’s Prop. 50 special election

• More than 3.4 million mail ballots have been returned in California’s Proposition 50 special election, matching presidential election turnout despite the complicated topic of redistricting.
• Democrats hold a decisive early voting advantage over Republicans, suggesting the proposition is likely to pass.
• The measure would allow mid-decade gerrymandering to counter President Trump’s effort to boost GOP representation in Congress.

ICE nabbed this L.A. grandma four months ago. This week she was reunited with family

• Emma De Paz, 58, was working as a street vendor when she was detained by immigration officials during a raid outside a Home Depot on June 19.
• Community Power Collective organizers raised funds to hire an immigration attorney and cover her rent payments while she was held at the Adelanto Detention Center.

Nancy Pelosi faces challenges as her age becomes a tension point for Democrats

• Scott Wiener, 55, has formally announced his candidacy for the San Francisco congressional seat held for nearly four decades by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 85, who remains one of the party’s most powerful leaders and has yet to reveal her own intentions for the 2026 race.
• Wiener’s announcement caught some political observers off guard, given that Wiener had for years seemed resigned to run for Pelosi’s seat only once she stepped aside.

What else is going on

• A TikTok streamer tracked and posted videos of ICE raids in L.A. Now he is in federal custody.
• A piano teacher to children of Hollywood stars fled the country as a jury decided his sex abuse case.
• Joshua Tree’s short-term rental frenzy cools, but the community is changed forever.
• More than 100 firefighters battled a hazardous blaze at General Motors in Pasadena.
• Alec Baldwin’s lawsuit claiming wrongful prosecution heads to federal court.

Commentary and opinions

• AI wants your data. Columnist Anita Chabria asks, Should you be paid for it?
• Yamamoto’s interpreter almost quit after 2 days. Now he’s hoping his boxers can help in the World Series, writes columnist Dylan Hernández.
• Sanctuary policies and activists aren’t endangering lives during ICE raids — ICE is, argues columnist Gustavo Arellano.
• Trump is in his Louis XIV era, and it’s not a good look, writes columnist Jackie Calmes.

This morning’s must read

Climate & Environment

10 years since Aliso Canyon: Disaster was wake-up call for U.S. on dangers of underground gas

Ten years after the Aliso Canyon disaster, the worst natural gas blowout in U.S. history, some progress has been made but many promises have been broken.

Oct. 23, 2025

Other must reads

• The 9 most-lauded pop-music biopics in Oscars history: A ‘Springsteen’-inspired guide.
• Legendary director John Carpenter has been thinking about death lately. But not in the way you imagine.

For your downtime

(Michael Hirshon / For The Times)

Going out

• Theater: The 52 best places to see plays and musicals in Southern California.
• Distilleries: Hollywood’s first legal distillery is now open, serving California-minded flavors — and history — in a former mortuary.
• Concerts: Danny Elfman will return as Jack Skellington for the 10th anniversary of “The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert” at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend.

Staying in

• Podcasts: A new podcast by Wilmer Valderrama is a love letter to actor Desi Arnaz.
• Books: Cameron Crowe’s new memoir, “The Uncool,” is a tender and insightful account of his adventures covering the likes of the Eagles, Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell for Rolling Stone in the 1970s.
• Recipe: Here’s a recipe for lentil soup.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

A question for you: What’s the best candy to get for Halloween?

Drew writes: “The adult version! When we all were younger, I used to enjoy rifling my children’s trick-or-treat bags, looking for Snickers or Butterfingers - both go well with Scotch?”

Maren writes: “Anything union made! Apparently this includes several of my favorites: Mike & Ike’s, KitKat Bars, and Butterfingers (and for the later holidays: See’s).”

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And finally ... from our archives

The original iPod, shown in a 2001 photo.

(Julie Jacobson / Associated Press)

On Oct. 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod, the first pocket-size player built around a high-capacity hard drive instead of memory chips.

Times then-deputy editor Jon Healy wrote about the innovative device before it hit store shelves 24 years ago.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
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