In The News: Dina Ramaha Featured in Tahoe Mountain News Q&A
Tahoe Mountain News Q&A: Dina Ramaha on Leadership, Housing, and Fire Safety
Originally published in the Tahoe Mountain News.
Candidate Profile
- Age: 50
- Occupation: Social Worker / Behavioral Health Specialist / Local Business Owner
Why are you running, and why do you believe you are qualified to serve on the council?
I am committed to bringing a collective experience to each and every person in our community.
I am running for city council because my life’s work and experience have all led to this moment. I have the knowledge and the heart to lead our city and community into a future built on trust, understanding, dedication, and hard work.
I believe that South Lake Tahoe deserves leadership that reflects the diverse, hard-working, and passionate nature of the people who live here. I am ready to listen to your top priorities and advocate for you and your families. I am committed to building on what so many dedicated city council members and city workers before me worked so hard to accomplish. There is still so much work to do, and I am ready for it.
In the past year, how many city council meetings have you attended or watched online?
I have attended several in-person city council meetings and have spoken at a few during public comment. I also listen to them online or watch recordings of the meetings on YouTube. Additionally, I have listened to budget and planning meetings from 2025 to better understand our current budget and policies.
How would you balance the need for regional collaboration in Tahoe with preserving local control for the city?
An important part of our city's collaboration comes from state and federal funding through grants, as well as private funding from organizations and local businesses.
We must ensure that we are holding the state and federal government accountable to deliver grants promptly and completely. It is also vital that we understand the value of our city and preserve the integrity of putting the people of our city first. We cannot sell out our city to investors or businesses that want to make a dollar at the cost of the people and families who live here. We have to invest in companies and programs that make the preservation and future of our city a top priority.
Working collaboratively with regional partners while setting clear boundaries will help ensure local control of our city.
What is your plan for mitigating wildfire safety and prevention in our city?
I am not a fire expert, but I do know that our firefighters and other public safety teams are a crucial part of our city.
I plan to support and work collaboratively with our fire chief and the entire fire department staff, who put their lives on the line and have dedicated their careers to keeping our city safe and compliant with fire regulations. I believe we need to take better care of our firefighters and public safety team as a whole. Making funding available for increased annual wages, ongoing training, and adequate paid time off that they can actually take is crucial to our fire department—and therefore crucial to our fire safety.
I also believe our city is being underpaid, and sometimes not paid at all, by insurance companies—including Medi-Cal and Medicare. These state and federal programs underpay our city for services, including care and assistance provided to tourists by our fire department. We cannot keep accepting scraps from state and federal agencies when we are one of the most visited cities in the United States.
I plan to ensure that our fire department is adequately taken care of, reimbursed, and funded so they have all the resources needed to do their jobs effectively and keep our neighborhoods safe.
How would you address the affordable housing issue in the city? Do we need to build more projects and/or make existing housing stock habitable and available for long-term occupancy?
Over 50 percent of the homes in South Lake Tahoe are vacant, and we are limited on space and funds to build new housing—so why not focus on projects that increase the amount of long-term affordable rentals in our city?
I had an "aha moment" during a conversation with Zack Thomas, the city’s Director of Housing Development. While explaining the programs his team has developed to increase affordable housing, he mentioned: "The greatest barrier to getting homeowners to rent out their homes to long-term renters is a behavioral mindset change."
My heart did a backflip. What once seemed like an uphill battle suddenly felt hopeful and achievable. I have spent my entire career studying and understanding human behavior, and I have no doubt that I can support Zack and his team by leveraging behavioral science techniques to promote their existing programs and break down these barriers.
Specific Action Steps:
- Homeowner Incentives & Research: Improve and develop incentives that inspire homeowners to convert vacant properties into long-term rentals. I will also establish a study to better understand the specific barriers keeping homeowners from renting long-term so we can systematically remove them.
- Streamline ADUs: Improve the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program, making it simpler and more accessible for homeowners to add ADUs to their properties.
- Protect Neighborhood Integrity: Pass a policy requiring new homeowners to hold properties for at least 3 years before they can convert them into vacation rentals.
- Rent Stabilization: Implement fair and affordable caps on monthly long-term rentals.
A council member alone cannot accomplish much. How would you work constructively with other council members to achieve your goals, even when you disagree?
As a licensed clinician with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, my education and training have given me the tools to build a strong foundation of communication, active listening, and empathy. These skills allow me to work collaboratively with others for the greater good of making tangible progress and positive change. I am looking forward to working alongside my fellow council members and city staff to elevate our city and community.
Fun Question: Who would play you on Saturday Night Live?
I would say Penelope Cruz!
Candidate Background Questionnaire
- Have you ever been charged or convicted of a crime beyond a traffic ticket? No.
- Have you ever been held civilly liable beyond a small claims action? No.
- Have you ever been fired from a job for cause? No.
- Have you ever filed for bankruptcy? No.
- Are there any old social media posts or online content that could be problematic? No.
