South Lake Tahoe mayor admits embezzlement, mayor pro tem charged with harassment and trespassing

By Steve Large

Members of the South Lake Tahoe City Council are tied to ongoing investigations. The mayor admitted to embezzling from her church, and the mayor pro tem is facing unrelated misdemeanor charges.

Mayor Tammy Wallace’s stunning admission came in a letter to the media, where she also said she attempted suicide over it just two days after she spoke about suicide prevention in council chambers on September 9.

In a letter Wallace sent to CBS13, she said, “This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I am admitting that I took funds from the Presbyterian Church over an extended period. Because of this, on September 11, 2025, my birthday, I tried to end my life.”

The Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church fired Wallace from her job as their bookkeeper after they discovered the alleged embezzlement.

The church board released a statement that said, “Our congregation has suffered extensive loss, and as we address this loss and its impact, we remain committed to prayer, compassion, transparency, and justice.”

South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem Cody Bass is also in legal trouble, having been charged with trespassing and harassment by the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office in Nevada for an altercation at a Stateline bar.

Mayor Wallace declined a request for an interview. She would not say whether she plans to resign from her seat.

Bass said he will not step down.

In her letter, Mayor Wallace also said that after her suicide attempt, she spent 18 days in a mental health facility and is now in individual counseling sessions.