A shocking political story out of South Lake Tahoe, as Mayor Tamara Wallace admits to stealing money from the local Presbyterian Church, and having attempted to end her own life because of it last month.
The city of South Lake Tahoe was rollicked by news that arrived Monday in a pair of letters to the editor at local newspapers. In those letters, the city’s mayor of the last year Tamara Wallace openly admitted to stealing money from a church and attempting suicide because of it, as the Chronicle reports.
Wallace made the stunning admission in two lengthy and identical letters to the Tahoe Daily Tribune and South Tahoe Now. Both were just published, and the political fallout of this bombshell will be difficult to predict.
“This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I am publicly 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,” Wallace says in both of the letters. “Since then, for my safety, I have spent 18 days in a mental health facility and am now taking medicine as well as being in intense, all-day, every-day group and individual counseling sessions.”
The letters do not specify how much Wallace (allegedly) embezzled from the church. But she is likely referring to Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church, which like the City of South Lake Tahoe, is geographically located in California and not Nevada.
"I had not been found out; in effect, I turned myself in. I had prepared a list of account numbers and passwords that I provided to the Church, while still in the hospital, so that my actions could be more easily discovered,” Wallace’s letter continued. “My guilt came from my taking funds from a church that, individually and as a group, embraced me, showed me love, and trusted me as their church administrator. In my mind, I may have found justification by using most of those funds to help others, such as my deceased son’s three children.”
Wallece’s letter cites many examples of personal trauma that led up to this: losing that deceased son to his fentanyl overdose, her own sexual abuse growing up, and her oldest son’s ongoing battle with cancer. But it remains to be seen how much sympathy that might get in the court of public opinion.
And there is the issue of her apparent suicide attempt, which was reportedly on September 11, Wallace’s own birthday.
“The weight of what I had done was so unbearably great that my mind deceived me into the belief that my suicide attempt would protect my husband, whom I had recently celebrated our 25th anniversary with, and my adult children, who have all devoted their lives to the children of this community,” her letters said.
She added, “I must repay every cent and accept whatever punishment comes to me.”
Very notably, the Presbyterian Church themselves have not yet commented on this publicly. And Wallace’s admission letters seem to indicate that maybe she went public in order to get ahead of the local press, whom she indicates was maybe digging into this matter.
“I have been reaching out to the church through the Pastor,” she wrote. “I have not heard back yet, other than hearing second-hand that the church may seek charges through the District Attorney. I have heard that someone told the Tribune that they now have a reporter trying to get a story.”
Indeed, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office does seem to be investigating.
“The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office is handling this matter, and therefore we have limited information about the investigation,” City of South Lake Tahoe public information officer Sheree Juarez said in a statement to the Chronicle. “The City is in no fiscal harm from this situation and continues to provide essential services to our residences. We have no further comment at this time.”
And it seems significant that Wallace doesn’t say anything about stepping down from her position as mayor, and her term ends in November 2026. She simply ended the letter with, “I love our town and, regardless of the outcome, will dedicate my life to making it a better place to live. God bless you all.”
Both letters were published late Sunday night or Monday morning, which is how this news dropped. Further investigative reporting may well uncover more to this story. No members of South Lake Tahoe City Council have responded publicly yet to this matter.
If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Call or text the lifeline at 988, or see the 988lifeline.org website, where chat is available.
Image: Tamara Wallace for South Lake Tahoe City Council via Facebook
