South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass: AleWorx Charges and Restraining Order

Cody Bass is the mayor of South Lake Tahoe, California, a city councilmember selected by his colleagues to lead the five-member council after the previous mayor resigned over an embezzlement admission. He took the gavel in October 2025 and was retained for the 2026 term on a 4-1 vote, all while facing pending misdemeanor charges in Nevada and a civil harassment restraining order in California.

How Bass Became Mayor

South Lake Tahoe’s mayor is not elected directly. The five council members, chosen at-large to staggered four-year terms, pick one of their own each year to preside over meetings, sign documents, and represent the city.¹

Bass, who was serving as mayor pro tem, moved into the top seat on October 21, 2025, by unanimous council vote.²³⁴

Bass had first been elected to the council in November 2018 and reelected in 2022. He had already served as mayor during 2024, with mayor pro tem terms in 2023 and 2025.⁵ Outside of politics, he operates a cannabis dispensary in the area and won a 2018 legal fight with the city over his license to run it.⁶

On January 13, 2026, the council voted 4-1 to keep Bass as mayor for the full 2026 term and chose Keith Roberts as mayor pro tem. Councilmember Scott Robbins cast the lone no vote, saying the pending misdemeanor charges would “distract from the business at hand” and that the city needed to “move beyond the chaos.” The majority pointed to Bass’s institutional knowledge, his handling of meetings, and his working relationships with outside agencies. Councilmember David Jinkens called his demeanor at the dais “professional and courteous.” Bass said he would step down if proven at fault on the pending charges.⁷

Pending Misdemeanor Charges From the AleWorx Arrest

The charges came out of an incident at Lake Tahoe AleWorx, a brewery in Stateline, Nevada. Just before midnight on September 25, 2025, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Bass approached an employee who had previously banned him from the business. The employee reported that Bass yelled at him, threatened that “he was going to have people kill him,” left, and returned roughly 20 minutes later and “cocked his arm like he was going to hit him.” Bass was arrested in the early morning hours of September 26.⁸

On October 2, 2025, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office formally charged him with misdemeanor trespassing and harassment. Bass has denied wrongdoing. “I’m absolutely innocent,” he said, asking the public to let due process play out.⁶

The Curtzwiler Harassment Restraining Order

Bass’s legal exposure widened in May 2026. On May 15, a local resident named Ken Curtzwiler filed a petition for a harassment restraining order. Curtzwiler alleged that Bass had defamed him and cost him business and contracts, had threatened to “kick his ass” at a December 2025 concert at McP’s Taphouse Grill, and had sent harassing social media messages claiming Curtzwiler “belonged in a cage” and “belonged to a gang that kills people.” Curtzwiler also said Bass had tied him to former Mayor Wallace’s embezzlement.⁹

On May 26, 2026, a court partially granted a temporary restraining order requiring Bass to stay 100 yards from Curtzwiler’s home, workplace, and vehicle. A request for a 25-yard distance in public spaces was denied. A hearing on a permanent order was set for June 17, 2026. Bass said he was “truly shocked” by the filing and called the allegations “mistruths,” saying Curtzwiler had been harassing him online for about two years.⁹

Earlier Legal History

Bass’s record includes earlier matters. He pleaded no contest to a DUI charge in 2012 and was sentenced in 2013 to six days in jail and four years of probation.⁶

In September 2021, the California Highway Patrol stopped him near Twin Bridges after he was seen driving erratically. Officers found substances in his vehicle that lab testing later identified as MDMA and ketamine, not cocaine and methamphetamine as first suspected. Bass described them as “therapeutic drugs,” said he had fallen asleep at the wheel, and noted his breathalyzer result was 0.0.¹⁰ In May 2023 he pleaded no contest to drug charges and was convicted of one count of DUI. He received a 30-day jail sentence that was suspended, meaning he served no actual custody, along with four years of probation, a DUI education class, and a fine.¹¹

A county grand jury brought four counts of income tax evasion against him in 2018. Those charges were later dismissed.⁶

What Happens Next

Bass is in the final year of his council term, and his seat is one of three on the November 2026 ballot, along with those held by Robbins and Horgan. The official declaration of candidacy period runs from July 13 to August 7, 2026.¹² As of mid-2026, he had not said publicly whether he will run again. If he leaves the council, he leaves the mayor’s seat too, because the title belongs only to sitting council members.

1
Tahoe Daily Tribune. City Council Votes Cody Bass as Next South Lake Tahoe Mayor
2
CBS News Sacramento. Cody Bass Named New Mayor of South Lake Tahoe Amid City Hall Turmoil
3
KCRA. South Lake Tahoe Mayor Resigns After Church Embezzlement Admission
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Sacramento Bee. South Lake Tahoe Mayor Tamara Wallace Resigns
5
Tahoe Daily Tribune. South Lake Tahoe City Council Selects Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
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Los Angeles Times. Essential California: South Lake Tahoe Mayor Embezzlement
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South Tahoe Now. South Lake Tahoe City Council Votes in Bass and Roberts as Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem
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South Tahoe Now. South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem Cody Bass Arrested on Assault, Harassment, and Trespassing Charges
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Tahoe Daily Tribune. Harassment Lawsuit Filed Against Mayor Cody Bass: ‘I Was Truly Shocked’
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Tahoe Daily Tribune. Substances Found in Bass Car Not Cocaine, Meth; Charged With Misdemeanors
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MyNews4. Ask Joe: Did South Lake Tahoe Councilman’s Drug Case Get Swept Under the Rug
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City of South Lake Tahoe. Elections and Campaign Disclosures