South Lake Tahoe mayor found guilty of misdemeanor charge following arrest outside bar

South Lake Tahoe's mayor was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge following his arrest outside a Stateline bar last year, prosecutors said. 

The Douglas County District Attorney's Office said Friday that Cody Bass, South Lake Tahoe's mayor, was found guilty of harassment, a misdemeanor, during a bench trial on Thursday. He's scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 1. 

Bass, who was pro tem at the time, was arrested in September 2025 on suspicion of assault, trespassing and harassment. The DA later dropped the assault charge and filed misdemeanor counts for trespassing and harassment. 

A video, obtained by the Tahoe Daily Tribune from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, shows Bass walking past AleWorX before stopping to talk to the doorman. The video later shows the two gesturing aggressively toward each other before the doorman kicked toward Bass, who then stepped back. 

Bass reported to authorities what he said was battery, but deputies later told him that they believed he was the aggressor. 

In a previous statement to CBS Sacramento, Bass said he never entered AleWorX. CBS Sacramento has reached out to Bass for a comment following the conviction.

Bass was then appointed as mayor in October 2025 following weeks of political turmoil and public calls for stability. His term expires this November.