News Briefs from the May 21, 2024 Inyo County Board of Supervisors Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Briefs from the May 21, 2024 Board of Supervisors Meeting

WELCOME ABOARD 

Ten new employees were introduced Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors, which praised staff for their successful  recruitment efforts. The following individuals received traditional Inyo County golden trout pins:

• Assessor’s Office – Auditor-Appraiser Paola Lois Perez
• Clerk-Recorder’s Office – Office Technician Terry Fenske
• Librarian Mike Sherk
• Sheriff’s Office – Food Cook Rodrigo Castro Luque, Animal Control Officer Kelton Masterson, and  Community Relations Liaison Lindsey Stine
• Health & Human Services – Office Clerk Heidi Gutierrez, Administrative Analyst Shiloh Smith,  Administrative Analyst April Turner, and Prevention Specialist Karlina West

EVACUATION ROUTE STUDY 

At the request of Inyo County Planning, the Board approved a letter of support on Tuesday for a grant application  being submitted by the department to help cover the costs of a required update to the General Plan’s Safety  Element.

Inyo County’s General Plan is the primary long-range policy and planning document guiding the physical  development, conservation, and enhancement of the county. The Safety Element identifies seismic, geologic,  flood, and wildfire hazards, evacuation routes, and establishes policies to protect the community from such threats.  The County’s recent completion of the Housing Element triggered the update of the Safety Element.

According to Associate Planner Danielle Visuano, the update will specifically focus on communities’ evacuation  routes in the event of emergencies like earthquakes and wildfires, per Senate Bill 99 and Assembly Bill 1409. Inyo  County will apply for up to $650,000 through the State Office of Planning and Research’s Adaptation Planning  Grant Program Round 2. If awarded funding, the County plans to partner with the City of Bishop for an evacuation  route study – the result of which will be the development of a plan to address emergency evacuation route needs in both juridictions.

The results of the route study are also expected to help enhance the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazardous Mitigation Plan  and better inform the community wildfire protection plans being developed for the 40 Acres and Independence  communities.

AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT 

Inyo County continues to support improvements at the Bishop Airport, which welcomed long-awaited commercial air  service in late 2021.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $97,788 contract with Tartaglia Engineering of Atascadero, CA  through June 30 for engineering services related to the Runway 12-30 Grooving Project and the Forecast  Update/Terminal Design Study.

The Federal Aviation Administration is also supportive of the projects, so much so that it will be funding 90 percent of  the work through its Airport Improvement Program. The Forecast Update/Terminal Design Study is currently under  way, while construction on Runway 12-30 is anticipated to start after commercial flights end in September. The latter  project will include grooving, a seal coat to prolong the life of the asphalt, and new runway markings.

This year, daily flights to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will be offered July 2 through September 2.  Tentatively, the winter schedule has daily flights to both SFO and Denver International Airport from December 19  through late March 2025.

FILM REPORT 

On Tuesday, Inyo County Film Commissioner Jesse Steele updated the Board of Supervisors on recent filming activity  in Inyo County, citing the following commercial shoots from major companies like Tesla and Wrangler.

• Nissan: The shoot showcased the carmaker’s latest Nismo (Nissan Motorsports) offerings, including 4×4  accessories such as rooftop tents and recovery gear. The production spent two days filming in the Alabama  Hills.
• International Trucks: The project aimed to highlight the durability and reliability of the company’s commercial  vehicles. This production also spent two days filming in Inyo County – including a challenging shot of parallel  parking on Lone Pine’s Main Street – and also shot in Mono and Kern counties.
• Tesla: A non-disclosure agreement prevented the Film Commissioner from going into detail about the two day shoot, but he did note that the EV maker expressed interest in returning to film a commercial for its  Cybertruck in the Alabama Hills and Death Valley National Park, where commercial film projects are now  allowed.
• Honda: The commercial strove to leverage Inyo County’s diverse landscape to emphasize Honda’s  commitment to innovation and reliability. Crews shot one day in the Pine Creek area, one day in the Alabama  Hills, and one day at Cerro Gordo.
• Pfizer: The star of the commercial was Mt. Whitney, with the production team adding in digital effects – such  as the Northern Lights – behind the iconic peak.
• Wrangler Jeans: Involving both video and still photography, the week-long shoot featured multiple locations  in Lone Pine, including The Dow Villa, the Alabama Hills, and the Oyler House, owned by actor Kelly Lynch  and her husband, producer Mitch Glazer. (Often called a mid-century modern masterpiece, the house is  known for its charming origins in 1959 when Lone Pine resident Richard Oyler asked famed architect Richard  Neutra to design his family home and to everyone’s surprise, Neutra agreed.) The shoot also utilized side  streets in Lone Pine and spent an entire day at Diaz Lake.

According to Steele, the productions left a significant economic impact on Inyo County, with casts and crews staying  in hotels in Lone Pine and Bishop; dining in or hiring catering from eateries in Lone Pine, Big Pine, and Bishop; celebrating at local watering holes; and engaging the services of sanitation company Urine Luck. Local businesses  and professionals who would like to be listed as a resource for commercial filming and photography projects can  register their services at https://inyocountyvisitor.com/business-submissions-for-film/.

ELECTION WORKERS 

Inyo County Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters Danielle Sexton emphasized the critical role election workers play in  maintaining the integrity of local elections on Tuesday while asking the Board to approve an increase in their stipends,  the rates for which were set 16 years ago.

According to Sexton, the rates were in line with the minimum wage in 2008, but are long overdue for adjustment. She  also noted the need to create a better structure for paid-volunteer election workers, including allowing part-time shifts  and more accurately classifying the various positions.

Among the numerous duties carried out by election workers – including poll workers, election-night workers, and  auditing board members – are ensuring voters are at the correct precinct; upholding voter rights; verifying voter  registration; issuing ballots; giving voting procedure instructions; operating ADA voting equipment; managing rosters; maintaining an orderly flow at polling places; transporting ballots on election night and for Southeast Inyo  communities; assisting with receiving ballots and election goods; reconciling, opening, and scanning all mailed ballots;  and performing the post-election hand tally audit.

Sexton said having local elections directly carried out by the public creates a transparent and fair election process and helps ensure the accuracy of votes. The Board agreed.

Following is the new pay/position structure:

News Staff