theSheetNews.com

Stapp dissects TOML survey  

Dear Mayor Lehman and Members of the Town Council:

Last week I completed the Town’s “Resident Survey.” I shook my head in disbelief, a survey is not a vote. The survey asks residents for feedback. Are individuals who work and vote in Mammoth but live in Crowley precluded from participating? The “Resident Survey” included a box where a resident can identify themselves as a visitor, it makes no sense. What happens if a thousand elementary and middle school students (residents or visitors) complete the survey? Will their opinions count?

I assume the purpose for the survey is to provide political cover for Council now that it has reneged on decades of political commitments.

Survey question #4 asks residents to give Council permission to: “Further (emphasis added) reduce support for …” Measure A marketing and 2002 A housing. The question clearly acknowledges that Council has already reneged on these two Measures. How much “Further” is the Council anticipating reducing these voter approved Measures or is the Council simply asking for carte blanche?

The facts are that the Town has already reneged on it political commitments: 1) using marketing dollars to subsidize air service ($250,000), 2) diverting 18% of transit funds (Measure T) and 58% of housing funds to the Town’s General Fund. There is also the dispute with Parks and Rec over the use of Measure R monies to fund Whitmore Pool.

The survey also appears to be designed to frighten people into supporting an Admission Tax in lieu of cuts (a 3% surcharge on all lift tickets generates in excess of $2,000,000). According to the survey’s “CONTROVERSIAL CUTS,” one cut is to eliminate seven sworn officer positions from the Police Department.

It has been suggested that the Police Officers Association, POA, give up salaries and benefits in exchange for reducing the number of staff cuts from seven to five or four. This approach shifts the public safety levels of service to the POA. In other words, levels of public safety, an essential Council responsibility, will be established by the POA.

In regards to question #3: “Would you support raising new revenues…” The question gives several options, but every option omits cost per resident/visitor and estimated revenues. Withholding this information invalidates the survey. To wit: Very few property owners are going to vote for a $150 annual parcel tax.

As a Mammoth Resident and someone who cares deeply about Mammoth’s future, I would strongly suggest that Town Council scrap the “Resident Survey” and staff’s “Five Year Plan.” Instead focus on the next 20 months and the 2014 election. First, the Council should candidly identify the revenues being shifted from Measures A, 2002A, T and R which are being used for other purposes or shifted to the General Fund to fund the MLLA/Ballas settlement. Secondly, the Council needs to adopt a 20 month austerity budget using the revenues taken from the above mentioned Measures to bridge the 20 month budget. Thirdly, the Council needs to commit to putting on the 2014 ballot (or sooner) Measures to raise revenues, or Measures that memorialize shifting of monies from Measures A, 2002A, T and R.

Kirk Stapp
Former Councilman and Mayor
Mammoth Lakes

Police Union protests cuts 

Dear Editor:

The Mammoth Lakes Police Officers Association (MLPOA) would like to thank the residents, business owners, visitors, and part-time residents of Mammoth Lakes who have been supportive of us for the past 26 years. We would also like to express our sincere thank you for your support over the past couple of weeks during these trying times.

The MLPOA is very concerned about the decisions of the Town Council. We are concerned for your safety and ours if the Town follows through with its plan to lay-off 7 of the 17 sworn officers and eliminate 2 of the department’s 3 field supervisors. The Town Council’s plan also eliminates the Police Lieutenant position. This plan will result in a 41% reduction in sworn personnel from 17 to 10.

It is apparent that the Town Council would like to have the Mammoth Lakes Police Department be responsible for more than half their annual payment on the lawsuit they lost at the rate of $2 million a year. Proposed police department trims would save the Town more than $1 million/year.

Currently the budget for the MLPD is $4,820,415, which represents 27%of the general fund budget.

The Town’s proposed cuts to MLPD would equal 56% of the annual payment [to MLLA for the judgment] this year, 58% next year and 64% the following year.

Some have concluded that Mammoth Lakes doesn’t need so many police officers, and that it’s a nice quiet town with little crime. Don’t be fooled.The Mammoth Lakes Police Department handles hundreds of felony assaults, rapes, robberies, domestic violence, and burglaries. In 2011 alone, the department handled 7,422 incidents which required police action; of the 7,422 incidents, 3,154 of them were radio calls.

Thanks to our dedicated, skilled, and competent police force we are able to solve many of these crimes. It is only due to current staffing levels that MLPD can handle these crimes and incidents in a timely manner in which perpetrators are arrested. Such will not be the case with the proposed layoffs. Not only will the proposed reduction hamper the MLPD’s ability to quickly and competently solve crimes, other services the public has come to expect from the department will not be possible with a force of 10 officers. Those include but are not limited to:

• One of many recent examples involved a child molestation case. In this case, officers arrested the suspect as he was leaving the scene at the time of the event. If services were reduced at the time of this incident, there wouldn’t have been sufficient officers to respond in a timely manner and make the arrest.

• Officers will be very limited and may not be able to provide regular public service activities such as, helping tourists put on chains and/or pull people from a snow bank, jump starting cars, assist with lockouts, returning dogs to their owners, giving people rides home and the other daily activities that are part of the reason we live in Mammoth Lakes.

• Proactive activity that reduces crime will be substantially impacted. These activities would include bar checks, DUI patrol and an overall less visible police presence. We can anticipate an increase in drug activity, thefts, property crime, assaults, drunks and juvenile crime.

With the proposed plan, there will no longer be a School Resource Officer (SRO) or an officer assigned to the narcotics task force. In recent years the SRO prevented a planned school shooting by a student in which the student was arrested and handgun was recovered along with other evidence of the pre-planned event.

The drug problem in Mammoth Lakes is significant; however it is curtailed by the narcotics task force. Without narcotic enforcement, the drug problem will be out of control. A recent example was when a young person overdosed on heroin. The narcotics task force was able to work the case and ultimately arrest the individual who had supplied the victim with the drugs that killed him/her.

This will lead to more thefts, more property crime, and more assaults, not to mention the gang member drug dealers, who will come from Reno, Fresno and Los Angeles area to set up shop in an un-policed Mammoth Lakes.

Some have concluded that officers are overcompensated. Professional, quality law enforcement service is not cheap. In comparison, there are many agencies that have lesser benefit packages and many with higher. The existing MLPOA contract was approved by the Town Council and has been changed several times through negotiations. The contracts are through mutual agreement. Nothing has been forced upon Council.

What you don’t hear at the Council meetings is that during the last pre-bankruptcy mediation the MLPOA was asked to concede 24% in salary/benefits/personnel, while the other Town associations were asked to concede 10%. The MLPOA gave up 23% in salary/benefits/personnel, while the other creditors and associations gave up 10%. Because of the cuts given up by the MLPOA, the budget was approved by Council and the police department is operating within its approved budget.

It should also be known that the MLPOA and other employee associations voluntarily negotiated with the Town two years ago to help the Town meet their budget.

The employee associations were told by the Town during pre-bankruptcy that they “just need one last cut.” We all gave the Town what they wanted, and here we are two months later and they want to cut nearly half the police force. What about the clause in the MLPOA contract signed by the Town that states that the Town will maintain a staffing level for the police department at 17 officers?

This proposed plan will jeopardize the safety of our residents, visitors, and officers. The Town definitely has a problem, but the money for the down payment and annual installments already exists within the Town’s budget outside of public safety and other “essential services.”

All the advertising in the world or free transportation will not sell an unsafe community, even if the skiing is great. Who wants to have their skis stolen, car burglarized or become the victim of an assault? As those problems grow, tourism will shrink.

Whatever the final decision of the Council is, the damage to the police department is already done and might be irreversible. Many officers are seeking employment with other law enforcement agencies and will likely be hired, while others are retiring early. These vested officers will be difficult to replace in a Town where public safety and officer safety are not a priority. Hundreds of thousands of invested dollars will be unnecessarily lost because of the Council’s political decision to continue to attack the MLPOA.

Mammoth Lakes Police Officers Association (MLPOA)

Balancing point?

Dear Editor:

Proposition 30, on the November ballot, is a very important issue regarding school funding.

The Governor [Jerry Brown] and Legislature have placed Proposition 30 on the ballot as a means of balancing the state budget. Proposition 30 imposes a higher tax rate for high income earners (single filers over $250,000, married over $500,000 in annual income) along with increasing the sales tax rate by 1/4 cent for four years.

If Proposition 30 passes, schools will continue to receive the same amount we are currently receiving. It should be noted that the amount we currently receive is 20 percent less than what we were receiving four years ago.

If Proposition 30 fails, the state will immediately reduce education funding by nearly $2.5 million dollars to our local school districts for this school year and subsequent years in the amounts of:

• Big Pine USD: $112, 650

• Bishop USD: $941,734

• Death Valley USD: $67,303

• Eastern Sierra USD: $204,085

• Inyo Supt of Schools: $174,474

• Lone Pine USD: $205,029

• Mammoth USD: $494,911

• Mono Office of Ed.: $154,763

• Owens Valley USD: $37,447

• Round Valley District: $49,363

Total: $2,441,759

We hope this information about funding your local schools in the Eastern Sierra assists in your voting decisions.

Dr. Stacey Adler 

Mono Co. Superintendent of Schools 

760.934.0031

Dr. Terence K. McAteer

Inyo Co. Superintendent of Schools 760.873.3262

Twilight rezoning? 

Dear Editor:

Given our town’s long-term budget problems, some people have been floating the idea of rezoning single family homes for nightly rentals. This is a bad idea that would only compound the hardships that Mammoth residents are going to face the next 20 years. There has to be a balance between being a tourist destination and being a real town with real people.

The year-round residents of Mammoth are the backbone of the town– they provide the services that visitors and second homeowners rely on when they come to town, and they deserve to have real neighborhoods that aren’t compromised by nightly rentals. At least in condo complexes, there is on-site management to ensure problems from short-term visitors are taken care of (i.e., noise issues, proper garbage disposal, etc.). But single family neighborhoods are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts from vacationers.

Just because the town made a terrible mistake in entering into the development agreement with Terry Ballas and a bigger mistake in their handling of the litigation, doesn’t mean they should make an even bigger mistake by willfully undermining the character and charm of our neighborhoods.

The settlement is a long-term problem and we need long-term solutions that don’t fundamentally destroy what makes Mammoth a great place to live.

Jim Thompson
Mammoth Lakes

Whitmore: funds need to be found 

Dear Editor:

I write to express my wholehearted support of fully funding the town’s share of the operational costs of Whitmore Pool and Park. Cutting any funds that support our youth (as the funding of the operations at Whitmore clearly does) to close the deficit caused by the settlement reached with Ballas and MLLA is unconscionable. If there are any innocents in this whole sordid affair it is the youth of this community and they should bear no effect. Use Measure R money or Measure U money or move the funds necessary from MLT or hire a clerical assistant to the Town Manager, instead of an Assistant Town Manager, whatever it takes to preserve the Whitmore complex. The Mammoth Sharks, the MHS Baseball and Softball teams need these facilities, our kids need these facilities. What a great impression it will make on all those coming to use the new track to see closed and deteriorating fields as they come in from the Benton Crossing Road to the track.

Before one more trail is planned or built, before one more “wayfinding” sign is purchased, before one more penny goes to MLTPA, secure all of our parks and all of our youth programs! Supplanting is not an issue, the idea that there are currently “existing funds” for anything is ludicrous on its face after the settlement. The funds need to be found from whatever source to fully fund all the programs that benefit the youth of our community.

Brent Cook
Mammoth Lakes

Behind the badge

Dear Editor:

Over the past few years, the Mammoth Lakes Police Department has been the object of focus for the Mammoth Lakes Town Council. There have been so many words written recently regarding the details of what the town council has demanded of this agency that I will not revisit them, but the bottom line is this; councilmembers feel that MLPD officers are paid too much. Rick Wood said so at the last council meeting, and I am sure he is not the only one. I would be willing to bet my over-inflated salary that Mr. Wood, Mr. Eastman and the rest of the town council members don’t think that they make too much money. After all they are elected officials, übermenschen.

It is that same level of arrogance that has tainted this council for the last decade; the arrogance that got this town into a $42 million lawsuit in the first place. It is the same arrogance and ignorance that would opine that police officers are overpaid blue-collar plutocrats; hired guns that don’t earn their keep and hide behind the badge while making exorbitant wages off the backs of the taxpayers.

The reality is that according to a 2006 study by the Police Association for College Education, 22.6% of police officers in the United States have a four-year degree from an accredited college or university, and the number of officers with college degrees has been growing by 2% annually. In California, I believe that number is significantly higher. The national average of people with college degrees per capita is 27%. California police officers are the most highly trained professional law enforcement officers in the world. Retired and active California peace officers are in demand around the globe as trainers for emerging departments.

I do not have a degree, but my process for becoming a police officer started when I was a teenager and I made choices not to drink and drive or take drugs, or engage in other activities that would eliminate me as an officer candidate before I ever took the civil service exam. The hiring process took 18 months while I had to pass psychiatric testing, polygraph testing, and a background investigation that was so thorough many applicants didn’t make it. My training started in 1989 with a six month long stress academy with San Diego Police Department and then another four months of field training with a cadre of Field Training Officers (FTOs). The real process of becoming a police officer doesn’t kick into full gear until after the academy and the field work begins. Depending on where a new officer works, the foundation of his or her training isn’t finished until after 3-5 years in the field. Since graduating from the academy, my career has been a long string of specialized training schools, instructor schools, tactical schools, mob and riot training, active shooter response training, cultural sensitivity training and perishable skills refresher courses. California POST mandates much of this training and oversees all of it.

Beyond the formalized training that I have received over the course of my career, just working the streets of San Diego and Mammoth Lakes for the last 24 years has been an incredible education. I have been involved in three officer involved shootings, too many car chases to count, fights, the Rodney King riots, the 1996 RNC Convention and presidential debates between Clinton and Dole, all the while trying to stay “normal” while I raise four children and support a beautiful wife. I was gone way too many nights and days protecting the public when my wife and children needed me at home. I am sorry folks, but I don’t apologize for the pay and benefits that I received. My family and I earn every penny of pay and pension and so do the officers that I work with and their families.

The Mammoth Lakes Police Department has several hundred years’ worth of combined law enforcement experience based out of that mold- infested building the TOML wants to call a police station. Not only are we professional and educated, we have to conduct ourselves calmly in the face of violence and risk to our own safety on behalf of the public that we are sworn to protect. We have to work around the clock with frequent shift changes, and deal with challenging people and circumstances on a regular basis.

Consider: What training have town councilmembers received that qualifies them to run a major resort community … besides winning a popularity contest?

Being a police officer takes its toll on the body and mind. After 24 years of shift work I can’t get more than 5 hours of sleep a day, regardless of how exhausted I am. I have buried one of my academy mates and have attended the funerals of several other SDPD officers who were murdered in the line of duty.

Regardless of whether you love or hate law enforcement, when you need us, we are there for you. That includes government officials like the town councilmembers; people who with the exception of Mayor Matt Lehman and the late Skip Harvey refuse to even go on a ride-along to get an idea of what we do. No, it’s way easier to believe that we are overpaid and unskilled.

One important fact about cops is that, as a group, cops are very loyal like dogs, but like dogs when we keep getting kicked we will jump the fence and you won’t see us again.

People of Mammoth Lakes, I am afraid that many of you do not realize what a precious asset you have had in this police department, and now, due to the arrogant ham-handedness of the town council and their chronic mishandling of this department, the majority of your officers are done. Our faith in this town government is gone and individual officers are taking early retirement or are seeking employment elsewhere. We are here because we wanted to be, not because we had to be and unfortunately after years of being lied to, publicly berated by our employers, falsely accused of corruption, dragged before a grand jury and subsequently cleared by that grand jury, many officers no longer want to be here.

I have made so many good friends during my tenure here, there are so many dear Mammoth residents that have supported this department and worked with us to make Mammoth Lakes a safe resort destination and a safe place to live and raise families. From the depths of my heart I thank you people; the Cert Team and too many others to mention.

At this point, I don’t believe that anything the council could do will change the exodus that is in the process of happening. I am not saying this for shock value or out of pity for the officers; MLPD officers are as good as any in the state and they will find jobs in cities that support them. My pity is for the local citizens who didn’t ask for this to happen, but will have to live with the consequences. Your elected officials have broken it, and you are going to have to pay for it yet once again.

So what will the Town of Mammoth Lakes do when there aren’t enough officers to be able to function? I don’t know, that isn’t my problem anymore, I’m retiring and I am quite done with the mismanagement of this town by people that don’t even know what they don’t know. And what new officers will want to work here in the future; word gets around fast, and Mammoth Lakes, like Stockton, San Bernardino and Costa Mesa will be a “toxic city” – in other words a town with the stink of bankruptcy, enmity for public safety and financial uncertainty wafting around for years to come.

So after the dust settles and you need to call 911, you might want to call one of the councilmembers, maybe they will be able to help you.

As a parting note I want it known that this letter is my personal opinion and was written by me alone as an exercise of my First Amendment rights, I do not speak for the Administration or the officers of the Mammoth Lakes Police Department.

Jesse Gorham
Mammoth Lakes

Cage backs Peters for Supervisor District 4:

We all know that Mammoth is facing a steep uphill claim in order to overcome the economic recession of the last few years and the depressed property values that resulted. And now we need to deal with a staggering debt. We have a local election next month that gives us the opportunity to choose another Mono County Supervisor, and that choice is extremely important if we are to overcome the divide between the Town and County that has hampered achieving solutions that will help economic growth of our tourism economy both in Mammoth and the rest of the County.

I recommend and support Bob Peters to be elected to the 4th District seat, which now includes a portion of Mammoth.

Bob has been a business owner in Bridgeport for 13 years, and has been actively involved in Mono County service for 12 of those years. He has served on the County Tourism Commission and understands Mammoth’s problems, and has worked collaboratively to help not only Mammoth, but communities all over the County.  Bob understands the importance of Mammoth as the economic engine of Mono County and its effect on our rural areas.

The election of Bob Peters is of critical importance, and I urge all District 4 voters to join me in supporting him.

Tom Cage
Mammoth resident/business owner

Owed an explanation

Dear Editor:

I am writing in regard to the proposed use of voter approved funds in conjunction with the current fiscal difficulties of the Town and the settlement of the MLLA judgment.

Following the intent of the voters in passing the various measures has been a core principle of the Council since 1986. This  no longer appears to be true based upon the adoption of the FY 2012-13 budget and the Baseline Before Settlement Expenditures distributed as a part of the package presented to the public on September 27. Together, the two budgets include immediate and long term cuts to various voter approved funds.  The immediate cuts are described as a 10% reduction in Tourism, Transit, and Housing with restoration of up to 5% depending on TOT collections.  The 5-year projection includes a 18% diversion of Measure T (Transit) funds to the General Fund and a 58% diversion of Measure 2002A (Housing) funds to the General Fund. There was no specific presentation of this change in Town policy in conjunction with fiscal year budget or the baseline budget projections.

It appears that Council has already decided by year 5 to take roughly $700,000 of funds approved by the voters for transit and housing and re-direct them to other uses. This diversion of voter approved funds to purposes other than those intended by the voters should have been publicly vetted. Instead, it was embedded in a series of spreadsheets.

Given the importance that both the Council and public have placed on maintaining the intent of the voter approved measures, I am disappointed that these decisions did not get more specific mention.

As a part of your current discussions on settling the judgment, please schedule a public discussion on your planned direction for use of the voter approved funds. The Council owes the public a detailed explanation of why it is deviating from its prior commitments. If there is an emergency requiring temporary use of the funds for other purposes, that need and priority should be fully vetted in a public forum along with a timeline for restoring the funds to their original purposes.  Any future revenue above the baseline should be used to fund that restoration before being used elsewhere.  If the funding is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was approved, then the tax(es) should be repealed, not simply dumped into the general fund.

Related to this, there is a question regarding the amount of budget reductions that the Council is seeking. In the budget adopted in June, there was $550,000 (annually) available for paying the judgment. The judgment calls for $2 million per year.  This leaves a gap of $1.45 million per year, not $2 million.  What happened to the $550,000?

Bill Taylor
Mammoth Lakes

After the Great Debacle 

Dear Editor: 

After the “Great Debacle,” the “Settlement That Ate Mammoth,” whatever you want to call it, both George Shirk, editor of the Mammoth Times and Jack Lunch, publisher of The Sheet, wrote articles about that settlement. George, a thoughtful individual and nice guy, opined that now the litigation was settled, we should put it behind us, and move on. An end to the finger-pointing is a good thing, he said, the blame game and negative thinking, it’s counterproductive and won’t get us anywhere!  Jack Lunch, on the other hand, suggested that perhaps a little “oops” on the part of the Council might have been helpful; after all, he wrote, 13 people are going to lose their jobs, the Whitmore Park and Pool will be closed, etc.

Well, notwithstanding that George is an intelligent and well-intentioned individual, I think I have to give Lunch the nod on this one, except maybe he didn’t go far enough. Is finger-pointing and blame gaming helpful? Maybe not. But, on the other hand, Mammoth Lakes has just suffered a stunning cataclysm that will not be resolved for decades. A child born today will have graduated from college, and will have time to get married and have his/her own children before this $2 million per year debt is paid off. It is entirely likely that many more than 13 people will lose their jobs, but even if it is no more than that, these 13 people are not perpetrators of this disaster, they are the innocent bystanders who had nothing to do with it. “Why don’t the people responsible lose their jobs instead of us”, they ask? Not an unreasonable question. Well, part of the answer is that we don’t know for sure who is responsible;  as Lunch pointed out, no civic servant has come forward and said, “Mea culpa, I was in charge, I made the decision, it was my fault, I really am sorry.” Nor has any civic organization or group been empanelled to affix blame or determine responsibility.

Giving credit where credit is due, at least Rick Wood had the fortitude to allow that the question was, in fact, on the table. But why is it important to ask the question? Well, the first, and perhaps most significant answer is because if we don’t affix blame, we almost guarantee that it will happen again.  Those who don’t learn the lessons of history, the saying goes, are sure to repeat it. In Mammoth’s case, this is not unfamiliar ground. Previously, the Town went to war with Andrea Lawrence over Redevelopment. The outcome: Andrea won, the Town paid its own attorneys $5 million or so for their losing effort, and the Court required the Town to pay a similar sum to Andrea’s lawyers. $10 million down the drain with no civic benefit, and no responsibility for this disaster was ever fixed. To no one’s surprise, here we are again; history, sadly, repeats itself. Perhaps this time we should look closer. After all, one more of these terrific settlements and there won’t be any town left to point fingers over.

Paul Rudder
Mammoth Lakes

Get off that high horse 

Dear Editor:

Regarding the Mammoth Lakes Bear Cubs who lost their mother and Andy Geisel’s cover story in last week’s (Sept. 29) issue:

Warden Will Witzel of the California Dept. of Fish & Game works in the Law Enforcement Division.

Which means he enforces the law, it does not mean he is an authority on the biology, and behavioral assessment of the Black Bear. He is a game warden. He certainly can make assumptions about how old the cubs of the dead sow are and how much they weigh but his assumptions are not any more valid than Steve Searles, who has been working with the Mammoth Bears for more than 20 years, has studied these bears on a daily basis when they are not in hibernation, knows how many bears call the area around Mammoth Lakes home, knows where they hibernate and has become an expert in his own right by his observations, independent study and love of this species much like Diane Fossey became an expert and a protector of the Mountain Gorilla in Uganda. We need to remember that expertise is garnered by experiential knowledge and observation as well as by study in the academic institutions; that there is usually more than one way to achieve expertise as evidenced by such people as John Muir and James Audubon, neither of which were lettered and weighed down by titles.

My point is this: Mr. Witzel should get off his rather high horse and come back to earth and work with the man who has done so much for the bears of Mammoth Lakes and has been hired as our “bear specialist.” Yes, Mr. Witzel you work for the hallowed halls of California Department of Fish & Game but you are not the end all of knowledge having to do with the Black Bear. Evidently, the F & G was worried that Mr. Witzel’s assessment might be wrong since they sent a F&G biologist two-days later to make another assessment on the cubs. Why does it not amaze me that this F&G employee also sided with Mr. Witzel?

Next I have to wonder at the dislike California Dept. of F & G seem to have toward state-licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities as shown by the quote of Andrew Hughan, a Sacramento-based DFG information officer who is quoted as saying: “there is no reason to put the cubs in rehab, their chances of survival is “very good,” and putting an animal in rehab is a “bad thing.” Is Mr. Hughan speaking from personal experience, and how does he know the bears’ chances of survival are “very good?”  and why is wildlife rehab a “bad thing?”

I would like to cite a February, 2011 article http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/dfg-biologists-return-rehabbed-bear-cub-to-lassen-national-forest/ from the California Dept. of Fish & Game, stating that an orphaned “yearling” black bear cub was safely returned to its’ remote northern California home after it was found near death. The “yearling” cub spent 5 months at the same Lake Tahoe rehabilitation center, called Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, that Mr. Witzel and our Dept. of F&G seem to indicate as unnecessary and an inappropriate course of action and a “bad thing.”

By the way, the cub cited in the February 10, 2011 DFG article weighed 18 lbs. wghen he got to the Tahoe rehab center and left weighing 90 lbs.

Mr. Witzel made a bad decision, doesn’t want to work with Steve Searles and now is too arrogant to admit he is not an authority on the survival rate of yearling orphaned Black Bear cubs and that his own agency has a criteria on rehab for Black Bear cubs.

This criteria states that the cub must be clearly orphaned and in distress, as well as younger than 1 (one) year of age. These cubs are in distress, they just lost their best chance of survival their mother, they are younger than a year old, they are clearly orphaned and clearly distressed.

To say that these rehabilitation agencies are a “bad thing” is a cruel blow to the good work they have done in saving wildlife and returning it to the wild to live out the fulness of their lives. Many, many birds, mammals and reptiles have been treated, cared for and returned to their homes. The people who become wildlife rehabilitators take classes and depending on how in-depth they want to go with wildlife rehab, devote long hours to the care and feeding of their charges. We would not have the Whooping Crane if it were not for volunteers at the ICF (International Crane Foundation) caring, raising and showing how and where to migrate, for those young cranes.

To think that because animals have what we call “instinct” that they just have a blueprint for how to live is not true. Animals learn from their mother first of all and the young need to be shown. Young cranes learn the migration route from their parents and the “flock” and regarding hibernation, these young cubs would have learned from their mother the best location and the timing, where to find foods that would see them through the winter months. The mother was actively teaching them even as she died. Sure, there is a slim chance one of them might survive, but I doubt it. And why leave it to chance? I’m satisfied with Steve Searles’ assessment. He knows the Mammoth bears better than anyone else. He spends all his time studying these bears and has done so for more than 20 years, as opposed to Mr. Witzel or an F & G biologist, who comes from some other region or place and doesn’t spend 7 days a week working with these particular bears.

The rehab organization said they would take the cubs and care for them without any human imprinting and when the time came DFG could release them back into our forest where they belong. So tell me, DFG, what is the cost to you for allowing this? I say it is nothing, except someone’s ego is now involved.

Donna M. Willey
Mammoth Lakes 

Take off the blinders

Dear Editor:

It may not be entirely fair to the Advocates for Mammoth that they have become a lightning rod for those who are unhappy with the planning /variance process in the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

The Advocates have come to represent, fairly or not, the attitude held by some long-term Mammoth residents that what’s really great about Mammoth is the town and how it has existed during their entire tenure here as officially recognized “locals.”

The corollary to this feeling is that anything that challenges the status quo is inherently bad, misguided, greedy, or whatever.  I hate to break it to these self-appointed guardians of mediocrity, but what makes Mammoth great is where it is, not what it is.  The Town and its “amenities” have been, in many ways, an unfortunate given to our visitors. Take a look around. The failed businesses, the empty storefronts, the boarded-up restaurants, and the shabby, 70’s motels and condos are not signs of success. (And the difficulties of operating a business in this town didn’t start with the last recession.)

We don’t have to turn Mammoth into Disneyland to make it more attractive to visitors. What we need to do is to take off the blinders and consider projects that don’t fit the current rules with a more open mind.  And with a view to how they will (or won’t) contribute to our community’s transition from where we are to where we could be. Not whether they represent (God forbid!) change.

The guidelines for development are here to serve us, not the other way around.

Bob Davenport
Mammoth Lakes 

O’Connell says windfall 

Dear Editor:

Can we say windfall?  Nothing in the world will ever convince me that the Hot Creek/MLAA/Ballas development project would have ever come to pass, even if the Town of Mammoth Lakes had done handstands and somersaults to support the developers. Given what happened with the economy, the real estate industry, and the financial markets, this boondoggle down at the airport would never have happened. If MLLA had somehow proceeded, the project would probably have found itself upside down and bankrupt, with nothing but surveying stakes in the ground with little flags fluttering in the breeze.  It was a terrible idea in any event; who would have ever wanted to stay down there so far from the resort and the ski area?  MLLA should have thanked the TOML for dragging its feet, or doing whatever it was that saved their …

While the Town of Mammoth Lakes and its residents are licking their proverbial wounds, MLLA investors must be partying their heads off with champagne and caviar. Seriously, they made millions of dollars without turning over a single shovel of dirt, during one of the worst recessions and real estate markets in history!  They must be absolutely ecstatic about their investment.

Regardless of the conduct by TOML employees, in truth this was all about greed, so shame on MLLA, and may karma strike where it does.

Dan O’Connell
Mammoth Lakes

(Photo: Susan Morning)

In life, it is not our experiences that make us unique but the way in which we come out the other side that makes us special. For Amanda Taylor, the birth and subsequent death of her daughter left her and her husband, Gabe at a crossroads: would they deal with the experience by following a path of despair or one of creation?

While some people in a similar situation may choose to wallow in grief, Amanda chose the latter path and turned her experience into something productive by creating Rhiannon’s Kids, a new children’s fund in Mammoth.

“Rhiannon [the Taylor’s daughter] thrived during her short life,” Amanda said. “It was due to a combination of her stubbornness and the love she received.” Support and love came not only from her parents, but from the local community and her doctors as well.

Rhiannon Lynn Taylor was born in October of 2009. Amanda had enjoyed a healthy, happy pregnancy, so it came as a huge surprise when Rhiannon was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, a terminal genetic disorder, at birth. Rhiannon was born with two severe holes in her heart as part of the disorder, and 138 days later she died of congestive heart failure.

“TR-18 is an extremely rare genetic disorder,” Amanda explained. “Most infants with this diagnosis don’t survive the first week. They are often described as being incompatible with life.”

Shortly after her arrival into this world, Rhiannon was flown from Mammoth to Reno, Nev. in order to receive the specialized infant care she required.

“There’s a misconception out there that your health insurance will help cover your travel expenses in situations like these,” Amanda said. The Taylors quickly realized this wasn’t true as they followed their daughter to Reno by car and spent several nights in a hotel room, footing the bill for gas, food and lodging while stressing over their daughter’s well-being.

Rhiannon spent the majority of her 138 days at home, comfortable and loved. The Taylors knew her time was limited and chose to make the best of it, treating her like a normal newborn and allowing themselves to develop a strong attachment to their baby girl — a decision that made it both more painful and less when Rhiannon was no longer with them, according to Amanda.

“Since high school I’ve always wanted to make a difference in kids’ lives,” Amanda, who is currently working on her teaching credential, said. “Rhiannon added more depth to that purpose. It made me want to do more. And the support of the community made me want to be supportive back.”

So, earlier this year Amanda sat down with Gary Myers, former Mammoth Hospital CEO and current Chairman of the Board for the Healthcare Trust of Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Hospital’s Foundation.

“I told him that I wanted to start a children’s foundation to help families with travel expenses when their kids have to go out of town for specialized care,” Amanda said.

Myers was supportive and suggested that Rhiannon’s Kids be created under the umbrella of the Healthcare Trust. Amanda next spoke with local pediatrician Dr. Amy Conrad about such a foundation, and was told that the need for that type of support was huge. The only thing left was to go before the Healthcare Trust’s Board and make the pitch.

Amanda made her presentation to the Board in March, the same month in which Rhiannon had passed away two years prior. She received a call almost immediately after leaving the boardroom saying that her request to start the foundation had been unanimously approved, and the non-profit quickly began to spread its wings.

Since March, Rhiannon’s Kids has put together a Board of its own made up of Amanda as Chairwoman, her mother-in-law Kathleen Taylor as Vice Chair, and Dr. Conrad and Dr. Kim Escudero (both of whom were Rhiannon’s pediatricians in Mammoth) as medical specialists. The Board is currently looking for a fifth member to serve as its Business Manager. Rhiannon’s Kids has also started receiving donations, and found several families in need of support.

While Gabe does not sit on the Board, his networking skills and connections throughout the snowboarding industry will serve as key elements in helping the organization as it grows.

Last weekend’s Dancing with the Docs marked another milestone for the organization as its first fundraiser.

Each doctor that danced in the event was competing for the charity of his or her choice. Dr. Escudero chose to dance on behalf of Rhiannon’s Kids and ended up raising between $2,000 and $3,000 (the numbers were still being tallied at press time).

“We were so happy to be a part of Dancing with the Docs,” Amanda said. “The event offered great        creativity and originality and really has potential to grow.”

As for growth with Rhiannon’s Kids, Amanda would one day like to see it serve the entire Eastern Sierra.

“We’re so remote here,” she said. “I want to be able to help families, to be able to make a small difference and give back to my community.”

Currently, Rhiannon’s Kids serves newborns to 21-year olds who have acute and chronic medical conditions and are established pediatric patients regularly served by Southern Mono Healthcare District. Doctors such as Conrad and Escudero refer children and their families to the foundation for assistance.

The support provided is designed to cover expenses for lodging, travel and meals in acute or emergency situations, or for scheduled medical services.

Rhiannon’s Kids is just ramping up and will have a website available soon to provide more information. For now, contact rhiannonskids@yahoo.com to learn more.

U.S. 395 going through Lee Vining circa 1925. (Photo: Mono County)

By David Carle

This year marks the 90th anniversary of Lee Vining’s inception, and the 9th annual Ghosts of the Sagebrush Tour, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 29. Visit the oldest buildings in Lee Vining on a walking tour and hear talks at four venues by old-timers familiar with the town’s history.

In 1922, the Eastern Sierra town of Lee Vining was envisioned after Chris Mattly bought land then known as “Poverty Flat.” By 1926, Mattly had subdivided town lots that became Lee Vining, named for prospector Lee Roy (or Leroy) Vining, who had established a sawmill in 1857, along the nearby creek. The town, along with Lee Vining Creek and Lee Vining Canyon, serves as the eastern gateway to Yosemite National Park via Tioga Pass on Highway 120.

The tour begins at 10 a.m. at the Old Schoolhouse Museum and will end by 4 p.m. This annual fundraiser for the Mono Basin Historical Society kicks off with a catered dinner on Friday night, Sept. 28, at the Lee Vining Community Center, which will be highlighted by a living history visit from Mr. Lee Roy Vining, himself (as portrayed by a character actor).  Historic buildings that will be visited during the walking tour include the Old Schoolhouse Museum, Mono Market, El Mono Motel, the Mono Lake Committee Information Center (Hess Hall), the Mattly residence, the community’s two churches, Lakeview Lodge, and Nicely’s and Bodie Mike’s restaurants (where a complimentary lunch will be provided).

The Ghosts of the Sagebrush is the Mono Basin Historical Society’s biggest annual fundraiser, exploring the “ghosts” of people and events that are part of the history in the Mono Basin. Prior years have explored the ranching history in the north and south portions of the basin, the Mono Mills site and Bodie to Benton Railroad, Log Cabin Mine, the construction of the Los Angeles DWP diversions and tunnel beneath the Mono Craters, and other historical topics. This year the focus is on the history of the town of Lee Vining.

The event includes a walking tour of several blocks in town, stopping at four locations to sit and hear from old timers’ recollections of what we’ve seen during each section of the tour (we begin at the Old Schoolhouse Museum, make a sit-down stop at the Lee Vining Community Church, a lunch stop at Bodie Mike’s BBQ, and a final stop at Lakeview Lodge). If weather interferes with outdoor meeting and walking, we will gather indoors (community center and/or church).

The townsite that attracted Mattly, 65 years after Lee Vining established his sawmill, was called Poverty Flats because farmers struggled there to grow crops in the poor soil and harsh climate (at almost 7,000 feet). Mattly’s first choice for a new town name was “Lakeview,” but the Postal Service objected because that name was already in use, so the town became Leevining. Business signs in town used “Leevining” until 1957 when the Postal Service, again, was involved in altering the name to the more accurate two words. Since its inception, whether as Leevining or Lee Vining, the town at the edge of Mono Lake and the canyon that leads to Tioga Pass and Yosemite, has been a haven for travelers and home to a small community of hardy souls (the current population is about 400).

Lee Vining and his brother, Thomas, had both been Texas Rangers and were Mexican War veterans. As that war was ending in 1848, news came of the gold discovery in California and the Vining brothers headed that direction in 1850. In March 1851, they were in Sonora, where as fate would have it both became part of a group of 12 men indicted for murder. The shooting incident became known as the “Holden Garden Riot,” a mining site uprising during which was one man was killed and several were wounded.

Most of the accused fled the area, including the Vining brothers. In May 1851, signs of gold in the area prompted Lee Vining’s return to Mono Lake. Prior to that, he’d built a racetrack and was the proprietor of a saloon in Mariposa, before at last heading to the Mono Basin in 1857. Vining sold his mill in the Mono Basin in 1861 and then mined at Mono Diggings, north of the Mono Lake Basin. He died in April 1863, after a pocket pistol accidentally discharged and severed an artery in his groin.

Tickets for the Friday dinner, catered by chef Matt Toomey, are $25, and for the Saturday tour (which includes lunch), tickets are also $25. For information and to purchase tickets, visit the Mono Basin Historical Society’s webpage at www.monobasinhs.org, or come by the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Hess Community Park, call 760.647.6461 or email curator@monobasinhs.org.

The Mono Basin Historical Society, a non-profit organization, operates the Old Schoolhouse Museum and world famous Upside-Down House, preserving and interpreting the cultural history of the Mono Lake Basin.

For several weeks, there was a sign outside Perry’s Italian Cafe proclaiming that The Stove was coming. The sign also bore The Stove’s logo.

The apparent plan of Cafe owner Glenn Taylor was to operate both The Stove (breakfast and lunch) and Perry’s (dinner) out of one location.

Whether this plan can be implemented, however, is for the courts to decide.

Destination Mammoth

Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory held a “fireside chat” with Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra staff and volunteers on Tuesday. After the meeting, I received the following email: “ … The report my wife heard from a friend who was at the meeting was that Rusty Gregory was there and said he is abandoning the goal of being a Destination Resort in favor of being family friendly, with most folks coming from Southern California, and a few from San Francisco––or something to that effect.”

So I called Rusty yesterday for comment. His reply: “Not close to accurate.”

Gregory said MMSA is redoubling its marketing efforts in Southern California, which he says is also the best way to build destination business. In a nutshell: Take care of your base and the rest will follow.

Gregory also said MMSA is hyper-focused on the family market, which represents 48% of its business.

Fesko and Peters rejoined 

Tim Fesko and Bob Peters renewed their battle for the District 4 Supervisor’s seat in Mono County by facing off at a Republican Party candidates’ night on Tuesday in Bridgeport.

My observation: Fesko is coming on strong. This will be competitive. Despite several questions which attempted to push Fesko’s buttons on a variety of topics, notably the legal entanglement with his brother Greg, he kept his cool.

And smartly, Fesko settled the suit and a gag order has been issued by the judge so it will no longer be a factor in the campaign.

Greg Fesko said via email, “Due to gag order as part of the settlement of the lawsuit I cannot provide any details. Tim and his wife Mary settled with us and the matter is closed. Wish I could go into more detail because it would make for some interesting reading.”

Anyway, as I see it, you’ve got a “Thousand Points of Light. Stay the Course” moderate Republican in Peters taking on a Tea Party-type in Fesko.

Some differences in their policy positions are stark.

While Fesko believes that North County would be better served by marketing to the Reno area and over in Sacramento, Peters said, “Our major market is Southern California. He ranked the Central Valley #2.

In some areas, however, they see things similarly.

In regard to County management, Peters said, “Too much power is concentrated in too few hands at the moment.”

Fesko believes the tail is wagging the dog, that the current Board has ceded too much power to CAO Jim Arkens. “Upper management is dominating the Board,” he said.

And while consolidating departments looks great on paper and theoretically saves money, “we may be opening ourselves up to a huge lawsuit because we do not have the proper layers [of government],” he added.

As an example, he pointed out that Arkens now has three management titles. not only is he the County Administrator, but he’s also the Assessor and head of Human Resources.

So imagine this, said Fesko. How does anyone make a complaint against the CAO? To make a complaint, you have to go through H.R, er, the CAO.

And if the CAO is the H.R. manager … boy, it sure sounds like you’ve got to suck up to Jim Arkens if you want a career at the County, because if you happen to fall into disfavor, he’s the same dude who’s gonna conduct the job interviews. Judge, jury and prosecutor all rolled into one – and all with the blind support and allegiance of the Supervisors who made him king; Hunt, Bauer and Hazard.

It’ll be interesting to see how Arkens counts to three once a new Board sits in January. Can he replace Bauer and Hazard with two of the three newly elected members of the Board?

In regard to the Probation Department position filled this week, The Sheet spoke to CAO Jim Arkens on Thursday. He said he was not involved in the interview process, contradicting what Tim Hansen said in Kirkner’s story on page six.

He said the interview panel consisted of Brian Muir, Tim Kendall and Julie Tiede, and that there were six or seven applicants for the job.

Karen Humiston was the second person extended an offer. The first person offered the job did not take it.

When asked why the Interim Director had not been offered the job, Arkens said, “Interims have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.” He suggested we talk to Tim Kendall, as the D.A.’s department has a lot of interaction with probation.

“I didn’t make the ultimate decision … I don’t know why the CAO would refer you over to me,” said Kendall. “In regards to the interaction with our department, she [the Interim] did fine. She did a qualified job.”

“I sit in on multiple interview panels,” he added. “We rank ‘em qualified or unqualified.”

SOS: Coastal cleanup day

Join FOI and MLTPA for Coastal Cleanup Day, the final SOS Volunteer Trails Day of the summer, this Saturday, Sept. 15. Gather @ Horseshoe Lake at 8:30 a.m. for a bagel breakfast courtesy of Old New York Deli, then deploy around Twin Lakes, Horseshoe Lake and Lakes Mamie, Mary and George. Lunch afterward hosted Horseshoe, courtesy of the Java Joint! Don’t forget there will be giveaways!

Wear long pants and close-toed shoes. Gloves, tools and trash bags are provided. More info: Email Drew, call 805.405.7577, or visit the www.mltpa.org or www.friendsoftheinyo.org.

Watch for more next weekend on the upcoming FOI Member & Volunteer Weekend, Sept. 28-29.

New Troutlaw Roundup

The Eastern Sierra Fishing Coalition announces the launch of its new “Troutlaw Roundup” derby, designed to promote local businesses and stock Eastern Sierra lakes with Alpers trout weighing at least 5 pounds or greater.

The Eastern Sierra Fishing Coalition is selling 100 tagged Alpers Trout as part of next year’s “Troutlaw Roundup” derby being promoted in magazines, newspapers, radio, posters and news outlets throughout California. Businesses have the opportunity to purchase their own Alpers Trout, to be stocked in local waters for $200, along with a donated prize to be part of the derby. Each fish will be tagged with a prize redeemable through the Eastern Sierra Fishing Coalition’s website.

Individuals interested in purchasing a fish to promote their business can do so by contacting Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s Whitney Lennon or Alicia Vennos with Mono County Tourism. Fish available on a first-come, first-served bases until the 100 fish are sold. Dates for next year’s derby are still being finalized. Proceeds from events help stocking local waters.

Library calling all artists

Calling all Mammoth Lakes and Eastern Sierra Artists: the Mammoth Library wants you! Located across from Mammoth High School, next to the skating rink, the Library has lots a of great space to hang your works of art, including the Gallery Walls of the Elie Randol Reading Room. If you have paintings, photos, sketches or other works, but no place to display them, or never thought you’d put them on display, this is your opportunity, regardless of age or ability, to submit your work for consideration.

Last day is technically Sept. 20, but contact Sulin at 760.934.2820 or Bill at 760.934.8670 in any case to get your entry in ASAP! Works selected will hang Oct. 1-Nov. 30. No nudity, profanity or otherwise “unsuitable” entries, please. Must be framed and ready to hang, max weight: 50 pounds. More info: Suzanne, 760.934.5645.

“Thrill the World 2″

The survey results are in! Dance workshops will be Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. @ BUHS East Gym starting Sept. 15. And the charity that received the most votes is The Eastern Sierra Breast Cancer Alliance, so we will be donating all our proceeds to them.

We are asking everyone to make a one-time donation of at least $3 to cover event expenses and support the cause. So, prepare to get your cobwebs on, and practice your zombie march and roar. For up to the minute news, follow “Thrill the World” on Facebook.

Burnham mental health talk

Jordan Burnham will present a very special talk for the public on Mental Health this coming Wednesday, Sept. 19, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Mammoth Lakes Library’s Elie Randol Room.

Burnham will share experiences and insight on his struggle with depression, including his attempt to take his own life, and how his survival propelled him to begin to deal with his depression and learn healthier coping mechanisms.

Today, Jordan’s physical body is still recovering, but he has found emotional wellness through counseling, and a strong support system. In 2011, an ESPN special edition of its E:60 series on his experiences, “The Jordan Burnham Story,” was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Mono County Office of Education and the Mammoth Library are proud sponsors of Jordan Burnham for this community event. Burnham will also speak to Middle and High School students in Inyo and Mono counties.

Information or questions: call the Mono County Office of Education at 760.934.0031 and speak with Ana Danielson or Didi Tergesen.

Mammoth’s water … 

Dear Editor:

We’re perplexed that, as the agency combs California for more water, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) thinks going after Mammoth Creek is a wise move.

Why Mammoth’s water? For decades, Mammoth Lakes  has been the getaway of choice for Los Angeles, a place to relax and recharge in the clear mountain air and spectacular natural surroundings. Many L.A. residents return year after year to fish, hike, ski and enjoy the Mammoth experience they were introduced to as children by their parents and grandparents.

Los Angeles needs Mammoth as an escape more than it needs its water. Mammoth Lakes is a four-square-mile island surrounded by the most accessible high country in the Sierra, all of it public land that can’t be developed. The town can’t sprawl. Its population at any one time–say, a very busy holiday weekend–is capped at 52,000 by the community’s General Plan.

All those 52,000 people, visitors as well as the locals working hard to help provide that rewarding Mammoth experience, need an adequate and dependable water supply. Taking away Mammoth’s water will take away far more than we think Angelenos want to give up.

Jim & Elizabeth Tenney
Mammoth Lakes 

As the World Turners 

Dear Editor:

Here is a fun one for all you folks in the Mammoth area who use Turner Propane. About three weeks ago, I called Turner Propane asking if, when I move, I can get a refund of my unused propane (I was planning to do the pre-buy at the time). I was told, “yes.” Great. I asked because I have been hit with bogus charges before and was preparing myself before putting $1,000 worth of fuel in my tank.

Fast forward to today. I went by to see what the process is for my refund and was told NO – we don’t give a refund for fuel in the tank. Of course, she said, they can charge me $200 to come and pump it out and refund the difference … or my landlord can buy it, which also comes with a fee. WHAT???? I called first. OH NO, she said, I never would have said that. She said that I asked if I would get a refund on the PRE-BUY, which was YES. Why would she not have mentioned that it was different if it’s not a pre-buy? When I was on hold waiting to speak to the gal, the message was  all about how customer-focused Turner Propane is.  Hmmm. I think they need a lesson on customer service.

Donna Lisa Knowles
Mammoth Lakes     

Urdi’s right 

To the Editor;

John Urdi (Mammoth Lakes Tourism/Eastern Sierra Air Alliance) is right on about wanting to support regular air service to Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

Last week, we put on the plane the last of four relatives (three from France, one from Colorado) who took advantage of the regular flights to join us for a family gathering. Being able to hop a short flight to/from LAX meant they could get here quicker and stay longer. It meant that two of them could come at all. My family isn’t unique or part of the 1%; mostly we drive here, but since 1978, I and others have had to fly into Reno, Bishop, or (sometimes) Mammoth to get here on occasion. Regular air service just makes it easier to get here, and in the end, that’s what the mountain, the town and the businesses need.  I’ve seen the fits and starts of commercial air service through the years, and we can’t let it fail again.

Finally, thanks to MMSA for the waiting area tent.

Elisabeth Brown
Mammoth Lakes 

The Trout that saved Mono Lake

Dear Editor: 

Mono Lake is well on the way to full recovery, thanks to the trout, and the trout fishermen who discovered them.

In 1974 Jake Gittes, a private detective investigating an adultery case stumbled upon a scheme of murder that has something to do with Mono Lake water. Evelyn Mulray, the wife, suspected her husband was having an affair. She hired Gittes to investigate. Her husband, Hollis Mulray, is the chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the builder of the City of Los Angeles water supply system.

iettes pursues the case and slowly uncovers a vast conspiracy centering on water management, real estate development, and state and municipal corruption.

The story was the Oscar-winning movie “Chinatown.” Jake Gittes, the investigator, beaten and cut badly by agents of the LA water cartel, was Jack Nicholson. Faye Dunaway played the wife, Evelyn Mulray. Of course the movie is fiction … but in many ways resembles truth.

When Chinatown was released, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had de-watered reaches of every trout stream in the Eastern Sierras from Lee Vining creek south through the Owens Valley, sunk deep wells into the aquifer, and continued to look for ways to acquire more water. Mono Lake had dropped forty-five feet since water diversions began in 1941.

El Nino visited the Eastern Sierra in 1982-83. Locals called it the year of the twenty-four-month-winter. Skiers skied on the upper slopes of Mammoth Mountain on July third …in eighteen inches of fresh powder. The Mono Basin creeks rushed from the mountains filling the dry streambeds. The Los Angeles diversion tunnel through the Glass Mountains could not handle the mass of water from the Rush Creek high country. Grant Lake filled and spilled for two years. Trout slipped over the dam and reestablished populations in Rush Creek all the way to Mono Lake.

The reborn fishery was discovered on October 13, 1984. After sampling seven sections of the stream with a fly rod it was estimated there were 12,000 browns, rainbows, and brooks in the creek. LADWP scoffed at that figure. A month later the California Department of Fish & Game wild trout census team, led by John Deinstadt, electro-fished the creek and came up with the figure of 30,000 trout.

On October 17, 1984, DFG game warden Wes Johnson told the fishermen Los Angeles would be drying up the creek and killing the 30,000 trout on November 1, the day after the trout season closed. They were stunned and made the decision to fight for the fishery. The incredible resource was too wonderful to lose. The discovery was shared with Mono Lake Committee’s David Gaines in Lee Vining. Several days later, the day before LADWP intended to kill the stream, a preventative Temporary Restraining Order, Dahlgren v. LADWP, was filed in Inyo County. The Mammoth Fly Rodders quickly added their name to the action, California Trout joined, and the TRO became a lawsuit.

Barrett McInerney, a California Trout board member and chief legal counsel, plotted a tort plan of brilliance to save the Rush Creek trout. The plan was a success. LADWP lost, lost again on appeal, and again on final appeal. In 1994 the State of California issued their decision. Los Angeles was to restore the trophy trout fishery to what it was in 1940. That court order, SWRCB 1631, stands today… unfulfilled.

California Trout, rightly proud of their victory, proclaimed to the fisher-folk of California that they were headed over the Sierra, and would roll up their sleeves, hire a stream restoration group, and start moving logs, digging new pools, and rebuilding riffles and runs.

Sadly, in spite of the court decision, the anglers of California have been shortchanged. Only the first mile was reconstructed. The trophy trout fishery that once existed has not been restored, and efforts to do so are about to end.

Remember, Mono is well on the way to full recovery, but it was the trout, and the trout fishermen, who saved the lake. Perhaps the question should be asked, ”Where is the Rush Creek trophy brown trout fishery?”

Dick Dahlgren
Ketchum, Idaho

Mammoth Rocks hits the Village at Mammoth this weekend and while it will have a bit of a different sound, it’s still expected to be a great time!