Page 2: More than $141,000
That was the final tabulation of what it cost to clean up my property, burned in the Round Fire in Swall Meadows.
Others have received similar bills.
What was initially estimated as a $2.2 or $2.3 million project was ultimately a more than $5 million project.
To put this in perspective, when I was debating whether or not to sign up for the state-contracted cleanup, my friendly insurance adjuster recommended I shouldn’t, citing an estimate he received from a Bishop-based contractor who said he could clean up my lot for $15,000.
That’s a pretty serious discrepancy.
Or consider this. I sold the lot two months ago for $115,000.
I just received a letter from the Mono County Assessor, who, citing the fact that the fire-ravaged lots all now have a clean bill of health, recently restored my former lot to its pre-fire valuation of $125,000 – still well below cleanup cost.
According to the terms of my insurance policy, Farmers will cover $20,000 of the cleanup, leaving $121,000-plus to be footed by my fellow citizens of the State of California.
So for a guy who has made light of “taxeating” public employees over the years, there is no small irony that I have become one of the biggest taxeaters of all.
And I have finally identified who Santa really is … Jerry Brown!
As for Scrooge … that would be the Michael Hohl, owner of the auto empire of Carson City.
My wife bought a Honda Element from Michael Hohl back in 2010. At the time, she was sold an extended warranty that was a cash back deal. You basically had a certain balance in a savings account dedicated to repairs, and if you didn’t use the service, they would refund the balance once the warranty term expired. We figured that all of this was being run through Honda.
When my wife called to collect, Michael Hohl was incredibly adept at dodging and/or not returning her calls. Finally, she got one guy on the line who acknowledged that the warranty deal was actually offered through a different company. That company had gone bankrupt so therefore Michael Hohl bore no responsibility to make good on the promises made in the purchase agreement.
The guy then told my wife that she could sign up for some class-action lawsuit and said he’d call her back with the information. As you can imagine, there hasn’t been a call back.
So folks, that’s the type of customer service Michael Hohl provides. Unless there’s a change in how Michael Hohl does business, I would look elsewhere when purchasing a car.
The following is Vikki Bauer’s official statement regarding the effort to try and recall June Lake Public Utility District Board Member Patti Heinrich:
“As a ratepayer in the June Lake Public Utility District, I have become alarmed at the mismanagement of the Board by its President Patti Heinrich. I feel an obligation to alert others in the district to the possible future costs to the ratepayers of this mismanagement. I will be circulating a recall petition in an effort to remedy the current problems.”
Danna Stroud wrote War and Peace after Wednesday night’s Town Council meeting. We’ll distill it into Goodnight Moon.
“The Town Council acted on three recommendations brought forward by MLR that will have long-term implications for our community.
1. Town Council acted on three recommendations brought forward by MLR that will have long-term implications for our community.
2. Council approved an $80,000 reallocation of funds to a trails maintenance program.
3. Council approved an $80,000 reallocation of funds to a trails maintenance program.
Council approved an $80,000 reallocation of funds to a trails maintenance program.”
Good night, noises everywhere.
And from Bodine’s desk…
Citizens of Bridgeport have been under the impression that the Bridgeport library is in danger of closing. According to the Mono County Office of Education, the closure has never been on the table when trying to balance the budget this year. The MCOE Board of Directors has made some cuts, however. The decision at its meeting Thursday, Dec. 17 was to cut Bridgeport Library’s support staff from 20 to 12 hours a week, reduce the library’s hours on Wednesdays, closing at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m., and cut the Librarian’s hours by 10 hours a week.
Librarian Abbie Bridges, the only County librarian allowed additional time before the facilities open to prep, said that time is essential. The Board replied that all the libraries should be on equal ground and there will be no preparation time.
Ana Danielson, County Library Director said the cuts will not affect services. The Friends of the Bridgeport Library are seeking private funds to assist the Bridgeport Library. The Friends have reached out to Centennial Ranch, Don Clark, former Eastern Sierra School District Superintendent, and the Bridgeport Indian Colony. The Colony may provide additional staffing.
