AIN’T NO SUNSHINE (WHEN SHE’S CAUGHT)
I think what struck me most this week was the PBS News Hour coverage this week of a plane collision in Japan where a jumbo jet, as it was landing, struck a cargo plane that thought it had clearance and had wandered onto the runway.
Cellphone footage from inside the jumbo jet showed the cabin filled with smoke and an orange ball of flame outside the window.
Incredibly, when the jet finally came to a stop, 400 passengers and crew deplaned in just 90 seconds – not a single person was killed.
Five passengers of the cargo plane died but somehow the pilot miraculously survived, albeit with serious injuries.
But I go back to the above – 400 evacuated in 90 seconds.
If it were mostly Americans on that flight, they would have been lucky to evacuate eight rows of six.
Because no matter the admonitions from the crew, American passengers would have insisted on retrieving their cumbersome bags from the overhead storage bins.
Never mind a high percentage of the slow-footed, infirm, obese, and slackjawed (staring at their phones and shuffling forward as they try to post crap to social media during the disaster-in-progress).
At Mammoth’s regular council meeting on Wednesday, council heard a tax appeal from one Mary Rosolowski, owner of a Sunshine Village Condo.
Rosolowski owes more than $41,000 in tax, interest and penalties – including a tax fraud surcharge.
Mayor Bill Sauser observed, “This is probably the worst case I have seen … this is so egregious.”
Town Staff determined that Ms. Rosolowski had not paid tax on approximately $114,000 of rental income.
Staff also documented 19 instances where Rosolowski had rented the unit during the pandemic in violation of health orders.
At one point, Staff even rented the unit to augment its case.
Repeated audit requests, beginning in September, 2022, were ignored.
Ms. Rosolowski, identified via realtor.com as a real estate agent working for Sotheby’s International Realty out of Calabasas, did not attend the appeal. She instead submitted a letter.
The letter went through all the usual excuses.
It started with, “I’ve been sick.”
Then, “I’m currently 6.5 months pregnant.”
This rental, “has been my main source of income.”
“I’m no longer able to work my previous job as a ski instructor, nor find a new job as I am preparing to tend to a newborn. As a single, soon-to-be mother, the financial burden falls entirely on me.”
“I would really appreciate a consideration for reduction of fines as well as a reinstatement of license as soon as possible. The final NOD [Notice of Determination] amount charged is beyond what I am able to pay. It is an amount this is higher than my earnings for a full year.”
Then a paragraph of how she didn’t quite understand the TOT filing procedure.
Then, “The fines are extremely excessive, and I believe unlawful. Both Federal and State Law limits the amount someone can be fined under the law ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment.’”
Then, she concluded by saying the Town’s calculation was wrong and that she should only be taxed on $101,694.
Ms. Rosolowski’s sob story won a sympathetic ear in Councilmember Chris Bubser.
While Bubser agreed that Ms. Rosolowski’s non-payment of tax was “blatant,” she “struggled” (when does she not struggle when confronted with competing arguments?) with the “punishing verdict.”
“This is a heavy burden,” said Bubser.
She suggested that perhaps Rosolowski be allowed to rent her unit while she paid off what she owed.
*While other, law-abiding citizens are under a rental moratorium …
The other three Councilmembers (Rea was absent) believed the Town needed to stay consistent in its approach to tax scofflaws.
“This person was obviously playing the system,” said Councilman Wentworth.
Councilmember Rice was more blunt. “She’s stealing from the town.”
Council ultimately voted 4-0 to impose the full $41,535.49 NOD amount.
Ms. Rosolowski will not be able to legally rent her unit until she’s paid her bill in its entirety.
As a side note, I called Matthew Lehman today to get an idea of the value of Ms. Rosolowski’s unit.
He said the comps for her one bedroom/one bath are in the $460,000-$485,000 range.
She bought the unit for $230,000 back in 2017.
And from Milender’s desk …
This past Wednesday afternoon, Mammoth Lakes Tourism (MLT) provided an air service update in regard to bookings for both Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) and Bishop Airport (BIH).
The data indicated a decrease in Denver bookings by about 600 passengers (1100 round trips), while San Francisco showed a positive trend, surpassing last year’s figures by 3%. Carlsbad experienced a slight decrease, and Hawthorne saw an increase of 344 round trips.
The overall decline amounted to 739 round trips (370 passengers), with the Denver stats skewing down the overall total, due to longer stays and higher expenditures associated with travel to and from the city.
MLT Executive Director, John Urdi, highlighted marketing efforts on the East Coast, initiated in October, and a campaign with United Airlines that launched December 12th. Urdi discussed plans to enhance marketing strategies and recover momentum in Q1, considering the impact of snowfall.
A major frustration was the delay in introducing the E175 aircraft, originally anticipated for February or March but now expected in the summer due to issues with Skywest’s training regimen. Still, the board emphasized the benefits of having the E175 in the fleet, as an aircraft with higher seating capacity—ergo, higher potential revenue opportunity.
Toward conversation’s end, the board touched on the advantages of using Hawthorne and Carlsbad airports over larger airports like LAX—convenience, ease of access, and fewer TSA requirements for scheduled charters.
And finally from Matthew Lehman, the final 2023 sales price stats for Mammoth Lakes condos – virtually unchanged year-over-year from 2022.
