Page 2: Pardon my French
*Je ne peux m’empêcher de mettre en doute qu’il existe d’autres véritables réalisations de nos profonds tempéraments que la guerre et la maladie, ces deux infinis du cauchemar …
Hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t hire my French wife to edit the paper after all.
Of course, nepotism didn’t stop Fifty Center Publisher Rick Rosner from dumping longtime editor Diane Eagle last week in favor of his wife, Janice Mundy.
Making it a Family Affair for Rick and the Family Stone (Hearted).
“Blood is thicker than the mud.”
On a positive note, at least one staff member at the Fifty now has job security.
Was particularly impressed by the class with which Rosner dumped Eagle, a stark text box indicating she was “no longer associated” with the paper.
This on the heels of a similar announcement regarding longtime salesman Dave Michalski last month.
If your corporate philosophy is apparently addition by subtraction, what happens when there’s nothing left to subtract?
While Mr. Rosner is sitting in his glass castle this morning refining his corporate Master Plan Planning Study, I’ll be out delivering papers.
I can’t help but reference the “Sierra Star Master Plan Planning Study” which was included in Kirkner’s front page story. I asked Lara why they didn’t just call it a Master Plan Study. She shrugged her shoulders.
I thought Mark Wardlaw’s comments regarding the new road through Sierra Star absurd. According to Kirkner’s story, “Wardlaw claimed that the Community Development Department does not have the time to go back and double check the overlap of plans over the years every time a new project is built to see how they coincide.”
Are you kidding? Development is at a standstill and Wardlaw’s managed to preserve his fiefdom and he’s got a gaggle of planners in the Town offices and he can’t bother to figure out if plans overlap?
Isn’t that the definition of master planning itself? To figure out how everything’s supposed to tie together?
If a Community Development Department can’t be bothered to answer such questions, it’s time to eliminate the department.
At the prodding of the Advocates for Access to Public Lands (AAPL), writer Devon Fredericksen was asked to clarify the positions of the CHP, USFS and BLM in regard to AB 628, which would allow all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) to access county roads to reach existing off-road destinations.
In her initial story, Fredericksen had all three organizations in support of the legislation.
The next week, she penned a correction which stated “California Highway Patrol is actually not in support of AB 628 and BLM and the Forest Service are neutral on the issue.”
So here’s the latest from Fredericksen: The official position of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on Assembly Bill 628 is neutral.
Officer Brian Mackenzie said CHP has provided support to organizers of the Eastern Sierra Adventure Trails proposal in the form of guidance and guidelines, but that CHP does not publicly endorse or oppose the legislation. If the bill is passed, Mackenzie said, CHP will take the appropriate measures to enforce the rules and regulations of the project.
Public Affairs Officer for the Inyo National Forest Nancy Upham said, “The Forest Service has participated in discussions in regards to the adventure trails over the last couple of years and looks forward to participating in any kind of process of analysis for what routes will be included in the system.” With regard to the legislation itself, the Forest Service is neither opposed nor has written any letters of support, Upham added.
Bernadette Lovato, BLM Field Office Manager, said the agency’s position is also neutral. She did, however, emphasize that open trails on BLM land will remain open and accessible to the public, whether the bill is passed or not.
And from Geisel’s desk …
Mono Supes take redistricting to the “workshop”
Don’t look for the Mono Board of Supervisors to take any direct action during its July 19 redistricting agenda item. Instead, the public is welcome to participate in a workshop with public comment; an additional two more workshops are planned, with public hearings to follow. Website input is still being taken (at www.mono.ca.gov) while the three alternatives are being shored up for the Board to evaluate.
None of the alternatives are set in stone and all will be open to Board input.
A public hearing process isn’t viable at this point, according to John-Carl Vallejo from the County Counsel’s office because the Board is required to have at least two meetings of its own, prior to any public hearings. Drafts of the alternatives would have to be locked in and a first reading/second reading process entered into, and the process isn’t yet to that point, Vallejo said.
The Redistricting Committee selected the three concepts for new county supervisorial boundaries during its final scheduled public meeting on June 29.
Put away the skis …
Rumors and local chatter during the July 4 holiday weekend that Mammoth Mountain Ski Area might have been trying to extend the ski season turned out to be untrue. According to MMSA’s Joani Lynch, the Mountain had queried some ski teams as to whether they would like to get some summer practice time in at MMSA, but had no takers and decided that July 4 would indeed be it for the winter season.
Lynch said that while there may be a few feet of snow still clinging to the Mountain’s upper regions, the warm weather has erased much of the mid- and lower-level coverage. As of Wednesday, there was about 5 to 6 inches at the base of Chair 11. “Lots of brown [dirt] is showing through, and when that happens the snow goes pretty fast,” Lynch observed.
One thing unusual about his year, however, is that Chair 2 [Stump Alley] and The Mill were open all the way through Monday, a rarity in most ski seasons at this time of year. By Tuesday, however, what was left of the narrow run had been deemed not skiable. Lynch said the focus now is to get the Bike Park trails fully online and press on into summer.
Mammoth was one of a handful of ski areas in California that made it to July 4, including Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, Sugar Bowl and Squaw Valley. It’s only the fourth time Squaw has operated that late in the year since it opened in 1949.
Still hankering for some snow? Timberline Lodge at Mt Hood in Oregon is salting its best two runs and forecasts being open through Labor Day. And for you hardcore snow chasers, north of the U.S. border Whistler B.C. is reportedly open daily for glacier skiing/riding.
Memorial Celebration of Joe Stapp
The Celebration will be held this Sunday, July 10, from 5-9 p.m. at McCoy Station. Those attending are asked to park at Main Lodge and ride the Gondola up, free of charge. Appetizers will be served, Hosted Beer/Wine, and No-Host Full Bar. The formal part of the Celebration will commence around 6:30 p.m. After that, watch the sunset around 8:20 p.m.
FYI, The winning bid for Laurel Stanford Manning’s “Juniper Cedar Tree” auctioned off via The Sheet was for $1,100. Congratulations Keith Hofer!
*Note: The French quote is from the writer Ferdinand Céline.
And from Kirkner’s desk …
Height still a variable
Mammoth’s Town Council and Planning Commission convened Wednesday evening for a study session regarding the Commission’s recent work to update the Town’s Zoning Code, specifically the work it had done on height.
The Commission explained that it only planned to amend height regulations in commercial zones throughout town. This means Main Street and Old Mammoth Road. Along west Main Street it proposed up to four stories, with a maximum height of 45 feet, but only 35 feet at the street edge. Along downtown Main Street it proposed up to five stories, 55-foot max, 45 feet at the street’s edge. Along Old Mammoth Road up to five stories, 55 feet, 35 feet at the street’s edge. Council wasn’t sure it agreed with the proposed height along Old Mammoth Road and asked the Commission to revisit the issue.
Measure U Committee update
Council approved the makeup of the Measure U Committee, which will be responsible for developing the process by which Measure U dollars are awarded. Community member Sandy Hogan felt that the committee makeup lacked diversity, citing that four of its members sat on the MLTPA Board, but Council moved forward anyway. The Committee includes Bill Sauser, John Vereuck, Bill Taylor, John Wentworth, Jim Smith, a representative of the local Events Coalition, and a representative of the Measure U Campaign Committee.
Council weighs in on redistricting
As County redistricting nears completion, Mammoth’s Town Council realized Mammoth may be receiving the short end of the stick (given the options left on table) and asked to have a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors on July 19. Rich McAteer, who had attended several redistricting meetings, pointed out that no one had wanted outlying communities split up, but it was apparently okay to splinter Mammoth.
“We don’t want to divide the 600 people in June Lake or Lee Vining but it’s OK to take 600 people from Mammoth and put them in Topaz [district],” McAteer quipped. To view the redistricting options visit monocounty.ca.gov/redistricting.
