Many have expressed thanks to the Inyo Supervisors for their stand against the Department of Water and Power’s pumping rate this year.  There are still water tables that have not recovered to even waterwarsthe level of the late 80s.  This baseline level does not take into account all of the lost groundwater from the previous 20 years.

Of course, DWP will pump for all their worth (and that’s a lot!!) while the dispute drags on.    One more point raised by locals.  The Drought Recovery Policy put in place a few years back.  Inyo apparently never ended it.  DWP did, unilaterally.  The two sides had agreed that they were recognizing the experimental nature of the management and mitigation techniques under the Agreement and would use conservative management.

LA hired a consultant who said the Drought Recovery Policy was no longer needed.  Inyo never agreed.  Even though they denied their policy is “Get all the water you can get”, it sure seems that way.

A new way to get around part of Main Street in Mammoth Lakes.  Merchants call it the Mammoth Mini MarketPlace.  The idea was to block off part of one lane of traffic on the south frontage road.  The blocked off lane for foot and bike traffic.  Some merchants did not feel this idea would gel with their businesses and parking needs, so a mini marketplace emerged. Check it out starting July 6.

Many have checked out the juvenile ways of legislators in Sacramento and elsewhere for that matter – the name calling, the theatrics,  the lack of a budget, the self-absorption.  Dick Dawson of the Eastern Sierra left us a message with his idea of how to make these n’er do wells perform.  To get quick action and a budget out of the Sacramento types, here’s what Dick suggested:

deathvalleydaysHold the next meeting of the Legislature and the Governor in Death Valley with tens and no bar.  No cell phones and no computers.  Serve creamed beef on toast.  Limit water availability and no air conditioning.  Dick thinks they would produce a budget in about 12 hours.  Terrific idea!!!  Bad actors do not deserve comforts.

Besides the monster-size debt in Mammoth Lakes, some folks still get steamy mad about the lack of parking in the Village.  The Town had set aside $3.2 million for a parking structure but used it on “other things” when nearby businesses declined to participate in a parking assessment district to help fund the $18 million project.  Mammoth Mountain had committed to help.
Another example of what happens when you bend over backwards for developers.

Sometimes the public just gets tired of all the falderal and tunes out.  According to Capitol News Service, a new field poll shows that fewer Californians are following government and political news.  The poll says about 25% of California voters say they pay attention to such news “only now and then” or “hardly at all”.  56% said they mostly get their news from television; 44%, internet and 33%, newspapers.

Ever hear of a paraprosdokian?  We in the Bureaucrat Beat Newsroom had not.  We do try to keep up with all of the wordsmith stuff.  Anyway, we kind of like these paraprosdokians.  Like this: “The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list.”  Or, “Where there’s a will, I want to be in it.”  And, “We never really grow up.  We only learn how to act in public.”

With that, this is Benett Kessler signing off for Bureaucrat Beat where we await your word on our lives in the Eastern Sierra and beyond.

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