Forums planned for county supervisor candidates
Events planned so voters can pose questions on issues
Inyo County voters in March will be casting ballots not only for the presidential primary but for candidates that will represent them on the Inyo County Board of Supervisors.
The seats for Inyo County District 2, 4 and 5 will be on the ballot and all are contested races.
INYO350 is sponsoring a free public candidate forum for the District 2 Inyo County supervisor race. This forum will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the Fellowship Center building at the Bishop United Methodist Church.
Candidates Laura Smith and incumbent Jeff Griffiths will both be present and speaking at the event.
District 2 includes the city of Bishop.
There will be two forums held for the race for the county’s Fifth District, which has sparked the most interest based on the number of candidates running in the race.
A candidates forum for the race for Inyo County District 5 supervisor will be at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29 at the American Legion Hall, 201 S. Edwards St.,
Independence. The forum is sponsored by the Independence Civic Club.
Another District 5 forum will be from 5 - 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at Statham Hall, 138 N. Jackson St., Lone Pine.
Candidates for the Fifth District are Laura M. Blystone, Aaron Cassell, Ash Seiter, Will “The Handyman” Wadelton,
Dan Berry and Spencer McNeal.
Current Fifth District Supervisor Matt Kingsley is not running for reelection. The Fifth District is the largest supervisor district in Inyo County, encompassing several communities and neighborhoods in southern and southeast Inyo, including Independence, Fort Independence, Manzanar, Lone Pine, Alabama Hills, Olancha, Timbisha Shoshone Reservation, Death Valley Junction and Tecopa.
In the Fourth District race, which includes incumbent Jen Roeser and Genevieve “Gina” Jones, Jones has planned a meetand-greet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30, at the home of Edie Trimmer, 321 Dewey St., Big Pine.
For a list of candidates with their contact information, go to elections.inyocounty.us/voting/whatson-the-ballot.
Inyo County supervisors are paid about $72,000 a year plus benefits.
If no candidate in a given race receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary election, the top two vote-getters will face off in the November general election.
election observer Panel
Inyo County ClerkRecorder-Registrar Danielle M. Sexton announced Monday that she will convene an Election Observer Panel to observe activities associated with the March 5 Presidential Primary Election.
Any interested members of the public are invited to participate. Typically, members of the panel visit one or more polling places on Election Day or the central ballot counting center to observe tabulation of ballots on election night.
Panel members are also invited to observe staff at the Elections Department. Members of the panel will be provided with the information they need to participate in these activities.
To participate on the Election Observer Panel, notify the Elections Department as soon as possible by mail at P.O. Box F, Independence, CA 93526, by vote at (760)
everything from recreation to support of wildland firefighters is something that has a rich history here in the Eastern Sierra,” she said. “I just want to note that (the Center) is literally based right here in Inyo County and I don’t know how many people realize that.”
Roeser said the Center is a nationally recognized and established unit that does amazing work all over California and a number of neighboring states.
“To be accepted once to the tournament of Roses parade is pretty special but this group, the Pack Stock Center of Excellence, has been invited and accepted three times,” she said. “The Inyo National Forest is a partner agency of Inyo County so getting a chance to celebrate the amazing amount of work, preparation, planning, logistics and execution that made for this amazing presentation is an honor.”
Grant funds for Diaz Lake
Project
The Board of Supervisors last week officially accepted $1.475 million in grant funding from Caltrans through the Clean California Local Grant Program. The grant will be used on a host of improvements at Diaz Lake, one of the county’s most popular recreation spots.
The Clean California Local Grant Program aims to reduce waste and debris in public rights-of-way, pathways, parks, transit centers, and other public places; enhance, rehabilitate, restore, or install measures to beautify and improve public spaces and mitigate the urban heat island effect; enhance public health, cultural connection, and community place-making by improving public spaces for walking and recreation; and advance equity for underserved communities.
Inyo County’s Public Works Department seized on the program as an opportunity to make significant and much-needed improvements at Diaz Lake.
In addition to vegetation/tule maintenance, the Diaz Lake Welcoming and Beautification Project will consist of adding and/or improving trash and recycling receptacles, fishing line recycling receptacles, educational signage to promote proper waste disposal, drought-tolerant shade trees, an ADA-compliant playground, an aeration system in the lake to improve water quality, a new transit stop and shelter for dial-a-ride access, a dog park with waste disposal, 12-foot by 12-foot shade structures, picnic and barbecue facilities, solar lighting for the restrooms, ADA ramps to access picnic and playground areas, a sand volleyball court, bi-annual litter abatement events, and new parking lot slurry seal and striping.
Per grant guidelines, the project must be completed and open to the public by June 30, 2026. According to Public Works, a ribboncutting ceremony will be held later this fiscal year.
The next meeting of the Inyo County Board of Supervisors is planned for Feb. 6. at the County Administrative Center in Independence.