Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director John Urdi
As most suspected, the Christmas season and recent holiday drew booming business to Mammoth Lakes’ stores. Mammoth Tourism Director John Urdi told the Town Council this week that retailers, lodging and restaurants report breaking records.
Urdi said bookings remain strong and the number of air service passengers has gone up this season – some 20% to 30% more passengers in the San Francisco, San Diego and Orange County routes. 12% in the Los Angeles route. Early snow, he said, and the advertising of it, gave Mammoth momentum.
Mammoth Chamber of Commerce President Jack Copeland
On a different business note, new Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Jack Copeland, stood up at the Council meeting to say, “We are pro-development of business but not at any expense. We want reasonable, responsible and sustainable growth.” Copeland said, “It’s very clear Vons needs to expand and even get a facelift.” But, he said, there could be unintended consequences to other businesses.
Copeland repeated that the Chamber is not anti-growth but that small businesses should be considered if growth comes up. He added that the Chamber hopes the community will be “development-ready” when growth comes back.
Meanwhile, Town government continues to shrink. Earlier, the Town Council had made it clear they would eliminate the Mobility and Airport Commissions to save staff time and money in their push to pay off the big lawsuit debt.
Eric Wasserman, a Mobility Commission member, stood up to take the Council to task for how they informed commissioners about this elimination. He said he received an email December 26th about a meeting to get rid of the commission January 2nd. He said he got no response form his reply email.
Chief Dan Watson introduces Officer Doug Hornbeck.
Mayor Matthew Lehman apologized for the feeling that the Commission was not respected. “That was not intended,” said Lehman. “You’ve done a lot of heavy lifting.” He said at some point the Town may decide to bring back the commissions. Later in the meeting, Town Manager Dave Wilbrecht also apologized to commissions for short notice. The
Council then voted unanimously to eliminate the Mobility and Airport Commissions.
And on an up note, the Council noticed Mammoth Police Officer Doug Hornbeck for 15 years of Service. Police Chief Dan Watson said Hornbeck has worked as a detective until recently and likely will again. Watson called Hornbeck “a really good example of the benefit of small town police departments.” The Chief said Hornbeck lives in town, knows many and is a bridge between the police department and the community. He said Hornbeck is the kind of seasoned officer that makes any department better.
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Writer who goes by the name of “Jeremiah’s Alter Ego” –
Thanks for your posting and the fact that others have noticed how often the word “Liberal” is used in America today and are INTERESTED in the correct definition of the word. And I don’t think it’s in a complimentary way. In fact, when you realize how often the numerous talk-radio pundits, Fox News, etc. use the word and so speciously, it is clearly for political posturing reasons (But don’t let Bennet know how you feel about this – it makes her furious for some odd reason) I think she prefers to offer no argument when the words, left, left-leaning, liberal appears – again, and again.
For the record here is a factual definition (Sorry Big Al – but I like facts rather than conjecture or opinion) of the word liberal: belonging to the people, to grow up, rise, suitable for a free man; not restricted; giving freely; generous; large or plentiful; tolerant of views differing from one’s own; broad-minded; not orthodox or conventional; favoring reform or progress; favoring political reforms tending towards democracy. Source: Webster’s New World Dictionary
Now if I can be so bold as to offer a definition of Liberal that is used by the talk-radio pundits, Fox News, etc. it would basically be this: anything goes, non-absolutist, a hippie, a commie, a socialist, a democrat.
All conflicting points of view on the above definition are welcome and taken under consideration.
Dear whoever you are, You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry, let alone furious. Knock off the cheap swipes,
or I’ll repeatedly hit the delete button. Also, get past your tedious efforts to polarize people – liberal/
conservative; Mammoth/ Bridgeport; Me/ You.
Benett Kessler
Quote Noah Webster “pseudonym: noun, a fictitious name”
Why should anyone find relevance in any opinion sourced in fiction?
Yes I tried a delivery service for trader Joe’s products a few years ago. Many people in Mammoth don’t have cars to travel to Carson City Nevada. what killed me was the buddy sysytem. Hey going to Carson City or Reno? can you pick me up a couple things at Trader Joe’s? The rest is history. I started calling TJ headquarters in Monrovia Ca. to put a location in Bishop. All the empty spaces available in Bishop were locked down by Vons/Safeway. No other chain grocery store could open in Inyo or Mono County. Yes Monoply. Who to blame for signing that agreement? I found 1 lot that was available to build a strip mall. It was a perfect location by Sierra wave at the Y next to Kmart behind Shell. I talked to In N Out, they were on board,and a few other stores that would of filled the mall retail space. A real estate guys Ego in Bishop was more of a road block than Trader Joe’s Corp Office. To this day the lot is undeveloped. I expressed to TJ headquaters that millions of cars travel on 395 N/S bound. The location was easy acess. A win Win deal. Again Local Government wasn’t interested. Now Nevada gets all our Money. Can’t blame Nevada for being smart and catering to the citizens for quality of Life in there area. Maybe someday this area will wake up and stop fighting each other with personal agendas and Start thinking outside of the Box. Personally from the 70’s to now, I see a once vision for an extreme recreational area turning into a senior citizen Destination. Maybe that’s why Mammoth is Broke?
In N Out has never been on board…..they dont like the shoulder seasons…they are not a franchise. They have a very strict business model and nothing in Mono/Inyo county fits that model…nice wishing though….maybe you can buy a 5 Guys franchise and let her rip…far from In N Out but they do franchise.
Ken, good points on Vons.
I really like what locally owned Sierra Sundance has done (expanding) and feel it’s important to offer at least some other option or a bit of competition. Even if they can’t always compete on price, at least they provide friendly service and a niche. Bishop has several places to shop for groceries.
It’s good to hear that Vons plans on renovating that old funky building. This might improve things even more, if they can widen the aisles and update the appearance of the place. Any revitalizing of old buildings in town will go a long way to making the town look a lot better.
I agree with you completely. And about refurbishing old buildings, the Sierra Nevada Inn/Resort is a great example.
Demetriadas and I have violent arguments about what he has proposed for the Old Mammoth Place development but what he’s done for the Rafters and the Sierra Nevada Inn is great and I give him high praise for his efforts.
I wish all the older businesses could do the same but with so many businesses all trying for a piece of the ever smaller pie, its tough to generate the necessary capital.
Maybe the BID tax should funnel some money toward renovations. It more important to look good after the people get here than to get them here in the first place. So they will come back.
That’s like putting lipstick on a pig…
I’d love to agree with you Tourbillon, but it should be common knowledge to most people by now, that in today’s American culture, EVERYTHING has become political. Politics has permeated the very core of our being and try as you may, hoping it will all just go away, appears to be unstoppable as part of our very being.
Political culture is defined by the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences as “the set of attitudes, beliefs and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system.” It encompasses both the political ideals and operating norms of a polity. Political culture is thus the manifestation in aggregate form of the psychological and subjective dimensions of politics. A political culture is the product of both the collective history of a political system and the life histories of the members of the system and thus it is rooted equally in public events and private experience.”
That’s fine. For one human being, politics, per se, is not the basis of my life philosophy.
Benett Kessler
I’m not interested in fighting with you Benett. There us enough of that on blogs like this.
I also don’t blame you for refusing to accept EVERYTHING today is politically oriented.
Politics have never been any less of our culture or any culture that matter. You can conceive it to be politics if you like, or you can just say it is life.
You’re right with respect to politics being intertwined, but if one is inclined to think politically of anything and everything then .. that is how one is driven.
If you just relate to situations and events as another part of life, or how the world is, or natural reaction, then that shows how you view life.
Any issue can be interpreted in one of the above ways.
A political-economic oligarchy has taken over the United States of America. This oligarchy has institutionalized a body of law that protects businesses at the expense of not only the common people but the nation itself.
I find it highly interesting that the two subjects I found most boring in my high school and college years, Political Science and Economics, has completely trapped us by a complex web of corporate and governmental behemoths that today controls our airways, educates our children, and manages ever facet of our lives. I don’t like it either, Big Al and Benett, and it is pointless to argue about this fact, but nevertheless this has become our new Slave Master.
What does this have to do with Bill’s comment about local shopping?
Benett
Economics and Politics are intertwined.
What does this have to do with Bill’s comment on local shopping and stores?
Benett
Benett, the original thread morphed into a sort of a quasi-psuedo exhortation. As seems to be the case a lot of times. Your question is rightly put.
I do agree that the corporate behemoths drive everything. They control the governments for the most part, especially the governments that are heavily driven by economics.
This argument really speaks in part to what is happening locally.
I gave a thumbs up for PC’s last post, I agree, that is a good picture of what we are experiencing today, along with social decay with respect to values.
You should know Big Al, you clever little poster you.
Since you often like to add the word “liberal” as a catch-all to whatever is being discussed, would still like to know (for the umpteenth time) what your non-partisan definition of the word is … once and for all.
Just so you know, when that word pops up (along with “left”) on subjects, there is an obligation to draw attention to this in hopes that this blog will not morph into another vehicle that resembles Fox News.
Please offer a factual example of a government that is NOT heavily driven by economics, Big Al.
Why are you locked into only what Bill has to say, when there are umpteen different comments from other posters on this subject?
I’m not locked into anything in particular. Just get the feeling that you are locked into always replying to every subject in the same way –
conservatives, liberals, Limbaugh, political horrors, etc. Hey, maybe we’re both wrong??!!
Benett
As editor and commander-in-chief of this blog, I think you may have missed the original source of the “left-right” thing today. For example, Big Al has been asked what his definition of “liberal” is (more than once) and has yet to provide a fair and impartial definition of the word. This is how the game (partisan politics) is being played today.
Maybe Big Al isn’t interested. I know I’m not.
BK
You must be interested enough to draw attention to and comment on any attempt to request a definition of political words used in conjunction with subject matter.
Dear Me,
Perhaps you need to chill out a bit.
BK
@writer with many names, I as well would like to see how Big Al would respond to that question. It seems the word Liberal has been obscured in so many ways that the meaning has its own definition within ones own perception. But Big Al has mentioned it and others have as well about the partisan politics and partisan viewpoints, But until a majority of people start acting and voting under the impression of the current system of politics is SOOO pathetic that most Rep’s would sell themselves out for the Agricultural industry, the pharmaceutical industry, tax cuts, the defense industry but even if it means a bullet to your head he will still sell you out!
And you wonder why the overall congress approval rating is hovering around 9-14 %.
and you know what? Some things are even cheaper in Sierra Sundance….I can get oatmeal in bulk, nice and cheap. I always pick up my avocados from there…and its a lot easier to get in and out of too
they made awesome sandwiches……the meat selection was great too. Not like the ‘end of the journey/turn around and go back to LA] meat at Von’s
I like Von’s. It’s the people that work there that make the place a nice place. It’s clean and you can always get somebody to help or look in the back for something you can’t find.
Yes, the prices can sometimes seem expensive, but it’s not bad if you shop the deals and specials. And really, anywhere you go, the prices are not going to be much different. Costco and WalMart would be the only way to get cheaper prices and those entities will never come to Mammoth Lakes. The town is to small and remote.
My shopping technique is to buy lots of an item that is on sale and stock up the pantry for future use. It something is too expensive today, I wait a week or two until it goes on sale. Jeeze, I sound like a house wife 🙂 But even single guys need some skills to survive on minimum dollars.
I don’t want to demonize Von’s in anyway. Can you imagine what it would be like here without it? It always has pretty good produce and the meat is really pretty good. You just have to know what to buy and when to buy it. Their bacon is really good for the price. And Von’s has good sandwiches too.
I was not trying to deprecate Von’s in any way.
I’m with you on this one. I’ve always thought the local Von’s has a wide variety of excellent products, from everyday bulk items to premium wines. For being so remote they do remarkably well to keep the place stocked. Sure prices are higher – we’re in the mountains, yards away from beautiful wilderness. I’ve always been mystified by the criticism.
Well I’m not a big fan of Vons at all .. They have us where they want us .. pretty much the only thing in town for shopping and they know it. The little markets are pretty pricey too, they have to be to survive on the few people who shop with them. So if you don’t want to demonize them ..
I will say it how it is .. we all can remember the strike. and we all know how much it costs for items at Vons stores in Mammoth and Bishop, you go to a larger populated area where Vons has competition, you can see noticeably lower prices for the same items you get locally in Vons stores.
When you live in a rural area (especially a popular tourist destination) you must understand the costs of shipping, etc. that occurs to supply you with virtually everything and anything you want. You can’t expect something for nothing. That’s the way capitalism works. If you don’t like it, or cannot afford it … move to the city or budget better. It’s a common sense thing.
As a sideline study, it is interesting how one poster is stuck at a time in the past (recalling a union strike) and legitimizes his current complaint on that.
But that is the thinking process of the so-called conservative ideology today, that makes them all look … er, um … quite an unhappy lot … about virtually everything.
I agree with Ken Warner in that I’ve found Von’s to be a good operation and as per usual, cannot relate to Big Al’s non-stop anger.
Quick note – People of all ilk occasionally live in the past. This goes beyond political labels.
BK
A thousand pardons, but I think you might be a trifle naive in assuming “this goes beyond political labels” Benett, as in today’s world virtually everything is affected one way or the other by the influence of politics. The fact that you feel it must be mentioned that “this is NOT politics” should be enough evidence that it is indeed politics.
Why not consider that at least not everyone comes from the identity of conservative or liberal. We are human beings and all of us, from time to time, dip into the realities of the past.
BK
It may just be my imagination, but in my lifetime, I don’t recall politics ever being such an integral part of our culture, Benett. And I agree that we all wish we might simply divorce ourselves from indentifying with with being either “liberal” or “conservative.” (Note the words in quotation, as these two words clearly mean different things to different people.)
Who are the “good guys?” Who are the “bad guys?” Even a simply story like Von’s you can be sure that somebody’s political influence or leaning believe me is in there somewhere. Ie., mentioning a previous strike equates to organized labor. Organized labor equates to socialism. Socialism equates to bad. On and on.
My point is, I don’t know how on earth this situation (politics influencing everything) can ever be reconciled. Especially when absolutism is rearing its ugly head.
You’re the only one who raised the issue of politics. Big Al simply mentioned a past strike without passing judgment, and the need for competition. Pretty benign and unremarkable. Yet you read this and somehow interpreted it not just as politics but as a particular brand of politics.
Paging Dr. Freud, Dr. Sigmund Freud…
Not stuck in the past Dr. Facts. Just pointing out part of why I do not like Vons much, the strike was another way they took advantage of the people here (the workers in this case), and yes it does validate my point.
You can call it what you want, but it is the truth. It is greed of that corporation. If I was to point fingers as you like to do, I would say that is a typical liberal view. But that would be a wrong statement, it is something from both sides, participate in, of which you love to demonize and champion depending on your political views.
You like to label me as a conservative but I am not, if there is any anger involved it seems to be from you, especially with the ranting you use to promote hatred against the conservatives. I just call it as I see it, I don’t try to promote it or anything else.
HeHe you need to chill it bro, try being constructive for a change.
you could not ‘shop’ at pioneer,they had liquor store prices.stater bros.would smoke vons with their far better deals and budget brands
Jeez Ken, ease up….Pioneer Market made plenty of money from Intrawest when it was “destroyed” to build the village.
Was Pioneer Market it’s name? I’ve forgotten. I’m glad the owner mad out well. That’s not really the point I was trying to make.
The point I keep trying to make (unsuccessfully) is that the town has been bought by big, anonymous international conglomerates and hedge funds and those people are taking as much money out of our local economy as they can without totally collapsing the local economy.
There are big forces at work to suck our local economy dry and they are doing a pretty good job. I’ve seen it before in the beach towns of SoCal. And I’m seeing it again here and I just can’t keep quiet about it even though many people think I’m just a complainer.
I’m not really complaining. I’m trying to shout loud enough to wake people up.
I think people would drive from all over to access a TJ’s in Mammoth. Forget about tourists. People from Big Pine to Benton to Bridgeport would make trips to a Mammoth TJ’s for the good prices, healthy foods, and great pricing. It’s a fun place to shop. I always feel like I am waking out of the store with twice the bags of food for the same money spent at a big chain supermarket.
I spoke with the decision makers at Trader Joe’s last year. It’s not our town that doesn’t fit their model, it’s the food storage. Apparently they like to store their food in a giant climate-controlled warehouse within 5 miles of the store. We don’t have that and they are not willing to build one.
Interesting … food storage within 5 miles.
If I remember correctly, Trader Joe’s stated they are focused on opening new stores in college comuities only. I believe this topic was covered on a Cottonwood Plaza article. May have been a blogger comment????
Trader Joes wont do it…..the seasons[fluctuating population] dont fit business model….we had this discussion yrs ago…
I don’t see the season fluctuation as being that great in regard to population and customers, people from the Bishop area would go up there to shop at a Trader Joes, as well. Summer time crowds come up for the bike park, so the fluctuation would not be that great, I don’t think?
Ski crowds range from 10,000 to more than 15,000. Probably more than off times.
BK
Benett, I don’t have any figures on the bike park, but it fills the off season void pretty much from what I have seen, plus there are the moto cross crowds, and some tourist activity, amongst other things.
um…and fishing/campers
What we REALLY need is a Trader Joe’s. Food costs way less at TJ’s than super markets and seems far more heathy generally speaking.
We had another market until they destroyed it to make room for the Village Gondola. Wasn’t a great market but at least if gave a choice and it did help keep Von’s prices down a bit.
How does that fit in with “Support Our Local Businesses”?
“They” didn’t destroy it, Ken. That whole area was already slated for the Village, I believe. The Village Market was probably just a pet project to occupy space for a while to drive the value of that piece of property up. The family that owned it probably did pretty well when they sold it to the Village developers. Lack of interest in running an indie market in this town most likely led to its not being relocated or kept alive. Just an observation. Some things are not always as they seem. It had nothing at all to do w/ locals not supporting local businesses.
Also, folks should give Sierra Sundance a chance…
That little market was there for decades. As were all the other businesses and rental units that were leveled for the Village. They certainly did destroy it. It’s not there now. How else can you describe it?
Your characterization of that market as a “pet project” doesn’t reflect what it was really like. Did you ever shop there? I did. It was a real market with a real butcher shop and fresh produce. Sierra Sundance doesn’t even come close.
Although, I will give you that running a small independent market is quite a difficult thing to do in the current global economy where suppliers are more and more owned by the big market chains like Safeway.
Neither of us knows the actual financial transactions that transpired. I hope the owners made a bunch of money when they sold to Intrawest. But given all the empty space in the Village at any given time, why couldn’t space have been found for that market? Although the parking problem would have killed it anyway. That little market had parking right in front of it. You could be in and out with your purchase in less time than it takes to park in the current facility and walk across the street. Would people go through all the current parking trouble to buy some milk and eggs? Probably not.
Also, consider all the local businesses that have disappeared since the Village opened. You know that big empty lot by the ZRanch and Goodyear station? Used to be a little mall with a pizza place and other businesses. Gone!
And just look around town at all the empty store fronts. Look at Minnaret Village. There use to be a vibrant business community there. Now it’s like a ghost town. All for the sake of allowing a non-local business conglomerate to suck money out of our local economy.
The Village changed the shopping patterns of both visitors and locals. And that has put a lot of local businesses under extreme duress or out of business and sucks money out of town that used to stay in town.
That’s not supporting local businesses. Your concerns about supporting local businesses are valid but misdirected. It’s not little people like me who are the problem. It’s entities so big you can hardly see them. Slowly sucking the town dry so they can sell the remains and move on to their next business opportunity.
No wait. Sierra Sundance is a good little market. I thought you were refering to that little market at the Village.
Sierra Sundance is not the same as the other market (which to be honest, I’ve forgotten the name of) we were talking about but still ok. I do shop there from time to time. But not for the basics necessary to prepare all my own meals — which I do. It’s a matter of economics — not prejudice against Sierra Sundance. It’s all about economics…..
Joe Columbo founded Trader Joe’s. I was at a dinner honoring him down south about two years ago. I cornered him and told him I was representing the Town of Mammoth Lakes and that we really wanted a Trader Joe’s here. I started to explain that the majority of our visitors were from Southern California and were already shoppers at TJ’s, their trucks drive right by us on the way to their store in Carson City, and that it would be a really successful addition. He interrupted me and pointed to a couple of guys across the room and said I needed to talk to them since he sold the company 20 years ago. Oh well, I tried.
I agree, a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, or something similar would do well here.
Wait for the real data — talk is cheap. Do real analysis with constant dollars and present it in comparison to past years.
Stuff said in Council meetings is about as meaningful as a TV commercial.
vons doesnt need to expand,mammoth needs a stater bros. with far better prices to give that rip off vons some hard competition,just like every other industry,vons shouldnt be a monopoly
Stater Bros. carries Yoo Hoo in the 15.5 oz. bottle!!!!
Yes I agree ferdinand, Competition will make em sit up and take notice, for Mammoth and Bishop. I don’t if it is the case in Mammoth, but in Bishop, Vons has pretty much guaranteed that competition can not come in. Same with Kmart.