News Briefs from August 5 Board of Supervisors Meeting
NEW TO THE COUNTY WORKFORCE

The following new employees were introduced to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday:

• Ag Commissioner: Ag/Weights & Measures Inspector Harminder Singh Sran
• Environmental Health: Environmental Health Specialist Trainee Riley Anderson
• Health and Human Services: Prevention Specialist Miranda Morrison
• Sheriff’s Office: Animal Shelter Assistant David Williams, Correctional Officer Joseph Rael,Deputy Michael Compito, and Deputy Erica Vanderveer

BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS MONTH
Health & Human Services Director Anna Scott announced that August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and in observance, the Public Health and Prevention division is holding a special event for new and expecting parents.

This month’s LIFE (Linking Individuals and Families for Empowerment) Night will double as the Annual Community Baby Shower hosted by Inyo County’s Women, Infants & Children program. The event will run from 5-6:30 p.m. today, Thursday, August 7 at the Clint G. Quilter Consolidated Office Building, 1360 N. Main St., Bishop. Dinner will be served starting at 6:30 p.m.

Offerings include a children’s playgroup for youth ages 0-6, children’s book giveaway, a car seat safety check, and one-on-one sessions with a certified lactation consultant for new moms.

LIFE Nights were initiated by Public Health and Prevention staff about 8 months ago to provide direct services to the community around a wide variety of topics, including tech support for senior citizens. They are held the first Thursday of every month at 5 p.m. at the Consolidated Office Building.

For more information on this week’s event, contact WIC at (760) 872-1885.

HEALTH SERVICES
The Board approved an agreement on Tuesday that will allow Health & Human Services to continue receiving critical funding from the California Department of Public Health’s Maternal Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH) program.

Inyo County will receive $144,849.19 in state and federal reimbursements for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, with which it will ensure continued access to and availability of a complete spectrum of services for women, infants, children, and adolescents in focus areas such as prenatal care, oral health, child passenger safety, breastfeeding support, developmental screening for children ages 0-5, infant health and safety, obesity prevention, and adolescent health.

Specific services include healthcare navigation, referrals, health education, grief support, and car safety seat checkups. HHS Director Anna Scott noted that this year’s program, in collaboration with Northern Inyo Hospital and pediatric providers, will place emphasis on maternal mental health – which was revealed to be a great need in Inyo County during the development of the Community Health Improvement Plan.

“Our focus this year in this grant, in addition to some of the other activities, will really be on implementing some evidence-based programming around post-partum depression and ensuring that we’re continuing to work to break the stigma of mental health issues for moms who have recently delivered children,” she said.

For assistance, call (760) 873-7873.

SLURRY SEALING UNDERWAY
Public Works Director Mike Errante reminded the Board on Tuesday of the imminent start of the County’s slurry seal road maintenance project.

Contractor American Asphalt began work Wednesday in Independence, where approximately 20 residential streets and two parking lots will be treated over the course of nine days. The work then moves to Bishop where another 20 or so roads will be treated from August 19-26.

The project is meant to extend the life of asphalt pavements by applying a thin layer of slurry seal to the existing surface – improving skid resistance and sealing the pavement from water and oxidation.

A schedule of what streets will be treated when is available at https://www.inyocounty.us/services/public-works/news/slurry-seal-road-maintenance-independence-and-bishop.

 

WILDFIRE PREVENTION FUNDING
The Board authorized Inyo County/Eastern Sierra Council of Governments Wildfire Prevention Coordinator Kristen Pfeiler on Tuesday to submit multiple applications to CALFIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program.

The program is aimed at supporting local and regional efforts that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, with approximately $135 million available statewide this grant cycle in California Climate Investments and Proposition 4 bond funds.

Pfeiler prepared multiple applications for funding to address critical wildfire mitigation priorities as identified in the Inyo County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, including:

• A Community Green Waste Disposal Support Program to provide dump vouchers and roll-off dumpsters in high-risk communities to facilitate defensible space maintenance;
• Hazardous fuels reduction projects within county parks to reduce overgrown vegetation and wildfire risk in public recreation areas; and
• Supplemental funding to further an Ingress/Egress Planning effort with a focus on wildfire risk and emergency access improvements for communities which recently received partial funding from a grant to the Local Transportation Commission (LTC).

Entities can apply for up to $950,000 in funding, with no local costs or matching funds required.

SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM CONCLUDES
Chief Probation Officer Jeff Thomson announced his department is wrapping up another successful Youth Summer Escape Program this Friday with a barbecue for participants and their families at the juvenile hall in Independence.
He explained that the program gives youth from throughout the county the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and outings, such as cooking, gardening, arts and crafts, pool days, and visits to the Museum of Tolerance and L.A. Zoo. The program provides participants with peer support, mentorship, and positive experiences outside of Inyo County.

“Going out of the county and doing some of these museum trips and zoo trips, sometimes it is the first time a kid in our community has even left the county,” Thomson said. “It’s been a really, really great opportunity. We hope to continue it.”

##########