FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2025

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Public Relations Liaison Darcy Israel,
(760) 878-0292

News Briefs from Dec. 9 Board Meeting

RETURNING TO THE FRIENDLY SKIES

United Airlines flights at Bishop Airport on Thursday.

Public Works Director Mike Errante announced the news on Tuesday, noting that the resumed service will start with flights to and from San Franciso International Airport (SFO). He said flights to and from Denver (DEN) will resume on December 18.

According to Errante, this is the fifth season that Inyo County and its regional partners have been able to offer the convenience of commercial flights into the Bishop area for both residents and visitors. “It’s hard to believe that this will be our fifth year – it’s pretty incredible,” Errante told the Board.

Daily flights run through March, with Thursday through Monday flights to DEN continuing until April 21, 2026. This winter season will also include additional evening and morning flights over the weekends.

Summer 2026 air service will begin on May 21, with four-day-a-week service to SFO. Daily SFO flights begin June 25 and run through September 1. Four-day-a-week service continues until October 26.

Interested fliers are encouraged to visit https://www.inyocounty.us/bishop-airport for more information, including how to apply for the “locals discount.”

REVAMPED WATER WEBSITE

Inyo County Water Director Dr. Holly Alpert announced on Tuesday that her department has completed a much-needed overhaul of its website, which hasn’t been redesigned in almost 15 years.

The refresh aims to make the site not just more visually appealing, but overall easier to navigate. “So substantively, the site is the same. It’s all of the same content – it still is very much a storehouse for a lot of documents that we have,” Dr. Alpert told the Board. “But the look and feel is very new, and I think it’s a bit more functional now.”

The site, which can be reached at www.inyowater.org, also has a brand-new “Citizen Science” feature to allow members of the public to collect and share important biological and environmental data. The citizen observations will support ongoing mitigation efforts and provide valuable information on the health of local ecosystems.

Dr. Alpert encouraged the public to check out the improved website and to also let her department know of additional information that should be on included or if anything has otherwise been missed during the recent update.

BACK FROM CSAC

During board reports at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors reported on their attendance of the recent $131^{\text{st}}$ Annual Conference of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC).

Held in San Jose Dec. 1-4, the conference was an opportunity for the board members to come together with fellow leaders from all of California’s 58 counties to confront shared challenges, exchange ideas, and identify practical solutions. It was also a chance for the Inyo board members to connect across regions, reflect on emerging issues, and strengthen the partnerships that drive effective governance.

The conference featured numerous workshops, roundtables, Q&As, committee meetings, and seminars on topics that included agriculture and water, wildfire, new legislation, use of artificial intelligence, transportation, navigating federal uncertainty, and housing.

The conference also included a changing of the guard in leadership, as District 2 Inyo County Supervisor Jeff Griffiths completed his term as CSAC President. Supervisor Griffiths was elected to the top post during the 2024 conference — marking the first time in Inyo County history that a member of its board was selected to serve in the prestigious post. He was succeeded by Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and will remain on the CSAC Board of Directors for the next year as Immediate Past President.

LOOKING AHEAD

December 16 will be the final meeting of the year for the Board of Supervisors. On the agenda are presentations from the Eastern Sierra Business Resource Center, High Sierra Energy Foundation, and Regional Wildfire Prevention Coordinator Kristen Pfeiler. The Board is also scheduled to discuss and approve the 2025 Legislative Platform.

The agenda is accessible at https://inyococa.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3314/files/agenda/3038 or https://www.inyocounty.us/government/publications-reports-plans-proclamations/meeting-agendas-minutes.

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