NEWS BRIEFS FROM THE APRIL 4
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING

Video of the April 4 Board of Supervisors meeting can be found at
http://inyococa.civicclerk.com/Web/Player.aspx?id=3194&key=-1&mod=-1&mk=-1&nov=0.

EMPLOYEES LAUDED
Several Inyo County employees were honored for their hard work and dedication Tuesday.
Awards were given to employees who reached service milestones with the County during the first quarter of 2023.
The following individuals were recognized and applauded by the Board of Supervisors:
• Paul Dorame, 25 years, Tammy McDevitt, 20 years, and Mark Smith, 15 years, Sheriff’s Office
• Rick Chapman, 15 years, Information Services
• Gilbert Conde, 5 years, and Claude Felton, 5 years, Public Works
• Edith Chavez, 5 years, Nicole Gonzalez, 5 years, and Catherine Grisham, 5 years, Health & Human Services
• Mallory Watterson, 5 years, County Counsel
• Wendy Carrington, 25 years, Personnel

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH

Health & Human Services Director Marilyn Mann took the opportunity during Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting to remind those in attendance that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. According to Mann, residents can support the observance by wearing blue on Fridays, taking photos, and uploading them to social with the hashtag #PaintInyoBlue. The community is also encouraged to attend a ceremony for Children’s Memorial Day at 8:30 a.m. April 28 at the Clint G. Quilter Consolidated Office Building, 1360 N. Main St., Bishop. The annual event honors children who have lost their lives due to child abuse and neglect. Every year, more than 4 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 4.3 million children (a referral can include multiple children). According to ChildHelp.org, an estimated 1,840 children died as a result of abuse and neglect in 2019 – an average of 5 children a day. These statistics are thought to be undercounted by some state agencies by as much as 50 percent or more.  For more information, visit https://www.inyocounty.us/first5.

PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING

Upon announcing that April 3-9 is National Public Health Week on Tuesday, Inyo County Health & Human Services Director Marilyn Mann urged local leaders to continue supporting proper public health funding at the state level. According to Mann, the funding infrastructure for public health services in California has historically been lacking. The COVID-19 pandemic found many jurisdictions inadequately equipped to deal with the public health crisis until funding was bolstered by the state. Now, she said, the state is threatening to erode those funds once more.  The Governor’s budget provides $5.5 billion for support of the California Department of Public Health’s programs and services in Fiscal Year 2023-2024 – a 20.21 percent decrease from FY 2022-23. The budget is scheduled to be passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor this summer, following any changes made in the May Revision.

TIRE AMNESTY
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors approved a request on Tuesday to waive landfill gate fees for two upcoming events aimed at encouraging proper tire disposal.  With a grant from CalRecycle, Inyo County Recycling and Waste Management (RWM) will be holding Tire Amnesty Days at all landfills from Bishop to Lone Pine the weekends of May 13-14 and June 17-18. These events are in addition to the Tire Amnesty event being held this weekend, April 8-9 (and for which the gate fee waiver was previously approved by the Board).  Residents and public agencies will be able to enter landfills free of charge to dispose of up to 9 passenger vehicle or truck tires at no cost. Tires must be rimless. The events are not open to commercial tire dealers and no heavy equipment tires will be accepted.  Tire Amnesty events are sponsored by Inyo County and the Rural Counties’ Environmental Joint Powers Authority.  For more information, contact Inyo County RWM at (760) 873-7191.

BOARD DARK ON APRIL 11
It was announced during Tuesday’s meeting that the Inyo County Board of Supervisors will not be meeting next Tuesday, April 11, and will be on the road for the following week’s meeting.
The Board will hold its annual Southeast Inyo meeting on April 18, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Furnace Creek Visitors Center Auditorium for updates and presentations from groups in the Death Valley area. This portion of the meeting is expected to wrap up at about noon-12:30. The Board will then reconvene at the Tecopa Community Center at 2:30 p.m. for additional presentations and other agenda items still in the works.

The meeting will be broadcast via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/868254781. The meeting may also be accessed by telephone at the following numbers: (669) 900-6833; (346) 248-7799; (253) 215-8782; (929) 205-6099; (301) 715-8592; (312) 626-6799. Webinar ID: 868 254 781.