Government
Full Hookups or Half Truths? New Concessionaire Faces Scrutiny Over Amenities and Accuracy
“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Lance Hamrick told county supervisors last week about the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. But some things he does know: the water’s hot, the gates are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the hookups include electricity — only electricity. When desert travelers see the phrase…
New Concessionaire Addresses (Some) Community Questions on Tecopa Hot Springs
“Yes, we will be open for the takeover God willing and creek don’t rise,” wrote new Tecopa Hot Springs concessionaire Lance Hamrick — a line equal parts relief and rallying cry for a desert community eager to see the county pools and campground reopen under new management. That promise was fulfilled today, as the Tecopa Hot…
Locals Crowd Tecopa Community Center as County Weighs Rates, Solar, and Monument Support
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors convened at the Tecopa Community Center Tuesday afternoon, bringing County government to the far southern edge of the county for a standing-room-only meeting that blended celebration, contention, and civic discussion. At the center of the agenda were new rates at the County-owned Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools, an…
A Fair Soak at What Cost? Inside the Flippin-Hamrick Proposal for Tecopa Hot Springs
When the Inyo County Board of Supervisors meets in Tecopa on November 4, one agenda item will rise above the rest: how much locals and visitors will soon pay to soak in the County’s own hot springs. While residents have been fretting over the newly released rate schedule, Inyo County has also made public the full proposal submitted by…
Tecopa Hot Springs Rates Still Under Negotiation Ahead of Nov. 4 County Meeting
When the Inyo County Board of Supervisors rolls into Tecopa next week, they can expect a full house — and perhaps a few raised voices — as locals prepare to weigh in on newly proposed rates for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. With pricing still under negotiation, questions about affordability, fairness, and the definition of “local”…
Paper Trails: The Bureaucratic Glow-Up of Tecopa’s Community Center
“It gets very dark here in the winter,” wrote Aaron Holmberg, Inyo County’s Assistant Director of Risk Management, in his 2024 safety report on the Tecopa Community Center. “The exit signs are needed, especially if the power goes out earlier or later in the day for staff.” If you’ve ever wondered how slow progress looks…
Tecopa Town Hall Unites Residents to Tackle Food Insecurity After Federal Cuts
“You guys are tough people out there,” said Jessica from the Inyo-Mono Advocates for Community Action (IMACA), nodding from her Zoom screen toward the handful of desert residents gathered inside the Tecopa Community Center on a cool October evening. “And we’re hungry,” a local resident replied. The exchange captured the tone of a town hall…
Flippin-Hamrick Crew Officially Takes Keys to Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground
A new era has officially begun at the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground. On Wednesday, the Flippin-Hamrick crew announced they have “received the keys” to the county-owned facility, marking the formal start of their tenure as concessionaire under a new ten-year agreement with Inyo County. The announcement was shared with the community through a public statement…
County Orders Airbnb Operator to Cease Unpermitted Rentals at Lake Tecopa
The Inyo County Planning Department has issued a formal notice ordering the operator of the Lake Tecopa Airbnb to stop all short-term rental activity, citing violations of county code that prohibit unpermitted vacation rentals in unincorporated communities such as Tecopa. In a letter dated June 23, 2025, Planning Director Cathreen Richards informed Adrian Wilton, owner…
Inyo County Rewrites the Rules at Tecopa Hot Springs
The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is set to approve a new ten-year agreement at their October 21 meeting, granting Flippin Happy Campers & Lance Hamrick LLC the right to operate and maintain the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools, one of the Amargosa Basin’s most enduring public amenities. The contract marks the third public–private…
Optimism Grows as Tecopa Hot Springs Concession Contract Nears Finalization
After months of uncertainty, momentum is building toward a finalized agreement for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground & Pools concession. Both county officials and the incoming operators say they’re close to sealing the deal, with hopes of reopening by early November. At the September 23 Inyo County Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Will Wadelton noted…
Rep. Kevin Kiley Urges House to Return to Session, Breaks with Speaker Over Shutdown Strategy
As the federal government shutdown entered its twelfth day, Tecopa’s elected congressman, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R), said Sunday on CNN that the House should return to work instead of remaining closed under Speaker Mike Johnson’s direction. “There are a lot of reasons for the House to be in session,” Kiley said. “We were supposed to be in session the…
New Concessionaire Recommended for Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools
Inyo County has recommended awarding the concession agreement for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools to Flippin Happy Campers & Lance Hamrick LLC, opening the door to the next chapter in the stewardship of one of the Mojave Desert’s crown jewels. The County, which issued a request for proposals earlier this year following the…
Tecopa’s Community Plan Explained
The unincorporated community of Tecopa, in collaboration with Inyo County, laid out its vision for the future after a series of public meetings starting in 2015, preparing a draft document called the Tecopa Community Plan and releasing it in 2018. We thought it might be helpful to refresh our collective memory of what is even…
SIFPD Names New Volunteer EMT Trainee, Faces Questions Over Recruitment Practices
The Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD) has confirmed that Daniel Leseberg has been hired as a volunteer firefighter/EMT and will attend Unitek’s “boot camp” EMT training in Arizona this September, a program funded by district resources at a cost of approximately $8,500 per student. The decision, confirmed in correspondence from Chief Bill Lutze, follows…
SIFPD Fire Station Plans Spark Progress — and Debate — as County Awaits Key Details
The Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD) has taken a significant step toward building long-awaited fire stations in Tecopa and Charleston View, but key details remain unfinished before the project can move from concept to construction bids — and the process of finalizing them has been anything but straightforward. A draft document prepared by local…
Three Decades Later, Unofficial Water Test Used in Official County Process
A water quality report from 1995 is being used by Inyo County officials in 2025 as supporting documentation in their search for a new operator for Tecopa Hot Springs County Park — even though the report was never commissioned by the county. The decades-old analysis was conducted by J. Edward Guilmette, an environmental consultant who…
Newsom Eyes Special Election to Redraw Maps as Kiley Pushes Nationwide Mid-Decade Redistricting Ban
A political standoff over redistricting is quickly evolving into a national tug-of-war over the future of American representation—one that spans from Austin to Sacramento and has now reached Capitol Hill. At the center of the escalating conflict is a proposed federal ban on mid-decade redistricting, introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who represents…
Past Agreements, Future Stakes: Inside the Contracts Shaping Tecopa Hot Springs Park
As Inyo County prepares to select the next operator for Tecopa Hot Springs Park, prospective applicants would do well to study the evolution of the concessionaire agreements that have governed the site over the past two decades. Two contracts in particular—the 2004 agreement with California Land Management (CLM) and the 2021 renegotiated contract with Tecopa…
Upgrades and Earthquakes Shake Up Death Valley National Park
In the blazing heart of Death Valley’s off‑season, the desert is alive with motion. This is the time of year when the thermometer climbs to 115 and 120 °F, when even the air feels like it shimmers. Yet this summer, the quiet has been broken: a massive earthquake half a world away sent waves sloshing through…
Inyo County Opens Door for Bold Proposals at Tecopa Hot Springs Bidder’s Conference
The path forward for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools came into sharper focus this week as Inyo County officials fielded questions from prospective operators during a Bidder’s Conference held at the Tecopa Community Center. Many questions were answered, offering new insights into what bidders can and should include in their proposals — and…
New Records Reveal Tecopa Hot Springs’ Books
Prospective operators eyeing the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools are poring over Inyo County’s request for proposals, searching for clues and benchmarks that might help them craft realistic financial projections for this iconic but demanding desert site. Newly released financial records spanning three years offer a revealing look at the fragile economics behind one…
Big Fix, Big Risk: Inyo County Lays Out Hurdles for Tecopa Hot Springs Revival
The future of the historic Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools continues to be the biggest news in Tecopa as Inyo County seeks proposals for a new concessionaire to operate, maintain, and—ideally—revitalize this aging desert oasis. TecopaCabana submitted twenty detailed questions to the County, which recently released partial answers to about half of them, below,…
New Bid, Old Problems: Inyo County Opens Search for Tecopa Hot Springs Campground Operator
Inyo County released a new request for proposals on Monday, seeking a qualified concessionaire to take over management of the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools — a move that, on paper, promises a fresh start for one of Southeast Inyo’s most cherished public amenities. But behind the hopeful vision of revitalization lingers a hard…
Final Notice: County Letter Reveals Why Tecopa Hot Springs Operator Walked Away
In Southeast Inyo County, the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools — a longtime draw for tourists and a vital amenity for local residents — is once again changing hands. The private concessionaire that has operated the site for a decade has opted to vacate its lease after receiving a formal 30-day cure notice from…