Inyo County
Fire Protection District Presses for Millions in Safety Funding as Solar Project Nears Approval
In Southern Inyo County, California, even the most basic lifeline of emergency response has begun to fray. For months, the district’s radios—its only reliable way to summon volunteer firefighters and EMT across 1,200 square miles—have been effectively dead. At the Nov. 20 board meeting of the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD), Fire Chief Bill…
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…
UNLV Study Puts Tecopa on the Map for Desert Sustainability
A 2022 doctoral study from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has highlighted Tecopa as part of a groundbreaking look at how desert communities can better manage their most limited resources — water, energy, and food — in a changing climate. The dissertation, “Nexuscapes: A Landscape Approach for a Transdisciplinary Water-Energy-Food Nexus Decision-Making Process,” was written by Fortino Acosta for his Ph.D. in…
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…
Heard Around Town: Desert Mornings and Mountain Snow
Autumn has arrived in the Amargosa Basin, bringing crisp mornings, clear skies, and — for the first time this season — snow on Telescope Peak. On October 14, residents spotted a fresh white cap dusting the summit of the Panamint Range, a sure sign that winter is edging closer to Death Valley. Down in Tecopa,…
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…
Heard Around Town: Rain, Renewal, and Resilience
It’s been a dramatic start to October in Tecopa, where the desert sky has delivered both a rare soaking and an early taste of winter. On October 9, residents watched dark clouds gather over the Amargosa Basin, bringing a flash flood warning and more than half an inch of rain — the third-largest rainfall in…
Heard Around Town: Desert Winds and Civic Sparks
Autumn is settling into the desert, and with it comes a sense of motion — the wind picking up, the air sharpening, and the land itself waking after months of heat and stillness. Across Inyo County, that shift is visible everywhere: in the renewed rhythm of community meetings, conservation projects, and events, and in the…
Heard Around Town: Waiting on the Record
Inyo County has confirmed that it is still in the process of negotiating the concessionaire contract with the selected respondent for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. As a result, officials say, TecopaCabana’s public records request related to the submitted applications remains on hold. “This PRA will be resumed once negotiations are complete,” 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…
Heard Around Town: Quiet Work
Property tax assessments for Inyo County landed in Tecopa mailboxes this month, and many residents are facing valuations that have climbed as much as 20 percent over last year. The increases have sparked unease in this small desert community, where modest incomes and fixed pensions are common, and where institutional support is limited. The higher…
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…
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…
Heard Around Town: Water, Wildflowers, and Willpower
SIFPD Declines Water Tank Offer, Focuses on New Fire Stations and 2026 Tax Measure At the most recent meeting of the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD), the board turned down a proposal from local landowner Jon Zellhoefer, who had offered the district use of a water tank located on his property—currently listed for sale…
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…
Records Trace Years of Noncompliance as Tecopa Hot Springs Operator Approaches County Deadline
Since issuing a formal 30-day notice last month demanding that the operator remedy longstanding deficiencies, Inyo County officials have largely refused to answer any questions about the status of the Tecopa Hot Springs Pools and Campground. Instead, inquiries from this publication have been treated as formal public records requests — a move that effectively allows…
Culture of Fear Alleged at Tecopa Hot Springs Campground as County Issues Ultimatum
A long-simmering culture of fear surrounding the management of the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground has come into sharper focus this week—just as Inyo County has issued a 30-day ultimatum to Tecopa Hot Springs Conservancy LLC, the current concessionaire, to bring the facility into compliance or face termination. Representatives of the Conservancy have not responded to…
Inyo County Issues 30-Day Ultimatum as Future of Tecopa Hot Springs Campground Hangs in the Balance
The future of the Tecopa Hot Springs Park and Campground—one of Southeast Inyo County’s most treasured public amenities—continues in uncertainty, as the current operator has been given a 30-day deadline to cure a series of contractual deficiencies or face eviction. Inyo County issued a statement: “Regarding the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools, numerous deficiencies…
Future of Tecopa Hot Springs Campground in Question as County Enters Closed-Door Talks
As the slow summer season begins, Inyo County supervisors are entering closed-door negotiations over the future of Tecopa Hot Springs Park and Campground—a publicly owned, culturally significant site operated under contract by a private concessionaire. In a high-stakes closed session today, Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors is set to discuss…
Death Valley and Inyo County Expand Partnership in Face of Shrinking Federal Resources
In the sun-scorched expanse of eastern California, Inyo County and Death Valley National Park are tightening their coordination in the face of extreme weather, federal staffing cuts, and aging infrastructure. Together, they are managing a uniquely challenging intersection of rural resilience and world-renowned tourism. Death Valley National Park’s Superintendent Mike Reynolds and Management Analyst Abby…
Heard Around Town: Government Edition
TecopaCabana.com will be previewing highlights and offering special coverage of this week’s Inyo County Board of Supervisors meeting in Tecopa. The Board is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, at the Tecopa Community Center, 400 Tecopa Hot Springs Road. The annual spring session in Southeast Inyo offers residents of the region…
Southern Inyo Fire Board Works on Long-Term Plans Amid Delays and Recruitment Challenges
The Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD) board convened to address long-term planning efforts on March 13, including recruitment efforts and two key fire station projects in the works. One project involves a new station in Tecopa Heights, while the other focuses on a new substation in Charleston View. Both projects have received grant funding…
Heard Around Town: Under the Full Moon
It was a week of both devastation and renewal in Tecopa, marked by the luminous presence of a full moon. Our cherished Borehole Spring was ravaged by fire, with over 9 acres burned. “A BLM Fire investigation is ongoing, with no obvious source of ignition determined from physical evidence,” reports the Amargosa Conservancy, intimating that…
Inyo County Sheriff’s Office Will Not Enforce Federal Immigration Laws
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release on January 30, ten days after the second presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, to reassure residents that enforcing federal immigration laws is not within their local law enforcement duties. Their primary focus, they emphasize, is safeguarding the community and fostering trust between law enforcement and the…
Commission Approves $7.8M Active Transportation Corridor Project for Tecopa
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has officially approved the Active Transportation Program staff recommendations for the Connecting Tecopa: Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Corridor project, a significant initiative aimed at improving transportation safety in the rural communities of Tecopa and Tecopa Hot Springs by establishing bicycle lanes and sidewalks. The approved project will establish a 2.9-mile active transportation…