On Thursday, November 20th, the Mammoth Lakes Hispanic Advisory Committee held the eighth semi-annual Junta del Pueblo. Mammoth Lakes Housing presented on the recent first-time homebuyer awards which can help locals purchase and/or rehabilitate homes, as well as the availability of rehabilitation funds for landlords of multi-unit apartment complexes. The organization highlighted the $1 Million in funding that was awarded for the purchase and/or rehabilitation of manufactured housing, which is typically difficult to finance. These funds will be dispersed as low interest loans to interested homebuyers and can be used throughout the County and the City of Bishop.
Approximately 50 community members attended the meeting at the Grand Sierra Lodge. The community heard presentations from a number of organizations including:
- Community Services Solutions on medical coverage,
- the Mono County Department of Behavioral Health,
- Wild Iris,
- and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Jose Melara, the Office Manager of the Lancaster DMV Office provided information on Assembly Bill 60 which takes effect on January 1. The bill will allow undocumented persons the ability to obtain driving privileges.
The goals of the Hispanic Advisory Committee are to educate the public and improve understanding and communication between law enforcement and the community. According to the Mammoth Lakes Police Department press release (November 24, 2014), the “…series of Town Hall meetings have been well received by the community.”
Special thanks to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for making the conference room available at no charge and the following restaurants for providing refreshments: Subway, Von’s, Dominos, Lakanuki, Twomey’s, Gomez’s, Smokeyard, Salsas, and Goodlife.
