Eastern Sierra News

NOTICE OF TEMPORARY WATER SERVICE INTERRUPTION As part of the City of Bishop's ongoing coordination with the Caltrans Bishop Pavement Rehabilitation Project, work is scheduled to relocate and reconnect portions of the City's water system that conflict with the roadway improvements. In order to safely complete this work, water service will need to be temporarily shut off to your property. Scheduled Water Outage - Start: Sunday, July 26, 2026, at approximately 10:00 p.m. - End: Monday, July 27, 2026, by approximately 6:00 a.m. These times are tentative and may change depending on field conditions. Every effort will be made to restore water service as quickly as possible. What You Should Do Prior to the scheduled outage, we recommend that you: - Store enough drinking water for your household's needs during the outage. - Avoid using dishwashers, washing machines, or other water-dependent appliances during the outage period. - If you operate equipment tha...

  Rep. Kiley Secures Key Projects in Water Resources Development Act Last week, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unanimously passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. This bipartisan legislation, which Rep. Kiley strongly supported, addresses important water resource needs in communities across the country, including in California. Through WRDA, Congress authorizes projects and provides the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) with Congressional direction in how it considers, builds, and maintains this critical infrastructure. Rep. Kiley is happy to report that he was able to secure significant wins in the bill that impact California’s Third Congressional District. These include: - Sacramento River Basin - A $155 million authorization allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to provide design and construction assistance to non-Federal interests for environmental restoration, stormwater management, and surface water protection projects in...

US Forest  #RockFire Morning Update, July 24   CURRENT SITUATION: Overnight, fire activity on the Rock Fire moderated due to stagnant winds, allowing ground crews to make good progress constructing and strengthening containment lines. Along Highway 395, firefighters continued mop-up operations and identified hot-spots. Most of the fire behavior remained isolated to Armstrong Canyon in the northern portion of the fire, where localized torching was observed, alongside a few lingering hot spots just to the north.   Today incident command will focus on inserting Hotshot and Type 1 hand crews into the steep, inaccessible terrain across the northern and northwestern flanks of the fire. Air assets will provide direct support as flight conditions allow to maximize both firefighter safety and operational efficiency. WEATHER:   Today’s weather will present challenging fire suppression conditions. Firefighters will experience hot temperatures exceeding 100°F, low afternoon relative humidity, an...

Rural County Representatives of California Opposes AT&T Petition that Threatens Universal Telephone Service Protections   Broad coalition urges FCC to preserve California’s authority to protect access to reliable communications services for all residents   SACRAMENTO, CA – The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), in coordination with a broad coalition of consumer, local government, labor, agricultural, and public interest organizations, has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opposing AT&T’s Petition for Preemption and Declaratory Ruling, which seeks to prevent California’s Carrier of Last Resort (COLR) requirements from applying to AT&T’s planned discontinuance of Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).   RCRC joined a coalition of organizations, such as The Utility Reform Network (TURN), California Alliance for Digital Equity, California State Association of Counties (CSAC), and the Communications Workers of America (CWA), in submit...

Date: July 23, 2026 District: 9 - Bishop Contact: Michael Lingberg Phone: (760) 920-0280   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Traffic Advisory for the Week of 7/27/2026 to 7/31/2026   EASTERN KERN, INYO, and MONO COUNTIES - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announces the following project work and traffic impacts for the week of July 27 – July 31.   Work schedules are subject to change due to traffic incidents, weather, availability of equipment and/or materials, and/or construction-related issues.   New Traffic Impacts   Eastern Kern County   ·    State Route 58 Slab Replacement – On State Route 58 from Broome Road to Woodford-Tehachapi Road, the westbound outside lane and shoulder will close as maintenance crews replace slabs on Tuesday through Saturday, July 25, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Drivers may experience brief delays. ·    Kern River Valley Sign Work – On State Route 178 W from Kelso Valley Road to State Route 14 near Inyokern, crews will install new tra...

 Agenda Bishop City Council Monday, July 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM PDT     NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: Please be advised this meeting is accessible to the public in person, on the City of Bishop website, or on the local government cable channel 12.  In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at 760-873-5863 Extension 124.  Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting. . The public is encouraged to participate or observe this meeting by: Attending this meeting in person at the City of Bishop City Council Chambers located at 301 West Line Street in Bishop, California. Observing this meeting live from the City of Bishop website at: https://www.cityofbishop.com/government/city_council/index.php Observe this meeting live from the local government cable channel 12.  Public comm...