IN MY OPINION...

The old line goes something like “a funny thing happened to me on the way to the Forum,”—that’s not exactly how it went for me a couple of weeks ago but close. It should read “a really sad thing happened to me AT the forum.” As everyone in the County knows by now and a topic that has been discussed from many different points of view, Rusty Gregory is considering closing June Mountain 3 days a week during the 2006-2007 ski season for financial reasons. Having lived in June Lake since 1975, this really came as no huge surprise to me. June Mountain has never been wildly successful midweek operation—bottom line corporate thinking of course would look at this fact in a hard and rational way. As the rumor mills began to grind in June Lake, the strangest opinion began to take form—the June Lake Advocates was somehow responsible for this decision which would lead to the ruination of June Lake. Aside from the silly standpoint (does the JLA really have this kind of power and influence--I think not), this was yet another way to discredit a 2-year old organization and further divide our fractured little community. The JLA, since its formation, has only worked to protect June Lake from outlandish development, ensure there is enough water, and protect the environment from thoughtless defilement. After a couple of encounters with friends who seemed to me to be in the JLA is to Blame camp, I decided to write a letter to the editor and once again try to explain what the JLA is and what it is not.

As the meeting of the June Lake Citizen’s Advisory Committee was coming up, I decided I would present these thoughts to the committee members and those assembled. Let me tell you, it was a packed house that I faced that night. I should have expected an unfriendly reception, given that the JLA has been met with hostility and maligning by the CAC from the first day it appeared before the Committee and dared to present a dissenting opinion. While I am an original member (and the person who keeps the membership records) of the June Lake Advocates, this presentation reflected my personal thoughts—not party-line speechifying. I began by introducing myself, telling the folks the different jobs I have held in June Lake and the County during my time in June Lake. Because many people never seem to hear the part about the JLA wanting sensible development (NEVER once have we said we wanted no development, but that theory continues to be the pervasive belief of many June Lake businesspeople), I decided to briefly reiterate what the JLA is all about. I began by stating that “the JLA is a group of 528 residents, second home owners and friends of June Lake who have”...when someone in the audience began yelling at me and basically calling me a liar—“show us that list of members”, “why aren’t they here speaking for themselves?”—others chimed in and on and on it went. I also noticed that many of those who weren’t yelling had the look of what I can only describe as pure hatred on their faces. I was given the floor to make my presentation at a formal and official meeting of a county organization and ended up facing an enraged mob.

Was I scared? You bet I was, and I’m not easily cowed, as many locals know. That moment of chaos probably only lasted a few seconds, but to me, it seemed like an eternity. Order was eventually reestablished, and I continued with my presentation.

And, for the record, I want to reiterate that the number of 528 members is absolutely correct (I can’t hear the screaming and feel the hatred in this format). I am not a liar. It frustrates me that the most vocal and most angry people in June Lake have formed opinions about the June Lake Advocates without ever once picking up the phone and asking Igor or me what the JLA is all about and hear the organization’s long-held goals for the June Lake Loop.

But back to that night--I went on to present some of my thoughts on the economic situation in June Lake, and what we might do to enrich it and to praise June Lake’s second home owners, another bone of contention in this debate. My final paragraph went something like this—“But wherever the truth may lie, I absolutely believe the time has come for all June Lake groups to sit down together, at a round table with no one in charge, each suggesting agenda items, and then begin to identify those different areas in which we can find some consensus. (Note: the JLA has suggested this in the past but it apparently has fallen on deaf ears.) Perhaps then we can actually begin to work together to preserve and protect June Lake AND improve the economy at the same time. This is a time for cooperation not confrontation.”

I really don’t know where all this is going to lead us—I know I was truly frightened, agonizingly saddened and frustrated beyond belief at the CAC meeting. I do know that we all must find areas on which we can agree, or I see no end to this hurtful and angry debate. Some people have said it was a set-up aimed at discrediting the JLA once and for all, but my presentation managed to diffuse the situation by speaking of cooperation and understanding. Again, who knows where the truth actually lies? I know I am not going to open up the JLA’s membership list for the business community to examine. We have members who actually own businesses here and others on our roster who are afraid of repercussions from this same group, and we are obligated to protect their names. Rusty Gregory and Paul McCahon both remarked that it IS in fact time for everyone to sit down together and following this really awful meeting our supervisor, Vickie Bauer, has suggested that a new group be formed—the June Lake Collective—including representatives of all the groups with an interest in the development in June Lake. I can only hope that this will actually take place.

Someone said that “June Lake is a dying town” and after talking with her following the meeting, we have agreed that June Lake is a “changed” town from what we both remember from the “old days.” Back in those good old times people seemed to move to June Lake to make a decent living, raise their children and enjoy the natural beauty and outdoor activities the Loop so generously provided. The change is that now some people move here as a financial investment. I personally don’t think these folks have done much research prior to becoming business owners in June Lake—it’s just not a spot to make a financial killing. Yes, there are fewer business establishments, but the old, tried and true ones are still here. Yes, there are no gas stations left in June Lake—could that be because newer cars can go as far as 500 miles at a pop; or maybe that large fuel companies no longer support the mom and pop type service stations and keeping up with governmental regulations has become prohibitively expensive; or that gas prices have skyrocketed, especially in our neck of the woods, or might it be that when most of the June Lake locals typically go out of town to do their shopping (Mammoth, Bishop, Reno, Carson City, wherever) they fill up because prices are lower and sometimes considerably lower. Off the top of my head I remember we had a barber shop (Andy retired), a hardware store (the Powers moved), a couple of beauty salons (the owners moved), some other restaurants (Mexican, the Old Dutch, the Green House), a fabric store, my own little Arts and Crafts consignment store, a medical clinic, a couple of banks and probably many others that I’ve forgotten. Some people harken back to those times to prove that June Lake is going downhill. Very few of these businesses however were operating concurrently; in fact, many of them occupied the same building at different times. People try new businesses; some fail, and some succeed. Some people are good business people, some aren’t. And some just simply move on.

But the unique and precious environment that is found on the June Lake Loop should be allowed to flourish and deserves to be protected, and that’s why I’m going to stay in this fight (way out of the limelight, you can bet on that)—to make certain that whatever development plans come down the pike and onto the June Lake Loop, there will be watchdogs to ensure that the development is done in a reasonable and sensible manner and with water sufficient enough to provide for everyone’s needs.

-Lee Vorobyoff