I am a fifth generation Southern Inyo resident, born and raised in Lone Pine. My mother’s family arrived here from Mexico in the 1860’s to work at the Cerro Gordo mine. My Great Grandfather Ruperto “Bob” Carrasco was a blacksmith who owned and operated Lone Pine’s livery stable.

My father Jack Berry served in the Air Force. While stationed at George Air Force Base, he came to Lone Pine to visit his mother at Southern Inyo hospital, where he met my mother Alina, who was a “candy-striper”. They were married and lived in Lone Pine for 63 years, when my dad died in December 2021.

My Dad worked in the local mining operation mills as an electrician, Service Manager for Ellis Motors in Lone Pine, and retired from Lone Pine Unified School District. My mother Alina worked at the local bank for 57 years, the last 30 as the manager.

My wife Julie was also born and raised in Lone Pine. We have been married for 22 years and have four children. Two attend Owens Valley Elementary, one attends Lone Pine High School, and our oldest is an Architecture Major at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Julie has been a Registered Nurse for 22 years, most of her career in Obstetrics, as a Labor and Delivery nurse.

Julie’s late father Steve, was an Inyo County Sheriff’s Deputy, and her mother Jan, was the Operations Manager for Bank of America, and a bookkeeper for local businesses. Paul Lamos, her Stepfather was a skilled packer for the historic Mt. Whitney Pack Trains in his youth and spent his career supervising mining operations for Lake Minerals and later Rio Tinto. Julie’s Grandmother Marvis Hamblin was the long-time Lone Pine postmaster and her Grandfather Bob was a local licensed plumbing contractor for over 40 years. All were avid volunteers and active community members.

These deep roots have created not only love for Southern Inyo, but gratitude, and a sense of responsibility to serve by giving back to the community with time, skills and energy.

To serve others, one must be selfless. Twenty two years of marriage and four children demands selflessness.  With a family and career, my life is rarely self-centered.  Putting others needs ahead of my own is second-nature and has proven to be very fulfilling.

I have enjoyed serving the community through volunteering in the following ways:

Coaching: High School football coach in Lone Pine and Northern California, youth football, high school and middle school basketball and little league baseball

Other Youth-serving activities: I have chaired multiple fundraising committees for my children’s schools in Northern California and served on the Site Council for Lo-Inyo Elementary

Sharing Culinary talents: cooking for fundraisers for Lone Pine Eagle Boosters Club, Lone Pine Film Festival and Concert in the Rocks

I strive to be a servant-leader. A servant-leader’s reward comes from facilitating the success of others. When a leader is driven to help others achieve their goals, they are not motivated by their own ego, but a sense of responsibility to others. I am naturally oriented to servant leadership.

Professionally, I have voluntarily served in this capacity in multiple roles:

Inyo County Planning Commission:  Inyo County, mid 1990’s

Inyo County Water Commission: February 2023- current

California Association of Joint Powers Authority Accreditation Committee- This committee audits and rates the financial, operations, governance and compliance of California’s vast public agency risk pool industry.

Development of insurance program for California Public Cemeteries -Served as principal creator of program that has resulted in saving millions of dollars for local taxpayers.

California State Association of Counties - Excess Insurance Authority health plan committee, (CSAC-EIA):  The committee directs a health plan program with over 30,000 subscribers. Teamed with SISC’s, 100,000 plus subscribers, it is the second largest health plan pool (CalPERS is the largest) in California. CSAC- EIA is now called PRISM. Inyo County participates in PRISM for their major insurance coverage.

After gradutihg from Lone Pine High School, I attended Pacific University in Oregon, studied education and played four years of college football.  After college, I spent five years at Costco Wholesale during its startup. At Costco, I learned about efficiency and productivity from a cutting edge company that has grown to become one of the largest retailers in the world.

Professional:  Since 2001, I have worked professionally with over 500 public entities as a risk and insurance consultant, including, Golden State Risk Management Authority (GSRMA), and Special Districts Risk Management Authority (SDRMA). I am currently employed by California Charter School Association Joint Powers Authority (CharterSAFE).  The responsibilities in these positions have been vast, diverse and required specialized knowledge and a level of professionalism which is foundational for a County Supervisor.  Some of my responsibilities have included:

Budgeting, interpreting financial statements and audits: I have a comprehensive understanding of public agency finance and budgets. One of my primary responsibilities at Golden State Risk Management was overseeing the finances and budgeting of the agency’s assets. I have participated in both sides of audit processes, creating charts of accounts and administratively, writing policies and procedures.

Personnel and Human Resources : I have recruited, hired and supervised employees, negotiated with labor unions, and created new positions through company growth.

Forecasting and setting insurance rates: I work with actuaries and CPA’s to develop rates and allocation formulas for large multi-agency pooled insurance programs.

Interpreting complex information and presenting it to supervisory boards in a concise and effective manner: I present actionable items to public agencies and provide understandable, transparent data, so they can make informed decisions

Other well-developed skills I have include: Contract Review, Negotiation, Initiative development, Marketing, and Customer service

Breakout session leader/presenter at statewide professional conferences - I lead and facilitate trainings at statewide industry conferences.

These professional roles have afforded me the opportunity to build relationships and earn trust through demonstrated competency.  Having the ability to communicate professionally and with authority, but also relate interpersonally, is a skill that is only acquired with experience.  It is imperative that your Inyo County Fifth District Supervisor has these skills.

There has been significant ebbs and flows to Southern Inyo’s economy and culture during my lifetime. When I was a child, Lone Pine had competing supermarkets, car dealerships, a movie theatre, clothing stores, multiple hardware stores, and more bars, restaurants, churches and law offices than seemed necessary for a town of its size. Lone Pine served as a center of commerce for the communities of Olancha, Cartago, Keeler and Darwin. All of those communities had elementary schools that fed into Lone Pine High school.

Independence was a close knit community that Inyo County department heads and critical staff called home. Owens Valley Unified School District was a model for rural schools.

The communities of Death Valley Junction, Shoshone and Tecopa supported a High School that was large enough to field competitive athletic programs. One of Inyo’s finest leaders, Supervisor Charles Brown was a resident of Shoshone and became an influential State Senator!

I grew up admiring our Supervisors. Jack Hopkins was a charming local businessman, “Mac” McDonald operated the most popular restaurant in Lone Pine. I was friends with their children and grandchildren. Johnny Johnson from Independence was one of the finest men I ever knew and a fearless advocate for Inyo County. I will continue to enhance the legacy of the Supervisors that preceded me by serving with the same selfless passion that they exemplified.

The challenges have changed, but the same courageous leadership is needed. Fifth Distrct communities are strangled by the lack of available, affordable and appropriate housing. It is interrelated with many other foundational issues including a strong economy and maintaining adequate emergency services. Without housing, it is difficult to recruit skilled people to fill professional roles, including teachers, healthcare workers, etc.

Available, affordable housing is integral to maintaining a healthy, vibrant community. Revitalizing existing housing and investing in developing/improving properties is an necessity.

Nothing can be built without a foundation. Housing is THE foundation that a thriving community is built on. I will focus on building that foundation from the moment I am elected. Southern Inyo County’s natural beauty is unparalleled. Once we reinforce the foundation, together, we can build a community where the quality of life matches that unparalleled natural beauty.