Bishop lawyer offered TRPAs top job

Thursday, April 27, 2000 | 10:09 a.m.

Greg James, director of the Inyo County Water Department and special legal counsel to Inyo County, was picked from three finalists interviewed by TRPAs governing board.

James is expected to decide on the offer by Monday. Board members said his starting salary would be capped at $100,000 but compensation remains a topic of negotiation.

The other finalists interviewed Wednesday were Pamela Wilcox, Nevadas State Lands administrator, and Bill Allayaud, a principal planner for Salt Lake City and former planner with the California Coastal Commission.

TRPA was established by Congress in 1969 to take the lead role in preserving Lake Tahoe, which is suffering from a host of ecological ills. Algae growth resulting from human-caused pollution is stealing the lake's famed clarity at an average rate of more than a foot each year.

James has served as a legal counsel to Inyo County in varying capacities for 20 years. He was a key player in a protracted legal battle between the county and city of Los Angeles over Owens Valley water rights - a dispute settled through compromise discussions concluded in 1991.

More than 100 people applied for the job, vacated by Jim Baetge in January due to health concerns. A committee of TRPA governors narrowed the field of finalists from nine to three during a series of interviews Monday and Tuesday.

If he accepts the position, James said a top priority would be to ensure some $908 million worth of restoration projects experts say are vital to save Lake Tahoe are built.