By Ken Koerner
Register Staff

Just driving by, it’s bound to be noticed. The “new” part is obvious to even a passing motorist; seeing the “old” part requires stopping to go inside.

For the past several weeks, motorists have been both passing the new Department of Motor Vehicles facility in Bishop with a mixture of admiration and curiosity, and stopping in to conduct business as well as  check out the state-of-the-art digs.

California’s District 34 Assemblyman Bill Maze offers his congratulations to the Bishop Paiute Tribe and the DMV during the grand opening ceremonies for the new facility on tribal land. Photo by Gene Burke

The DMV, in partnership with the Bishop Paiute Tribe, officially dedicated the brand new field office serving the City of Bishop and surrounding communities on Saturday.
DMV Director George Valverde was in Bishop for the event, joining with Bishop Paiute Tribal Chairman Tilford Denver in commemorating the facility’s opening.
“Today is an historic occasion. We are pleased to join together with the Bishop Paiute Tribe to open the very first DMV field office on Native American soil,” Valverde said. “Enhancing customer service is one of our primary goals, and this office now provides many amenities for Bishop’s growing community.”
If the precedent-setting arrangement had not been reached between the Tribe and the DMV, the Eastern Sierra would have lost its walk-in access to the DMV entirely.
“There simply wasn’t any land in Bishop available for the DMV to locate a field office,” DMV spokesperson Jan Mendoza said. “If the Bishop Paiute Tribe had not proposed constructing this new building and leasing it to us, our nearest office would have ended up being in Ridgecrest."

The new 4,150 square-foot office is nearly four times the size of DMV’s prior home, at 473 S. Main St. That office had been “very busy” since 1966. According to Mendoza, “the Bishop office processes over 34,000 transactions annually with just four DMV employees.”
That “old” element in the new building is a mural of “historical significance.” The mural was originally painted in 1976 by Mammoth Lakes artist Carol Ican. The DMV explained that the “Bicentennial Dedication Mural was commissioned to capture the breadth and rich cultural history of the surrounding Owens Valley, and was initially placed in the Bishop field office that same year.” In order to preserve this  iconic image’s presence, Mendoza explained, “the mural was removed, transported and re-established at the new office.”
“Carol Ican and her daughter stopped by our new office last week and she was really pleased with the installation of her mural,” DMV Bishop staffer Mary Ann Watkins said. “It really stands out in this building so much better than it did in our old office.”
The grand opening ceremonies kicked off at 10 a.m on March 15. The Bishop Paiute Tribe ensured entertainment would be a part of the celebration by including performances by the Bishop High School band and the Aca Mya Cultural Presentation Group, a local Native American song and dance ensemble. Attendees were also treated to a light lunch and a tour of the facility.
In addition to Tribal and DMV officials, other dignitaries were present for the opening ceremonies.
District 34 State Assemblyman Bill Maze offered remarks of appreciation and support for this first-ever DMV office on tribal land. Inyo County supervisors Linda Arcularias and Beverly Brown were also on hand.
The new DMV office in Bishop is open for business on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Wednesday from 9 a.m-5 p.m. The DMV can also be reached at (800) 777-0133 or online at www.dmv.ca.gov.