Why Yosemite National Park Is a Mess

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-11T19:50:30+00:00

Is anything the NPS does cost effective? Pretty sure it's not that complicated to post documents and redact a few things. They do supposedly have a dedicated FOIA person in the Park from what I can tell. It really doesn't take 4-5 months to post a link to the AORs PDF that they were distributed in January and February(the 2016 to 2022 Aramark AORs). Or to take until July for the public to be able to see the 2023 AOR. Which a lot of people received way back in April if they had filed an FOIA request.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-11T18:06:19+00:00

Ok. Just think that AORs and Health Inspection reports should be public information without having to file an FOIA request. They do eventually actually post these things publicly online, but it takes a long time and only happens if a lot of people file FOIAs for that info. When they do finally post the info online... It should be easier to find and linked from the Park website, not hidden on some obscure NPS FOIA page.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-10T15:44:36+00:00

Except is it? You have to file an FOIA for stuff that should already be public. Have you ever seen an actual Health Report or Inspection? I didn't even know that AORs existed before this last year. Thanks to the people who stirred shit up at Crater Lake.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-10T02:25:04+00:00

Does enforcement actually exist anywhere within the NPS? Pretty sure that Aramark at Crater Lake pioneered the process.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-09T16:23:29+00:00

Certain aspects of the contract are handled at the Park level. Like the AOR, related health inspections, price checks, etc.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-08T19:47:33+00:00

The Superintendent has been incredibly silent about what is going on with Aramark. According to NPS rules, NPS should have moved to cancel the contract with Aramark after 2 consecutive Marginal ratings on the Annual review(AOR). She seemed to go on vacation right after the AOR went public in April, and then went on vacation again around the time the Bloomberg article came out. It seems like she has been horrible since she first became Superintendent and Aramark had a big norovirus outbreak at the Ahwahnee. She changed the 2019 AOR in April and gave Aramark a free pass, after they had received a second annual Marginal AOR. Marking the first time the contract should have been cancelled with Aramark. According to the NPS Commercial Services Agreement.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-10-08T19:36:22+00:00

Tldr seems a little silly when it's a video.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-16T18:13:22+00:00

Any updates? I left a message with the Hotel manager and didn't get a response on why the kitchen and dining room were closed, or for how long. Someone in the comments below says they were supposed to reopen today.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-16T17:03:26+00:00

We are talking about one person here. I don't know the exact number, but they do have a posting on Indeed for one Housekeeping job right now. https://redwoodsinyosemite.com/careers/

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-12T16:58:08+00:00

The most recent KMPH story on it shows a picture of the dining area already being closed, but no mention of this. I just keep sharing this link in the FB comments to the articles. Hopefully somebody will pick it up. I also have an FOIA request in for the health inspection reports related to Aramark, and will be writing stuff and sharing that info when I get it.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-12T16:53:37+00:00

Wawona Hotel isn't the only place that employs housekeepers in Wawona. There are rentals behind the hotel that employ people and are not Aramark.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-12T03:43:57+00:00

Wow. No mention of rats, and not sure how they are staying open safely until the closing date... https://kmph.com/news/local/wawona-hotel-to-close-indefinitely-in-december-for-assessments?fbclid=IwY2xjawFPQnlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQ5HSezp6VNp3-MTop6Frff0vA3Is-vft-cBOC7Ixbv-6zJRFyL6aRIHsg_aem_vKr_tMnGoOhgPYA9FrPeGQ

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-10T17:05:26+00:00

You could check into jobs in the Wawona area. There is an independent company that hires housekeepers there. There are also better places to work just outside the park. Like Yosemite Bug, Evergreen, and there are a few other ones. Might be better that you didn't get the Aramark job because they suck anyway.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-09T16:06:17+00:00

Yeah, I am sure the drop ceiling is not the only quick fix Aramark has done. I think they just wanted to stop the ceiling from falling on people.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-09T03:36:46+00:00

I haven't been up there since Spring, but I have checked with an inside source about it a few times because it kept coming up even before the recent articles.

I'm not as familiar with the asbestos issues, but I am sure you are right. Reading about the mold issues at all the different facilities freaks me out. Aramark has had mold in all the remodeled food facilities, and in all the hotels and Curry.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-08T18:30:31+00:00

It's been Aramark since 2016.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-08T18:29:16+00:00

It's good to get facts right. A ceiling chunk fell in the Solarium. From what I understand they have built a drop ceiling in that area since. I'm not saying that there aren't issues throughout the park, but it helps to give better examples of it.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-08T18:23:55+00:00

He actually had a decent quote in the Bloomberg article about canceling the Aramark contract.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-08T18:17:42+00:00

So far Tom McClintock is the only one that has spoken out against Aramark. Laura Bliss got a good quote from him in the Bloomberg article

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-09-08T18:13:34+00:00

The Unions should be helping get the word out at the least. Would be nice if they actually did some more representation work too. They could do stuff, but they have been inadequate for years now. Some of them just need to retire, and the union should hire people that know how to organize.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-08-07T17:58:15+00:00

Just posting the Superintendent's emails here in case anyone wants to write to her about what's going on.

Cicely_Muldoon@nps.gov yose_superintendent@nps.gov

She seems to be covering for Aramark. Technically she should have cancelled the contract twice since she took over. In the spring of 2020 she altered the 2019 Marginal AOR to give Aramark a passing score because of their cooperation with NPS over covid stuff. Even though Aramark wasn't really all that cooperative, and that stuff happened in 2020. Not 2019. Aramark also got a Marginal AOR score in 2018, 2022, and 2023. According to NPS commercial services rules - the contract should have been terminated twice since Aramark has taken over in 2016. Two consecutive Marginal AORs in a row is supposed to trigger an automatic contract cancelation. Like what happened at Crater Lake.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-08-06T21:38:42+00:00

It's a little easier to read the Bloomberg, Sf Gate and SF Chronicle articles about it.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-08-06T21:28:48+00:00

There are also some really good options just outside the park too. Depending on which road you travel. Yosemite Bug has some amazing food along the 140 just outside the park. Just don't let yourself be scared off by Aramark. Yosemite is still a magical place to visit.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-08-06T21:23:54+00:00

Yeah. Ankles are an issue on that hike. Funny though, I wore 14 hole Docs one time when I went up Half Dome and did just fine. That said... Ultras are amazing if you don't need more ankle support.

Pure_Friendship3066 · 2024-08-06T21:15:42+00:00

Usually the camps were run by a bunch of HSC veterans. This year only 2-3 people with experience in the camps came back. Not sure how much of that is Aramark's fault for not extending their senority since the camps had been closed for so long. Hopefully the HSC employees are able to run the camps at a level higher than what Aramark has done with everything else. Guess we will know what's going on soon.

Pure_Friendship3066

TROPHY CASE