I just called the County.
The county will keep the lower road closed until the National Forest decides to issue wilderness passes. Until then the county see no reason to re-open the road. The county has been told that June 30 is when the National Forest is planning on issuing wilderness permits again.
Shasta-Trinity has already re-opened Mt. Shasta for summiting. I doubt that Shasta will see a wave of death and misery due to this, and their businesses will do better. That's Jefferson for you.
Hopefully the folks at Inyo National Forest will see the sense in allowing people to hike and camp in the wilderness.
Bummer. Technically, Whitney is open for summiting next week. Just climb it from the Sequoia side (the park is expected to open on Monday, May 25) and go from Mineral King to the summit. Here's what you can expect when the weather warms up:
http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/39077/all/Mineral_King_to_Whitney_Portal
