Mike Lipsitz, Author at Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree

Wednesday Water Round-up: Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley explore water rate increases

February 15, 2023

Wednesday Water Roundup – regular meeting for JBWD, Hi-Desert

The Hi-Desert Water District board of directors, which serves Yucca Valley, will meet at 4 p.m. today (February 15, 2023). And down the highway, in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. In addition to a number of informational items, directors at the Hi-Desert Water District will review a 2019 rate study with an eye toward commissioning a new study with likely increases that would begin rolling in in June 2024. The meeting takes place at the…

Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting tonight, Feb. 14

by Mike Lipsitz

February 14, 2023

Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting agenda for Oct. 11

There are at least two reasons water users in Landers and Flamingo Heights may want to check into tonight’s 6 p.m. meeting of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency’s Board of Directors. Following a public hearing and likely board vote on increasing the charges for installation of new service lines, directors will authorize implementation of an $11 million grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. The funds will pay for linking the Goat Mountain and Bighorn-Desert View systems. The plan…

“Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act” delays endangered species decision

by Mike Lipsitz

February 13, 2023

Breaking: Joshua Tree Status vote to be pushed to February 2023 at California Fish and Game Commission meeting this morning

Listen here: Last week’s (February 8, 2023) announcement out of Governor Gavin Newsom’s office of proposed legislation titled "The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act" prompted the California Fish and Game Commission to again delay a decision on whether to list the species under the California Endangered Species Act. Pending that decision Fish and Game has been on the hot seat with conservationists on one side and developers and construction trades on the other. The proposed Western…

Joshua Basin Water District proposed rate increases hinges on public “protest votes”

by Mike Lipsitz

February 13, 2023

Folks who rely on the Joshua Basin Water District for service should plan for some stiff increases in water rates over the five years. Not yet set in stone, the proposed hikes will be the subject of a public hearing and protest vote deadline set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15 at the district office on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree. Citing aging infrastructure, personnel costs, and inflation some rates would increase more than 75% by 2027. According to the water district, some 25…

State plan for Western Joshua Tree Conservation announced by California Fish & Game Commission

by Mike Lipsitz

February 9, 2023

Listen here: At yesterday's (February 8, 2023) meeting of the California Fish and Game Commission in Sacramento, the decision on whether to permanently protect western Joshua trees under the California Endangered Species Act was again continued. The unanimous decision followed the announcement of sweeping new legislation aimed at protecting the iconic species proposed late Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan proposed by the governor’s office…

Western Joshua Tree Protected-Status deliberations resume

by Mike Lipsitz

February 8, 2023

Stakeholders on both sides of the issue of whether to permanently include the western Joshua tree on the California Endangered Species Act’s list of threatened species will be closely monitoring the proceedings of the California Fish and Game Commission when it meets this Wednesday and Thursday (February 8-9, 2023) in Sacramento. The Western Joshua tree has enjoyed protected status since October of 2020 when the state’s Fish and Game Commission included it as a candidate species for inclusion on…

Joshua Basin Water District customers can expect rate increases, protest vote still open

by Mike Lipsitz

February 7, 2023

Listen here: Folks who rely on the Joshua Basin Water District for service should plan for some stiff increases in water rates over the five years. Not yet set in stone, the proposed hikes will be the subject of a public hearing and protest vote deadline set for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15 at the district office on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree. Citing aging infrastructure, personnel costs, and inflation some rates would increase more than seventy-five percent by 2027. According to the…

Morongo Valley homes with contaminated water wells on SB County agenda

by Mike Lipsitz

February 6, 2023

At tomorrow’s (February 7, 2023) 10 a.m. meeting of the county supervisors in San Bernardino, there is just one agenda item that holds particular relevance for our Morongo Basin. Agenda item 35 authorizes the release of three-quarter-of-a-million dollars in State Water Resources Control Board grant funds to provide bottled drinking water to two Morongo Valley neighborhoods where the water wells are contaminated with naturally occurring gross alpha and uranium. The funds will pay for drinking…

Landers Thrift extends hours for King of Hammers attendees

by Mike Lipsitz

February 3, 2023

Landers scheduled power outage on Sat. 1/14 – Belfield Hall open with heat, wi-fi

Many retailers throughout Morongo Basin have grown accustomed to a boost each February as thousands of off-road racers and fans descend on Johnson Valley for the King of the Hammers competition. One retailer very close to the big event hopes to capitalize by extending hours and offering hard-to-find items. Volunteers at Landers Thrift Store have been busy cleaning, stocking, and organizing for the hoards expected to attend King of the Hammers. And now that the shelves are ready, the doors will…

Wednesday Water Roundup – Agendas and schedules for Jan. 31 meetings

by Mike Lipsitz

January 31, 2023

Listen here: At 4 p.m. this afternoon (February 1, 2023) the Hi-Desert Water District will meet at the district office on the highway at Inca Trail. And in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the district office next the the demonstration garden on Chollita Road. Directors at the Hi-Desert Water District will hear a staff report on updates to the district’s Local Hazard Mitigation Plan. And down the highway, directors at the Joshua Basin Water…

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