Yesterday morning in San Bernardino, County Supervisors held an extended public hearing and then approved a $9.8 billion county budget. In an afternoon session, the board took up the issue of local housing and short-term vacation rentals. County Supervisors heard the results of a state-mandated study of housing in the unincorporated communities. The study showed what many here already know: that Joshua Tree - where a third of the homes are occupied by short-term rentals - is disproportionately…

At tonight’s (June 11) 6 p.m. meeting of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency directors will hold a public workshop and consider an emergency water supply agreement. Following the public workshop, directors are expected to fix and adopt the fiscal 2024-25 water agency budget.   Also tonight, directors are expected to approve a mutual emergency water supply agreement with Yucca Valley’s Hi‐Desert Water District. Tonight’s meeting takes place at the agency’s board meeting office under the old…

At tomorrow’s (June 11, 2024) 10 o’clock meeting of county supervisors in San Bernardino, Land Use Services will ask the board to revisit the issue of Short-Term Vacation Rentals and the scarcity of affordable housing for sale or rent in Joshua Tree and other nearby communities. Last November, a county contractor presented the findings of a federally mandated study of housing in the unincorporated areas of the county. The study aimed to reveal how best to meet housing needs in areas where there…

While the threat of COVID-19 has been somewhat tamed, the virus’s devastating effects continue to plague communities across the nation. Studies show small nonprofits in underserved rural communities are disproportionately affected. As social distancing devastated small community organizations, members and volunteers withdrew and resources dried up. This is visible in Morongo Basin’s Homestead Valley, which saw the virtual disappearance of the community associations serving Yucca Mesa and…

Among the many agenda items to be considered at tomorrow’s (May 21, 2024) 10 o’clock meeting of county supervisors in San Bernardino, a handful of programs in our Morongo Basin will receive funding. Reach Out Morongo Basin will get a $250,000 increase in their contact amount for a total of $635,000. The Morongo Unified School District will receive $34,000 to pay for a full-time school-based Probation Officer for one year starting July. The Morongo Basin Sheriff Station is among six that will…

Directors at the Joshua Basin Water District will meet in special session at 3 p.m. this afternoon that’s in place of the regular 5:30 meeting. Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District meets in regular session at 4 o’clock today (May 15, 2024). At the Joshua Basin Water District directors will hold the second budget workshop where they’ll look at the 23/24 revised capital budget and the 24/25 proposed capital budget. The meeting is at the District Office on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree. At the…