Morongo Valley Fire Chief Caltabiano no longer with the department; Arrowbear Lake Fire Chief to serve in interim 

Last week, The Morongo Valley Community Services District announced that Morongo Valley Fire Department Chief Caltabiano is no longer with the department after a brief four months. Reporter Gabriel Hart has further details on this sudden change.

On a Facebook and Nextdoor post from Thursday, April 16, The Morongo Valley Community Services District (CSD) announced that Chief Caltabiano is no longer with the department and that Arrowbear Lake Fire Chief Lindley would be serving as Interim Fire Chief for the MVFD. While this appeared a sudden shift, with no mention of the change at the previous night’s regular MVCSD meeting, this comes just weeks after a partnership was established between Arrowbear Lake and Morongo Valley Fire Departments, with Chief Lindley taking a consultant position to help the CSD with grant funding and other improvements to the district’s financial straits. 

When reached for comment, MVCSD General Manager Brittany Chavez said:

 “Chief Caltabiano is no longer with the Morongo Valley Fire Department. As this is a personnel matter, we are limited in the details we can share. To ensure continuity of operations, Chief Lindley is serving in an interim capacity. This transition is supported through an existing cooperative agreement between Morongo Valley Community Services District and Arrowbear Park County Water District, which allows for leadership support when needed. The Department continues to operate as normal, with no disruption to emergency services. If there are any updates appropriate for public release, we will share them accordingly.”

Z107.7 also reached out directly to former Fire Chief Caltabiano, to which he only said, “it was a surprise… more to come.”