Incumbent County Supervisor of our local District 3 Dawn Rowe has been re-elected. In yesterday’s primary, she won 58% of the votes, easily clearing the 50% threshold required for re-election. She bested three challengers for the seat, Chris Carrillo, Robert W. Block, and Graham M. Smith.
Measure W, which would have repealed the controversial FP-5 fire tax, was defeated, with more than 55% of voters choosing to keep the tax in place. As of this morning’s latest count, more than 44,000 people weighed in on the issue, which has been the subject of several ballot initiatives over the last several years.
For Judge of the Superior Court Office and Michelle Lauron won 74% of the votes during yesterday’s primary, clearing the 50% threshold for a win, and besting Dieter Dammeier.
As of early this morning the County Registrar says that 100% of precincts have reported their results.
In yesterday’s primaries for state elected officials, the top two vote-getters for each seat will advance the November Election. For US Congress, in District 23, Democrat Derek Marshall and Republican Jay Obernolte will move ahead.
For State Senate (District 19) Democrat Lisa Middleton and Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh will move ahead.
For State Assembly District 47, the West end of the Morongo Basin, Democrats Christy Holstege and Republican Greg Wallis will move ahead, with Democrat Jamie Swain facing defeat in the primaries. At the east end of the Morongo Basin, the election for State Assembly District 34, will be between Republican Tom Lackey and Democrat Ricardo Ortega.
In wider California state elections, Senate candidates Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey will advance in both races, first to serve a short Senate term from November to January, and then for the full six-year Senate term starting in January.
California State Proposition 1, which would provide Bonds for Mental Health Treatment Facilities, is currently leaning toward approval, though the very narrow margin of 50.2% of yes votes may change as votes continue to be counted.
Two arrests were made in Joshua Tree last week by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Gang/Narcotics Division.
Photo: San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office
Between February 21 and March 1, the Sheriff’s Department served 14 search warrants related to gang members and felons believed to be in possession of weapons or narcotics as part of Operation: Consequences. One of those warrants was served in 61800 Block of El Reposo Circle in Joshua Tree, and another was served in the 6300 Block of Olympic Rd. of Joshua Tree. Additional warranted were served in San Bernardino, Yucaipa, Hesperia, and Banning.
A representative of the Sheriff’s Department said that more specific information about arrests made as part of Operation: Consequences could not be shared due to possible connections to gangs, narcotics, and future investigations. In the last week, Operation: Consequences led to 14 felony arrests, and the seizure of 14 firearms, including one ghost gun, along with 1.75 pounds of suspected methamphetamine and one-quarter pound of suspected cocaine across the search warrants countywide.
The Yucca Valley Town Council approved several funding and cultural measures to benefit the town.
The Yucca Valley Town Council passed increased funding measures for the California Welcome Center and the San Bernardino County Transit Authority Council of Governments. The contract was also awarded for the Town-Wide Slurry/Cape Seal Project; construction will begin in May, to be finished by August when the school year begins.
The council approved a measure that will allow the county to provide vector control services in Yucca Valley. Program Coordinator Frank Becerra spoke about the work done by the San Bernardino Mosquito and Vector Control Program, including monitoring breeding grounds, testing for viruses, and providing community education. The program responds to constituent complaints within two business days and will begin serving Yucca Valley this spring.
Recreational Supervisor Clayton Rardon presented the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Commission’s selection of local art pieces to wrap six utility boxes in Yucca Valley. Part of the town’s Art in Daily Lives program, this initiative aims to incorporate public art within the community. The council approved the recommendation, and the art will be installed by early April.
Bill Villarino, the new Assistant Chief for San Bernardino County Fire, was introduced by outgoing Assistant Chief Scott Tuttle. A Yucca Valley resident, Chief Tuttle has served the county since 1994 and is set to retire at the end of the month. Mayor Lombardo presented him with a plaque in thank you for his service to the town.“…in recognition of his exceptional service to the Morongo Basin, with sincere appreciation for his dedication, commitment, and professionalism. Thank you for your immeasurable contribution to the Basin and for making Yucca Valley a safer place to live, work, and play.”
The Morongo Valley Community Services District Board of Directors is holding a special session meeting tonight to consider a spending freeze.
The meeting, announced late yesterday afternoon, will allow the board to consider freezing all spending after the District spent approximately $130,000 beyond their budget to address storm damages. The board will consider a spending freeze as they await possible FEMA reimbursement.
At tonight’s meeting, the board will also begin investigating damage to the Donna Munoz Conference Room.
Tonight’s special session meeting is open to the public and begins at 6 p.m. at the Covington Park Community Center.
Directors at Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District meet in regular session at 4 o’clock today (March 6, 2024). And down the road in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins promptly at 5:30 p.m.
At the Hi-Desert Water District directors are expected to provide direction for a rate study. Today’s meeting takes place at the district office on the highway at Inca Trail.
Joshua Basin Water District directors will hear a public outreach and other reports.
Tonight’s meeting is at the district office on Chollita Road in Joshua Tree where the public is welcome to attend.
The Twentynine Palms High School Boys Varsity Wildcats Tennis Team traveled to Cathedral City to face the Lions yesterday (March 5). The Wildcats lost 7 to 11. In singles action, Jeremy Burks won one set.
In doubles action, the team of Brayden Chambers/Ryan Hoang won one set.
The team of William Herrera/Daniel Salazar won two sets. The team of Adonai Patu/Michael Acosta won two sets. The team of Moses Williams/Andrew Orozco won one set.
The Wildcats are 2-3. The Wildcats travel to Banning on tomorrow (March 7).
Today (March 5) is election day. If you haven’t mailed in or dropped off your ballot today, polling places throughout the Morongo Basin will open today at 7 a.m. and remain open until 8 p.m.
Though national outlets are focusing on today’s presidential primary vote, a number of local candidates and initiatives will be on the ballot today.
The Joshua Tree Post Office was the victim of a break-in over the weekend.
An overturned found behind the Post Office on Monday morning.
The post office, located on Twentynine Palms Highway at the intersection of Halle Rd, was closed this morning (March 4) due to what signs on the front door described as a “break-in” and “vandalism.” Postal equipment is currently scattered throughout the vacant land behind the post office.
County Sheriffs’ Deputies were at the facility, and a sign in the window indicated that employees were awaiting officials from the Postal Investigator’s office. Z107.7 has reached out to both of those agencies for more details. We will update this story as we learn more.
The Landers Post Office and the Pioneertown Post Office were both victims of burglaries over the weekend of February 5.
The Morongo Valley Post Office was the victim of a burglary on December 12. It is currently unknown if the burglaries are related.
Anyone missing any mail can report it to the United States Postal Investigator at 1-877-876-2455.
Budget is on the mind for tonight’s Yucca Valley Town Council Meeting. The Slurry/Cape Seal Project and the California Welcome Center have funding on the docket, and the council will be advised to reject current bids for the Old Town Beautification Project, opening the door for a new round of bidding.
The town council will review a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health to expand vector control services within Yucca Valley. Vector control is the method to limit the spread of animals or insects that transmit disease, such as mosquitoes, fleas, rodents, or other pests. The increase of mosquitoes in the Morongo Basin over the past several years has resulted in greater community interest in these services. If approved, the County will provide monitoring, testing, and educational services on vector control within the town.
The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Commission will also submit their recommendations for the Utility Box Program to the town council. This initiative of the Public Arts Program will cover six Yucca Valley utility boxes with art by local artists. The art installation is scheduled to begin later this month.
The Town Council meeting is open to the public and will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the Yucca Valley Community Center. The meeting can also be attended online here.
On last Friday’s (March 1) Up Close Show, host Gary Daigneault sat down to discuss emergency services with Craig Bell, the Operations Chief of Morongo Basin Ambulance.
Founded by seven volunteers in 1948, Morongo Basin Ambulance is a non-tax-based, non-profit corporation that provides emergency ambulance services to the Hi Desert. While based in Joshua Tree, their service area has grown to cover multiple communities spread throughout the Morongo Basin.
Craig Bell: “We cover all the way out to Amboy, Johnson Valley, down into the Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, and all the surrounding areas. The only place that we don’t cover in the Morongo Basin as a whole would be in the inner-city limits of Yucca Valley.”
Despite not covering the Town of Yucca Valley directly, close work with the San Bernardino County Fire Department ensures that the whole of the hi-desert receives quality emergency care.
Craig Bell: “When emergencies happen, they’re unexpected, so the County or us may not always have all of our resources available, or enough resources to handle a major incident. We do have mutual aid agreements in place to where if we are overwhelmed, they’ll step in and help us, and if they are overwhelmed, then we’ll step in and help them.”
Morongo Basin Ambulance has a coverage area of 2,700 square miles, which they serve 24/7 with the use of four Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances. You can listen to Gary’s full conversation with Craig Bell by downloading the Up Close Show as a podcast.
A convicted sexually violent offender was arrested in Yucca Valley for investigation into possession of child pornography.
On Wednesday (February 28), officers with the San Bernardino County Parole Department contacted Thomas Cole, 50, in the 7300 block of Warren Vista Ave for a parole check.
As part of the parole check, Thomas Cole was arrested for two counts of possession of obscene materials featuring minors in sexual situations, and violating post release supervision. Cole is being held at West Valley Detention Center without bail, and is being charged with two felony counts related to child pornography, along with four enhancements for being a convicted violent offender.
Cole was arrested in Joshua Tree in 2013 on suspicion of raping four women.
Morongo Basin voters who did not vote early or mail-in will go to the polls for Primary elections Tuesday (3/5).
For Party-nominated Offices, President and County Central Committee, voters with a party preference vote for candidates in the November General Election. The American Independent, Democratic and Libertarian Parties allow voters with no party preference to vote in their presidential primaries, just request a party ballot.
For Voter-nominated Offices the top two vote-getters advance to the November Election.
For U.S. Senate there are 7 Short term candidates and 27 long term candidates, Short term fills the term vacated by the death of Diane Feinstein, long term is for the next 6-years. For US Congress (District 23) choose Democrat Derek Marshall or Republican Jay Obernolte.
For State Senator (District 19) it is Democrat Lisa Middleton against Republican Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh.
For State Assembly District 47, the West end of the Morongo Basin, it is Democrats Christy Holstege and Jamie Swain against Republican Greg Wallis. The East end of the Morongo Basin, District 34, is Republican Tom Lackey and Democrat Ricardo Ortega.
For Nonpartisan Offices, the top two proceed to the November Election. If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote, that candidate is elected. For County Supervisor our District 3 has four candidates, Robert Block, Chris Carillo, Dawn Rowe, and Graham M. Smith. For Judge of the Superior Court Office Dieter Dammeier and Michelle Lauron are on our ballot.
Voters will also choose yes or no for State Proposition 1, a $6.38 billion Bond for Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Homeless Housing and County Measure W: To repeal the FP-5 Fire Tax, a Yes repeals the tax, No keeps the tax.
Two crosses for Joshua have been erected right off highway 62 near Avalon Ave. Friends, family and community members gathered around the memorial last night, holding candles, and sharing stories and photos of Joshua Barreras. He was only 16 years old when he was struck and killed by a motorist on the night of January 26th.
This weekend’s wild winds calmed a bit around 6pm last night as mourners gathered around the memorials. Joshua’s family thanked the growing crowd for the support and for sharing stories about Joshua.. Just a kid growing up here in the desert, surrounded by friends who remember fun nights together and raised by a family now dealing with the unimaginable grief of losing someone just coming into their own – a 16 year-old with a full life ahead of him, taken too soon.
The memorial is located right off Hwy 62 in Yucca Valley. If you’d like to pay your respects or just help maintain the memorial, you can turn onto Avalon from the highway and park on Paxton to safely get to the site. A memorial service for friends and family will be held next weekend, and family members I spoke to last night said that they appreciate the community’s show of support for Joshua.
Roads will be closed in Twentynine Palms this week as the City’s Public Works Department will be paving roads throughout town.
Tomorrow (March 5) and Wednesday (March 6) expect a closure on Indian Trail from Mesquite Springs Road to Adobe Road. The closures will occur from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For further information, please call the City of Twentynine Palms Public Works Department at (760) 367-ROAD.
At a time when the city is experiencing a creative renaissance, there is room for one more voice on the Twentynine Palms Public Arts Advisory Committee with applications are now being accepted.
Applications are now being accepted to fill a single vacancy on the Twentynine Palms Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC). Back in 2004, the city established
Art in Public Places as part of its Public Arts Program which is administered by the PAAC. The city is looking for creative residents who can advise the council toward artistic objectives, namely:
To enrich the public environment for both residents and visitors
To nurture, enhance, and encourage the community’s participation in arts
To enable Twentynine Palms to enhance its identity as an arts community
To increase public access to promote an understanding and awareness of the art
Applicants must reside within city limits and be registered to vote. Applicants must submit an application and resume to Community Development Director Keith Gardner, [email protected]
Resumes and applications must be received by 6:00 p.m. on March 13. The city council will review all applicants and make the final decision. For more info, call 760/367-6799.
The Twentynine Palms Wildcats Track and Field team traveled to Indio High School on Thursday (February 29) for their first meet of the season.
The girls team won by a score of 64-22. The boys team suffered a loss, with a final score of 49-57.
The girls’ top scorer was Jayde James with 16.5 points. She earned 4 first places in the long jump, high jump, triple jump, and 4×4 relay.
The boys’ top scorer was Ayden O’Gilvie who scored 13.5 points with second place in the 300m hurdles, and firsts in the long jump, 100m, and 4×1 relay.
This week, the Wildcats will host Banning High School.
Marini answers questions on the Hidden Valley Loop trail.
More than 3.27 million people entered the gates of Joshua Tree National Park last year and predictably, not all are prepared for the harsh desert climate. The park’s Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) program aims to help visitors on the trail before they need rescuing. Reporter and avid hiker Heather Clisby met with JTNP Park Ranger and PSAR Coordinator Anna Marini to learn more …
With clicker in hand to count bodies, Preventative Search and Rescue (PSAR) Volunteer Ann Murdy is on the Hidden Valley trail loop, greeting hikers with a friendly opener.
I am tagging along with Murdy and JTNP Park Ranger and PSAR Coordinator Anna Marini to learn more about the PSAR program and how it works. The covid era brought a flood of first-timers to our national park who are not used to being in a place so wild that there is no cell service, no water, and no electricity.
JTNP Ranger and PSAR Coordinator Anna Marini with PSAR Volunteer Ann Murdy. Murdy carries a clicker to keep track of visitors. PSAR Volunteer Ann Murdy engages with JTNP visitors on the trail.
“We don’t have resources in the park. You can’t just go to a concession stand and buy what you need to buy. You have to be prepared before you enter Joshua Tree, That was I think, a big deal for a lot of people. It’s a wake-up call of, ‘Wow, nature is scary.’” said Marini. “So I think a lot of people, unfortunately, had a hard time during that. Maybe they went on one bad hike and are struggling to come back out of that but I think we’re always trying to encourage people to plan ahead and prepare as much as possible and we really learned what that meant during that covid era.”
Marini joined the JTNP team in late 2020 as a ranger and noted a need for more safety-based messaging. And while different versions of preventative efforts were around, she developed the full-time PSAR program in 2021. Marini works with each of the 30 volunteers and their schedules to try to have at least one PSAR volunteer on the trail or at a trailhead every day of the week with more volunteers around on busy weekends. The volunteers greet visitors, answer questions, make sure they have water, provide maps, and offer suggestions about where to go next. Volunteer shifts can be anywhere from 3-8 hours, usually a morning or an afternoon although some volunteers enjoy two shifts a day. At maximum, PSAR has all popular trails covered with five volunteers out.
Once they reach cell service at the conclusion of a shift, each volunteer fills out a patrol log using their phone and a QR code. They track how long they were on the trail, which trail they were on, the number of people they talked to and the number of ‘preventative actions.’
“The preventative actions number is a big number. That is when – you don’t necessarily have to see a change in behavior in somebody, but you definitely want to write down that number of people that you gave preventative language to, you suggested a different trail, you suggested water, things like that. So, along with that, we’re counting dogs, and drones, all those kinds of things that we might see,” said Marini.
The PSAR volunteers are also doing a bit of trail maintenance as well – setting up rock liners in confusing spots or trimming back those sharp, grabby branches of the Catclaw acacia.
In meeting the JTNP visitors, the PSAR volunteers get an understanding of where they are coming from. Ever since covid brought all the coast-dwellers to the desert, there has been an increase in those from San Diego, Los Angeles and the lower desert. On that day in mid-February, we came across a steady stream of Canadians – all in shorts. And come summer, we can certainly expect the usual crowd of Germans who seem to love our dry heat.
Beyond visitors from Palms Springs or Phoenix, most visitors have very limited grasp of what they need to not get lost or sick while out exploring in the desert. This is where the PSAR volunteers ever-so-elegantly get involved.
Marini answers questions on the Hidden Valley Loop trail.
“What’s a benefit of having somebody out at the trailhead before somebody starts their hike is encouraging them to go back to their car and repack their bag, grabbing some salty snacks, grabbing some water, maybe an extra layer, or a headlamp. So we catch people a lot of times. And then sometimes we do find people – like say, we’re on the Split Rock Trail – it’s a little bit longer than that Hidden Valley one-mile loop and they really could use some water. But it’s also, when they do run out of water, and they’re not too far away from their vehicle, it’s kind of a good lesson. And that sounds maybe a little harsh, but people then understand why they need to be more prepared. You know, they don’t want to be thirsty out on that trail next time, so they’ll learn from that.”
And while the Hidden Valley Nature Trail is an easy one-mile loop, I noted that the great majority of hikers did not bring any water at all.
Still, not everyone is open to chatting with a stranger-ranger. Marini advises her volunteers to be open and receptive but also realize that not everyone will meet the gaze and want to talk.
“I usually try to approach it as a conversation instead of ‘You should do this!’ or ‘Don’t do this!’ because no one is receptive to that kind of language. So I try to encourage a conversation and say, ‘Hey, what’s your plan for the day?’ I think a lot of people get confused and see that the backpack that I am currently wearing looks like I will be out here for many days, but that’s because I have rescue stuff in here. But not everybody has to look like me, but just carrying something is usually helpful.”
Marini helping out on the trail.
Another aspect of the volunteer gig is being the eyes and ears for the rangers, who are notoriously short-staffed in the park. (The rise in visitors, sadly, did not spark an increase in staff or budget.) Murdy explains:
“I know that a few times there’s been a few issues here and I reported that to Anna and it was taken care of right away. This had developed into a big ditch and I had watched a lady fall, or I came up and she had fallen and hurt herself. In the middle of all that, taking care of her, I turned around and another person fell so, you know, they filled it in right away so they took care of that so that was good. And some of us will actually come out and sweep the steps a bit but, that’s endless!”
Reporting from the Hidden Valley Trail for Z107.7, I’m Heather Clisby.
Morongo Valley’s Big Morongo Canyon Preserve will be hosting a new series of guided nature walks for bird enthusiasts starting this Saturday, March 2nd.
Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is an internationally recognized birding site, a regular nesting area for several rare or unusual species and many other species abundant during the spring and fall migration seasons. The Preserve has been designated as one of the United States’ Important Bird Areas by the American Bird Conservancy, the American Birding Association, and Watchable Wildlife National Program, and is featured in the National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites.
Expanding on their long-standing Wednesday morning bird watching gatherings, Ranger Kaeliegh and volunteer Kathy Snyder will begin a new series of Saturday nature walks, “Birding for Fun”, beginning this Saturday, March 2, at 8 am. The walks will generally cover 2-4 miles, so please wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring drinking water. Children are welcomed but must be accompanied by an adult. If you don’t have binoculars, the guides will have loaners to lend.
Workshop 29 is hosting a two-part paper-making and sculpture workshop beginning tomorrow afternoon (March 3).
The workshops, led by local artist Jai Knight, will teach people to use recycled paper in the creation of vessels that symbolize the body’s’ experience of trauma.
Participants will be working to transform literal and metaphorical “waste” by forming a relationship with it, showcasing how people are shaped by their lives and have the ability to grow and transform. Knight will be assisted by Workshop29’s creative leadership mentees Brandon Bolds and Quisha Danae.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own scrap paper, but due to the programs focus on transforming trauma, it is recommended that participating children be at least 11 years-old and accompanied by a parent or guardian.
This free art program and workshop is hosted by Workshop29 and funded in part by the California Arts Council, and is sponsored by 29 Palms Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC).
The workshop begins at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Freedom Plaza Gym in Twentynine Palms. You can register at a link in this story at z1077fm.com, and registration is open until the workshop begins.
The organizers strongly encourage participants to attend both tomorrow’s workshop, and the follow up workshop scheduled for the following Sunday, March 10. Sign up here: tinyurl.com/paac29palms
