It’s one step forward and two steps back in the county board of supervisor’s effort to appoint a new third district county supervisor. The third district, which includes Morongo Basin, has been without a representative on the board of supervisors since James Ramos vacated the seat December 3, following his induction into the state assembly. County supervisors were expected to appoint Ramos’ replacement at a special meeting called for last Thursday, but that meeting was canceled at the last moment. Reporter Mike Lipsitz picks up the story from here…
The county charter mandates sitting supervisors, not voters, fill board vacancies. So in recent weeks, the board narrowed a field of 48 qualified applicants down to 13, and then five. Last Thursday’s meeting in which supervisors were expected to fill the open seat was canceled at the last minute in response to a complaint that in the process of narrowing the field of candidates the board violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. The county charter gives the board just 30 days to fill the seat or have the governor make the appointment. With days ticking by, the board has opted not to fight the complaint, and to start the process anew. So at tomorrow’s regular 10 a.m. meeting supervisors will conduct open, public interviews to narrow the field from the more than 40 original applicants. The public may view and participate in the meeting at the County Government Building in San Bernardino or via live video feed at the County Government Center in Joshua Tree.
Also at tomorrow’s meeting, county supervisors are expected to approve a grant application that, if approved, will give Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station almost $60,000 for off-highway vehicle enforcement through July 2019, and renew an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Land Management for lease of the TV broadcast equipment atop Pinto Mountain for another five years. The broadcast facility there offers area residents an over-the-air alternative to cable and satellite television.
