UPDATED 9-23 9:45 a.m. with statement from Yucca Valley Town Manager Curtis Yakimow.
The Yucca Valley Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. tonight. Reporter Mike Lipsitz tells us what is on the agenda and why it may not matter…
Commissioners are expected to approve requests from four property owners wishing to remove Joshua trees from their land. The Town’s Native Plant Ordinance prohibits removal of the species unless there are extenuating circumstances such as the tree’s location within 20 feet of a structure, or the tree has already died.
Until last month, Yucca Valley’s Native Plant Ordinance has been ignored by both town government and property owners, but recent state-level attention as well as public scrutiny has the Commission enforcing the ordinance for the first time in memory.
The Planning Commission’s actions, however, may become null and void if the state Fish and Game Commission initiates the process of adding the western Joshua tree to its threatened and protected species list. That action is also expected today.
Town Manager Curtis Yakimow provided this statement to Z107.7 protesting some aspects of this story.
While the story was correct in the potential actions before the commission, the story is inaccurate in its assessment that the Town “ignored its Native Plant Ordinance for years” and the ordinance is being implemented “for the first time in memory.” This is completely false. In fact, [the native plant ordinance] is part of documented land use approvals since 2014, as well as the issuance of individual permits, which indicates administration of the ordinance, not “ignored for years” or “for the first time in memory.”
Since the approval of the Town’s Development Code update in 2014, the Town has included the Native Plant Permit requirements in all land use entitlement actions. The Town’s numerous recorded land use actions attest to this action. While recent violations of the Town’s Native Plant Ordinance have come to the attention of the Town in light of the potential regulatory action of the California Fish and Game Commission, these actions are not indicative of implementation of the Town’s Development Code, including the Native Plant Ordinance over the past six years. Through the Town’s Native Plant Ordinance, numerous native plants, including Joshua Trees have be preserved. The issuance of native plant permits often included transplantation, which preserves the plants, sometimes in large numbers.
The Town of Yucca Valley encourages your participation in this meeting; however, in order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus:
Residents are strongly encouraged to view the meeting live on the Town’s website at http://yuccavalleyca.iqm2.com/Citizens/default.aspx. To view from the website, select the live stream link on the top of the front page.
If you choose not to attend the Planning Commission meeting but wish to make a public comment and/or a comment on a specific agenda item, please submit your comment via email by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, to the commission secretary at [email protected] Your comments will be distributed to the Planning Commission and every effort will be made to read your comment into the record. Comments read will be timed and limited to 3 minutes. All comments should be a maximum of 500 words, which corresponds to approximately 3 minutes of speaking time.
You may also submit comments during the meeting through the same email address. Every effort will be made to read comments aloud which are submitted after 5 p.m. and during the meeting, subject to the same 3-minute time limitation. All comments submitted before and during the meeting will be included in their entirety in the official record of the meeting.
If you choose to attend the Planning Commission meeting in person, seating in the Council Chamber may be limited in order to accommodate the 6-foot recommended social distancing seating procedure.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, you should contact the Town Clerk’s Office at (760) 369- 7209 x226
