The Yucca Valley Town Council voted to approve the proposed budget for the new fiscal year, running from July 1 through June 30, 2026. Town Staff designed the draft to incorporate the town’s Strategic Plan, maintain a balanced budget, and address community priorities. Identified in a recent town survey, these priorities include maintaining law enforcement and crime prevention services, maintaining local streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure, regulating short-term rentals, and facilitating more low-income housing and programs to address homelessness. The General Fund operating revenues are anticipated to exceed expenditures by nearly $296,000 in the first year and $80,000 in the second.
The Town Council approved the Town of Yucca Valley Workplace Violence Prevention Program. Senate Bill 553 requires all California employers to have a program in place by July 1 to address violence in the workplace. Per the plan, the Town of Yucca Valley aims to prevent such episodes with training, education, and communication. Should any violent incidents occur, the plan lays out initiatives for incident logs, evaluations, and necessary investigations.
Town Manager Curtis Yakimow presented the final results from the annual Point-In-Time Count of unhoused and unsheltered individuals in San Bernardino County. In the Morongo Basin, the count was conducted on January 25 by 35 trained volunteers who spanned Morongo Valley to Wonder Valley. While the count of homeless individuals in San Bernardino County rose from last year, the number of persons counted within Yucca Valley decreased by 15%, from 110 individuals in 2023 to 93 in 2024. These results help the town develop strategies and programs that assist homeless individuals in accessing the services they need.
During the Public Comment period, two residents spoke about the need for speed control near the intersection of Onaga Trail and Joshua Lane. There is a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit at that portion of Onaga Trail, 5 miles higher than Highway 62, and there have been several recent accidents in the vicinity. While there are measures in place that help determine appropriate speed limits, Captain Warrick from the Sheriff’s Department said he would raise the issue at the next staff meeting.
Several Council Members, including Council Member Rick Dennison, concluded their remarks by applauding the Old Town Beautification and Sustainability Project, which broke ground on Monday.
“There are things we do within our community to create better public safety, improvements to infrastructure, and quality of life. We’ve spoken on those items tonight, it was in the presentation, but also a lot of it is a direct result of Measure Y and the success it has been. It is the public who makes the difference; they’re the ones who are the fuel to get these projects going, so thank you.”
