Yucca Valley files application to annex Yucca Mesa

According to the Stop Yucca Mesa Annexation Coalition, the Town of Yucca Valley has filed its application to annex Yucca Mesa to its sphere of influence. The Coalition has released the following Bulletin:

The Town delivered the application for the Sphere of Influence Municipal Services Review for Yucca Mesa this morning to LAFCO. LAFCO will be reviewing it in_house for preparation for circulation. The Stop Yucca Mesa Coalition will receive a copy of that Notice of Commencement of the MSR when it is available.

The Stop Yucca Mesa Annexation Coalition has ordered a duplicate of the documents submitted to LAFCO from the Town of Yucca Valley. As soon as it is available, the documents will be reviewed thoroughly and an analysis will be made, including any pre-zoning. The Coalition will be advised of our findings via a Newsletter and the website.

The next step major in this process will be the Hearing. As soon as we have a date for the Hearing in San Bernardino, posters at strategic positions along well traveled roads will be posted, along with e-mails, and a Newsletter will be mailed to all on our mailing list. Of course, Mesa Market will continue to have copies of all Newsletters and Bulletins available for all. In addition, feel free to contact us at 760-219-7924 for information.

Please remain vigilant. It will be IMPERATIVE THAT EVERYONE ATTEND THE HEARING to oppose Yucca Valley’s "land grab." As soon as the date is known, notices will be sent out.

Yucca Mesa is a special place to us all ... It is our home. It will be up to each individual person to protect our beautiful Mesa.

Find out more at the Coalition Website.


MORE INFO ON THESE TOPICS: On the Land Use/Development, Communities, and Water pages of the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Yucca Mesa, Flamingo Heights, Homestead Valley, Water.

HDWD wastewater plan open house

The Hi-Desert Water District is moving ahead with plans for a wastewater treatment plant and water reclamation facility and will host a community open house to share information on the project this Saturday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Town Center Mall.

More information in the Hi-Desert Star.


MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water and Waste pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage.

Yucca Mesa strikes back

The citizens of Yucca Mesa are responding to a preliminary annexation effort by the Town of Yucca Valley with a stiff campaign of opposition.

A preemptive strike is being mounted against the Town of Yucca Valley by the unincorporated community of Yucca Mesa. Reacting to the Town Council’s decision to file applications with the county Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to expand its sphere of influence, citizens of the Mesa are filing petitions to LAFCO in opposition.

The petition states: “We the landowners and voters of Yucca Mesa oppose the application for sphere of influence expansion by the Town of Yucca Valley. We urge the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County to deny the Town of Yucca Valley’s application for sphere of influence expansion.”

"We don’t trust them,” contended Cliff Carlson, vice president of the Yucca Mesa Improvement Association. “We don’t want them to come over and assume jurisdiction over us. We want our government on the other side of the mountain.”

Read more in the Hi-Desert Star.

For more background and links on this issue, see this previous post.


MORE INFO ON THESE TOPICS: On the Land Use/Development, Communities, and Water pages of the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Yucca Mesa, Water.

Hi-Desert wastewater plan reviewed by Board

"The Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors received a fast-paced, information-filled update about the district’s planned wastewater treatment plant and water reclamation facility at a workshop Wednesday."

Read more about the meeting in the Hi-Desert Star, including a briefing by Tom Dodson, a "geographer and environmental consultant":

To sum up, in Dodson’s professional opinion, the collection system and treatment plant will not significantly affect the area’s air or water quality, traffic flow, noise or natural or cultural resources.

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water and Waste pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage.

MBCA 2008 Candidates Virtual Forum now on-line

Below is an announcement of the MBCA 2008 Candidates Virtual Forum and our new Website. We thank all our members who sent in questions for the candidates; we hope the answers will help you make a more informed choice in the local races this November. We also appreciate the candidates who took the time to participate.

We encourage you to check out the rest of our newly revised Website, especially the recently added Communities and Take Action sections. We thank Cyberspike, our Web designer, for the terrific work, and we also especially thank former Boardmember Lesley Thornburg for pioneering our original Website.

Don't forget to vote!

Voters curious about the local candidates in November’s election now have a new source of information. The Morongo Basin Conservation Association has posted a Candidates Virtual Forum on their newly revised Website at www.mbconservation.org.

The electronic Forum covers five local races: The Joshua Basin and Hi-Desert Water boards, the Yucca Valley Town Council, the Twentynine Palms City Council, and the Copper Mountain College Board of Trustees.

“We asked our members to submit the questions they’d like to ask the candidates, then we edited and compiled a separate list for each race which we sent to all the candidates,” said MBCA Communications Director Chris Carraher. “Not all the candidates responded, but we really appreciate the ones who took the time to reach out to the voters this way. MBCA firmly believes that an informed electorate is key to our mission of promoting the economic and environmental welfare of the Morongo Basin.”

The Virtual Forum is only one feature of MBCA’s completely revised Website. Visitors will also find a variety of resources on issues and the communities of the Morongo Basin. Active in the Basin since 1969, MBCA brings a depth of experience and a Basin-wide scope to this move into the digital future.

Besides information on the organization and its history, visitors will find resources on such local issues as clear-cutting, invasive mustard, water and air quality, night sky, and land use and development.

“On our Communities pages you’ll find links, information, and the latest developments for wherever you live in the Basin,” said Carraher. “And in our Action section you’ll find the tools you need to get moving and start making an effective difference.”

One key addition to the Website is the regularly updated MBCA blog, where users can get the latest news on conservation issues across the Basin. But the site also features in-depth articles, such as “Urban Growth and Carrying Capacity in the Morongo Basin”, a new MBCA position paper by journalist and MBCA Boardmember Mark Wheeler.

Carraher invites Basin residents to visit the 2008 Virtual Candidates Forum and to return to the MBCA Website and blog often at www.mbconservation.org.

Coverage of HD Water District canddidates forum

"Six candidates vying for three seats on the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors detailed their qualifications and views at a candidate forum held at the community center Tuesday." Read full coverage of the forum in the Hi-Desert Star.

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage, Meet the Candidates.

Meet Yucca Valley candidates

The public is invited to "meet the candidates for sustainable growth" in Yucca Valley this Friday, Oct. 3.

Present will be Town Council candidates Bill Souder and Wade White, as well as Hi-Desert Water District candidates Rae Packard, Margo Sturgis, and Charles McHenry.

Bluegrass music, food, and drink will be on hand.

Friday, October 3, 6-8 p.m., at 51845 Saddle Lane, Pioneertown (east of Pioneertown Road, westerly end of Pipes Canyon). Pipes Canyon Road, North on Eastline, Left on Saddle Lane. "Watch for the balloons."

Yucca Mesa to be annexed to Yucca Valley?

The Hi-Desert Star reports that the Town of Yucca Valley is filing an application to annex Yucca Mesa into its "sphere of influence".

Though this is not a physical annexation, and it will not change any of the ways that services are provided by San Bernardino County to the unincorporated community, it does qualify as the first step toward annexation.

The draft review posed two questions: Does the Town have the capacity to extend its municipal services to adjacent unincorporated areas, and would the level and quality of the Town’s services be an improvement for said areas? [Stanley R.] Hoffman Associates found the answer to each question to be “an unequivocal yes.”

But does the Mesa agree? At the Town Council’s meeting, Jim Sammons of the Yucca Mesa Improvement Association told the council, “We don’t want to be involved with the Town if we can help it.”

Of particular note is that this move would shadow the boundaries of the Hi-Desert Water District, of which "the town has considered becoming the governing body...[although for the Hoffman] study it is assumed to remain as an independent district.”

The agency that governs annexations is LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission). Read more about the history of LAFCO and the State laws that govern it on the San Bernardino County LAFCO Website here. Importantly, annexation proposals ARE subject to CEQA, the California Environmental Equality Act. (Learn more about CEQA and how citizens may use this process on the MBCA Website here.)

The process for protesting an annexation proposal is briefly described on the SBco LAFCO FAQ page, including:

For inhabited areas (areas containing twelve or more registered voters), state law indicates that if written protest is filed by 25% to 50% of the registered voters, or any amount greater than 25% of the landowners, then an election is called, and the annexation would be scheduled for a vote. If the protest is less than 25% of the voters or landowners, then the annexation is approved without an election; if the protest is greater than 50% of the total registered voters, then the annexation is denied without an election.

So what does "sphere of influence" mean, specifically? In the LAFCO context, it is "a plan for the probable physical boundaries and service area of a local government agency" and "is an important benchmark because it defines the primary area within which urban development is to be encouraged", according to this section of an extensive guide to "LAFCO's, General Plans, and City Annexations" on the Governor's Office of Planning and Research Website.


MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Land Use/Development, Communities, and Water pages of the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Yucca Mesa, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage.

Candidate Forums for Water Districts this Tuesday

This Tuesday, September 30, the public will have a chance to listen to candidates for the boards of two different Basin water districts.

The Hi-Desert Water District forum will be at 6 p.m. in the Yucca Room at the Yucca Valley Community Center and is sponsored by the Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce. Candidates in the race include Sarann Graham, Charles McHenry, Rae Packard, Matt Perron, Bob Stadum, Dan Munsey, and Margo Sturges. Members of the public may submit questions in advance, and the forum will be videotaped and broadcast on cable. Get the details in the Hi-Desert Star.

The Joshua Basin Water District forum will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Joshua Tree Community Center at 6171 Sunburst Avenue and is sponsored by the Joshua Tree Community Association. Candidates in the race include Greg Alkire, Iona Chelette, Bill Long, Mickey Luckman, Al Marquez, Mike Reynolds, Jay St. Gaudens, Gary Given, and Michael Luhrs. Read the details in the Hi-Desert Star.


MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage, Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree water/waste/sewage.

Virtual Candidates Forum: Your questions invited!

Who will decide your future? Shouldn't you have a say?

A variety of candidates has filed for vacancies on the Town and City Councils of Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, as well as the boards of the Hi-Desert and Joshua Basin Water Districts and the Copper Mountain Community College District. Who wins will have a significant impact on the future of our lives and homes and the health of this beautiful land we share. Shouldn't you be part of the equation?

To make the best choice, you need to know where the candidates stand. If you've ever wished you could quiz them on the issues important to you, here's your chance. MBCA will be submitting a list of questions to the candidates for the open positions, and their answers will be posted on our Website and publicized for review by the voters. In putting together our list of questions, we'd like YOUR ideas on what we should ask them in our Virtual Forum.

Please send your Candidate Questions to us at info@mbconservation.org, and please include which Town or City Council, Water Board, or College Board race your question is meant for. We will review the questions and come up with a list for each race that we feel will best test the candidates on their positions on issues of concern to MBCA and its members.

Please send your Questions to us by September 1, 2008. We look forward to hearing from you! And - don't forget to register to vote!

Water supplies and compliance in west Basin

According to the Hi-Desert Star, in back-to-back meetings of the Hi-Desert Water District and the Warren Valley Basin Watermaster:

Director Wade White questioned why Hi-Desert Water District is putting more State Water Project water into the ground than it is pumping out, yet the water level dropped over the last 12 months at 10 of the district’s 14 producing wells.

[snip]

[Legal counsel John] Brown advised that any discussion about available and future water supplies and requirements include a closed session on the same agenda because there was the potential for litigation from other area pumpers.

The District also "failed to meet monitoring requirements for drinking water after coliform bacteria was detected in March", according to a separate article in the Star. This violation "was characterized as procedural in nature. 'It’s not that the water wasn’t in compliance,'" District Engineer Joseph Glowitz said.

Seats open on Hi-Desert Water Board

"People interested in running for a seat on the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors in this year’s Nov. 4 election could begin filing candidate papers Monday," according to the Hi-Desert Star. Learn more here.

Drought in Yucca Valley

In last Saturday's Guest Soapbox in the Hi-Desert Star, Bill Souder has provided a sober and clear-eyed perspective on the Yucca Valley water situation in the wake of Gov. Schwarzenegger's proclamation of a statewide drought:

I also attended Tuesday’s meeting and as Director Stadum said, the immediate impact of the drought is not critical due to our reserves. However, I am concerned that a worsening or continuation of the drought could mean no new water supplies or even more reductions on water supplies to Yucca Valley. As Councilwoman Herbel and Director White pointed out, we should take immediate action to minimize water consumption in the HDWD area. Council member Luckino said that “this isn’t a Yucca Valley issue but rather a state issue.” I don’t expect the state to solve our local problem when it is dealing with a statewide problem.

I am disappointed that Stadum’s and Luckino’s responses indicated that they don’t have a sense of urgency on this issue. My experience is that the conservative approach to potential problems is to plan and begin to address them immediately, then adjust the degree of response frequently as the situation changes or doesn’t change. Our federal government has let down our country’s citizens recently by not planning for likely disasters.

Souder further suggests some constructive steps:

Some simple things that can be done to prepare for a possible worsening of the water availability include an emphasis on water conservation by inserting flyers in water bills, restrictions on landscaping to encourage retaining native vegetation and use of xeriscape vegetation, review of water availability assessment for larger housing projects and, potentially, restrictions on water meters/connections.

Souder also recommends residents "contact their Town Council members and directors of the HDWD and let them know that we would like them to implement pre-emptive measures to protect our valuable water supply."

Read the full text of the Soapbox here.


MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage.

Oversight of groundwater contamination in Yucca Valley

Seeking to determine responsibilities for regulating groundwater contamination caused by septic tanks, Hi-Desert Water District directors have approved a draft memorandum of agreement among HDWD, the Town of Yucca Valley and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

According to the Hi-Desert Star, they also decided to make the recurring question of septic-tank regulation a future meeting agenda item.

Also during the meeting, Director Wade White reported on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proclamation of a statewide drought that called for “immediate action to address a dire situation."

Read the rest of the Star report here.

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water pages of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley, YV water/waste/sewage.

Water supplies in Yucca Valley

Two directors of the Hi-Desert Water District met with two members of the YV Town Council this week to discuss water rates and supply, according to the Hi-Desert Star. Among the observations:

• "[HDWD general manager Ed] Muzik projects the district has a seven- to eight-year supply of stored water in reserve, not including native water supply that was originally underground here."
• "[HDWD director Wade] White commented on the 'massive uncertainty' with respect to future water supplies and added, 'The ball game has changed on allocation of water in a serious way.' White suggested that water-supply assessments for proposed housing developments be rescinded in light of Hi-Desert Water District’s dependency on imported water and questions on the reliability of future deliveries."
• "The construction slowdown is apparent in a sharp reduction in installed new services: from 421 meters two years ago to 199 last fiscal year to 82 meters so far this fiscal year, which ends June 30."

Read the rest of the article here.

Yucca Valley sewage and water

The Hi-Desert Star covers last Wednesday's meeting of the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors and an update on the progress of the waste-reclamation plant design, as well as other water issues.

Director Wade White continued to express concerns about future water supplies and suggested a workshop with the Mojave Water Agency on the subject. Director Sheldon Hough disagreed with White’s continuing efforts to extract long-term contracts from MWA, saying, “There is never going to be a guarantee of water.”

Read the rest here.

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Water page of the MBCA Website. Related blog posts: Water, Yucca Valley.