By Jordan Hollingsworth

Taylor and I packed our overcoats and puffy jackets, thermal underwear and beanies, fleece mittens and wool scarves—left the wintry desert and arrived in Minneapolis to bright bluebird skies, warm sun, and shirtless runners on the bike path that runs along the Mississippi River. (Why we went: “Five Reasons I’m Going to Minneapolis.”)

All around us we witnessed a revolutionary kind of joy that persists even when the sun keeps winter hours and when the announced drawdown of federal law enforcement was, of course, a lie. We came to help however we could, listen to whatever residents told, and find tools to take home to the Hi Desert.

The Logistics of Love

Our work began in the routine chaos of a downtown high school, where nearly 90% of the students face significant economic disadvantages and Advanced Placement participation rates hit nearly 70%. Teachers and staff clearly excel as educators, but they are so much more; they are the backbone of their neighborhood’s survival.

In December, at the start of Operation Metro Surge, attendance at the school dropped up to 40%. The school’s staff immediately established a system to track the needs of hundreds of families. “It feels like a data center,” a teacher’s aide told us, showing off the spreadsheets she and her team had developed to keep tabs on requests from students and their families. “We got all this going in six weeks,” she said. “Students have started to come back, but so many people are afraid to go out or don’t have money to buy food.”

Taylor and I packed bags for students and families who, for fear of being snatched off the streets by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), could not safely navigate a trip to the market. We filled sacks with staples: rice, spaghetti, meat, and canned fruit. We added “baby snacks,” a category of food one mom had requested that feels like a small luxury when every other item is a grim necessity. Watching Somali girls being silly as they helped, and seeing young men carry their heavy burdens with a somber, quiet responsibility, we saw a community that refuses to let its children be defined solely by their trauma.

Volunteers collected the bags to deliver to nearby homes. One teacher with Elvish runes tattooed on his collarbones said, “We are so tired of this shit.” Everyone we met seemed hypervigilant, listening for whistles from neighbors that signal ICE has been spotted, waiting for the next blow while trying to keep it together for their students.

The next day at the Sanneh Foundation, we joined a ten-person line to process crates of produce from Second Harvest food bank. In 2003, former U.S. Men’s National Team soccer star and Minnesota native Tony Sanneh founded a youth sports organization that has since evolved into a massive community support network.

The coordinator said this was more than ordinary food insecurity and that they’d stepped up accepting contributions and donating food in a situation “manufactured by ICE.” I was first in an assembly line of a nine or ten volunteers filling cardboard boxes with cabbages, beets, sweet potatoes, onions, oranges, and apples. I ripped open 50-pound bags of cabbages, shucking off bruised or scraped outer leaves. “Cannonballs of justice,” I thought, imagining the people who were going to receive the boxes, making the cabbage as pretty as possible, treating them with dignity and respect—the cabbage and the community. Taylor added a dozen beets to the boxes, imagining people opening them and saying, “oh boy, beets!”

We sang along with the playlist, hits from the early oughts, Britney Spears’ “Oops, I Did it Again,” and my favorite, Outkast’s “Hey Ya”—“what’s cooler than being cool?”

“Ice cold!”

All right all right all right all right.

Tactical Joy and Satirical Resistance

Our friend Jules had made us feel welcome in Minneapolis and arranged for us to meet friends and family who had stories to tell. Jules is an artist who makes precise, colorful signs that pack a punch. She went home to Minneapolis from Joshua Tree, where she and her husband spend the winter, because, she said, “I couldn’t stand to see what’s happening to my city. It broke my heart.” She wanted to stand with her community and has created dozens of beautiful signs for whoever shows up to hold them.

Jules organizes protests that take place in her downtown neighborhood on Mondays and Fridays for just an hour, which eases burnout. Many of the drivers passing honk their honks in support, even city busses, firetrucks, and Ford F150s.

Some gatherings are joined by people wearing jolly inflatable frog costumes, a symbol of the resistance, along with signs painted with the Rebel Loon (the state bird of Minnesota) created by a local artist and based on the symbol of the Star Wars rebel alliance.1

I told a woman with a Loons not Goons sign that I’d come from California to witness and take part. She hugged me and burst into tears, “it’s been so heavy,” she said. “So heavy.” I walked with her and a man wearing a fox head and a tail, and we sang one of the anthems of the Singing Resistance, “we’ll all get there together, together. No one will be left behind this time.”

We had just missed the Dildo Distribution Delegation, which pelted state and federal agents leaving the Whipple Federal Building with sex toys from a crate of 500 provided by, people said, the Smitten Kitten. Videos of dildos stuck to and wobbling from the sides of tactical black SUVs made the federal surge look ridiculous rather than intimidating.

It was too much for law enforcement. Jerry, a stern-looking man in his 50s, told me that in the minutes after the dildo protest took place, Minnesota Highway Patrol officers grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Jerry wore a gas mask and ear protection—he said some of the law enforcement at the Whipple Building have LRADs, long-range acoustical devices that are as loud as a jet engine and that had already given him crippling tinnitus. The officers kneed him in the back and banged his head into the ground, and Jerry spent the night in the ER being treated for his injuries.

“I’ve lawyered up,” he said. “I’m a contractor. I can afford it. Assault. Criminal injury. I’m coming for them.”

The Shadow of the Whipple Building

Will Jerry get justice? Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who allegedly shot Renee Good, walks free. So do CBP officers Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, who allegedly shot Alex Pretti. Justice seems unlikely.

We took the light rail to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, not far from the airport. Cement barriers and tall chain link fences separate ICE, CBP, and the National Guard and protestors. Civilians patrol outside day and night, taunting law enforcement with bullhorns, sometimes reading scripted insults from clipboards. The feds cruise by in their big black SUVs, kitted out with cameras filming the crowds, capturing data, keeping tabs on their enemies.

Detainees are often released from the Whipple Building after midnight into the cold without warm clothing. Members of Haven Watch, a community foundation that rose up in January, give detainees coats to bundle up and burner phones then drive them home.

We met volunteers who continue to provide aid once people are back with their families and help them go back to their home countries if they want to — people who came to the U.S. looking for opportunities and safety and who were instead grabbed from school, from work, from the street.

A squad of what the crowd took to be National Guard members gathered by a half dozen armored personnel carriers, glaring at the protestors and joking with each other. There are euphemisms the current administration uses for the federal influx of uniformed officers in mostly blue states): a “surge,” an “action.” What I witnessed in Minneapolis is war.

The Way Forward: A Radical Responsibility

We had brunch with Jules’s son Hank. He’s an observer in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis, which had seen many ICE abductions until the troops moved into less-central neighborhoods, like the northeast area. Hank told us, “When ICE leave, they’ll drop a canister of tear gas just to be assholes.” He’d been tear-gassed several times.

He’d been nearby when Alex Pretti had been murdered and heard the commotion, the whistles, the yelling, the sirens. “It was the Border Patrol,” he said. “They’re the violent ones. They are used to bullying immigrants crossing the border.”

We had paid respects to Pretti the night before with our friends Dr. Montse and her wife Dr. Flores. . We silently walked around the neatly arranged stuffed animals and flowers, signs saying, “Alex, we got this” and the ubiquitous, “fuck ICE.” My heart felt as if it had been cracked open, and I sniffled into my mittens. Walking back to our car, Dr. Montse noticed a black SUV parked with the window rolled down, a man in camo watching mourners and passersby. I didn’t see him, but she, always vigilant did. “Hey,” he said. “What are you doing?” It didn’t seem friendly.

Alex and Renee Good were part of the fabric of this care network, people who believed in the radical possibility of a better world and acted on that belief every single day. Their deaths serve as a chilling reminder of the stakes involved when you choose to stand in the gap.

Hank said, “If you want to help, just go outside and meet your neighbors. Shop in your community. Help your neighbors and ask for help when you need it. People say, ‘you are on your own.’”

I thought about people who live in the desert. Many of us are here in the Morongo Basin cherish our independence and value our ability to be self-reliant. When our dogs get lost, when the streets flood, when we lose our SNAP benefits because of a government shutdown, however—we turn out for each other and lift each other up.

Hank sipped his coffee. “We are not on our own. I don’t believe that. We all have each other.”

The people of Minneapolis show us that mutual aid is not a hobby or a line item on a resume—it is a lifeline. They demonstrate that hope is not a feeling you wait for, but a series of actions you take. It is the act of ripping the ugly leaves off a cabbage; it is the act of loading a teacher’s car with groceries; it is the act of standing in front of the Whipple building and refusing to look away. Minneapolis teaches us that when the systems fail—or when they are intentionally designed to exclude—the people must become the system.

Resources

Almost everyone we talked to in Minneapolis eagerly shared links to their Signal chats and told us about trainings and actions taking place. Here are some of the resources we learned about.

ICE Out. This was the most robust ICE tracker, they said.

NDLON, the National Day Laborer Network, received kudos.

We found out about helping the high school through the First Unitarian Universalist Church, recommended by a man standing in line at the Phoenix airport to board the flight to Minneapolis.

Monarca is doing the heavy lifting of training observers and other helpers.

This Flock camera map was recommended.

Haven Watch show how to support detainees.

Stand with Minnesota has a comprehensive list of organizations to support.

The Sanneh Foundation provides food to immigrants and the unhoused

Second Harvest Heartland

Immigrant Rapid Response fund

You Can Help master list on Reddit

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Although Desert Trumpet policy requires editorials to be signed, the author is known to staff, and we have agreed to a pseudonym for reasons of safety. Names in the essay have been changed for the same reason.

By Jordan Hollingsworth

I’m going to Minneapolis this week because what’s happening there feels consequential, and I want to be present rather than watching from a distance. It makes a difference to be present. The federal surge that descended on the Minneapolis—ICE and Border Patrol outnumbering local law enforcement, militarized tactics far from any border—was never just about immigration. It was about intimidation. Minneapolis has become the bitter cold anvil where the ICE hammer came down, and also the place where people decided they would not be frozen into silence.

First: Minneapolis is the symbolic and literal epicenter.
We Californians know about epicenters. When a city becomes the focus of national attention—after Operation Metro Surge, after high-profile killings by federal agents, after weeks of occupation—it gathers heft. If the federal actions were really about immigration enforcement, the spotlight would on Texas, Arizona, or Florida. But Minneapolis is blue and diverse and has a tradition of tolerance. Being present there is a way to say what’s unfolding is an alarm we all hear. I want to stand in solidarity with my friends in Minneapolis.

Second: I’m going to learn from a broad coalition in motion.
Minneapolis isn’t improvising from scratch (see this report in The Big Picture substack). Immigrant rights groups, unions, faith leaders, parents, students—people who already knew how to show up—have braided the skills learned in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing into something even more powerful. ICE Watch, neighborhood patrols, food delivery networks, rides to school and medical appointments: this is resistance built on care. I want to be a small pillar in the bridge Minneapolis is building; I want to watch how that infrastructure works, how it sustains people under pressure, and how it can be adapted here.

Third: I believe in being there to bear witness.
I’m a writer who is also trained in search and rescue. I was reminded this summer in speeches by Sandra Cisneros and Gina Ortiz Jones, the mayor of San Antonio, that writers matter in times like this. Our job is to record what power would rather blur. I’m going to observe, to report, to blow a whistle when needed, and to make sure names and stories don’t disappear.

Fourth: Minneapolis offers proof that “We Keep Us Safe” is best practice.
What gives me hope isn’t only anger or outrage; it’s the antidote being made in real time. Parents organizing carpools so kids can get to school. Neighbors delivering groceries to families too afraid to leave home. Volunteers learning childcare safety so schools can stay open. Watching it happen reminds the rest of us what’s possible when we center care over fear.

Fifth: Because sometimes support requires an advance, not a retreat.
Yes, there’s work to do at home—especially in red regions like ours, represented by officials who polish detention centers into vacation resorts (see Representative Obernolte’s statement on the Adelanto detention facility on Instagram). We can still keep our neighbors safe, warm, and fed wherever we live. But there are moments when you go to the place where it hurts most, where the lesson is sharpest. A friend from Minneapolis went home through blizzards because her community needed her. I understand that pull. Plus I have a parka, woolly mittens, and sturdy boots.

I’m going to Minneapolis not just to protest, but to stand alongside people who are building the infrastructure of dignity under siege. Let our love be stronger than their hate. Let our unity be louder than their fear.

Resource lists:

Local

Observer trainings through No Kings: check back for future events.

National Day Laborers Organizing Network out of Pasadena suggests an Adopt a Corner program to protect workers.

resist_29 is monitoring Flock cameras, hosts a monthly free potluck and more

Democrats of the Morongo Basin lists resources and actions

The ACLU remains essential, including their People Power campaign

Minnesota-specific

Stand with Minneapolis includes links to daily Gofundme campaigns, Monarca rapid response, an emergency legal fund for Afghan and Syrian detainees, food support, and pet and animal support.

The Sanneh Foundation provides food to immigrants and the unhoused

Second Harvest Heartland

Immigrant Rapid Response fund

You Can Help master list on Reddit

How to help if you are outside Minnesota

Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition

QUEERSpace Collection

Tribal Nation Aid

Although Desert Trumpet policy requires editorials to be signed, the author is known to staff, and we have agreed to a pseudonym for reasons of safety.

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Update 11/7/25 03:07 pm: As of Friday, November 7, 2025, many CalFresh recipients reported that SNAP benefits finally hit their EBT cards. Benefits were issued in full in response to a judge’s ruling in a 10/28 lawsuit California and 22 other states filed against the Trump administration and the USDA.

Despite the court ruling, SNAP users in other states, such as Alabama and Florida, are still seeing impacts to their benefits. To check your CalFresh balance, click here.

With a local economy so dependent on federal employment, government shutdowns in the Morongo Basin are no joke. From active duty military, to National Park Service employees, to government contractors, Twentynine Palms residents are feeling the squeeze. In the short term, the impact is hitting the pocketbooks of federal employees and food stamp recipients, while the long-term implications have yet to unfold.

This week, Desert Trumpet spoke to those with boots on the ground, including food bank organizers, military spouses, and grocery store workers. We wanted to get an idea of the impact the government shutdown has had on food accessibility in Twentynine Palms as the shutdown pushes past the one-month mark, making it the longest government shutdown in history.

SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (often referred to as food stamps), is the largest federal food program in the nation. Despite a budget that supported the distribution of over $100 billion in government assistance benefits in 2024,1 funding for SNAP failed to renew as of November 1.

36 days into the government shutdown, this failure directly effects households that rely on the CalFresh EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) program. CalFresh is the State of California’s name for SNAP, with federal funds distributed via the state and county.

The second-longest federal shutdown lasted 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, during the first Trump administration. Despite two court orders from federal judges ruling that the SNAP program must continue to be funded even though the government is shut down, the process to actually approve that aid, via emergency approval funds, could still take a few days to hit EBT cards.

A CBS report published Monday, November 3, says benefits would be issued via the SNAP program’s $4.6 billion contingency fund, but at a reduced rate with only 50% of costs covered for November’s SNAP recipients.

Those relying on CalFresh to put food on the table are caught in the political crossfire, leaving many families in limbo. In the interim, the community is stepping up to fill in the gaps.

Local Food Banks See Demand Increase

The 29 Palms Community Food Pantry operates out of 6450 Stardune Avenue three days a week—Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 9:30 to 11:30 am.2 Typically the food pantry serves 45 to 60 families a week. The location also hosts a monthly USDA distribution that assists over 140 families, which takes place every third Monday of the month, and a monthly senior food distribution— three operations in total.

Per pantry Director Lori Cosgriff, all three food distributions have seen demand increase in the last month, with 20 more clients served last week than the week before. With holidays approaching, the pantry expects a further uptick.

To accommodate that demand, the 29 Palms Community Food Pantry has increased its USDA distribution allotment from 144 households to 164 households. Cosgriff says she spoke with the USDA last Wednesday, which confirmed that food delivery would be there for the over-160 families in their upcoming food distribution, which will be on Monday, November 17 from 3 to 5 pm.

As for the quantity of food distributed by the USDA since the government shutdown, Cosgriff said October’s distribution did see a smaller per-pound amount than previous months, “sometimes it’s 50 pounds of food per family, sometimes it’s 30 pounds.”

Thanks to donations from private citizens, the City of Twentynine Palms, government grant programs, and some thoughtful preparation from pantry operators and volunteer coordinators, the pantry is ready to serve the community during this time of need. Cosgriff said, “We’re here to help people who need help. We’ve stayed ready, we’ve stayed prepared.”

Fresh food is purchased locally to keep pantry shelves stocked, maintaining a consistent supply on hand for its regular clients, with the ability to purchase more food if demand calls for it.

“Two months from now I might be saying something different,” said Cosgriff. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pantry ramped up its stockpile and rotates food regularly.

FIND Food Bank, which operates primarily out of the Coachella Valley and assists the high desert region with food distributions out of Set Free Church, 82572 Amboy Road, and the Joshua Tree Way Station, reports a similar increase in numbers served as the 29 Palms Community Food Bank. Kelly Mui-Chesterton, Vice President of Development and Community Engagement, told Desert Trumpet on October 30 that their organization has seen a 30% demand increase since the government shutdown began October 1.

An October 24 press release from the food bank acknowledges a ramped-up emergency response amid the shutdown:

FIND is increasing food allocations to its more than 100 local food pantry partners and 30 Community Mobile Market sites, ensuring equitable distribution across the region. If CalFresh disruptions continue, FIND plans to provide CalFresh Interruption Boxes containing staples such as rice, beans, pasta, canned protein, vegetables, fruit, and milk alternatives to help sustain families until benefits resume.

FIND Food Bank also operates a mobile food pantry out of Copper Mountain College on the first Tuesday of the month from 9 to 10 am at 6162 Rotary Way, in the Bell Center parking lot.

Shutdown Impacts on SNAP Recipients, Military Families, and Senior Citizens

Cosgriff, who was at the Community Food Pantry last Monday and Wednesday, noted many people who came in were worried that food stamps were not going to arrive this week.

Charlene Brokaw, closing manager of Grocery Outlet in Twentynine Palms, told Desert Trumpet that customers who rely on CalFresh to purchase groceries have been seeing impacts to their benefits. As of November 1, some customers had remaining balances left over from October that were still available and usable. For others, CalFresh accounts would show funds available but transactions would ultimately decline. Brokaw said over half of the store’s customers use CalFresh benefits to purchase groceries—November benefits have not yet been distributed.3

Grocery Outlet donates food to the program at the Way Station in Joshua Tree and also offers a $3 off discount for veterans and active duty military who spend $35 or more. Brokaw emphasized the shutdown’s impact on local military families— particularly those with kids.

In the parking lot, we talked with a Marine spouse who spoke on the condition of anonymity— she says the primary effect her family has seen is they do not have access to early pay through Navy Fed’s direct deposit while the shutdown is ongoing. Navy Federal Credit Union, which serves many local active duty military families, is offering a paycheck assistance program to eligible federal employees in response.

For this particular spouse, having a dual-income household helps. “It’s fine, we just make it stretch. Plus I still have my job too.” For military families that rely on single incomes, fixed incomes, or have multiple dependents, the effects could be dire.

Twentynine Palms accommodates a large senior population— for elderly with limited incomes who rely on Social Security, shutdown impacts are being seen.

The Twentynine Palms Senior Center location at 6539 Adobe Road serves as a waypoint for local resources— Robin Schlosser, Executive Director of Reach Out Morongo Basin, assists in connecting those in need with those crucial services, such as the senior food distribution out of the 29 Palms Community Food Pantry once a month. (The Food Pantry is available to residents in Twentynine Palms, Wonder Valley, and on the Marine Corps Base.)

Reach Out Morongo Basin also has a program that delivers and serves hot meals to seniors, five days a week. Schlosser said that on October 28, eight seniors had come in to sign up for food assistance services, and signup slots for their Thanksgiving meal giveaway are filling up fast.

Local Businesses Step Up

In a Facebook post on October 30, Wing-n-It in Twentynine Palms announced a 30% discount to customers who show their EBT or federal identification card. Similarly, John’s Place, with locations in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms, is offering 25% discount, announced in a Facebook post:

We understand how difficult these times are — with the government shutdown and benefits ending, many of our neighbors are facing real hardship. To help, we’re offering 25% off our entire menu when you show your vaild active duty military ID, federal ID, or Advantage card.

At John’s Place, we believe no child should ever experience hunger and no family should ever feel alone in their struggle. Our doors and hearts are always open — because this community is our family, and family takes care of one another.”

Both restaurants are coordinating Thanksgiving food giveaways this year, with Wing-n-It giving away 300 turkeys and John’s Place hosting their 39th annual free Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, November 27.

How You Can Help

Twentynine Palms High School’s Interact Club is running a Thanksgiving food drive with Reach Out Morongo Basin for the 2025 holiday season. Those interested in assisting can make food donations to the TPHS front office, 72750 Wildcat Way. Families in need can contact Reach Out Morongo Basin at 760-361-1410 to register to receive food for the upcoming holiday.

At their storefront, Wing-n-It is accepting boxed stuffing, canned goods, and other Thanksgiving meal staples for their turkey giveaway. The restaurant’s address is 72317 Twentynine Palms Highway.

The 29 Palms Community Food Pantry welcomes volunteers— the organization also accepts cash donations that are used to purchase food at local stores. Those wanting to assist can contact the food pantry at 760-361-3663 or stop by during operating hours. As for the senior center, they are accepting jacket donations for the unhoused. Volunteer information for Reach Out Morongo Basin is linked here.

Information on the FIND Food Bank website is available for those interested in hosting their own local food drive, giving a monetary donation, or volunteering.

With assistance from the team at Reach Out Yucca Valley, Desert Trumpet has compiled a list of some local food distributions taking place in the upcoming weeks:

Yucca Valley

• Yucca Valley Church of the Nazarene.

  56248 Buena Vista Drive, 760-365-7819

  2nd Thursday of the month from 11:30 am- 12:30 pm.

  Next distribution: November 13, 2025

• Yucca Valley Community Center

  57090 29 Palms Highway, 760-369-7211

  3rd Monday of the month from 9 am- 11:30 am

  Next distribution: November 17, 2025

• Yucca Valley Senior Center

  57088 29 Palms Hwy, 760-853-0208

  3rd Thursday of the month from 9:30 – 10:30 am

  Next distribution: November 20, 2025

Twentynine Palms

• 29 Palms Community Food Pantry

  6450 Stardune Avenue, 760-361-3663

  Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays from 9:30- 11:30 am; USDA: third Monday of month from 3-5 pm; Senior distribution: 4

• Alex Roth Community Food Pantry at Oasis Community Church

  6631 Utah Trail, 442-559-2657

  Thursdays from 10 am- 12 pm

Joshua Tree

• Joshua Tree Community Center

  6171 Sunburst Avenue, 760-366-2471

  3rd Monday of the month from 9 am- 11 am.

  Next distribution: Monday, November 18, 2025.

• The Way Station, 760-366-8088

  61722 Commercial Street

  Tuesday-Friday 9 am- 1 pm

• FIND Mobile Food Bank, Copper Mountain College

  6162 Rotary Way, in the Bell Center parking lot, 760-775-3663

  1st Tuesday of the month, 9 am – 10 am

  Next distribution: Tuesday, December 2, 2025.

This is a developing story. If your business or organization is collecting food drive donations or providing support during the shutdown, please share details in the comment section below.

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At midnight on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, the federal government shut down. Many local federal employees have been furloughed, and ongoing programs have ceased. Joshua Tree National Park law enforcement—including search and rescue services—and maintenance staff will continue to be present but will be working without pay until the shutdown ends. Park gates will be open, but fees will not be collected, which cuts off a vital revenue stream for the park.1

Meanwhile, some services across government will limp along, while others will halt completely. Veterans’ medical care and crisis lines will stay open. Military training continues, but new defense contracts stop. The Postal Service keeps operating.

Many community members rely on Social Security, Veterans Administration payments, and Medicare and Medi-Cal. These services will continue, but with large numbers of staff furloughed or working without pay. Benefit verifications, card replacements, and corrections will slow. This New York Times article outlines how federal workers are affected (gift link).

It May Not Be as Bad as Last Time

To some locals, the words “government shutdown” bring back unpleasant memories. For those who lived here through the 2018–2019 closure, which lasted 35 days, the images remain vivid: overflowing trash cans, toilets that stopped working, visitors driving off-road through protected landscapes, and volunteers scrambling to hold the line in Joshua Tree National Park.

However, the park will have normal Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, campground maintenance, and Fee Rangers (not collecting fees) available and patrolling the park. Campgrounds will continue to stay open and the only closed visitor centers will be Black Rock, Indian Cove, and Cottonwood.

The current federal shutdown could hit the local economy harder this time. After a sluggish summer, the tourist season usually begins ramping up with cooler autumn weather. Local businesses hoped fall would bring relief as visitors return to the desert, filling hotels and short-term rentals, and buying groceries, gas, and meals.

Independent shop owners who looked forward to fall and winter visitor surges may find that the shutdown will bring disappointing revenue. The tourism numbers in Twentynine Palms and in California have already dropped, according to Tourism Board Improvement District Marketing Director Breanne Dusastre. At the September 9, 2025 City Council meeting, she noted headwinds faced by the tourism industry in California in 2025-2026. Citing the Visit California Visitation and Spend Forecast, Dusastre highlighted the projected 9% drop in international visitors and flat domestic travel California faces.

In 2024, more than 2.9 million visitors streamed into the national park, down from a high of 3.2 million people the year before. According to a report presented by Superintendent Jane Rodgers to the Twentynine Palms City Council in 2024, park tourism supports 1,630 jobs in desert communities that generates nearly $214 million in labor income.

The Joshua Tree National Park Visitor and Cultural Center at Freedom Plaza will remain open.2 At the beginning of the year, Superintendent Rodgers expressed concern that reductions in federal spending and possible government shutdowns would mean the Freedom Plaza visitor center would close.

The Visitor Center had been leased to the National Park Service through the City of Twentynine Palms. Superintendent Rodgers pushed for the Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA), the park’s non-profit arm, to assume the lease of the visitor center. This way, it could remain open if federal spending cuts were to occur.

At the February 25, 2025, City Council meeting, Councilmembers voted 5-0 to transfer the lease from Joshua Tree National Park to the Park Association. As City Manager Stone James said at the time,

Although rangers will not be able to staff the building, with the maps and the expertise the association has developed, that they would be able to provide substantially the same information as the rangers currently do.

There is no good data from the last long shutdown on the economic impact on Twentynine Palms and the Morongo Basin. Some residents believe that more visitors will come because they can enter the park without paying the entrance fee or experiencing the long line of cars that stack up at the West Entrance kiosk on weekends.

Still, advocates warn conditions could be worse. Kate Groetzinger of the Center for Western Priorities pointed to a 24% loss in permanent National Park Service staff under President Trump’s second term. “It will be worse this time than it was last time around, simply because the parks are already struggling.” According to the Mojave Desert Land Trust, the “federal shutdown exacerbates an already critical situation. Public lands stewards are already stretched thin after this year’s workforce reductions, and the One Big, Beautiful Bill’s $267 million cut to National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management funding.”

Shutdown + Buyouts = Low Morale

Shutdowns don’t just hit businesses and community members who work at or depend on the park. Many Twentynine Palms residents draw a paycheck from the federal government. Some work at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Some civilian workers for the Department of Defense have been furloughed. Others face delays in paychecks, even as military operations continue.

The tension between local initiatives and federal responsibility is keenly felt in Twentynine Palms because of the city’s dual dependence on the park and on the Marine base.

Earlier this year, more than 100,000 federal civil servants accepted buyouts under pressure, and on September 30, those who accepted the terms of the Deferred Resignation Program stepped away from their jobs. It is unknown how many workers this program affects locally, but it has contributed to lower morale overall.

What’s Next? Who Knows?

As of October 1, Joshua Tree National Park remains open — though its superintendent is furloughed and many services are suspended. Businesses, nonprofits, and city officials are trying to hold the pieces together, just as they did five years ago.

But the memory of that last shutdown is still raw. Residents know that each day of closed restrooms, unpaid workers, and suspended services chips away at the fragile balance that keeps this community running.

The national debate over budgets and politics may play out in Washington, but its consequences land here.

Kat Talley-Jones is a contractor who develops interpretive exhibits for the National Park Service and is a Preventative Search and Rescue volunteer at Joshua Tree National Park. Heidi Heard, who retired from Joshua Tree National Park in 2021, provided invaluable links to news stories, as did Cindy Bernard and Jonathan Hume.

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What would 29 Palms and the Morongo Basin be like if the tens of thousands of acres of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land in and around it were suddenly sold to the highest bidder?

That's definitely not a question that anyone living here in the Hi-Desert has much considered for at least 50 years. But per recent articles covering the Republican-controlled Senate's proposed budget reconciliation bill released last week, residents could soon be facing just such a reality.

There are about 232,773 acres of BLM-managed public land in the Morongo Basin and about 5,802,290 acres of BLM-managed public land in San Bernardino County.1

While the City of Twentynine Palms itself contains little BLM land, the City's sphere of influence, including Desert Heights and part of Wonder Valley, contains tens of thousands acres — and the Morongo Basin as a whole contains many, many thousands of acres more.

As this map from Wilderness.org shows, much of Wonder Valley, east of 29 Palms, could be sold off. Wonder Valley contains hundreds of square miles (!) of BLM land that would suddenly be up for auction.

The Desert Heights area, encompassing 100 square miles northwest of 29, doesn't fare much better. Like Wonder Valley, Desert Heights is a patchwork quilt of 1950s jackrabbit homestead parcels, some of which the hearty homesteaders never claimed when the parcels were originally offered by BLM, while other parcels reverted to BLM ownership after homesteaders failed build a cabin to prove up their claim.

Moreover, if this legislation is approved, sizable tracts of BLM land in Joshua Tree could be auctioned as well. This includes hundreds of acres north and east of Section 6, aka the Desert View Conservation Area, a 605-acre Joshua Tree nature preserve beloved by locals, which has been owned and managed by San Bernardino County since 1962.

Why this sudden rush to sell off public lands? The Senate bill's authors claim its purpose is to promote housing:

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement Wednesday that the draft legislative text would turn “federal liabilities into taxpayer value, while making housing more affordable for hardworking American families.”

But here in the Hi-Desert, the purported rationale of fostering more housing rings hollow. Not that we don't need it — and there's little doubt that flooding the market with thousands of acres of formerly government-owned vacant land would indeed drive down the price of local vacant land. But the trouble is, there's already plenty of privately owned vacant land for sale here at relatively bargain prices. Lack of cheap vacant land is far, far down the list of reasons for local housing unavailability and unaffordability.

Notably, the impulses likely driving this land auction gambit don't extend to local zoning, taxes or land regulation. Fantasies of freeing the market run up against reality: most or all of the auctioned land is already zoned. Buyers won’t be getting a piece of do-whatever-you-want-ville. Auctioned parcels can be expected to maintain the very same zoning — for example Resource Conservation zoning as shown below — that they’re already assigned.

You might guess cities and counties would greet with glee the prospect of thousands of "new" parcels of land in their jurisdictions to begin newly taxing, but things aren’t that simple. San Bernardino County receives millions of dollars yearly from the federal government under the PILT Program — “Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) are Federal payments that help local governments offset losses in property taxes due to the existence of nontaxable Federal lands within their boundaries,” per the U.S. Department of the Interior. So while San Bernardino County would gain property tax revenue under a federal land sale scheme, it would likely lose PILT funds.

Finally, there's the fact that little BLM land is buildable — most of it lacks nearby water and electric service. (And sewer? Don't even get me started on sewer.) Per the Wilderness Society's article, "Research suggests that very little of the land managed by the BLM and USFS is actually suitable for housing." Ask anyone who's priced it lately, and they'll inform you that extending utilities nowadays is very costly, often the difference between a project penciling out and not.

So, if tens of thousands of acres of Morongo Basin government land is auctioned but almost none is used for new housing — then what?

You’d be forgiven for hazarding a guess that if this scheme comes to pass, it'll primarily be land speculators, and perhaps an aspiring resort developer or two, who will be vying for a rare fraction of the choicest parcels. There’s little doubt that it’s such entrepreneurs, whether with pockets deep or shallow, who'd have the keenest interest in picking up local BLM land for cheap.

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It felt like a festival spread along the four corners of Hwy 62 and Park Boulevard in Joshua Tree on Saturday. Around 500 peaceful and impassioned protesters showed up (it was hard to keep count because people milled around so much) with funny, irreverent, and profane signs to take part part in a nationwide “No Kings” protest organized by the 50501 Movement. The protests coincided with the administration’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary and the president’s birthday.

“No Kings” aimed to shift the spotlight from what organizers call a “wasteful, un-American birthday parade” to the power of everyday citizens. With protests in nearly 2,000 communities nationwide—though none in D.C.—the flagship rally in Philadelphia underscored a message many here in the Basin echoed: America is not a monarchy, and democracy demands participation.

The Desert Trumpet spoke to U.S. Army veteran Bob C., who said he served in Vietnam. “I was Infantry. I did not fight so Trump could pull this shit. Things have gotten a lot harder at the VA for me this year.”

Protest signs from the street. (Video: Kat Talley-Jones)

When sharing the Desert Trumpet video of the protest on Blue Sky, T. Guzman wrote, “Joshua Tree is very much in the heart of Trump Country. So the turn out today is really something.” And, contrary to suspicions highlighted on local social media, none of the dancers, singers, kids spraying hot folks with water bottles, or giant papier-mâché pig carriers the Desert Trumpet spoke to reported having been paid to be there.

Why Now?

Although the June 14 protest has been in the works for months, recent immigration raids, mass arrests, and federal military deployment in Los Angeles gave urgency to the protest. Despite the “go back to LA” slogan seen locally on bumper stickers and T-shirts, many Morongo Basin residents have strong ties to the LA area: many of us grew up there, work remotely for LA businesses, and have friends and family throughout the region.

On Monday, June 9, locals captured videos of Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Twentynine Palms base to protect "federal personnel and federal property." They have been trained in "de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force," the Northern Command said in a statement. Reports say that they are in place around the federal building in Westwood.

Marine Corps veteran Tanya S., who served in Afghanistan, said she showed up because “I am beyond angry that Marines were deployed in America, in Los Angeles. The military shouldn’t be used to celebrate the president’s birthday or on city streets. I’m furious.”

Demonstrators in Los Angeles faced tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bangs as ICE agents, backed by federal troops, detained dozens—including Service Employees International Union (SEIU) leader David Huerta—and separated families. Many Californian’s reacted in shock as U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was assaulted by FBI agents present at a press conference held by Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem.

In Joshua Tree, people gathered from across the Morongo Basin to make their voices heard. They met friends, made new friends—and shared tips for staying cool in the 90+ degree heat, spraying each other with misters and giving away water bottles and salty snacks. They met candidates who hope to unseat Congressional Jay Obernolte and mourned state representatives slain in Minnesota. And once the thermometer on the library hit 96 degrees around 11 am, they left to cool off and take naps or for the many other musical, art and community activities taking place across the Basin—including the Juneteenth celebration in Twentynine Palms.

Something lingered in the air besides heat: a shared sense of purpose. The No Kings action was more than a reaction to distant headlines; it was a reminder that this desert outpost is part of a much larger story. Whether folks came to make noise, bear witness, or just be in community, they left knowing they were not alone. In the Morongo Basin, resistance wears many hats—sometimes straw ones—and it knows how to pass the chips, refill the water jug, and still hold the line.

What’s Next?

Protests like the No Kings march may seem like one-off feelgood events, but they give heart to the marchers gathered with people like—and unlike—themselves to take further civic action. They give courage to local, state, and national legislators to stand up and push back. And they remind those in opposition that there are hundreds, thousands, and millions of people in their communities who will speak their truths. As writer and activist Rebecca Solnit said of the No Kings marches nationwide: “The right of the people peaceably to assemble was beautifully exercised across the land.”

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Morongo Basin residents showed their disapproval with the direction of the federal government as led by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday, April 5. An estimated 250 people lined the four corners at Hwy 62 and Park Blvd. to join a nationwide “Hands Off” protest called by a coalition of more than 150 organizations including Indivisible, 50501 and locally, Morongo Basin Resistance. At least 1,600 protests took place across the country, with 100,000 people reported as gathering on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Here are a few videos and images from the local contribution to nationwide dissent:

Photos and videos by Elliot Balsley, Cindy Bernard, Heidi Heard and John Talley-Jones.

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On the first day of spring, around 50 constituents gathered for Congressional Representative Jay Obernolte’s mobile office hours, eager to voice their concerns about critical issues affecting their lives. While the representative was not in attendance, his representative, Laura Villa, took notes. The conversation that followed was passionate, touching on topics ranging from Social Security and veteran services to national park funding and broader concerns about democracy and governance.

The large attendance for the representative’s office hours—which usually draws a handful of residents struggling with navigating government bureaucracy—mirrors the increased scrutiny of and press about town halls that have have turned angry and raucous, including Rep. Obernolte’s town hall in Yucca Valley on February 22 (“Town Holler: Rep. Obernolte Meets Resistance”).

Although mobile office hours provide an opportunity for constituents to voice their concerns, the resounding sentiment from this meeting was that real representation requires more than a proxy taking notes. The people present were looking for leadership that not only listens but acts on their behalf. Whether on issues of Social Security, veterans’ services, national parks, democracy, or education, the message was clear: their voices matter, and they expect to be heard.

City Manager Stone James attended some of the meeting, noting that he had met with Rep. Obernolte this week to highlight the concerns of veterans and other issues troubling City residents. Councilmember Octavious Scott was also present but did not speak.

Social Security and Medicare: A Lifeline Under Threat?

One of the most poignant moments of the meeting came from a woman battling Stage 4 colon cancer. Relying on Social Security Disability and receiving a mere $15 in monthly food assistance, she emphasized the urgent need for stable and secure funding for these vital programs.

I paid into [Social Security] while I was working for many years. I don’t want to have to worry about whether my check is going to come every month when I have bigger things to worry about—like my health.

She also voiced concerns on behalf of her elderly Marine veteran neighbor, who struggles to navigate Social Security’s increasingly inaccessible bureaucracy. With offices closing and phone lines often unresponsive, she fears for those who cannot advocate for themselves in the digital age.

In response, Ms. Villa assured the attendees that the budget reconciliation process does not allow for Social Security or Medicare cuts.1 However, this assurance did little to ease the anxiety of many present, particularly given the $800 million cut to health services almost certainly meaning sizable cuts to Medicaid in the Republican House budget. Constituents demanded concrete actions from Rep. Obernolte, urging him to publicly and unequivocally oppose any reductions to these critical programs.

Concerns over the future of Social Security and Medicaid continued to be central to the discussion throughout the meeting. “Will our representative stand up for us?” asked a local mother caring for her adult daughter with Down syndrome. Her daughter relies on Social Security and Medicaid for both medical insurance and daily living assistance.

The fear that these essential services could be cut or privatized under political pressure has many citizens on edge. “Are we going to let politicians destroy the safety net for millions of Americans?” another speaker asked.

Veteran Services

Veterans in attendance expressed deep frustration over the lack of accessible services. Rob Wanless, a retired Marine who said he is 60% disabled, highlighted the difficulties veterans face in obtaining assistance.

If we don’t catch the temporary hours in Joshua Tree, we have to drive over an hour to get help. The largest Marine Corps base in the world, and we don’t even have a VA rep anymore.

Another veteran expressed her anger of cuts to services to veterans, including destaffing the Veterans Crisis Line:

And as far as going to the veterans before four years ago, I almost killed myself talking to a VA rep because they said that I didn't qualify for assistance for my PTSD. Luckily, I got a hold of somebody else, but I was visibly shaken and ready to kill myself…. I probably would have. Seventeen veterans commit suicide every single day in this country, and now you're stripping the VA?

Ms. Villa acknowledged the issue and noted that Rep. Obernolte had recently discussed it with military representatives. However, attendees pressed for more than just discussions—they wanted action. The absence of a dedicated VA representative in Twentynine Palms was cited as a glaring oversight that needed immediate attention, especially with ongoing federal budget cuts threatening further reductions in veteran support services.

National Parks: Staffing Shortages and Maintenance Concerns

Concerns over Joshua Tree National Park and other protected lands also took center stage. One constituent pointed out the contradiction in promoting seasonal hiring while full-time park rangers remained without work.2

“The park is already operating with a diminished staff,” he stated. “How does hiring seasonally solve the larger, systemic issue of underfunding and hiring freezes?”

While Ms. Villa mentioned that Rep. Obernolte supports increased hiring authority for the National Park Service, she did not provide a definitive plan for addressing the staffing shortages that continue to plague protected lands.

Democracy and Government Accountability

Beyond local concerns, broader frustrations about governance and political integrity surfaced. One attendee criticized Rep. Obernolte’s voting record, accusing him of misleading constituents about his positions.

“I’ve seen his record. I know what he’s done,” she said. “He says one thing and does another.”

Cybersecurity concerns were also raised, with one cybersecurity professional warning about the risks of mishandling personal data within federal agencies.

“How can we trust that our Social Security and tax information is safe if the people handling it don’t follow basic security protocols?” she asked.

Immigration Challenges

One veteran shared a deeply personal and heartbreaking story about his wife, a Chinese immigrant facing deportation despite following legal processes.

“They pulled her business license, her work visa, her driver’s license,” he said. “She came to this country seeking refuge, and now they’re sending her back to a place where she’ll be persecuted.”

His plea underscored the difficulties faced by immigrants navigating the U.S. legal system, especially when policies shift unpredictably.

One speaker, who identified himself as a full-blooded Native American, voiced his distress over the state of the country. “I hear the stories, and I'm so upset how this country is going to pieces,” he said. “Where’s the fairness? I don’t see it. And to be honest, it’s both parties.”

The attendees grew restless as his comments voiced grievances but did not seem to contain any questions for Rep. Obernolte. Nonetheless, despite disagreeing with the gentleman, they gave him space to speak:

But one thing people don't haven't mentioned this since President Trump has been President, as nobody's mentioned about illegal aliens. And here's my point. I go to the welfare office. Half is in Spanish. We go to Social Security. Half is in Spanish. I thought he was going to eliminate this, but he hasn't.

Although he was one of few people who did not seem frustrated with the decimation of the federal government and services to Americans, he did not make a strong case for supporting the current administration’s efforts, and he sat down without asking any specific questions to convey to Rep. Obernolte.

Education: The Future of Rural Schools

The discussion also touched on the Department of Education’s future, with Anna Stump, a board member from Copper Mountain College questioning what would happen to Pell Grants should the department be dismantled.

“We have over 1,100 students receiving over $6.5 million in Pell Grants. If the Department of Education is disbanded, what happens to that funding?”

Another speaker expressed his outrage that as the meeting took place, the Department of Education was being dismantled.

And how is that supporting our rural schools? Because we're all rural up here, this is the livelihood for all of us in the future.

The National Debt and Economic Policy

A larger concern was raised about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its handling of federal job cuts. One participant emphasized that cutting jobs without proper audits has led to unintended consequences. “The proof is in their reversals—firing key personnel and then realizing they were essential. Congress should be handling this review, not an unelected entity.”

Another pressing topic was the national debt, which has now surpassed $37 trillion. “It’s unsustainable,” one speaker declared. “So why are tax cuts for the wealthy being extended while services for the working class are being slashed?”

Many attendees agreed that economic policies should prioritize the needs of everyday citizens rather than corporations and the wealthy elite.

A final call to action came from a long-time resident who criticized the lack of thorough investigation in governmental decisions. “If they ran businesses like they run the government, they would be bankrupt in minutes.” She pointed to the firing of military JAG (Judge Advocate General) officers, inspector generals, and other key oversight personnel as evidence of reckless decision-making.

Some attendees expressed the view that without proper oversight, laws become meaningless. “We need enforcement, not just words on paper,” another speaker added. “Right now, it feels like you can pick and choose which laws apply to you.”

A Call for Fairness and Action

The meeting concluded with a shared sense of frustration but also determination, demanding fairness, transparency, and accountability. Whether it’s healthcare, economic policy, immigration, and protection for the transgender members of our community.

Participants struggled but mostly succeeded in keeping their questions and statements civil, expressing strong emotions and frustration. And many thanked Ms. Villa for being present and listening to their concerns.

What are your thoughts? Have you experienced similar challenges with government agencies, healthcare, or economic policy? Let us know in the comments below.

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In protests held at the corners of Park Boulevard and Highway 62 in Joshua Tree on Saturday morning and at Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR) in the afternoon, several hundred protesters chanted, sang, and waved their signs as passersby honked and cheered. Children and dogs joined in, and it would have seemed like a celebration if the cause hadn’t been so serious.

Video by Kat Talley-Jones.

Protests in support of public lands and the civil servants who protect them took place today at more than 145 national park units—from the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage to Gulf Islands National Shore in Florida, from Mount Rainier National Park in Washington to Acadia National Park in Maine, from Halekalā National Park on Maui to the National Mall in Washington, DC.

Locals protested firings of a half-dozen JOTR staff as well as 1,000 National Park Service, 3,400 Forest Service, 370 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and 800 Bureau of Land Management employees, who were wrongfully terminated by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE team.

Those who have lost their jobs include rangers, scientists, wildland firefighters, first responders, trail crews, maintenance crews, and other mission critical staff. DOGE has signaled that more large-scale terminations are planned.

People who live and work here brought attention to this attack on public lands to visitors who might not be as tuned into this topic as those who live in gateway communities to one of the ten most-visited parks in the United States.

Miranda, who held a sign that said, “Public Lands Are Not 4 Sale,” moved to Landers during the pandemic. She showed up at the protest in the town of Joshua Tree and said:

JTree is where I go to renew my spirit. I like to sit in the rocks and think and draw. I walk the Hidden Valley trail nearly every week and love how I see people having a great time and who seem to have come here from everywhere! Rangers are the best people and work so hard; if they can be fired—who is safe?

Nick Graver, community activist, asked people attending the protest to draw silver stars on a black sheet of construction paper. He estimated that 300 people attended the morning’s protest and 150 at Cap Rock in the park.

Video by Kat Talley-Jones.

The protests shifted to inside the park on Saturday afternoon, where protesters gathered at Cap Rock at the junction of Park Boulevard and Keys View Road. Many had staff and volunteer connections to the park and organizations that support it and its mission. These include members of tribal nations connected with the park, Friends of Joshua Tree National Park, the Mojave Desert Land Trust, the Mojave Basin Conservation Association, the Desert Institute, and the Joshua Tree National Park Association.

After a land acknowledgment, chants focused on keeping public lands in public hands; a favorite was, “parks aren’t toys for billionaire boys.” The event highlighted President Trump’s order that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright work to “Unleash American Energy” by revoking restrictions and reviewing federal lands for resource extraction. A park handout noted: “All federal lands are at risk including the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and other public lands.”

Participants watched as climbers unfurled an American flag upside down in distress and struggled to anchor it in a stiff west wind—and everyone cheered when they finally had the flag secured.

The protests here and in parks across the country were organized by Resistance Rangers, a group of 700+ off-duty park rangers, including National Park Service staff illegally fired on February 14, and seasonal rangers whose jobs were rescinded.

Local organizer Anna, a member of the Resistance Rangers, said that it was important that the protest take place in the parks “to show what’s happening in the resource” that’s in peril from the administrations threatened actions and to inspire people to take action.

Many of us showed up at last week’s Community Coffee with Representative Jay Obernolte—it is worthwhile to continue to contact his office in Washington, DC, at (202) 225-5861 or in Hesperia at (760) 247-1815 and tell him you support your local park and federal employees. And share your love for our national parks; talk to your friends, neighbors, and families about why they are important to you, to the community, and to the nation.

Climbers anchor and unfurl the American flag of distress at Cap Rock. Video by Cindy Bernard.

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In a watershed event for Morongo Basin residents concerned about the Trump administration’s attacks not just on federal agencies but also assaults on transgender members of our community, persecution of immigrants, alignment with Russia and abandonment of Ukraine—California District 23 Representative Jay Obernolte’s town hall on Saturday, February 22, activated a raucous crowd that came to make their opinions known.

You’ve probably already heard how contentious town halls have been this week as congressional representatives return to their home districts to listen to constituents. The coffee held by Representative Jay Obernolte at the Yucca Valley Community Center on Saturday, February 22, was no exception.

Yucca Valley Town Manager Curtis Yakimow opened the meeting by saying that another event had been scheduled and that the town hall needed to stop promptly at 10 a.m. He took the stage twice more during the meeting to appeal for civility from the crowd.

Representative Obernolte kicked off the meeting by honoring San Bernardino sheriff’s deputy Loraine Pinedo for her work investigating child and elder abuse. “I can't imagine how hard that job is, day in and day out, to be confronted with that kind of abhorrent behavior and to see and have to deal with the victims of those crimes, I just think would tear at your heart, and so I just want us to all say thank you to her for the work that she does on behalf of our community.”

After explaining the morning’s ground rules and stating that he’d take questions half way through, Obernolte started by sharing that he wanted to talk about “something that I have been pushing on that is very important to me, and I know is very important to all of you, and that's the effects of the recent federal layoffs on our National Park system.” He said that “we’ve been working with [Secretary of Interior] Doug Burgum and the Trump administration to clear the National Park Service to rehire the people that had been laid off because they want the level of seasonal hires to be higher.”

Applause turned to skepticism as many audience members recognized that seasonal park workers stay only for the busy tourist season and are not the full-time staff Joshua Tree National Park staff that have been fired in the last week.1

“Let the People Talk!”

Obernolte moved on to addressing one of his key talking points, but at just five minutes into the meeting it was clear many members of the audience disagreed with his analysis of the country’s finances:

I think the single biggest existential threat facing our country right now is the $2 trillion budget deficit…[audience interrupts with shouting and boos]…7 trillion dollars in federal spending [inaudible as an audience member begins to shout “election integrity” and others are shouting] percent of every dollar that we spend and folks we just can’t continue doing that….[inaudible due to shouting]

Raise your hand if you've noticed higher prices over the last few years. The California family pays over $15,0002 more right now just to live than they did four years ago. If you're living paycheck to paycheck, like a lot of my constituents are, that is really, really hard to deal with. So the Federal Reserve says the primary thing driving this round of inflation has been deficit spending by the federal government.

The audience disagreed, and someone shouted, “It’s corporate greed!” Those attending loudly expressed their disagreement whenever Obernolte repeated talking points about looking for waste and abuse and programs to cut.

Obernolte continued to speak about his accomplishments, including Congress passing the Fix Our Forests Act last month, which streamlines building fire breaks and access roads. (It also bypasses National Environmental Policy Act requirements to study environmental impacts of all such projects and has one-size-fits-all solutions for wildlands management.)

Obernolte also highlighted his concerns for active-duty military and veterans in his district, touting the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, signed into law by President Biden in 2022. The Act expands care and benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances such as fumes from burn pits at military facilities that torched electronics, medical waste, and rubber tires—as well as approval of the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which he claimed gave enlisted personnel a 20% raise.3

The audience grew restless, demanding to be able to voice their concerns. Obernolte said, “I fear we are losing our ability to have a civil discourse with each other.” “Let the people talk!” the crowd chanted.

“Do Your Job!”

Participants were selected to ask questions by pulling raffle tickets from a jar. Joe Candelaria of Twentynine Palms asked why are people being fired when “our community struggles for gainful employment?” He was concerned that entitlements given veterans through the Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA) are on the chopping block as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits that many people locally depend on.

This is a fucking food desert, and that resource is a vital resource to this community. And what jobs are you bringing back to this community? What say you to that?

Obernolte disputed the cutting of SNAP benefits4 and reemphasized that national park seasonal jobs have been reauthorized but had no other rejoinders.

Heather Drake, also of Twentynine Palms asked,

My question to you, as a member of Congress which holds the purse strings, what are you going to do to stop the cuts and how do you feel about an unelected nonconfirmed person making the decisions you should be making?

Video courtesy Elliot Balsley

Obernolte started to respond, “I am very glad that someone is looking at waste…the American people voted for change in November….” As it had before, this response drew a negative response from the crowd. “No one elected Elon!” someone yelled. “I’m glad someone is looking at all the waste,” Obernolte said, which incensed the crowd, which took up the chant, “Do your job!”

“No Kings!”

Throughout the hour, any mention of Elon Musk by Obernolte sparked dissension in the audience. At one point Obernolte attempted to appease the group who continued to mumble as he spoke, “I know there is a lot of (inaudible) over the changes being made by the Trump administration but remember this is something we have been through before.…” The group again exploded and at one point a woman can be heard shouting “We’ve never had a king!” But Obernolte continued to speak, failing to quell another boiling point, as the crowd began to chant “No kings, No kings!”5

After the audience settled down, another questioner said, “My primary concern is with the system of checks and balances. The executive branch is working against Congress with illegal hirings and firings. How are you going to protect the Constitution?”

Obernolte responded:

We're supposed to have three different branches of government that provide checks against each other. So once in a while, and this has happened throughout the history of our country, one branch tries to seize more power—that is exactly what's happening right now….So we have a court system and we're a society that believes in a rule of written law….So the administration is running through a lot of executive orders, and the courts are weighing in. The court said that as the plenary head of the executive branch, the President does have the authority to do that.6 Folks, the system is working.

Another questioner followed up, “Does Congress hold the purse? Is Congress the body that we elected to be in charge of how our funds are managed?….Please, why Congress has deferred their responsibility to the courts to protect the funding of the United States?” Obernolte responded:

You asked a question about if Congress controls the power of the purse, right, which we absolutely do. And I'll tell you the conflict that will come is over something called impoundment, which is when Congress appropriates money for a certain purpose. Does the President have the responsibility and obligation to spend it for that purpose? The law says, Absolutely, he does….We do not have any law enforcement powers. The courts have the power. So if we have a problem for the administration, we do exactly what the public does, and we bring a lawsuit.

“Liar! Liar!”

A questioner spoke about workplace equity and eliminating protections for workers and asked, ”Where does that leave the people who look different from you, and what are you going to do to protect them” while another speaker said she was one of 4 million disabled Californians:

Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick appeared on Fox News on Thursday and confirmed the Musk Trump administration will seek to cut $1 trillion from essential programs. He said this would be done under the claims of fraud Musk has made without any evidence. I'm very concerned that we're being told to just trust Musk, especially when he frequently uses the R word, which is a well known slur used to dehumanize the mentally disabled.

It's not just that they want to cut these programs under false pretenses, congressman, but it's the people who want to cut them seem to hold radically negative views of the disabled community. Even J.D. Vance, when he appeared on a podcast, promoted that people in the audience should read the works of a Mr. Curtis Yarvin [who] claimed that disabled people should be turned into bio-fuel so that they would be useful.

My question to you is, what is your plan for how and where people like me and millions of other Californians, including the elderly, will be fed and housed after we are made homeless by these cuts?

Obernolte responded, “There has been a lot of angst and consternation about programs that everyone relies on, like Social Security, like Medicare, like Medicaid, about this, no one is talking about reducing benefits to the people that depend on them… And they are ensuring that those dollars are getting to the people who depend on them, because we have this vast bureaucracy that's soaking those dollars up.”

The crowd shouted, “Liar, liar!”

Other questions addressed a controversial communications tower in Morongo Valley (which Obernolte appeared to confuse with Yucca Valley) and the potential dismantling of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The last question went to Twentynine Palms City Councilmember April Ramirez, who noted she is a mom, a nurse, and an active-duty military spouse.

I will very openly say our government at this point in time is very broken. However, I also believe, and I teach this to my children, that we have to be happy for the small things… I was asked on behalf of 36 active-duty military families to say that, before, we didn't have diapers, we didn't have wipes. So I was so I was asked to just comment saying thank you for the steps and the energy that is being put in to taking care of our active duty military, because this is when it truly is important to take care of them, before it’s too late, before they’re veterans and out on the streets.

Obernolte closed by saying that, “we practice a form of democracy that's fundamentally different than that practiced in a lot of other countries…. We believe in voting for a person, and even though I get the sense that a lot of people in this room didn't vote for me.” There were a few shouts of, “but I did vote for you!” He continued with, “the reason why we believe in voting for a person and not a party is so that when you have a dispute with your government, you will have someone fighting in your corner.” He finished with, “thank you for the sometimes civil discourse we had this morning.”

There has been speculation on social media that town hall participants were bussed in from elsewhere — Desert Trumpet staff arrived early enough to state this was emphatically not the case. People took time out from a busy Saturday morning to attend the town hall, many of them nervous because of the violent reactions that dissent sometimes breeds on Facebook — and were then heartened by being surrounded by fellow anxious community members expressing dissent to their government representative.

Not all crowd members voted for Obernolte, but they live in the Morongo Basin, and he represents them too.

The Desert Trumpet recorded the Town Hall; quotes taken from a transcript that was sometimes unclear; quotes are rendered to best of our ability.

Update, February 6, 10 am, PST: Resignation plan delayed. U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr., a Clinton appointee, suspended a deadline for federal workers to apply for a delayed resignation offer until at least Monday afternoon, February 10, when a hearing will be held. The offer had been set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, February 6. More at Government Executive news.

Editors note: The Desert Trumpet remains committed to local news coverage. However, given the rapid pace of recent national events we feel it’s necessary to also cover federal policy changes that have significant local impact.

Could Joshua Tree National Park shut down? Or be left wide open for the kind of rootin’ tootin’ chaotic destruction that took place during the 2018-2019 government shutdowns and the 2020 pandemic lockdown? What effects will federal layoffs have on the Mojave Desert’s crown jewel?

Several threats to Joshua Tree National Park have arisen in the last several days as Elon Musk takes control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and seeks to clear out the federal workforce, sending emails to full-time workers that require them to resign or stay in their positions without assurance that they will retain their jobs or their benefits. The legality of Musk’s actions are questionable.1 As you read this, new developments will likely take place. We will try to keep you updated.

The National Park’s Benefits the Morongo Basin

According to a report to the Twentynine Palms City Council in late 2023, Joshua Tree Superintendent Jane Rodgers said that the park attracts more than 3 million visitors a year—who bring $171 million to the Morongo Basin and support more than 2,000 local jobs. She noted at a public event this weekend that there are 100 full-time staff at the park, dozens of seasonal employees, and numerous volunteers who help keep visitors safe and protect the park’s resources. Erosion of visitors’ experience in the park could have grave consequences for the region’s economy.

Personnel Cuts Including Deferred Resignations May Decimate Full Time Park Staff

Full-time National Park Service staff nationwide—along with more than 2 million other federal employees—received an email from the Office of Personnel Management under the behest of Elon Musk’s ad hoc Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with the subject line, “A Fork in the Road.”2 The first email was sent on January 28. A second email on Monday, February 3 contained a FAQ on the deferred resignation program. The veracity and legality of both documents has been questioned by several organizations and news sources3.

“Whether you travel, relax at home, or explore new opportunities, you’ll continue receiving your full government pay and benefits,” DOGE, implementing Musk’s directive, wrote. The OPM’s website explains it further:

If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce. At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.

This program begins effective January 28 and is available to all federal employees until February 6. If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason).

As outlined by the Lawfare blog, the email introduced a new program called “deferred resignation,” which offers employees the opportunity to announce their future resignation effective Sept. 30, 2025. In exchange, the program promises employees full pay and benefits and exemption from return-to-work programs until Sept. 30.

Does DOGE have the legal authority to offer the resignation deal or guarantee payment through September? Per the constitution, Congress controls the budget. Because Congress has only funded the government until March 14, it is not likely that full pay and benefits will be available and a possible government shutdown or denial of the payment deal means no one gets paid. And given members of the administration’s track record of reneging on agreements and nonpayment of employees, some park staff4 are understandably skeptical that any conditions outlined will be honored. This blog, “If You Can Keep It,” has a helpful breakdown of the terms of the various emails that have been sent.

The Desert Trumpet requested clarification from the Park Service and received this statement:

On the record from a Department spokesperson: The Department of the Interior and the National Park Service are implementing President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order across the federal civilian workforce.

On background: As stated in the EO [Executive Order], within 90 days OMB and DOGE "shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition." Once a plan to reduce the federal workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition is developed, Departmental leadership will work closely with its bureaus to execute personnel decisions in a manner that best supports the mission of the Department and the policy priorities of the Administration.

Seasonal Park Staff at Risk

The Los Angeles Times reports that seasonal workers at Yosemite, Death Valley, and Joshua Tree have received emails saying that their offers for the 2025 season had been “rescinded.” Why is this a problem? Seasonal employees provide many basic visitor services from fee collection to traffic management, to search and rescue, law enforcement, and resource management—things like asking visitors not to sling their hammocks from Joshua Trees, put out that campfire, and try to keep the vault toilets clean.

A source in the Park Service has told the Desert Trumpet that seasonals currently employed will serve their full terms with the park. Seasonal staff due to start in the next two months—the busy spring break season in the park—have had their offers rescinded. Not only is this devastating for managing the heavy load of visitors, but it also deprives people new in their careers a chance to serve at what has been called “America’s best idea.”

Research Projects Imperiled

Many employees of the park are paid by grants coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This is money appropriated by Congress and the executive branch’s authority to freeze these funds is being challenged in the courts. These grants include projects like maintaining a seed bank of Mojave desert plants to ensure resilience in the face of climate change, closing dangerous mines and installing bat gates, and ecosystem restoration projects following fires like last year’s Geology Tour Road fire and destruction caused by off-road vehicles.

What Can We Do To Support Park Staff?

Morongo Basin residents are understandably concerned about many challenges to usual government processes that have poured out of the administration during its first two weeks in office. Organizations representing the National Park Service suggest contacting your congressional representatives.

You can find your representative here. Morongo Basin area residents can call Representative Jay Obernolte at his Hesperia office (760-247-1815)5 and say something like:

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I’m deeply concerned about the effect the deferred resignations offered by the Office of Personnel Management will have on Joshua Tree National Park. Our dedicated public servants work to protect the park’s resources and ensure visitor safety. The three million plus visitors to Joshua Tree National Park bring in more than $171 million to Basin communities and support approximately 2,000 local jobs. I respectfully request that you advocate that employment be reinstated for park staff and that funds be restored—and that any changes take place with safeguards put in place by our Founders. Thank you.

Update, Wednesday, January 29, 12:20 PST: The OMB memo has been rescinded but the executive orders regarding DEI, “woke” ideology, transgender people and green energy remain in place. What that means is that funding will continue to flow while the different agencies are reviewed for compliance with the executive orders. In other words, the immediate freeze is lifted, but the intent behind the freeze remains and will still be implemented as agencies are reviewed.

In a whiplash 24-hour scramble on Monday evening, January 27, the Office of Budget and Management (OMB) issued an memo pausing federal financial assistance, which was halted by a federal judge mere minutes before it was scheduled to take effect at 5 pm Eastern time on Tuesday, January 29.

The memo targeted “all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by [President Trump’s] executive orders, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.” This included new awards as well as disbursements of funds under existing federal contracts.

Omb Memo 1 27

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Several states and agencies sued, with a case brought by the National Council of Nonprofits as lead plaintiff for a coalition of organizations being the first heard, resulting with a temporary stay of the OMB memo by Judge Loren AliKhan of the Washington D.C. district court. The case will return to her court on February 3.

National Council Of Nonprofits Complaint

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You may wonder, how does all of this affect the Morongo Basin? Several areas of the Basin are classified as disadvantaged and rely on federal funding received directly through grants or indirectly disbursed through State, County, and City agencies to meet the basic needs of residents.

Desert Trumpet reached out to representatives from the City of Twentynine Palms, the Town of Yucca Valley, San Bernardino County, the Morongo Unified School District1, Copper Mountain College, the Morongo Basin Health District and Reach Out Morongo Basin to ask how Morongo Basin residents might be affected.

Curtis Yakimow, Yucca Valley Town Manager, responded,

We are reviewing the recent executive order(s) and reconciling the order(s) with our various funding sources and projects. The impact of the order will likely depend on the process of implementation and the associated rules and regulations, which are not known at this time. Federal funding is used for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and Community Development Block Grants. At this point, the Town expects minimal impacts from the order but will continue to evaluate daily until such time as additional details are known.

Robin Schlosser, Executive Director of Reach Out Morongo Basin, was less sanguine:

It’s the trickle down and unfortunately we’re at the bottom. It definitely affects us. It’s too soon to tell but if they freeze, then everything gets frozen — it affects everything.

When I mentioned that Defense funding might not be affected, Schlosser pointed out that military spouses use their services, so in that respect the Marine Base is impacted by the cuts.

The reply from David Wert, Public Information Officer for San Bernardino County, also reflected the overwhelming nature of the OMB order for the largest County in the Country:

We are looking into this and will get back to you. Yes, there are federal funds involved in many county programs across many county departments, as is the case with all counties and other local government agencies.

Daren M. Otten, Ed.D, Superintendent/President of Copper Mountain College, sent a memo to the “CMC family,” which put forward two questions for clarification:

Q: Is this a freeze on all Federal financial assistance?
A: No, the pause does not apply across-the-board. It is expressly limited to programs, projects, and activities implicated by the President’s Executive Orders.

Q: Is this a freeze on benefits to Americans like SNAP or student loans?
A: No, any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this review process. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, already explicitly excluded in the guidance, mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause. Funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants, Head Start, rental assistance, and other similar programs will not be paused.

While on-going funding for Medicaid and SNAP was confirmed in a second OMB memo, there were several reports of disruptions in Medicaid and SNAP access on Tuesday. A sizable proportion of San Bernardino County residents, 28.8%, rely on Medicaid for healthcare.2

Also the use of “American” in this context is interesting, as Trump’s executive orders appear to be redefining what constitutes an “American” worthy of federal support: not an immigrant, not transgender, not a believer in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or green energy and apparently not an organization seeking to advocate for those people or policies.

This is perhaps where the OMB memo veers into the issue of protected free speech as pointed out in the National Council of Nonprofits et al. complaint:

The Memo fails to explain the source of OMB’s purported legal authority to gut every grant program in the federal government; it fails to consider the reliance interest of the many grant recipients, including those to whom money had already been promised; and it announces a policy of targeting grant recipients based in part on those recipients’ First Amendment rights and with no bearing on the recipients’ eligibility to receive federal funds.

Karen Graley, Board Clerk for the Morongo Basin Healthcare District confirmed that the district receives federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the operation of our Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). She forwarded a statement from Cindy Schmall, CEO, Morongo Basin Healthcare District3:

In 2024 the healthcare district served approximately 8,800 people through our Morongo Basin Community Health Centers. At this time, we do not know the long-term impact recent federal actions may have on our delivery of healthcare to the community. In the future, we may have to reevaluate health center services.

Twentynine Palms City Manager Stone James addressed the freeze during the City Manager’s report at Tuesday’s City Council meeting noting two recently submitted grants are in a “hold” status:

One of them was the EPA grant. Keith [Community Development Director Keith Gardner] and I spent an awful lot of time preparing for that. That would have been a $20 million grant, $13 million that we'd identified for the multi-modal pathway. Multi-modal just means you could bike, walk, run, use a scooter, electric, you know, little electric cart. And then also wrote in $7 million for a community center somewhere in our downtown. Also we had submitted for an active transportation infrastructure investment program grant. That was another opportunity to see if we can get that multi level pathway funded.

And so as of Monday, was still in a hold status. Don't know if that probably is…not too promising. But then, of course, as everyone's probably aware, President Trump has paused funding of all kind of major programs while his administration evaluates the efficacy and also the financial feasibility of them.

It’s possible that City Manager James was too busy preparing for the meeting to read the OMB order, but it clearly states that programs are being evaluated for partisan alignment with the “President’s priorities,” not for financial efficacy or feasibility. In many cases Congress, which per Article 1 of the Constitution, controls federal spending, has already allocated funding for these programs. And as the complaint outlined above states, “Although the Trump Administration is at liberty to “advanc[e] [its] priorities,” it must do so within the confines of the law. It has not.”

As the quotes from local representatives indicate, the memo was so broad that interpretation was challenging and specifics hard to ascertain. How will scientists research diseases that are more prominent in some groups more than others such as sickle cell anemia? Should local government buildings avoid solar power or risk losing federal funding? Are all nonprofit/nongovernment agencies defunded or just some? If a local government building or a school or a nonprofit has gender-neutral restrooms will federal funding be pulled? When does DEI diverge from disadvantaged — will the MUSD school lunch program be defunded?

The one word practically every news outlet used to describe the panic caused by the OMB memo was “chaos.” But as Robin Schlosser indicated, it might be awhile for that chaos to “trickle down” to the local level, but it’s likely heading our way if the memo is reinstated.

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