IN BRIEF, October 11, 2022
IN BRIEF, October 11, 2022
Council considers a light agenda, Indian Cove parcel sells, Local Tribes honored at JTCC
ANOTHER LIGHT NIGHT AT CITY COUNCIL
Light agendas continue at City Council with no public hearings and just one potential action item in addition the Consent Calendar. The action item is the approval (or not) of the expansion of borders for the The Business Loan Improvement Program discussed at the September 27th meeting. It’s worth noting that STRs and two-story homes in Indian Cove have been added to the Future Council Initiated Items List.
And remember if you want to hang out post meeting, Desert Trumpet and GRND SQRL have partnered to offer residents a 15% discount at GRND SQRL for City Council attendees. Discount good from 7:30 to 9:00pm after Council meetings only -- pick up a voucher at Council to quality. Disclaimer: Not sponsored by the City of Twentynine Palms.
218 ACRE INDIAN COVE PARCEL SELLS TO RESORT DEVELOPER
Wilshire View LLC has completed the purchase of a 218 acre parcel of pristine desert land on the Joshua Tree National Park border in Indian Cove for $950,000. The Wilshire Group LLC and its principal, Joubin Sedgh, submitted a controversial development “pre app” for a resort on March 24. Mr. Sedgh has not met with the neighborhood despite repeated requests and a recent email asking about the purchase was unanswered. The parcel is zoned RL 5, which would allow the construction of a retreat similar to the Southern California Vipassana Center but not a resort. More information as it comes available.
Prior reporting on this topic:
CITY RECEIVES PRE-APPLICATION ON 218 ACRE INDIAN COVE PARCEL, April 22
INDIAN COVE RESORT PROPOSAL ON SHAKY GROUND, July 9
EXHIBITION CELEBRATING LOCAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OPENS AT JOSHUA TREE CULTURE CENTER
On October 8, Joshua Tree National Park’s Joshua Tree Cultural Center opened Think of the Universe as a Fabric of Interconnecting Threads, an exhibition featuring the “past, present and future” of the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mojave and Serrano indigenous cultural groups who were the first people in this region. The United States Government divided these four groups into 15 tribes all of which are represented in the exhibit.
Native peoples managed and cultivated the land around the Oasis of Mara which also acted as a trading hub. The exhibition is well timed for National Indigenous Peoples Day and coincides with the Twentynine Palms “Pioneer Days” celebration which willfully ignores the indigenous peoples who were here since time immemorial.
Sarah Bliss, Tribal Programs Director, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians (BMOI), conducted a recent walkthrough of the Oasis, during which she revealed that the BMOI has been talking with JTNP about local tribes participating in maintenance of the Oasis. Despite Park maintenance efforts, the Oasis has deteriorated in recent years and was damaged in a 2018 fire caused by arson.
The 15 tribes participating in the exhibit are: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, Cahuilla Band of Indians, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Ramona Band of Cahuilla, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.
And in case you missed it, a recap of our November 8 election coverage to date:
CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 CANDIDATE OCTAVIOUS SCOTT ANSWERS A FEW QUESTIONS
Affordable housing, STRs, transparency at City Hall and supporting the City's kids top list of issues addressed
Desert Trumpet: What concrete steps would you take to increase affordable and market rate housing?
Octavious Scott: Increase homeownership for local residents through self-help construction programs and partnerships with community based organizations…
TRANSPARENCY AND INTEGRITY?
Surely 29 Palms Deserves Better
The Desert Trumpet is not going to endorse a candidate in the race for District 4 between current mayor Karmolette O’Gilvie and challenger Octavious Scott. But this sign was just too much for us…
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 23 CANDIDATE DEREK MARSHALL ANSWERS A FEW QUESTIONS
Housing, infrastructure, the environment, cannabis and Veteran's Affairs top list of issues addressed
DT. Regarding short-term rentals, your affordable housing platform states "We need to prohibit these properties from becoming short-term rentals" - can you expand on how this can be controlled at the federal level?
DM: At the federal level we can legislate housing regulations that would address the growing crisis that is the short-term rental in many of the same ways that it is regulated and capped at the city and state levels….