ON THE AGENDA: Twentynine Palms City Council, February 11, 2025
Council subcommittee recommends reappointment of Planning Commissioners, and monthly funding of a church-based food distribution program is proposed
Up for discussion at the Council meeting next Tuesday, February 11, are the reappointment of Planning Commissions James Krushat and Leslie Paahana as well as providing temporary funding for religious nonprofit, CLEP, to feed hungry residents of Twentynine Palms. The meeting’s agenda is here. The council meeting begins at 6 pm.
PUBLIC COMMENT
You can comment on agenda items and issues important to you at every City Council meeting. Comments on agenda items take place during discussion of that item, while comments on non-agenda items take place near the end of the meeting. The Brown Act prevents Council from commenting on non-agenda items. To comment, just pick up a green or gold form at the entry desk, fill it out, and hand it to the Clerk, who usually sits just in front of the Council bench toward the right.
Here's the list of Council email addresses to write if you can't get to the meeting — be sure to email them prior to 2 pm on the date of the meeting so they have time to read your email prior to discussion. The Mayor has stopped reading emails into the record at meetings. You can also copy the clerk at cvillescas@29palms.org and ask that your letter be made part of the public record.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS
Presentation by San Bernardino County DA’s Office on Proposition 36. Proposition 36, the "Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act," allows felony charges for possessing certain drugs and for thefts under $950, if defendant has two prior drug or theft convictions. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department frequently cites this proposition in its reports on local arrests. An explainer from the Riverside County District Attorney suggests that the proposition emphasized treatment for addiction, while Invisible People, a homeless assistance nonprofit, maintains the proposition did not contain funding for drug addiction treatment.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consists of routine items usually approved with a single vote. The public is given a chance to make public comments on these items prior to the Council motion. Again, fill out a comment form if you wish to address any of the items on this meeting’s Consent Calendar.
Items in the calendar include approval of the minutes of the last City Council meeting; approving the register of City expenses, which total $3,196,915.46; amending the design contract for the Split Rock Avenue Bridge for an increase of $325,000; and purchase of a 2015 Ford F750 water truck for the Public Works department. The department solicited three bids, and a $48,393.75 bid was the lowest. This used truck would replace a worn, 20-year old truck and increase California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliance.
PUBLIC HEARING
There are no public hearings.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Planning Commission Appointments
After last year’s City Council election, two seats on the Planning Commission are up for appointment. Planning Commissioners serve four-year terms and must apply for reappointment.
The Desert Trumpet amplified the City’s low-key announcement inviting City residents to apply, and six qualified residents stepped forward. The staff report notes, “Interviews were held on Friday, January 24, 2025, and all applicants interviewed well.”
Nonetheless, a City Council subcommittee consisting of City Council members April Ramirez and Octavious Scott has recommended reappointing Commissioners Leslie Paahana and James Krushat to the Planning Commission. The names of the six applicants were not made public.
Both commissioners were first appointed in 2017, after the last citywide Council election in 2016 and prior to the City being divided into five districts. They were reappointed in 2021, when theirs were the only applications received. Both live in District 2, and both have or had jobs at or are associated with the Marine base.
The City Council will discuss these nominations and vote to approve the reappointment or seek alternatives.
Temporary Monthly Funding of Hope Center
The Community Learning and Equipping Project, Inc. (CLEP) is requesting that the City provide $3,500 a month to feed what CLEP estimates as 769 to 960 local families.
This item is being brought to the City Council ahead of the typical community grant window due to what CLEP claims is urgency surrounding its inability to continue funding its Hope Project's Feed the Need program.
In November, the City Council voted to approve CLEP as a partner on an EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grant, which likely no longer is being offered. As the Desert Trumpet has pointed out, this religiously affiliated 501c3 nonprofit had failed to complete the required filing with the California Department of Justice State Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. When checked this week, it continues to appears as unregistered, despite CLEP being in operation since 2014.
Failure to register can cause suspension.
Per the Department of Justice website:
Every charitable corporation, unincorporated association, charitable trustee and other legal entities holding property for charitable purposes, must file with the Attorney General an initial registration form and other documents required by law. Under Government Code section 12585, initial registration must be filed within 30 days of first receiving charitable assets. Assets include public donations, property, government grants, noncash donations, and/or any contribution of value.
There are many other food distribution centers in the Morongo Basin; the school district provides a list, which is a mix of secular and religious organizations. Is partnering with this church-based group really the right use of scarce City funds?
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this meeting (which i just watched as it happened) borders on the obscene.
the appointments of the same council members (which still leaves District One unrepresented.
the speaking of the strategic plan which city manager declares the people "sitting at the table" to define the plan doesn't even mention the tax paying resident of the city. ALTHOUGH once again, ministerial associations get a place at the table. Whatever happened to the "separation of church and state" ! Whatever happened to the strategic planning of the past. being disregarded when allowing SFR plots of land become used for COMMERCIAL uses, camp ground, botique hotels with disregard for the residents paying real estate taxes to have neighborhoods ?
After giving away $24,500 to Molding Hearts, the council suggests giving another church organization $10,000 MORE dollars to a function that should be entirely a function of church entities : the feeding of the poor. I do NOT wish my tax dollars to be spent this way.
the city manager is too "cozy" with church entities as he leads them like a lawyer during a trial. prompting the ministers to give biased responses !! AND then a member of the city council himself offering his biased opinion that money should be given away. BOTH councils are in bed and too cozy with all various churches in 29 Palms. Have THEM step up and pay for all their desires.
After the bungling of the portable showers the 29 palms tax payers paid for and churches said they wanted not to host them at their churches which are probably tax free.
the city council espouses giving away freely money to "art functions" and church functions but says any paving of roads for citizens is FAR too expensive.
the council members are ministers / deacons of churches and their bias is felt in the giving away of tax dollars out of MY pocket. This is NOT their money, but they act like it is their gift to churches and food distribution functions.
If they have not complied in 10 years, then no they should not be funded.