ON THE AGENDA: Yucca Valley Town Council, August 18, 2026
Schooler and Abel headed for appointment without election as District 5 races to November; Yucca Valley’s new homeless coordinator make a first report; and the museum’s plumbing contractor is MIA
By the Yucca Valley Resident Review Committee
With a 339-page packet — a fraction of the spring marathon packets — the August 18 meeting is unlikely to run long. But it carries one item that will echo for four years: a resolution to cancel the November elections in Districts 1 and 3, appointing Mayor Merl Abel and Mayor Pro Tem Jim Schooler to new four-year terms without a public vote. The nomination period closed August 7. Both incumbents ran unopposed in their districts. District 5 is a different story: incumbent Rick Denison faces challenger Dion Antic and that race goes to November as scheduled. See our recent election coverage for more background on the candidates.
The other item likely to anchor the evening sits under Department Reports: Faith Nicholson, the Town’s new Community Engagement and Homeless Services Coordinator, introduced to the Council at the July 21 meeting, makes her first formal presentation. She will bring specific data about homelessness in Yucca Valley. The numbers are worth reading before the meeting.
The rest of the agenda is largely housekeeping and follow-through, with one wrinkle: the museum plumbing contractor the Council authorized in July has gone silent, and the Council will be asked to start over with a different firm.
The meeting is scheduled for 5 pm Tuesday in the Yucca Room at the Yucca Valley Community Center, 57090 Twentynine Palms Hwy.
Relevant documents:
The agenda lists an invocation, as it does every meeting. No speaker is identified in the packet.
PUBLIC COMMENT
You can comment on agenda items and issues important to you at every Town 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 form at the desk to the left of the mic, fill it out, and hand it to the Clerk, who sits at a table, also to the left of the mic.
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.
Mayor Merl Abel — mabel@yucca-valley.org
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Schooler — jschooler@yucca-valley.org
Council Member Rick Denison — rdenison@yucca-valley.org
Council Member Jeff Drozd — jdrozd@yucca-valley.org
Council Member Robert Lombardo — rlombardo@yucca-valley.org
You can also copy the clerk at townclerk@yucca-valley.org and ask that your letter be made part of the public record.
The meeting offers two-way remote participation by Zoom; comment time is limited to three minutes: Join Zoom Meeting, Meeting ID: 915 3865 5782, Passcode: 174560.
PRESENTATIONS, INTRODUCTIONS, RECOGNITIONS
Two recognitions open the meeting. The Tri-Valley Little League Senior Division Softball All-Stars are honored as the 2026 Southern California State Champions, a genuine high point for the community. And the JT Sportsman’s Club receives recognition for a donation to the Town’s animal shelter, a welcome note in a recovery arc that has tracked positive since Shianne May took over as shelter manager.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Consent Agenda (CA) consists of items usually approved with a single vote. The public is given a chance to make public comment on these items prior to the Council motion. Fill out a comment form specifying the item you wish to address and submit it in person, or send an email in advance regarding any of the items on this meeting’s Consent Agenda.
The CA runs from Item 4 (approval of the July 21 minutes) through Item 15. It includes the July warrant register, which totals $4,284,649.95, with three payroll registers adding another $988,404.08 — $349,241.81 (July 2), $346,531.53 (July 17), and $292,630.74 (July 31).
Several consent items are routine: the NRO Engineering contract extension (CA5) continues the Town’s relationship with its long-standing Town Engineer for two more years through June 2028; the arbitrage rebate calculation (CA9) is annual federal tax compliance for the Town’s 2022 lease agreement; the AED policy (CA11) formalizes procedures for the Town’s automated defibrillators; and the Measure I CIP amendment (CA12) adds one project, the Yucca Mesa/Buena Vista Intersection Improvements, which was inadvertently omitted from the 2025/2026–2029/2030 plan, a procedural fix required to maintain access to Measure I funds.
CA4. Minutes — Approval of the July 21, 2026 meeting minutes. The July 21 meeting ran roughly 50 minutes of public comment on the Grubstake Days rodeo revival question, plus additional comment from Bobbie Breckenridge on immigration enforcement policy and from other residents on fire danger and tumbleweeds. Readers familiar with the July 21 meeting may want to review the minutes for whether that public comment is captured and relative positions clear.
CA6. AB1234 Reporting Requirements — Receive and file the July 2026 travel and meeting schedule. In July, only Council Member Denison had reportable activity: he attended an San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) Board of Directors meeting in San Bernardino on July 1, then traveled to Los Angeles on July 1–2 for three Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) committee and council meetings. No other members reported any travel at public expense. As noted in prior coverage, the schedule lists dates, organizations, and locations but not dollar amounts. Actual costs are documented in separate expense reports, which are public records available through a CPRA request.
CA8. Authorization to Purchase Replacement Fleet Vehicle/Equipment — The Town proposes replacing five pieces of aging fleet, with competitive bidding waived under Town Code Section 3.12.060(G):
2026 Chevrolet Silverado Truck with Utility Body — not to exceed $90,000
2026 Ford F-350 Super Duty — not to exceed $75,000
2026 Ford E-Transit 350 Van — not to exceed $65,000
2026 TR 575 Heated Asphalt Distributor — not to exceed $40,000
2026 L2502HST Kubota Tractor — not to exceed $30,000
The replaced units, including a 2001 Chevrolet 1-ton truck, a 2006 Ford van, and a 1996 Kubota tractor, would be declared surplus and disposed of by public auction, competitive bidding, consignment, or dismantling at the Town Manager’s discretion. Bid waivers for fleet purchases are common practice in California local government; the staff report cites inefficiency and impracticality of the standard bidding process for vehicle procurement.
CA10. Rejection of Claim — Rejection of a claim filed August 3, 2026 by Bauman Law, APLC on behalf of Irma Grantham. The staff report provides no further information about the nature of the claim, which is standard California practice as claim details are not disclosed in staff reports at this stage. Residents interested in specifics may submit a CPRA request to the Town.
CA13. Hi-Desert Nature Museum Re-Plumbing Project — Town — At the July 21 meeting, the Council awarded the museum’s replumbing contract to Haus ADU LLC of Orangevale (Sacramento County), the lowest of three sealed bids received on June 30, at $36,320. After the award, staff notified Haus ADU, sent the construction contract for signature, and requested the required bonds, insurance certificates, and business documentation. The contractor stopped responding. No signed contract. No bonds. No returned calls.
Staff now recommends the Council rescind the award, declare Haus ADU non-responsive, and award the contract to the second-lowest bidder: Preferred General Services of Apple Valley, at $56,452.33. For context, the three bids were: Haus ADU LLC (Orangevale) $36,320.00; Preferred General Services (Apple Valley) $56,452.33; Shipley Construction & Plumbing (Yucca Valley) $73,146.00.
The project budget expands from $60,000 to $75,000, with the additional $15,000 drawn from Measure Y Fund 801 unassigned reserves. If approved, construction is targeted for September 14–October 4, 2026, timed to coincide with the museum’s planned closure for renovations. The museum is scheduled to reopen October 17 with a new Route 66 exhibition.
CA14. Revised Resolutions for the Annual Street & Drainage and Landscape & Lighting Assessment Districts, Ordering the Levy and Collection of Assessments for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 — A technical revision to assessment district resolutions adopted on June 2. The San Bernardino County Auditor-Controller is requiring additional language authorizing it to deduct reasonable administrative costs before remitting levy proceeds to the districts. The assessments themselves are unchanged.
CA15. Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Town of Yucca Valley and the San Bernardino County Fire District — In June, the Council approved donating a 0.86-acre parcel at 7238 Joshua Lane to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District for the future Fire Station 41. This MOU is the companion agreement: once the Fire District relocates to the new station, the Town gains shared use of the training room, parking, and staging areas at the existing Fire Station 41 at 57201 29 Palms Highway, which is planned for redevelopment as a training and administrative facility. The Town pays nothing for the use.
The five-year term begins on the date the Fire District moves into the new station; if the relocation hasn’t occurred by July 1, 2036, the MOU is void. This is the other half of the June land donation: the Town gave the county a parcel for a new fire station; the county gives the Town shared use of the old one.
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DEPARTMENT REPORTS
16. Community Engagement and Homeless Services Program Update
Faith Nicholson, who joined the Town in June as Community Engagement and Homeless Services (CEHS) Coordinator, makes her first formal presentation. Her staff report brings specific numbers to a conversation the Town has previously addressed largely in budget terms.
From the 2026 Point-in-Time Count: 25 unsheltered individuals in Yucca Valley, plus 21 in transitional housing. For comparison, Joshua Tree counted 18 unsheltered (with 0 sheltered) and Twentynine Palms counted 24 unsheltered (also 0 sheltered). Between April and June 2026, 209 Yucca Valley residents called 2-1-1; 127 of those calls were for housing support. In the same period, only 35 individuals were placed into the Coordinated Entry System in the first half of 2026. The gap between people asking for help and people getting into the system is one of the key numbers in the report.
The McKinney-Vento figure may draw the most attention: 457 MUSD students were classified as experiencing housing insecurity during the last school year, approximately 6.3% of registered students or 1 in 16. McKinney-Vento is a federal law1, also known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, that requires school districts to identify and support students experiencing housing insecurity. Under McKinney-Vento, "homeless" is defined more broadly than the Point-in-Time count definition: it includes kids doubling up with other families, staying in motels, or in other unstable housing situations, not just kids who are literally unsheltered. So the 457 MUSD students figure captures a much wider slice of housing instability than the street count does.
Staff identifies the most pressing service gaps as:
lack of emergency shelter capacity
limited behavioral and mental health services
insufficient addiction treatment resources
The CEHS draft mission statement included in the agenda packet calls for a “compassionate, proactive, solution-focused approach.” The Council is invited to weigh in on program goals; this is a receive and file item with a direction component.
The Council has received Point-in-Time Count data in prior years, but Nicholson's report goes further, layering in school district housing insecurity figures, 2-1-1 call volume, and Coordinated Entry placement rates that together give a more complete picture of the gap between need and service. The McKinney-Vento figure is not new to the Council chamber: in 2018, the school district's own outreach coordinator presented comparable data showing 357 MUSD students experiencing housing insecurity.2 The 2026 figure of 457 represents a 28% increase over eight years. The 127-to-35 call-to-placement ratio is the other number worth watching as the program develops.
17. Off-Highway Vehicle Public Safety Update
A report from Sheriff’s Captain Scovel on OHV-related activity, enforcement trends, and public safety concerns in the community. The proximity of the Johnson Valley Recreational Area generates ongoing OHV traffic, and the staff report describes the resulting issues as requiring “coordinated attention from law enforcement and partner agencies.” No written report accompanies this item; the verbal presentation will be followed by Council input and direction.
18. Fall/Winter 2026-27 Planned Programs - Community Services Dept
The Council is asked to approve the Community Services Department’s fall/winter program lineup before the seasonal guide is published in mid-September. The schedule runs October 2026 through March 2027 and includes:
a pickleball courts Grand Opening in early October
the Spooktacular on October 24 at the museum themed around the new Route 66 exhibition
the Murder Mystery Dinner on October 10
the 8th Annual Yucca Valley Film Festival, November 6–8
the Morongo Basin Veterans’ Tribute (hosted by Yucca Valley this year)
the Winter Holiday Celebration on December 5 (80-ton Snow Play Day included)
Easter Eggstravaganza on March 27.
Also included are sports, fitness, enrichment classes, senior programming at the newly renovated Desert Willow Center for Seniors, public art, and museum programming round out the schedule.
One notable absence: the Yucca Valley Aquatics and Recreation Center (YVARC) is not included in the fall/winter guide. Per the staff report, a standalone launch publication is being prepared and will go out once a firm opening date is set. The YVARC’s omission from the seasonal guide is one more marker in a facility timeline that has extended from 18 to 24 months of construction with no confirmed opening date as of this writing. See also the July 21 meeting recap for related discussion.
19. November 2026 General Municipal Election – Certification of Nominees and Election Options
This is the most time-sensitive item on the agenda for anyone who wants to be a write-in candidate. Three Council seats were scheduled for the November 3 ballot: Districts 1, 3, and 5. The nomination period ran July 13–August 7. Here’s what it produced:
District 1: Jim Schooler — sole nominee
District 3: Merl R. Abel — sole nominee
District 5: Rick Denison and Dion Antic — two nominees
Under California Elections Code § 10229, when only one candidate qualifies in a legislative district, the Town Council may either appoint that person to a four-year term or direct that the election be held regardless. Staff recommends adoption of a resolution appointing Schooler in District 1 and Abel in District 3 and canceling those elections. District 5, with two qualified candidates, proceeds to November as scheduled. It’s the only contested Council race Yucca Valley has seen since the beginning of this decade.3
In 2022, when the same three districts were up and all three incumbents ran without opposition, the Town put all three on the November ballot anyway.4 Twentynine Palms did the same that year. Tuesday's potential vote to cancel elections in Districts 1 and 3 is a departure from that recent pattern. Should the resolution pass, the window for write-in candidacy in Districts 1 and 3 closes, and residents lose not only the ability to mount a write-in challenge, but the opportunity to affirmatively endorse their incumbent through their vote, an option the Town preserved in 2022.
District 5 is the only contested Council race on the November ballot. Dion Antic, owner of Snakebite Roadhouse in Yucca Valley and SBR29 in Twentynine Palms, is challenging incumbent Rick Denison, who has served on the Council since 2014.5
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
Council members may bring requests here for topics to schedule at future meetings. This section is blank in the current agenda.
The next regular meeting is Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
This report is produced with AI assistance. Please see our Yucca Valley Town Hall reporting policy and our AI policy.
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The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was originally passed into law in 1987 and represented the first significant U.S. federal legislative response to homelessness. The Act authorizes assistance to people experiencing homelessness, including housing interventions and supportive services. Source California Homeless Education Technical Assistance Center.
Z107.7, "Yucca Valley Town Council Tables Sheriff's Contract; Gets Homeless Report," May 2018.
Desert Trumpet, "City Council and Town Council Candidates on the ballot for November 3, 2026," Aug. 11, 2026.
Town of Yucca Valley, “2022 General Election Results,” December 2022; Town of Yucca Valley, “Election Update,” August 18, 2022.
Town of Yucca Valley, "2022 General Election Results," December 2022; Town of Yucca Valley, "Election Update," August 18, 2022.