RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council, August 26, 2025
Council tiffs over Housing and Homeless Subcommittee, a strategic planning draft, flood updates, and more
Tuesday night’s City Council meeting was a brisk hour and forty minutes. Many words could be attributed to this session, but “boring” is not one of them.
Following a month-long hiatus, Council resumed with a packed agenda. The meeting kicked off with an invocation from Reverend Casey Orndorf of First Assembly of God Church. All five council members were in attendance.
Following the meeting’s call to order, in an early sign of tensions ahead, the two members of the Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee clashed over an agenda item in what has turned into an ongoing saga between Councilmembers Octavious Scott and April Ramirez.
Councilmember Scott requested that item 14, a Subcommittee update, be removed from the agenda, to which Councilmember Ramirez objected. Per Mayor Steven Bilderain, because this was merely a discussion item that did not require a vote, the agenda item should remain.
Our agenda preview for the meeting is available here, and video of the meeting is available here.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS
Kathy Dunbar was commended by the City of Twentynine Palms for more than twenty years of volunteer work and management of the Alex Roth Memorial Food Pantry. Pastor Michelle Ronia of Oasis Community Church, where the Alex Roth Food Pantry operates, and LeeAnn Clarke praised Dunbar’s efforts. Ronia said:
I just want to say—all the work that she does, she puts in so many hours and so much of her own money into the Alex Roth Memorial Food Pantry and also the Children's Christmas Blessing and the Senior Blessing. And, right now, she is going through some medical issues and she just keeps going. So I just want to say thank you, Kathy, for all that you do and we want to recognize you in the here and now while you're here. So we can just let you know how much we love you and how much we appreciate you and everything that you do to help our community and make our community a better place. Thank you.
The Oasis Community Church website says Dunbar started volunteering at the food pantry in 2003, and in 2005 took on the weekly operations of the food pantry including “managing, purchasing, and distributing food to our local community; where she and her faithful volunteers graciously serve the precious people of 29 Palms.”
COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REPORTS OF MEETINGS ATTENDED
Councilmember McArthur Wright, Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Mintz, and Mayor Bilderain reported attending the Back To School Shop With A Cop event at the Yucca Valley Walmart, sponsored through the Sheriff’s Employees’ Benefit Association program.
Councilmember Scott reported that he had two Housing and Homeless Subcommittee meetings regarding the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition and attended the back-to-school backpack giveaway hosted by Ready4Reading Book Club and WING-N-IT.
Mayor Pro Tem Mintz thanked City staff for their storm cleanup efforts Monday and reported attending a Morongo Basin Transit Authority meeting, a Mojave Desert Air Quality meeting, the Stater Brothers ribbon cutting ceremony, and the business of the year dedication at WING-N-IT.
Councilmember Ramirez reported attending an array of meetings and ribbon cutting ceremonies including a meeting with Congressmember Jay Obernolte to discuss veterans’ healthcare access and concerns about a supplement product being sold in local liquor stores. Ramirez attended the TBID oversight subcommittee, the Housing and Homeless Subcommittee and reported speaking with a handful of affordable housing developers.
Throughout the meeting, Ramirez noted she had met or spoken with constituents who expressed concerns of transparency and conflict of interests at City Council. Ramirez first noted that she had spoken with constituents who raised concerns about a proposed skating rink:
In those conversations, lots of things were brought up. One item that kept being brought up was a roller skating rink, and why it was advertised we would have it and, kind of, they felt like the council altogether made them feel like it was something that was going to go through, something that was promised. I wanted to clarify that it was an idea and whether malice was intended or not, in the spirit of transparency, the reason it will not be moving forward is because we identified that there may have been a potential Brown Act violation1 in the person who brought up the idea and talking to two other Council members. That’s all, thank you.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The consent calendar was approved 5-0. Some of the calendar items included adoption of an official ordinance for use of the City seal, or logo, a reading of zoning changes for the Ofland Resort, approval of a $1.2 million warrant register, and a new CEQA consultant policy adoption. More details on the consent calendar can be found in the Desert Trumpet’s agenda preview.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Item 10. Subcommittee Recommendations for Contributions to Nonprofit Organizations
Nonprofit subcommittee grant recommendations were presented by Community Events Coordinator Scott Clinkscales. The determination was based on a workshop the City hosted on Tuesday, May 27 in which 11 nonprofits vied for a pool of $75,000 in City grant money.
This year’s stricter criteria came from reporting standards set by the nonprofit grants subcommittee and Finance Director Abigail Hernandez-Conde. A handful of nonprofits who have received grants in previous fiscal years did not meet the City’s reporting bar this round, but that does not exclude them from applying for future City grants.
The following nonprofits received grant awards:
29-PSP ($3,800): an organization that provides transportation to active duty Marines and their families between the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) and the Palm Springs and Ontario airports.
29 Palms Community Food Pantry & Outreach Ministries, Inc. ($32,500): the food pantry is located at 6450 Star Dune Ave, with food giveaways on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:30 am, and from 5 to 6:30 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month.2
Morongo Basin Unity Home, Inc ($10,000): the area’s only emergency shelter and resource center for domestic violence victims, located at 7237 Joshua Lane in Yucca Valley. The organization also provides transitional housing assistance, legal aid, supervised child visitation services, and counseling.
Reach Out Morongo Basin ($22,500): a nonprofit founded by the Twentynine Palms Ministerial Association that assists seniors and community members in need with transportation to “appointments, help with shopping, reading, or bill-paying, minor home repairs, and friendly visiting and telephone support.”3
Theatre 29 ($1,200 for Youth Programs): the City’s award-winning live theater program, whose mission statement is to “engage, educate, and entertain our communities through performing arts,” sought a small figure for its youth theater program.
Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts ($5,000): founded in 2014, the organization hosts the Joshua Tree National Park Art Exposition every November, displaying works of 50 North American artists in the 29 Palms Art Gallery, showcasing “artwork that depicts or is inspired by Joshua Tree National Park.”4
Motion to approve made by Mayor Pro Tem Mintz, seconded by Councilmember Wright; approved 5-0.
Item 11. Approach to Updating the General Plan
Updating the general plan can be expensive—the City is trying to minimize the burden of that cost. A major roadblock in revamping the City’s general plan, according to staff, is the City’s zoning, which was inherited from the County when the Twentynine Palms incorporated in the 1980s.
Community Development Director Keith Gardner proposed reviewing land ownership and zoning in city limits to reduce costs.
Land throughout Twentynine Palms is sprinkled with parcels owned by the National Park Service (NPS), the City, the Twentynine Palms Water District, SoCal Edison, the Gas Company, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Military, private family trusts, and LLCs.
Gardner mentioned rezoning property that is owned by governmental entities, being sure to note that if they rezone a significant portion of residential property in one area, the city has to make up for it by establishing residential zoning elsewhere. This is to comply with State law.5
Speaking of parcels owned by the NPS, Gardner suggested, “Now that we're establishing the Open Space Conservation zone, perhaps those should be used as Open Space in the future.”6
This was merely an introduction to the topic of updating the General Plan, which the City anticipates will be costly. Mayor Pro Tem Mintz, the longest-serving member on Council, was in favor of Gardner’s approach:
When I first got elected 15 years ago, the Council before decided to do [the General Plan] and the cost was almost a million dollars. I don’t even know what it would be now if it was a million back then.
This item was presented to be filed and received; no vote was needed.
Item 12. Draft 5-Year Strategic Plan
City Manager H. Stone James presented snippets of the first draft of the City’s five-year strategic plan. A months-long process now in its final stages, the completed draft will be approved by Council at a future date.
Desert Trumpet did a deep-dive into the Strategic Planning sessions, available here, which involved a two-day workshop where City officials, department heads, and residents brainstormed on where they want to see Twentynine Palms in five, ten, and twenty years down the line.
A slide in the City Manager’s presentation stated one of the purposes of the Strategic Plan is to provide “financial guidance to grow the City as both a home and destination point.” Long-term goals the City is prioritizing, for now, include:
Financial Sustainability
Enhanced Local Character
Improved Infrastructure
Access to Resources
Local Tourism
Community Outreach & Engagement
One action plan suggested in the presentation to address the goal of long-term fiscal sustainability raises the possibility for a 1% sales tax increase, heavy investment in tourism, and a TOT increase. Seeing as this is just a first draft, the City Manager wants Council to take time to review things and provide feedback before final approval.
It is unclear if the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the final draft before it goes before Council.
Item 13. Longevity Pay One-time Bonus
Council approved a $5,000 one-time bonus to accommodate five City employees who, due to clerical circumstances, did not meet the criteria for a previously issued bonus applying to those who met the 15, 20, and 25-year employment mark.
Motion to approve posed by Wright, seconded by Scott; approved 5-0.
Item 14. Affordable Housing Update
Opening discussion on what became a contentious topic was City Manager James, saying this was an opportunity for members of the Housing and Homeless Subcommittee—Councilmembers Scott and Ramirez—to have an open discussion to talk about some of the subcommittee’s recent accomplishments.
When the topic was turned over to the subcommittee members, Councilmember Scott gave a firm, “No update.”
The floor was then turned over to Councilmember Ramirez, who asked a clarifying question on subcommittee procedures:
When a subcommittee is formed, do we have to meet in tandem with every person that we're working on, or you know, can Councilmember Scott have his initiatives and I have mine?
Mayor Pro Tem Mintz, who has served on numerous regional boards and subcommittees throughout his tenure on Council, gave some insight:
In my opinion, if someone presented something to you individually, or you initiated, then you say “okay. Now I need to present this to the committee”—which is you and Councilmember Scott—and then you come up with some kind of report to us, and then let us know what you think of that particular entity.
A representative from the City’s legal counsel was not present to advise on this discussion topic. After some back and forth discussion on subcommittee procedures, council discussion pivoted to an alleged conflict of interest that Councilmember Ramirez raised. She inquired:
Do we have an alternative for the homeless and housing subcommittee— an alternative council member? I'm deeply conflicted.
Councilmember Ramirez said she was informed by a constituent of a potential conflict of interest between Councilmember Scott and the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC):
I received an email a few months back from a constituent that brought to my attention, and I mean—it hasn't been a secret—that Councilman Scott does own property in a CVHC housing development. Is that true, not true?
“I have no property from CVHC in the jurisdiction of Twentynine Palms,” Scott responded.
Ramirez continued:
I understand sir. However, that same constituent brought to my attention—and I did follow up with a call to the FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) to see if their concerns were valid—and the legal advisers from the FPPC did say that even if it's not in our jurisdiction, if it could be seen as a potential conflict of interest where we are going to vote on it or a governmental decision would be made, then you should recuse yourself…
Scott replied with an adamant,
I have no financial interest in CVHC. I will not recuse myself.
Ramirez then raised issue with an email she says Scott sent expressing desire to divert $125,000 from the General Fund to incentivize CVHC to work with the City.
The City has been in talks with CVHC since June 2023 where meeting records note Scott informed fellow Councilmembers and those in the audience that his family benefited from one of CVHC’s affordable housing programs in Palm Springs nearly 30 years ago, in 1996.
Councilmember Ramirez made a request for an alternative subcommittee member, which Mayor Bilderain said she could suggest as a future agenda item.
With some mediation from the Mayor, the two subcommittee members agreed that they would be able to meet at a future date to discuss all housing issues, including a letter of interest from Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services to develop a lot west of City Hall.
City Manager Stone James said that as soon as the City can confirm that Milestone Housing LLC, who was previously awarded the development contract, is no longer interested, the subcommittee can move forward with a formal recommendation for the lot near City Hall.
FUTURE COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS
Councilmember Ramirez requested the City review its Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee as a future agenda item, which failed to receive a required second. Mayor Bilderain said he would inquire on the matter with the City Attorney and address the matter if necessary.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Anna Stump updated Council on the Levitt Grant, where the City is a top 100 finalist out of over 300. September 5th to the 15th is a nationwide public voting period for the favorites. Stump is promoting the vote so the City can be a top 50 finalist to receive a $120,000 grant that would provide free music concerts at Freedom Plaza for three years—five in the spring and five in the fall, with a theme of 29 Palms History. Those interested can visit Vote29PalmsMusic and @29PalmsMusic on Instagram for more information.
Christopher Stevenson, who lives off Utah Trail, spoke on recent flood damage to his neighborhood, and asked if the City was in charge of maintaining Rocky Road, west of Utah Trail:
There's about 10, 12 of us that live up there. We've had some elderly people who were there needing emergency services. I'm retired. My several neighbors are retired, older folks. So, we need access for emergency services. And so, I'm asking you to consider and look at what can be done and is it considered a City road that the City will maintain. It’s a little bit unclear.
Berenice Corona, along with Sonia, who did not give her last name, a volunteer and advocate for the unhoused, addressed council on homelessness in the wake of recent storms and called for more services. Corona, who has been homeless for eight years, thanked Councilmember Scott for his assistance in cleaning up her items during an encounter with San Bernardino County Sheriffs. Corona said:
You guys are up there and have a house today, but tomorrow you guys could be in my spot.
Cindy Bernard rebuked Council’s earlier exchange during Item 14, saying “Maybe there needs to be an etiquette subcommittee.”
Summing up public comment was LeeAnn Clarke who, on behalf of the 29 Palms Ministerial Association, said an August 16 Red Cross shelter training hosted at Freedom Plaza had 50 attendees. The program had a trial run during Monday’s storm, where Clarke reported Set Free Church Wonder Valley was able to assist an elderly senior with her roof after heavy rain.
Clarke also mentioned an upcoming mobile shower and laundry event at the Alamo Laundromat August 29 from 9 am to 2 pm for those in need.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
City Manager H. Stone James provided an update on flood cleanup efforts, thanking public works crews and first responder agencies for their assistance with Monday’s monsoon rain and floods, which prompted road shutdowns, including portions of Adobe Road north of Two Mile, and Highway 62, east of Lear Avenue.
Streets with substantial damage include neighborhoods east of Utah Trail and Chocolate Drop areas.
James also announced that the City has received an Environmental Protection Agency grant that provides a $1.9 million in critical funding for a U.S. Geological Survey study on the region’s water table sustainability.
The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
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Desert Trumpet has not verified with the City whether a Brown Act violation may have occurred. A Brown Act information guide provided by the League of California Cities is available here.
Due to mud and debris from Monday’s storm, the 29 Palms Community Food Pantry will be unavailable until Wednesday, September 3, per the organization’s Facebook page.
In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to make state and local public lands available for affordable housing development. This executive order did not include federal public land.
The City’s authority to rezone federally owned properties is possibly limited due to the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
What was Item 14? If you’re going to mention clash in the order at least give s a brief explanation!’
Speaking of conflicts of interest, shouldn't town official members who are members of the Ministerial Association recuse themselves when giving away a significant number of taxpayer dollars ?? by doing so, MY tax dollars are used to support beliefs that i do not support and is a conflict of goverment and religion.