RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council Meeting, February 25, 2025
Oasis Elementary celebrates Black History Month, City revenue reflects the times, and the public speak in support of the national park
Highlights from this week’s two-hour long City Council meeting included a presentation on Black History Month from the fifth-grade class of Oasis Elementary School, support for Joshua Tree National Park, budget updates, and more.
Agenda coverage of the meeting is linked here and video footage of the meeting is available here.
Items 1 & 2 — Presentation by the fifth-grade class at Oasis Elementary School on their Black History Month Project and Proclamation Recognizing February 2025 as Black History Month
For Black History Month, fifth graders at Oasis Elementary School taught by Ms. De Los Santos and Mr. Forman researched and wrote biographies, made posters, and gave speeches about influential African Americans. At Tuesday’s meeting, students presented their work on Booker T. Washington, Ruby Bridges, Elijah McCoy, and Michelle Obama.
De Los Santos said incoming fifth-graders look forward to this project every year, which included an evening school showcase where parents and families could see their work on display. Councilmembers commended the students for their work. Mayor Bilderain then declared February as Black History Month.
Item 3. Presentation by Dave Thornton, Habitat for Humanity
Board member Tracy Tremblay along with CEO Dave Thornton described projects Habitat for Humanity takes on for community members in need, including lot cleanup, remodeling, repairs, emergency services, and affordable housing. The organization uses grants, general contractor services, realtors, and volunteer organizations to build about two homes a year. Tremblay said,
We build homes and we also do home restoration services, and we provide some emergency services for people that are in need. So everything that relates to housing and housing insecurity. So we talked with [City Manager] Stone James. We just told him what we did. He says, you know, maybe like to have you come and present to the city council and share your mission and see if there's anything we can do together.
Thornton noted that some parcels are donated and homes are typically constructed in conjunction with municipalities.
COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REPORTS OF MEETINGS ATTENDED
Councilmember Ramirez reported attending the San Bernardino County East Valley Regional steering committee, an extension of the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership, as well as the community coffee hosted by Congressman Jay Obernolte on Saturday, February 22. She also met with the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club.
Councilmember Octavious Scott reported attending a historical and cultural tour of Section 14 in Palm Springs in honor of Black History Month, as well as the first event for the local Toastmasters, a nonprofit that mentors individuals on public speaking, communication skills, and leadership. He informed attendees that the next Toastmasters meeting will take place Tuesday, March 4 at 6 pm. in Patriotic Hall, located at Luckie Park. Scott stated,
I also attended a protest in Joshua Tree for the Park Rangers that were laid off here at the National Park. I thought it was very important as a council member that I show up and represent these members of our community, and I also set up a meeting with Congressman Obernolte to discuss what he's doing in terms of these federal cuts.
Councilmember McArthur Wright reported attending the Recreation Department and Ground Zero’s Youth Basketball celebration last Sunday, as well as the Mojave Desert and Mountain Recycling Authority meeting (known as the JPA, or Joint-Powers-Authority), informing residents that the organic waste recycling requirements in state law SB1383 are here to stay.1
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consisted of the minutes of the last two City Council meetings. The Council approved them 5-0.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
6. Designation of a Delegate and Alternate Delegate for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Annual Regional Conference and General Assembly
Councilmember Ramirez volunteered as the primary delegate with Councilmember Mintz as alternate at the upcoming Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) Annual Regional Conference this May. Ramirez, elected to City Council in November 2024, stated she is on the ballot to represent District 11 at SCAG, which is comprised of Barstow, Big Bear Lake, Needles, Twentynine Palms, and Yucca Valley and currently represented by Yucca Valley Town Councilmember Rick Denison.
Approved by the Council 5-0.
7. Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2024-25 Mid-Year Budget Update - General Fund
8. Financial Report - Fiscal Year 2024-25 Mid-Year Budget Update - Capital Projects Funds and Special Funds
City Finance Director and Treasurer Abigail Hernandez-Conde delivered a mid-year financial update on the City’s General Fund, buttoning up the extensive budget report in a ten-minute presentation.
Hernandez-Conde reported the City forecasts a budget surplus of $92,000 for the current fiscal year.
The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the previous fiscal year, (‘23-’24), shown above, reflects recent Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue, paid by lodging guests when they stay at hotels and short-term rentals.
TOT — same as my last update; here they still have remained stagnant for the first quarters of 2024. Sales tax — same thing. They're projected to stay flat or decline slightly as economic conditions leave consumers cautious in their spending patterns, especially for big ticket purchases or discretionary products.
Included on the list of mid-year General fund adjustments for Council approval was a transfer of $200,000 for improvements to the Twentynine Palms Senior Center, $12,000 toward purchase of a three-year subscription for software for the electric vehicle chargers at Freedom Plaza, and an additional $26,000 for the purchase of a new animal control vehicle that Council green-lit in early February.
Speaking from the public on the general fund budget update were residents Eric Menendez and Robin Schlosser. Menendez said he hopes next year more money can be allocated to the arts, the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC), Rediscover 29, and — alluding to the TBID — called for increased oversight and for funds to be spent more effectively. Schlosser, Executive Director of Reach Out Morongo Basin, spoke in favor of funds designated for the Twentynine Palms Senior Center:
It's going to improve accessibility, it's going to improve safety, and it's going to be a place for them to come for many, many more years.
Agenda items 7 and 8 supplemented one another, and there were no comments from the public. Both items were approved 5-0
9. Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center Lease
Currently, Joshua Tree National Park Visitor and Cultural Center at Freedom Plaza is leased to the National Park Service through the City of Twentynine Palms. As the staff report noted, Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Jane Rodgers is concerned reductions in federal spending may force the national park to close the visitor center. If the Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA), the park’s non-profit arm, assumed the lease of the visitor center, it could remain open in the event further federal funding cuts occur.
With a recusal from Councilmember Daniel Mintz due to potential conflict of interest because his wife owns a shop in the Freedom Plaza area, City Manager Stone James led the discussion of this agenda item. He noted that representatives of the JTNPA could not be present and explained the mission of the organization and the goals of transferring the lease:
[The JTNPA assists] Joshua Tree National Park in its achievement of programming goals in education and interpretation, along with the scientific and historic research and activities. By allowing the continued operation of the visitor center at Freedom Plaza in the event of a government shutdown, it is beneficial to visitors of the park and the surrounding community. The Joshua Tree National Park Association being named as the default lease would allow the Joshua Tree National Park Association to provide needed safety and recreation information to protect our visitors and the park’s resources.
In Council discussion of the item, Councilmember Scott asked James whether future cuts would mean Park rangers would no longer be present at the visitor center. James responded,
As I understand, there is a possibility that they could be in a position not to have the rangers there. And I think that the solution to that is already what's in that building — with the maps and the expertise the association has developed, that they would be able to provide, really, by and large, substantially the same information as the rangers currently do.
Speaking from the public in favor of the agenda item were Eric Menendez, John Talley-Jones, and editor of the Desert Trumpet, Cindy Bernard.
Talley-Jones asked how the National Park Service felt about the potential lease takeover:
I think this is generally a really good idea. I didn't hear anything that Dr. James said about the National Park Service itself, what their status is with relation to this? How do they feel? Do they have an opinion about this proposal? I imagine they're okay with it. Assuming they are, I think it's a great idea, and I hope we look seriously at this and consider it in a positive way.
James said that based on his interactions with the Park Service, they were supportive of this, and spoke to the role the Visitor Center plays in ensuring safety:
…it is a vital resource to disseminate that information, you know, just to state the obvious, while it's second nature for us, you know, desert is a hostile environment, and so that is an additional point of contact in which the visitor center you can check in and just let them know about the environmental hazards that some of the folks that come there just may not appreciate.
Motion to approved the change in the lease was approved 4-0-1.
FUTURE COUNCIL-INITIATED ITEMS
Two items were added to the lengthy list of future Council agenda items — Scott proposed the Council have a future discussion item on how the City vets nonprofit organizations that receive City grants:
I want to make sure that we have a discussion about that and set a standard so that there's no perception of favoritism.
After Scott’s request received a second from Bilderain2, Councilmember Ramirez, who sits on the Budget and Audit Subcommittee, requested a discussion item pertaining to how the City utilizes its city attorney resources:
I noticed that within the past three months we went from spending an average of $5,000 to $7,000 on attorney fees, and it just skyrocketed in November, December and January…
Ramirez continued,
…I want to just see if we can visit to where we set some sort of a policy on how we're going to use our city attorney resources
PUBLIC COMMENTS
In general public comment, resident Joseph Candelaria says he attended the recent Community Coffee with Congressman Obernolte and asked Council what they are going to do about gainful employment, veterans, job cuts on the Marine Base, and the six Joshua Tree National Park jobs that were cut. Janelle Angeles, member of the City’s Public Arts Advisory Committee , advocated for continued funding of the PAAC, lauding the committee on its successful implementation of a $100,000 grant, and noting that art is an investment in the community.
Cindy Bernard, editor of the Desert Trumpet, addressed Council on the future agenda item posed by Councilmember Ramirez:
I wanted to talk a little bit about attorneys fees, since that was brought up. And I want to also endorse what Octavious said about the challenges with vetting nonprofits that the City is having. You know, when you don't properly vet nonprofits, when you don't look at the DOJ [Department of Justice] registry to make sure that the nonprofits that you work for are registered—in fact, Molding Hearts is now delinquent in their DOJ registry and I don't think that CLEP is registered at all, and they just received $10,000 from the city…that costs you attorney fees. The other thing that increases attorney fees is when Council members and staff make undue allegations toward people, and then attorneys have to get involved with that. That increases attorney fees. So if we could all be kinder to each other, I think that that would help, please.
Nicholas Graver, a biologist who works for Joshua Tree National Park, called upon the City Council to make a proclamation in support of the national parks:
I ask that you consider future agenda items to make a proclamation, make a statement on behalf of the national parks and on behalf of what's happening—the assault on our public lands, the assault on our national monuments, the effort to abolish the Antiquities Act that would take away Desert Trails National Monument, Chuckwalla National Monument, which are also economic engines for our community. I ask that you come to our protest on Saturday, and I ask that each of you take the time to call your congressperson and to tell them how you feel as a city council member about what's happening to your community. Thank you.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
Captain Robert Warrick of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was invited by City Manager James to make clarifying statements on traffic lights during storms and outages, reminding drivers that if a four-way stoplight goes completely out it is to be treated as a stop sign and that pedestrians always have the right of way. James noted that on Wednesday, March 5, at 8 am the City will be having a disaster response event at City Hall with the Ministerial Association and other local organizations.
ADJOURNMENT
The next Twentynine Palms City Council meeting will take place March 11, 2025, at 6 pm at 6136 Adobe Road.
Support Joshua Tree National Park and our Park Rangers!
Two actions are scheduled today, March 1:
9am - 11am at the corner of Hwy 62 and Park Blvd.
12pm - 2:30pm at Cap Rock in Joshua Tree National Park
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Known as the Mandatory Residential Organics Waste and Recycling Law, the bill calls for California municipalities, businesses, and individuals to significantly reduce organic waste disposal by the end of 2025.
Correction 3/16/25 - the second was mistakenly attributed to Mintz when the article was published.