RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council, July 23, 2024

Aftermath of the flash flood continues as residents reel, a seat opens up for the November election

Jul 27, 2024

Twentynine Palms Resident Clary Walters demonstrates to City Council how high floodwater levels rose on her property during the July 14 flash flood, causing extensive damage to her family’s home. Photo by Natalie Zuk

Exasperated residents, property owners, and business operators alike filled a packed room at Tuesday night’s Twentynine Palms City Council meeting, where they spoke out about damage caused by the recent flash flood that took place on July 14. Hours prior to the Council meeting, the City was again inundated by another monsoonal storm that forced the closure of Highway 62 for the second time in two weeks. All five council members were in attendance. Before each City Council meeting, the Desert Trumpet publishes agenda highlights. Video of the meeting can be found here.

We will cover storm-related City Council items first, followed by Development Code amendments and other Council business.

Item 1. July 14-15, 2024 Storm Situation Summary Report and Item 11. July 14-15, 2024, Monsoonal Storm

“What was unique about the storm was the intensity, the path, and the duration,” says City Manager H. Stone James of the 7/14 flash flood. Photo by Natalie Zuk

Following a closed legal session prior to the meeting, then an invocation from Amy Miranda of First Assembly of God Church, City Manager H. Stone James delivered an update on the July 14th monsoonal flash flood. Discussion of the town’s storm response remained a constant theme throughout the night as Council and residents discussed the disastrous flood and possible mitigation efforts.

The Twentynine Palms region in particular has a history of flash flood related fatalities, including an incident in 2003 that claimed three lives and another incident in 1999 that claimed the life of a Marine. Despite the July 14 flash flood leading to an 15-car swift water rescue on Highway 62 and Encelia Avenue, City Manager James stated on Tuesday that there were zero fatalities. Long-term impacts of the flood were still being felt, as residents told Council about the path of water flows, extensive damage to their homes, and expressed frustrations with elected officials and negligent land owners.

City Manager James broke down the events and sought to explain the City’s process in dealing with the flood and its aftermath, which included a 20-minute storm response time from City’s IT staff, who James said doubles as their emergency response team. His report stated the City received an initial flash flood alert from the National Weather Service at 13:52 Sunday, July 14, 2024. After the flood, James said public works crews moved more than 1000 cubic yards of sand, involving the equivalent of 100 dump trucks. Weather predictions in the days following remained a concern, however. “If we have a storm of equal strength, it will have a greater impact due to the saturation that has occurred from the day before,” said James.

Twentynine Palms City Council heard from storm-impacted residents at Tuesday night’s meeting. Photo by Natalie Zuk

According to City Manager James, “Typically, the threshold for FEMA to get involved is you have to demonstrate damages in excess of $10 million. And so if you cannot meet that threshold, then you are not you are not able to to have FEMA come in.” Alternative assistance resources James listed included Team Rubicon, a Los Angeles based non-profit organization that offers pro-bono construction and labor services to disaster-stricken areas.

According to Team Rubicon’s website, operation Desert Deluge will take place July 26 and end on July 30. Services will include drywall removal and installation and de-mucking services. Team Rubicon’s breakdown states that more than 65 homes are on their list of impacted residences and of those, more than 50% experienced flooding:

On July 14-15, 2024, San Bernardino County experienced a microburst & severe rains, which caused flooding in the areas of Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, Johnson Valley, and Morongo Basin as well as other areas in the county. Per NWS, 1.89 inches of rain was experienced over July 14-15. The average monthly rainfall in July for Twentynine Palms is .048. The rainfall over this two-day period is almost five times the monthly rainfall. This impacted the area with flooding and debris flows. On 07/17/2024 Team Rubicon received a call from the City of Twentynine Palms to discuss capabilities and potential request for assistance. Initial intake reports have identified 67 homes affected, with 32 flooded homes. Social Vulnerability is a very High Score of 85.58.1

Item 11, which was placed on the agenda as a contingency, to address any potential emergency declarations the City Manager would have had to request from City Council— was removed from the agenda during the meeting. As a result, comments on Agenda Item 11 and the storm were moved to open public comment.2 Regarding the agenda item removal, City Manager James stated:

“This was something that I put on the agenda this evening in the event that there was something that I needed to take to council, like an emergency declaration or something that came up from last week over the weekend to tonight due to the 72-hour required notice. So at this time, there is nothing I need to have the council formally take action on and so we can just go ahead and skip this.”

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE STORM

Ensuring that the integrity of the area’s water supply remains intact is crucial to any region’s disaster response. That is why, when vehicles collided twice with a water main line after ignoring posted flood barriers, residents and clean-up crews grew even more dismayed. Resident Robin Schlosser shared her frustrations with Council during public comment:

“I know the people out there on Adobe Road, underwater trying to fix those pipes. I would like to know— the people who ran over the fire hydrant and sheared off that T-valve— are they going to be charged for those damages? Because I don't think the city and the people of Twentynine Palms should pay for that. Because that was, excuse me, that was their stupidity. It caused all that damage, and it really added to a bad situation.”

First row: Tom Ingram, Mary Firestine and Robert Firestine II, Terence Latimer. Second row: Yatish Nathraj, Susan Peplow, Robin Schlosser. Third row: Robert Firestine, DeAnna Marie Margaret Greer, Veno Nathraj address the 29 Palms City Council. Photos by Natalie Zuk

Other residents alluded to having done legal research on easements, flood mitigation, and water flow pathways through neighborhoods. Resident Mary Firestine suggested the City take storm outreach efforts more seriously and spoke of property owners in her neighborhood with easements that are not code compliant.

“Monday morning, I came down. I called the city, gave them my name, my number, and they said they'd get in touch with me. Never heard anything. I came down Tuesday and I just wanted phone numbers that I could call to get help. We can't wait. When you're flooded and your carpet’s destroyed, your walls are destroyed, you can't wait. I didn't get a call from anybody until yesterday morning. That was a week and one day, saying ‘Does your house need to be marked out?’ ‘Does your carpet need to be taken out?’ We can't wait. And if you've got medical problems, people cannot do that. The mold, the spores, everything starts.”

Tom Ingram, who lives off Sunnyslope and Encelia, described the July 14 events as a tsunami that inundated his and his neighbor’s properties:

“The wall on Sunnyslope, on the side of that area, stopped the water going straight down that part of the land and came down Sunnyslope, picked up speed, and so it didn't turn and go down Encelia. It came straight across the hit area of Sunnyslope Drive. Earlier, perhaps when that place was built before, there wasn't a proper environmental impact on what that wall would do. But now we know and obviously weather is very unpredictable. And so this could happen again and with weather changes, it probably will happen again.”

Allusions to these environmental impact reports were echoed by resident and local hotelier Veno Nathraj, whose businesses along Highway 62 were severely affected by the storm:

“Mayor Pro Tem (Klink) and Councilmember Danny Mintz. If you recall, around 2013, I stood here in this same room, same place and addressed my concern I had in regards to the development on the north side of my property, to take the preventive measures with proper construction since we are known to have the flood rains and my property was low lying. You rejected my input and voted against my concerns. I do not come here as a Negative Nancy... I come here to give constructive input in the best interests of my community.”

Nathraj continued,

“If it was not for my youngest son, many lives could have been lost, including three of my family members. Some elders needed to be physically carried to the second floor due to rising waters. Our code compliance should be visiting properties for upkeep rather than harassing business owners for someone parking in a vacant lot. Our city has lost millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money and city resources. I hope the city would go after those who have failed to maintain their property. Thank you.”

Resident DeAnna Marie Margaret Greer, who participates in the City’s Adopt-A-Street Program and has a home that was impacted by the flood, pointed out that tourists the City relies on for crucial revenue will catch on quickly if locals continue to be distressed.

“We have a great city here and we have a lot of money on the table for tourism and things of that nature but tourists don't spend time and money in ghost towns and they don't spend time and money in towns that feel distressed. You can feel the essence when you interact with people.”

Susan Peplow, whose properties are in the affected flood area, arrived to the meeting in rain boots, having just worked on her property due to another storm earlier that day. She stated that the layout of the Chocolate Drop neighborhood has changed. “The only thing I can think of potentially help mitigate this would be to berm.”

Terence Latimer, owner of Black Cactus Co-Working, used the flash flood to remind Council members of a grant proposal brought forth by Councilmember Octavious Scott and Woman of Color Global 29 President Carrie Williams for a community climate resiliency center, stating Coachella has already submitted their application and the deadline is approaching soon.

CITY MANAGER UPDATE

Regarding complaints of illegal easements by the Firestines and Walters, City Manager James stated he consulted with the City Attorney last week regarding public utility easement enforcing and that the City Attorney is researching whether or not that’s something the City can pursue legally.

James spoke of the City’s intention to facilitate a Local Community Assistance Center at the Twentynine Palms Senior Center. He also stated that Burrtec will transition to a new pickup schedule starting next month and he would try to coordinate Burrtec’s efforts of emptying community trash bins quicker for storm relief efforts. In concluding comments, James reminded residents they can pickup sandbags at City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road, or at the San Bernardino County Fire Department Station 44 in Twentynine Palms at 6560 Adobe Road.

COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REPORTS OF MEETINGS ATTENDED

Octavious Scott said he has been meeting with constituents affected by the flood while Councilmembers Mintz and Wright thanked City Staff for their storm response. Councilmember Joel Klink announced that he will not be seeking another term at City Council, with hopes that those who are running “put on a good campaign.” Mayor Bilderain thanked council members for responding to residents post-storm. Klink relayed to attendees that council members, too, suffered home damage.

OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS

CONSENT CALENDAR — APPROVED 5-1

PUBLIC HEARINGS
Council then swiftly approved development code amendments to bring them in line with state requirements and to update language, then voted on a small technical update to their lighting and landscaping assessment district. The Desert Trumpet previously reported on these development code updates here and here.

Agenda Item 7: Twentynine Palms Lighting and Landscaping Assessment District #1, Confirming Assessment and Levying Assessment for FY 2024-2025. Motion proposed by Mintz, seconded by Wright. Approved 5-0 with no discussion.
Agenda Item 8: Development Code Amendment Home Occupation Permits. Motion proposed by Wright, seconded by Scott. Approved 5-0 with no discussion.
Agenda Item 10. Development Code Amendment, Article 4 Part 1. Motion proposed by Wright, seconded by Klink. Approved 5-0 with no discussion.

DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS

10. New National Opioid Settlement with Kroger Co.
City Manager James said the City anticipates $1,700 from the Kroger opioid lawsuit payout, which will be distributed between the state, county, and statewide abatement programs. Due to the incrementally small monetary amount, James stated accepting the money would cause an accounting burden on the City and recommended the City give it to the County of San Bernardino instead for their opioid abatement programs. Councilmember Klink proposed the motion to forego lawsuit payout, which was seconded by Scott. Approved 5-0.

The next Twentynine Palms City Council meeting will take place August 13, 2024.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Please note that we do not allow anonymous comments. Please be sure your first and last name is on your profile prior to commenting. Anonymous comments will be deleted.

The Desert Trumpet

Discussion about this post