RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council Meeting, February 11, 2025
Council reappoints James Krushat and Leslie Paahana to the Planning Commission and votes to provide emergency funds to Feed the Need
Following a spectacular sunset and a blustery evening, the Council heard updates on Proposition 36, voted to reappoint two Planning Commissioners, and provided funds to a local program to ease food insecurity. An explanation of the process leading to a new five-year strategic plan was buried in the City Manager’s report and was not open to public or Council comment. The meeting’s agenda is here.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS AND PROCLAMATIONS
Presentation by San Bernardino County DA Douglas Poston on Proposition 36
In remarks received enthusiastically by meeting attendees, Supervising Deputy District Attorney Douglas Poston outlined changes in ways that theft and drug offenses will be charged after Proposition 36 became law in last November’s election. “This is going to really, frankly, support your mission statement on enhancing the quality of life in our Morongo Basin communities,” Poston said, by ensuring there would be consequences for acts of petty theft as well as misdemeanor and felony theft and drug offenses. Poston explained that petty theft “is a theft of just about anything up to the amount of $950.”
Poston explained:
These new penal code sections allow us to aggregate or add up petty thefts when there are multiple petty thefts from one person, even if it's different stores, to aggregate and add those up to reach a grand theft. We can send them to state prison for much longer than we could before—for the kind of smash and grab situations that we've all all seen on television.
Poston encouraged business owners and residents to report crimes, including thefts of packages off porches. He suggested that—unlike in the past—perpetrators would be charged.
Proposition 36 significantly increases penalties for fentanyl-related crimes. Possession of 28.5 grams or more of fentanyl-containing substances now carries an additional sentence of three to 25 years. Furthermore, a new enhancement allows prosecutors to charge drug dealers with causing great bodily injury if their sales lead to overdoses or serious harm.
Proposition 36 also introduces a rehabilitation-focused approach for drug offenders. Individuals with two or more prior drug convictions can be charged with a felony but have the option to enter a treatment program. “This is actually very, very important if somebody is a user and they want to get back into mainstream society, frankly, that's where I want them,” Poston said. “I want them back. I want them to become good tax-paying citizens.” The Desert Trumpet will be taking a closer look at the implications of Proposition 36 for Morongo Basin residents.
Kathy Snodgrass reported on the Holiday Market held by the Twentynine Palms Artist’s Guild on November 30, 2024, at the Twentynine Palms Art Gallery. She said the event was attended by approximately 400 people, lower than past events, “but that seems to be the trend this year for all events,” she said, “no matter where they are. 2024 was a very rough year.” The feedback from those attending was very positive, she said, “We are evaluating it and working on ways to make future events better for both the vendors and the general public.”
CONSENT CALENDAR
No items were pulled from the Consent Calendar, which was passed with a 5-0 vote. Calendar items included 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.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Planning Commission Appointments
As we reported, a City Council subcommittee consisting of City Council members April Ramirez and Octavious Scott recommended reappointing Commissioners Leslie Paahana and James Krushat to the Planning Commission. Six additional applicants had applied; their names of the six applicants were not made public.
In public comment, Twentynine Palms resident Carlos Blandon objected that the call for applications was not well publicized, that the selection process was “arbitrary and capricious,” and that new commissioners had not been hired since 2017.1 He recommended term limits for Planning Commissioners.
Councilmember Octavious Scott clarified that commissioners are appointed and that in the last two years, two new people had been appointed to the Planning Commission.2
Councilmember Ramirez, who had defeated Commissioner James Krushat in a run for City Council seat, said:
While Commissioner Krushat did apply for it, I still stand by my decision to reappoint him as he was the most qualified. We just came out of a pretty tough election season, and we were running against each other and I can assure you that we are not friends but he was picked and chosen because he is the most qualified.
Mr. Blandon asked again if term limits would be on upcoming City Council agendas, and Councilmember Scott clarified, “Currently, the city does not have anything in our code that that specifies a term limit for the planning commission. Nor do we have a term limit on any of our boards, including the council.”
The two commission appointments were approved 5-0 by the City Council.
Temporary Monthly Funding of Hope Center
Dr. Sylvester Cullum and Bishop Perry Ford of the Hope Project “Feed the Need Program,” created by the Sanctuary Church’s Community Learning and Equipping Project, Inc. (CLEP)3 outlined their request for the City to provide emergency funding of $3,500 a month to feed from 500 to 800 people a month.
After Dr. Cullum’s short statement, City Manager Stone James led the two men in a series of a half dozen questions to provide more detail about the program, asking about the effort and cost involved to provide food for hungry Twentynine Palms residents.
City Manager James: Thank you so much. Mr. Ford, did you want to talk about some of the things that go into the cost, some of the different components, and the fact that your organization has been funding this for how long, and how much do you typically fund per month? And so what's that? What's that cost, that load, that expense?
Bishop Ford: We are spending, on average, about $3,000 a month because we have to pay for the truck to go down, the gas, the drivers, pay for the food. We have been doing this on our own for the last 14 years, we never asked, but as you know, the economy is getting worse, and it's costing us more, and we're just asking if we could get some benefit to help us in order to continue to help the community. So it's not a church event, it's a community event.
Councilmember Scott said he was supportive but wanted to ensure funding came from the right pool of money. Mr. James replied, “So there are two amounts of money. One was previously approved by the City Council, and I want to say that was for $32,000 that was for the, you know, just General Resource Center.4 And then there was an additional $15,000 that was allocated by the City Council for the portable showers. And so you are working with that $47,000 that you could, that you could, you could offer some portion of that, or all of that. Certainly, it's the council decision to further support further this program and support the Hope Center in their work.”
In public comment, LeAnn Clark noted that the Sanctuary Church has been a pillar of the community and a member of the Ministerial Association for twenty years. Robin Schlosser also testified that the church does important work for the community. She asked how long the temporary funding would last and if community food pantries could consolidate their efforts.5 Planning Commissioner Alex Garcia spoke as a homeless advocate in support of the Feed the Need program, saying he often sent community members to them.
Councilmember Mintz suggested the City provide $1,500 a month to CLEP for its program; after Council discussion the amount was raised to $2,000 for five months for a total of $10,000. This proposal was passed 5-0 by the Council.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
City Manager Stone James said that, as we were all reminded by the July floods, disaster preparedness remains a key priority. “I wanted to let the council know, let the community know, this is something that as a team, we continue to focus on, and are working on identifying what resources we need.”
In the 2023 strategic planning ranking of City priorities, an emergency response plan was 10th on the list. It will undoubtedly be important in upcoming strategic planning —James outlined the process in his report. He said that, “another major focus is strategic planning, aiming to define the city's identity and goals for the next 20 years.” This process involves community engagement, stakeholder input, and council discussions to develop one-, three-, and five-year goals that align with a long-term vision. While some aspects were delayed due to fires affecting consultants, the planning process is progressing, James said. Key stakeholders, including the Marine Corps, the ministerial association, the National Park, and local schools, are being involved to ensure—as James noted—comprehensive representation.
James said, the City Council will hold a priority-setting workshop in March or April, allowing council members to express their districts' perspectives and incorporate community feedback. City staff will play a supporting role in guiding discussions. By May, the plan will be developed, shaping department operations, budget allocations, and overall city priorities, with a final council presentation and adoption expected in June.
James also noted that he had observed the mass casualty drill in Joshua Tree National Park, simulating a major accident with multiple agencies responding.
Finally, efforts are underway to address needs at the senior center, thanks to communication from community members. Professionals are being engaged to resolve identified issues. James thanked Robin Schlosser for her persistence in highlighting these concerns. The issues to be addressed were not discussed.
The next City Council meeting is planned for Tuesday, February 25, at 6 pm.
This is not correct—In 2023, long-time Planning Commissioner Greg Mendoza (District 3) passed away after serving for 12 years. Eileen Leslie, a local STR and business owner, was appointed to replace him, but she resigned because of conflicts of interest with her various businesses. Commissioner Jason Dixon resigned to work out of state, and the vacancies were filled by Jessica Cure and Alex Garcia. The Desert Trumpet outlined these changes in depth here.
Commissioner Scott was incorrect, as the footnote above clarifies. Also Planning Commissioners receive a small per meeting stipend.
The Community Learning and Equipping Project, Inc. (CLEP), is not currently registered with the Department of Justice Registry of Charitable Trusts as required by California law.
James is referring to the Navigation Center to be run by ARCH that fell through, now renamed a Resource Center
Councilmember McArthur Wright is president of the Ministerial Association, LeeAnn Clark is secretary, and Reach Out Morongo Basin was founded by the association.
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CLEP not being registered as required ought to be red flag for the 29 Council members.