RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council, April 22, 2025, Part 1
Sheriff incident with autistic child, Self-Build Housing initiative comes to a boil, RVs & camping in RL zoning, and ever so much more
We are publishing the recap of this meeting and related issues in three parts. Below is Part 1, the bulk of the meeting. Part 2 will cover comments at this meeting complaining about an incident at Luckie Park involving an autistic youth and the Sheriff’s response, and our investigation of bodycam footage of this incident. Part 3 is our coverage of the Self-Build Housing initiative, which is item 20 on this meeting agenda.
On Tuesday, April 22, the Twentynine Palms City Council held a two and a half hour meeting where they decided next steps on the City's Self-Build Housing initiative, tabled a code revision that would have continued allowing RV parks and camping in RL-zoned areas, and heard reports from commenters about an incident at Luckie Park involving the San Bernardino County Sheriff and an autistic minor.
Our agenda preview for this meeting can be found here and the meeting video is here:
The Council kicked off with multiple closed sessions to discuss with the City Attorney anticipated incoming and City-initiated litigation, as well as to continue for a third session their performance evaluation of City Manager Stone James.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROCLAMATIONS
Mayor Steve Bilderain proclaimed April as DMV Donate Life Month, Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sara Shook, who accepted the Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamation on behalf of Partners Against Violence, said "we are proud to provide a 24-hour crisis hotline, advocacy and accompaniment during reporting and court processes, counseling services and community education as well as prevention education and workshops as well to the survivors in our City."
For the group's volunteer work on the "Cash for Trash" program, Mayor Pro Tem Dan Mintz awarded $300 from Burrtec Waste Industries to the Twentynine Palms High School Class of 2028.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Council unanimously approved the consent calendar, containing approval of a warrant register, account updates to authorize new Councilmember April Ramirez as an account signatory and a brief Treasurer's report for fiscal year 2024-25 Q3.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
14. Housing Element Annual Report
The Council unanimously approved the report with no comments from the public or discussion by Council after Community Development Director Keith Gardner went to bat for this item. Eying the shortfall of new City housing production evident in the report Gardner explained, "We were assigned [by the state] 1047 units [of housing] back in 2021 to build by the end of 2029. So far, we have built somewhere around 80. That means 900 and something left by the end of 2029. We are not unique in this situation — virtually every jurisdiction in the state of California is in the same boat."
15. General Plan Status Report
Council unanimously approved this report after no comments from themselves or the public. Gardner took this item also, explaining that it outlines "any General Plan amendments we did in the prior calendar year. We did none. The last amendment to the General Plan we did was the Equity and Social Justice element in 2023."
16. DCA - Chapter 19.02 Authority and Chapter 19.04, the General Plan
Council voted 5-0 to approve this minor code change, which adjusts Planning Commissioner swearing in dates to better align with an annual state Housing Element deadline of April 1. Per Gardner, this change will also facilitate changing the approval requirement going forward for the annual Housing Element Annual Report and General Plan Status Report — the previous two items — from public hearing approval to consent calendar approval.
17. DCA23-000004 - Mobile Home Parks and Special Occupancy Parks
The Council voted 5-0 to table this revision of development code for mobile home parks, RV parks and campgrounds, after hearing several comments opposing it followed by brief Council debate.
Some Councilmembers and most commenters argued that rather than the Council approving this change, instead the development code should be altered to feature a new prohibition on uses like RV parks and campgrounds on Rural Living (RL) zoned land. These are uses which are all currently allowed in RL zoning.
Gardner introduced this item saying, "This is another development code amendment that has been studied quite a bit before the Planning Commission," emphasizing that "There is no rush on this." He advised that this new code will provide the City and the Planning Department with far more clarity and guidance than the existing code.
The first comment was a letter from Pat Flanagan, Director of the Morongo Basin Conservation Association, which Cindy Bernard read from the podium, arguing that "commercial uses like those under consideration should be in Tourist Commercial zoning. If there is not enough appropriate commercial zoning, let's open the General Plan and figure out where it should go." Flanagan listed concerns including the proposed density of campsites or RVs being too high; noise, air quality and home value impacts; and code enforcement challenges.
Bernard segued into her own comment by endorsing Flanagan's views, cautioning that "You might say that a lot of Rural Living land isn't near homes or neighborhoods, but in order to do the bathroom requirement that's in this [development code] you're going to have to have water — the water lines are going to be near existing homes and existing neighborhoods — so they are going to land in your neighborhoods."
Susan Peplow complimented the City for its work on this issue, saying "I felt that the Planning Commission, as well as staff, gave some good direction, and I feel that they really looked into it deeply." She expressed support for Commercial Tourism zoning, arguing "that's an appropriate location for RV parks and camping as well as public land."
John Talley-Jones then described the idea of allowing camping development in RL zoning as "monumentally terrible," and asked the Council to "Imagine living for the peace and quiet out here and waking up one morning to find that Burning Man has moved in on the parcel next door." He voiced agreement with those who argued camping should be confined to Tourist Commercial zoned land.
There was little discussion by Council but Councilmember Octavious Scott opined, "I will echo some of the community members in the audience that I don't think that campgrounds should be in Rural Living, residential lots."
The Council quickly signaled approval when Mayor Bilderain suggested tabling this item off-calendar, rather than to a date-certain, for further study.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
18. Confirming the Costs of Abating 6045 Adobe Road
Council quickly voted 5-0 to approve this proposal from staff to confirm a $2,527.70 special assessment against the derelict car wash at 6045 Adobe Road, to defray City cleanup costs. Per Gardner, this property owner "is well aware that they will have to reimburse the City in one way, shape or form."
19. Contract Amendment for Charles Abbott Associates
With little fanfare Council unanimously approved this rate increase for Engineering and Building and Safety services the City obtains from Charles Abbott Associates (CAA). Gardner confirmed to Councilmember April Ramirez that the rate of increase amounted to about 5% per year.
20. Update on the Self-Build Housing Project
After 45 minutes of passionate opinion from residents, culminating in vexatious debate between Councilmembers and an aggrieved outburst, the Council in effect agreed to table this item by replacing a decision with a workshop intended to gauge resident interest and ability to qualify for self-build homes.
In part, at issue were accusations made by Twentynine Palms City Attorney Patrick Muñoz that the self-build housing initiative has stalled due to inaction by potential self-build partner Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (CVHC). Muñoz also mentioned lawsuits involving CVHC, a comment amplified by Councilmember April Ramirez. Given that CVHC has a history of high regard, we felt that it was fair to give them a chance to respond. Accordingly our reporting on this item will be delayed by a few days and will be published separately.
21. Repurposing Unhoused Shower and Resource Center Funds for Youth Backpacks
The Council voted unanimously to grant $5,000 to the Ready 4 Reading Book Club to provide backpacks and other school-related supplies and local services to Twentynine Palms schoolchildren.
Lynette Ramirez, the nonprofit's founder, presented on her proposal, joined at the podium by Angie Flournoy, owner of Wing-N-It restaurant. Tackling upfront the seeming incongruity of repurposing homeless services funds to instead fund a youth backpack program, Lynette Ramirez said "This seems like a big jump, a big, big jump from a shower program to a backpack program, but it's really not... we don't have a Resource Center [for homeless services] yet, but what we can do is use resources to help our community."
Responding to questions from Mintz and Wright, Lynette Ramirez differentiated her organization's backpack program from other, seemingly similar programs, emphasizing its focus on older, junior high and high school kids. She noted that it's a 100% volunteer organization so none of its grant funding goes to administrative costs. Councilmembers April Ramirez and Octavious Scott chimed in with praise for her proposal.
Karen Harper, owner of Jeanine Beauty Supply, commented, expressing support for the proposal and offered to accept vouchers from the program. Jen DeFalco then spoke, saying "I think the program sounds nice, but my concern is that the money would be coming from unhoused money... We have a lot of unhoused children that are not school aged, they're not in the Morongo Unified School District, or they're home schooled that would need [these] types of services."
Council discussion centered on the timing of such a City grant and its alignment with the school year. The program's close ties with Wing-N-It seemed to sway Wright, who noted, "I have a lot of faith in Wing-N-It because I see the work that you guys do in the community. You do a lot for the community and I see it." Scott moved to grant Ready 4 Reading Book Club $5,000 and Council voted their approval 5-0.
Lynette Ramirez said Ready 4 Reading Book Club is a 501c3 nonprofit, but according to public records this is not quite the case — they’re operating under a fiscal receiver, the High Desert Community Foundation aka the Streams in the Desert Foundation.
22. Joshua Tree No Kill Animal Shelter Woof Walk Donation Request
Council approved with a 5-0 vote a $1,500 donation to the Joshua Tree No Kill Animal Shelter's eleventh annual "Woof Walk" event.
Glen Harris, co-president of the shelter, presented. "We've been around since the 70s and we're still here. In 1985 we officially opened the building in which we still sit and in 2005 we became the first and only no-kill shelter in the entire region," outlining his organization's history. He noted they'd recently built a new, dedicated animal quarantine building, something that could serve as a model as the City looks to renovate its own animal shelter. Harris then outlined the Woof Walk event, which will be held on May 3, 2025, between 10 am and 3 pm at Essig Dog Park, 8300 Warren Vista Ave, Yucca Valley, noting the event had now gained 30 sponsors.
23. AB 647 (González, M.) Housing Development Approvals: Bill Allowing Demolition of Single-Family Homes and Constructing up to Eight Dwelling Units
Council unanimously approved authorizing City Manager James to send a letter to 29's local state legislators registering the City's opposition to California Assembly bill AB 647.
Presenting on this item, James portrayed AB 647, a bill that hasn't made it out of committee, as a dire threat to single-family home neighborhoods. He warned that if AB 647 passed, "you could take a single-family detached lot anywhere in the City, and if someone wanted to do it, they could go in and they could remove the house and build eight dwelling units."
Mintz chimed in in agreement, voicing concern that houses "in the middle of Malibu beach" could be torn down and replaced with eight-unit apartment buildings, adding that "this would be disastrous, especially in our area."
Any links between the City's ongoing lack of housing production discussed earlier in this very Council meeting, the City and State's pressing issues with housing unaffordability and homelessness, and the potential solution offered by AB 647 apparently went unnoticed by Council, City staff and the public — and Council voted 5-0 to approve the request for a letter in opposition.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public comments included Jen DeFalco on homeless issues, Cindy Bernard on better vetting of nonprofits, Gail French on a nearby problem property, Jonathan Santiago on a solar development he’s working on, and Susan Peplow on City postcards and the City “29” sculpture.
Bryan Mejia, Kimber Hartley and a woman identifying herself as Lashara commented regarding a recent, troubling incident at Luckie Park involving an autistic teen. The Desert Trumpet reached out to SBCSD to verify this incident, but accounts from the three commenters versus the Sheriff differed so much that we requested bodycam footage from the Sheriff. To do justice to both sides, we will publish a stand-alone article including the accounts from the Council meeting along with a description of the bodycam footage.
Below are the public comments excluding those from Mejia, Hartley and Lashara.
Jen DeFalco, noting that "From this spot [in City Hall] we still have over 100 homeless individuals on our streets," suggested the City deploy water dispensers to help the homeless survive the summer heat, offering that "I'll provide the cups."
Cindy Bernard requested the City implement a "consistent vetting process" for each and every nonprofit the City engages with, including a status check of Secretary of State, DOJ and IRS records. She also announced she was participating in this year's Morongo Basin Conservation Association "Water Wise Garden Tour," so those interested could purchase tickets on the MBCA website and tour her garden between 9 am and 4 pm this Sunday, April 27, 2025.
Gail French requested that City Code Enforcement look into a property at 73432 Two Mile Road, which she said had on it "at least 10 vehicles" plus "four trailers, one of them lived in." She also asked the Council to develop a new ordinance to limit how many vehicles could be stored on a property.
Jonathan Santiago with ESA Solar Energy briefly introduced himself, saying he was working on a "battery energy storage system and a small solar field" of about 20 acres on Dorth Place, and expected he would be seeing more of the Council.
Susan Peplow, the final commenter, complimented the City for sending out informative postcards about trash service rules and best practices, which among other tips remind residents to bring in their cans within 24 hours, and congratulated the City on the refurbished and replaced "29" sculpture. She suggested the City consider a similar postcard reminding residents of obligations and best practices for compliance with the Dark Sky ordinance. Finally she reminded everyone about the TBID meeting coming up on April 24, 2025.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
City Manager Stone James advised that staff expects to send out the Strategic Planning survey soon, reminded everyone that the City had posted video of the Strategic Planning meetings online, and said the PowerPoint presentation from Strategic Planning meeting was available from him upon request. James said he was excited about Snake Bite Roadhouse taking over the space formerly occupied by the Happy Cooker restaurant.
The next City Council meeting will be on May 13, 2025.
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