RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council, January 28, 2025
Molding Hearts takes on housing and employment, talks of a joint meeting with MUSD, and a Community Resource Center discussion.
Tuesday, January 28, the Twentynine Palms City Council met for two hours and discussed a potential community resource center, received a progress report on housing and homelessness services from Molding Hearts, approved additional funding for a new animal control truck, and heard updates on the school district from Morongo Unified School Board member Karalee Hargrove. Council also heard from City Manager Stone James on two grants the City applied for, which are currently in limbo due to recent executive action by President Trump that paused funding on certain federal programs.
All five council members were present. Our agenda preview of the meeting is linked here, and video footage of the meeting is here.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROCLAMATIONS
Report from the Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo by Ms. Vickie Waite, Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts
Vickie Waite, 35-year resident of Twentynine Palms, reported on the success of the 12th Annual JTNP Art Exposition. The event took place in November and received crucial event funding from both the Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District and the City of Twentynine Palms Community Event Program.
Update on Molding Hearts' Homeless Outreach
In November 2024, the Twentynine Palms City Council approved $24,500 in funding to the San Bernardino County-based non-profit Molding Hearts Foundation to address homelessness. Two months out from approval of that initial funding, CEO and founder of the organization, Lakita Johnson, provided an update on the recent initiative at Tuesday’s meeting.
Johnson began by thanking Councilmembers McArthur Wright, Octavious Scott, and April Ramirez for referring cases to Molding Hearts, which included a domestic violence situation in which both Johnson and Councilmember Ramirez responded hands-on.
Since receiving City funding, Johnson reports that Molding Hearts has assisted 33 individuals or families, which includes 22 individuals who were either linked to housing placements or service referrals to stay in their current housing situation, and employment for eight individuals. Per Johnson, all individuals are from Twentynine Palms. To ensure initiative dollars are assisting those in Twentynine Palms, Johnson verifies residency with their government issued identification. Individuals are housed in both Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms.1
Councilmember Ramirez asked questions about those currently receiving Social Security, including whether or not someone on social security can still qualify for housing through Molding Hearts. Johnson clarified that Molding Hearts will cover the first month of housing but after that, individuals must use their Social Security income to pay rent, which is equal to $800 per month, or about $27 per day per individual, and includes three daily meals.
From the public, Anna L. from the San Bernardino County Transitional Assistance Department asked if Molding Hearts could connect with their Yucca Valley office. Council members commended the work of Molding Hearts, thanking Johnson for the crucial services Molding Hearts and other local organizations provide for the unhoused.
A planned presentation on Proposition 36 did not take place; a representative from the District Attorney’s office was unable to present due to a personal emergency.
COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REPORTS OF MEETINGS ATTENDED
Councilmember Ramirez reported attendance at the local Point In Time count of the unhoused with Councilmember Daniel Mintz and that she met with a mobile doctor to discuss bringing telehealth and mobile healthcare services to the area. Councilmember Scott, a member of the Planning Commission subcommittee with Councilmember Ramirez, says appointments for Planning Commissioner should be expected soon; Councilmember Wright reported participating in the local Martin Luther King Jr. Walk on January 20.
CONSENT CALENDAR AND ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR FOR DISCUSSION
All consent calendar items were approved after some light discussion— Councilmember Scott requested item 7 be pulled, which awards a Professional Services Agreement to a Yucca Valley company for remodeling and upgrades to an affordable housing unit at 6943 Elm Avenue at a cost of approximately $34,000. City Manager H. Stone James gave the briefing. Speaking from the public on the consent calendar item was Astrid Johnson of Morongo Basin ARCH, who reminded attendees that this particular project is designated as senior veteran housing and that ARCH has been providing some oversight of the property, which includes donation of a gas heater for one of the units.
Following a motion by Councilmember Mintz and a second by Councilmember Scott, the remaining consent calendar item was approved 5-0.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
8. Purchase of New Animal Control Truck
This discussion item is for approval of $130,894.22 for the purchase of a new Ford F-350 animal control truck. Animal Control Officer Rick Boyd was present and provided humorous insight to the animal control truck situation. According to Boyd, unlike the older 2002 bed, the upgraded truck will be climate-controlled with air conditioning, contain double gates for improved employee safety, a walk-up ramp, and a tommy lift gate, providing a much-needed upgrade to the City’s animal control fleet.
After no comments from the public, Councilmember Ramirez, emphasizing employee safety, asked, “Do you feel that a new truck would help lessen the risk of potential workers-comp related injuries?” which Boyd affirmed. The motion, proposed by Councilmember Wright, seconded by Ramirez, was met with enthusiastic audience applause once approved by a 5-0 vote.
9. Community Resource Center
City Manager H. Stone James launched a discussion of forming a Community Resource Center with a few considerations for City Council to ponder. James divided the topic into these steps:
Conduct a community survey to gauge community needs
Analyze and prioritize “marketplace gaps”
Determine what type of services the Community Resource Center would provide
Determine the economic and social feasibility of a project like this—what agencies and non-profits exist that the City could work with?
What is the long-term fiscal impact? Where will funding for a community resource center come from and how will staffing be addressed? What programming costs are associated?
Does an existing facility exist in town that can fulfill this purpose?
Included in James’s staff report was a proposal for survey services from FM3, a public opinion firm, to conduct a 300-person survey to ask residents questions to inform upcoming strategic planning at a cost of $29,750. Catalyzing Council discussion was Octavious Scott, who disagreed with the need for a community survey and suggested the possibility of revenue augmentation to cover financing:
I don't think we necessarily need to do a survey. We did a survey in 2023 and that's pretty fresh. We did the equity element, which also involved workshops. So I think we we know what the need of the community is.
Councilmember Mintz acknowledged that many community services are provided by Parks & Recreation or the Twentynine Palms Senior Center.
I'm concerned for the long haul of this, because we've talked about having to possibly have a sales tax increase, or some kind of tax increase. Because, to sustain what we were doing right now in the city—in the next five years, unless we have considerable economic growth then, if it stays too stagnant, there could be a real problem with services.
James, hired in April 2024, continued to advocate for the survey through the FM3 public opinion firm. Octavious Scott, opting for fiscally sound alternatives, suggested the Community Resource Center topic pivot away from an expensive survey to an already-established committee:
One of the recommendations from staff is to appoint a subcommittee, and I think that this might actually be a good opportunity to look at our homeless committee and look at maybe restructuring that or bringing on new people so that we can have fresh ideas.
Many who work in the local volunteer and nonprofit sector were in attendance. Speaking from the public on the resource center were Jen DeFalco, Astrid Johnson, Lori Cosgriff, Joseph Carder, Karalee Hargrove, Anna L., and Lakita Johnson.
Jennifer DeFalco spoke in favor of a community resource center for everyone to use:
We have a lot of vulnerable people in our community that have drug addiction, mental health, lack of jobs, lack of resources. They don't know how to do applications. They have problems filling out even a housing application, and these are housed people that are having these issues. My suggestion, advice, would be, do a resource center for all our vulnerable members in our community, not just the unhoused.
Astrid Johnson highlighted previous City discussions that had fallen through for said services, such as that of the navigation center or portable shower location, and emphasized the need to not place the burden of a resource center on one nonprofit.
Lori Cosgriff urged Council to hold their accelerators without a fortified plan, and suggested money spent toward a survey instead go to organizations that are providing housing:
[Spending] money before the plan is articulated, not a good idea. And I don't think that we need to spend $30,000 on the survey. Citizens of Twentynine Palms would be more than glad to send you an email telling you what they want— read them.
Karalee Hargrove, elected to the Morongo Unified School Board in November, suggested the city work jointly with the school district on this matter:
I'd like the Morongo Unified School Board and the City of Twentynine Palms, for us to do a joint meeting where we could maybe talk about something like this—on how we can partner, where the whole burden isn't on you. I know the budget for the City is rather small, ours is rather large, especially with the bond that came through. So that'll free up some facility money as well. And so there's no reason that we can't partner and share facilities.
With the price of FM3’s proposed survey sitting between $29K and $35K, City Manager James also spoke of potential costs associated with revisiting the general plan and other future agenda items the council may take—on portable showers, for example—that a community resource center would address. James expects the city of Twentynine Palms to foot a bill between $650,000 to $700,000 for its general plan update.2
Mayor Bilderain gave the Manager and city staff a few directives to complete before a workshop could take place, calling for city staff to conduct staffing costs and compile a list of the agencies that already exist in the community. Councilmember Ramirez urged for coordination with the local healthcare community and medical partners as well. Councilmembers were optimistic about coordinating with MUSD with Stone James receiving direction from Council to reach out to Dr. Patricio Vargas, superintendent at the school district.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
In public comment, MUSD Board member Hargrove reminded residents that MUSD will be now incorporating sixth grade into the junior high, meaning sixth graders at Condor Elementary, Oasis, and Palm Vista will now be placed at Twentynine Palms Junior High. Hargrove also encouraged residents to fill out the LCAP survey, (linked here), which helps determine future district funding from the state, and that the district is seeking applications for their Measure C committee.
Summing up public comment was Lori Cosgriff of the 29 Palms Food Pantry, who commended Suzy Dick, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Eli Marshall, and the Twentynine Palms Public Works Department on coordinating a recent delivery of more than 12,000 pounds of nonperishable food to more than 30 local agencies.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
In his City Manager report, Stone James provided updates on two federal grants the city applied for, one being an EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change grant and the other being the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program grant, which are now unlikely to move forward:
President Trump has paused funding of all kind of major programs while his administration evaluates the efficacy and then also the financial feasibility of them. So right now, those things are on hold.
We reported on the administration’s blanket freeze on grant funds here. Given the President’s hostility toward climate and justice initiatives as well as alternate modes of transportation, it is unlikely these grants will be found “efficient” or “feasible.”
Due to ongoing litigation, the status of these federal grant programs is up in the air. On January 28, the State of California joined 21 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a temporary restraining order against the President’s executive order, which was successfully granted by a federal judge.
The next City Council meeting will take place February 11, 2025, at 6 pm.
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A demographic breakdown of those who were provided services includes 9 males, 8 females, and 5 families.
The last general plan update took place in 2012.
Again...I'm thankful I live in the county.