HVCC Asks Calfire To Reconsider Proposed SRA Fire Hazard Severity Zone Changes And A Public Comment Period Extension -
03/28/2023
"HVCC believes Cal fire should not adopt the currently proposed November 2022 changes to the SRA Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Instead, it should abandon the "worst-case" approach and adjust the methodology used to evaluate the zones, to obtain a more reasonable and accurate assessment of the wildfire hazard in the zones." Download and Read The Letter Here
*NOTE - June 2023 UPDATE: Calfire did not adopt the Nov 2023 proposal. Instead it revised the SRA FHSZ proposed maps to more accurately reflect the true conditions and hazards in areas like Lucerne Valley. Calfire also added a new public comment period for June 26th to August 9th 2023. Download the CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal Notice Here
Follow-up Joint HVCC / LVEDA Letter Reiterates Position That Campgrounds Are Incompatible Use In Rural Living (RL) Zoning And Repeats Request For Full Zoning Review -
01/13/2023
"We wish to see RL remain 'Rural Living' in our communities and not what we see as a hodge-podge of land uses that interfere with the intent of residential zoning." Download and Read The Letter Here
Homestead Valley Community Council and Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association (LVEDA) Send Joint Letter to San Bernardino County Land Use Services Requesting RL Zoning Review -
09/28/2022
HVCC believes the list of allowable uses in the Residential Rural Living zone is too expansive, containing uses that conflict with residential living. Working with LVEDA we are formally requesting a review of RL zoning and these conflicting uses. Download and Read The Letter Here
HVCC Sends Comments On The Sienna Solar II Notice Of Preparation Of a CEQUA Draft Environmental Impact Report -
08/16/2022
This relocated industrial solar proposal conflicts with the Corridor Protection Plan submitted by HVCC as part of the Hwy 247 Scenic Highway designation. It also conflicts with the current scenic protections Hwy 247 already qualifies for as an "eligible" state scenic hwy. We also strongly disagree with the premise this solar applicant can move the location and change the scope of their project, and still receive "grandfathered" status. Download and Read The Comments Letter Here
Homestead Valley Community Council Sends Letter To San Bernardino County Department of Public Works In Support Of Local Roadway Safety Plan -
08/16/2022
Several improvements to Hwy 247 are being proposed, and HVCC has requested additional improvements not on the LRSP list. Download and Read The Letter Here
Homestead Valley Community Council's Scenic Hwy 247 Committee President Betty Munson Sends A Second Letter To San Bernardino County Land Use Services After Receiving An Email Reply To Her 06/17/2022 Letter
Homestead Valley Community Council's Scenic Hwy 247 Committee President Betty Munson Sends Letter to San Bernardino County Land Use Services Requesting Action On Required Agreement Letters for the Corridor Protection Plan
- 06/17/2022
Caltrans is requiring letters of agreement from U.S Marine Corp, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and CA State Land Commission that they will abide by the Scenic Hwy 247 Corridor Protection Plan when Scenic Designation is approved. SB County LUS is the lead agency on completing the CPP and obtaining these letters of agreement. Download and Read The Letter Here Download Betty's June 20th Meeting Report
"Glamping" 640 Acre Flamingo Heights Proposal HVCC Comments To Land Use Services and HVCC Action Packet To Assist Others Wishing To Comment
- 04/18/2022
On March 21, 2022 San Bernardino County Land Use Services issued a Notice Of Intent To Adopt A Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Resort Camping Proposal targeting a 640 acre parcel zoned Residential in Flamingo Heights. Comments are due by April 21, 2022. HVCC submitted comments opposing the adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and produced an "Action Packet" to explain the commenting process and provide resources to help people submit their own comments. Download HVCC Action Packet To Submit Comments here
Homestead Valley Community Council Supports Proposed 2020 Legislative Bills By Senator Shannon Grove and Assemblyman Thurston Smith
- 03/29/2022 (download our support letters below)
Senator Shannon Grove SB 1042 Adds Enhanced Sentencing For Human Trafficking SB 1073 Helps Disabled Veterans With Their Property Taxes SB 1156 Lowers Gas Tax Auto Increases SB 1195 More Vet Clinics Near Vet Homes SB 1319 Bolster Domestic Oil Production And Reduce Foreign Oil SB 1356 Increases The Maximum Weight For Fuel Haulers SB 1484 Tax Credit For Businesses That Employ Homeless
Assemblyman Thurston Smith AB 1725 Restores Felony Penalty For Illegal Marijuana Farms AB 2728 Increases Civil Penalties For Illegal Marijuana Activity
Homestead Valley Community Council Files FOIA Request (Freedom Of Information Act) With Dept of Interior / BLM For Information On EDF Renewables Application To Install Wind Test Towers in Johnson Valley
- 02/17/2022
"It has come to our attention through email contact with your Barstow, CA field office (email attached) that a company named EDF Renewables has applied for and received authorization to temporarily install 3 meteorological test towers and build access roads to them. We are told the authorized area is in a DRECP Development Focus Area (DFA) in Johnson Valley CA, about 50 miles southeast of Barstow CA. We are formally making this FOIA request for the application, filed by EDF renewables or any affiliate thereof, to seek authority to install meteorological test towers and access roads within the Johnson Valley Development Focus Area as designated in the DRECP. We are also formally requesting the BLM response documents related to the approval of the application, and any other documents related to this BLM authorization with maps and/or GPS data or other data indicating the proposed location of the meteorological test towers and access roads, either general or specific." See BLM Response With Map
Letter to CA Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Opposing Their Net Billing Tariff Proposal
- 01/21/2022
HVCC sent comments to the CPUC opposing a proposal to add monthly tariffs to the bills of home owners with solar panels. From our letter "Energy policy needs to promote and incentivize solar in the already developed environment, not punish it with tariffs and reduced net metering. " Download HVCC letter to CPUC here
Homestead Valley Community Council President Jim Harvey Named "Citizen Of The Year" by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept Morongo Basin Captain Lucas Niles
- 12/20/2021 At the December 20th HVCC meeting, Morongo Basin station Captain Lucas Niles announced HVCC President Jim Harvey as their choice for Citizen of the Year. Listen to 107.7 FM Lead Story Dec 23, 2021
HVCC Submits Stagecoach Solar Draft EIR Comments To California State Lands Commission
- 12/17/2021
Stagecoach is a massive industrial solar proposal that will scrape and destroy thousands of acres of intact desert in the Scenic Hwy 247 corridor. HVCC points out the inadequacies in the draft Environmental Impact Report. Download HVCC Stagecoach Solar Draft EIR Comments here
Scenic Hwy 247 Committee Submits Comments to Stagecoach Solar Draft EIR
HVCC Presents The Case For State Highway 247 Scenic Designation to San Bernardino County Planning Commission
- 12/09/2021 HVCC President and Scenic Hwy 247 Committee member Jim Harvey joined Caltrans Landscape Architect Almabeth Anderson and SB County Land Use Services Planning Manager Karen Watkins to present the case for official Scenic Designation to the SB County Planning Commission.
California Redistricting Commission Receives Call-in Comments And Letter From HVCC Requesting Revisions To HV Community Boundaries In Their Maps
- 11/07/2021 HVCC commented live on Nov 4th through the Redistricting Commission meeting during teleconference public comments, then followed up with a letter asking the commission to correct the erroneous Homestead Valley community boundaries they received from the census bureau and were using in their mapping. This ultimately led to reversing the assembly district line being drawn through the middle of Homestead Valley.
Homestead Valley Community Council Calls For A Special Session Of The California Legislature To Address Prop 64 And Its Failure To Achieve Its Purpose And intent
- 07/28/2021 Governor Newsom can convene the CA Legislature in a special session to address Prop 64 and the illegal marijuana farm crisis in California communities across the state. Our state legislators can request he do this. HVCC sent letters to Governor Newsom and our legislators strongly urging the special session be convened.
Illegal Marijuana Cultivation Action Guide And FAQ Written And Distributed To The Public BY HVCC
- 07/16/2021 HVCC produced an Illegal Marijuana Cultivation Action Guide to help people understand how Prop 64 encourages illicit pot farms in their communities, and how they can contact Governor Newsom and their Saramnto legislators to demand action and rid our communities of this scourge. Download the HVCC Illegal Marijuana Cultivation Action Guide here
Homestead Valley Community Council Supports MB MAC Resolution MB -MAC022 Honoring San Bernardino County Sheriff Sergeant Dominic Vaca -
07/09/2021 San Bernardino County Sheriff Sergeant Dominic Vaca was killed in the line of duty on May 31, 2021. HVCC supports the Morongo Basin MAC resolution honoring Sergeant Dominic Vaca's service and calls for an end to the misguided calls to defund law enforcement.
Homestead Valley Community Council Sends A Letter Of Support For Mojave Water Agency's Draft Resolution 1101-21 Calling For State Action To Address The Illegal Marijuana Farm Problem -
06/18/2021 HVCC supports MWA Resolution 1101-21 and encouraged the MWA board to pass it. The HVCC letter was read out at the June 24th MWA meeting, where the MWA board approved the strong resolution. From the MWA board resolution "The Mojave Water Agency Board strongly encourages introduction of legislation in the California State Legislature to increase the severity ofcriminal penalties for illegal commercial cannabis cultivation by making this offense a felony."
Homestead Valley Community Council Sends Comments To San Bernardino County Planning Dept Opposing The "Glamping" 640 acre Camping Resort Proposal in Flamingo Heights -
04/25/2021 Community opposition to this proposal was loud. clear, and unanimous at the monthly HVCC meeting in March. HVCC Secretary Betty Munson crafted this opposition letter with very valid reasons why this project should not be considered.
Homestead Valley Community Council Urges California Legislators To Remedy Prop 64 And The Plague Of Illicit Marijuana Farms It Has Caused -
04/14/2021 Proposition 64 promised, if passed, it would put an end to illegal marijuana cultivation and distribution in California, and remove the gang and cartel influence in this illicit industry. After it passed in 2016, the illicit farm and distribution problem exploded across the entire state of California, with the desert communities being hit especially hard. Proposition 64 failed in its written Purpose and Intent, allowing the state legislature to intervene and remedy the misguided initiative.
Relocation of Sex Offender Lawtis Rhoden to Twentynine Palms STRONGLY Opposed by Homestead Valley Community Council -
03/22/2021 Homestead Valley Community Council Supports The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office and The San Bernardino County Sheriff ’s Department in their opposition to Lawtis Rhoden, a sexually violent predator, being ordered to live in Twentynine Palms. From the HVCC letter: "The safety of the residents of the Morongo Basin, especially the children of our community who are most vulnerable to violent sexual predators like Rhoden, must take priority over any considerations for Rhoden."
HVCC Scenic Hwy 247 Committee Sends Scoping Comments To The State Lands Commission Opposing The Proposed Stagecoach Solar Project -
11/05/2020 From the HVCC letter: "The Proposed Stagecoach Solar and SCE Calcite Substation projects are incompatible with scenic designation and corridor protection. Therefore, the EIR for these projects MUST acknowledge their significant and unavoidable negative impact these projects would have on the scenic resources of State Route 247. They cannot coexist with Scenic 247."
A Letter Supporting The Immediate Re-opening Of K-12 Schools Is Sent To San Bernardino County Public Health Department
- 07/23/2020
HVCC is in full support of schools opening for the 2020/2021 session. HVCC feels this decision belongs in the hands of local school officials who know much more about their districts and the families they serve than politicians in Sacramento. Download the letter to Dr. Corwin Porter at SBC PHD here
A Resolution Approved By The Homestead Valley Community Council Supports Local, State, And Federal Law Enforcement -
07/20/2020 From the HVCC resolution: "HVCC rejects all calls to defund local, county, and state law enforcement agencies and instead calls for increased funding to counter the misguided and dangerous policies by lawmakers of no bail, mass jail release, and decriminalization that have made us all less safe." San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon sent HVCC a personal letter of appreciation.
Homestead Valley Community Council Opposes The Petition To List The Western Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) As Threatened Under The California Endangered Species Act (CESA) -
05/08/2020 From the HVCC letter: "We believe aggressive enforcement of current regulations requiring permits to remove Joshua trees, and expanding adoption/rescue programs will do far more for the sustainability of Joshua trees than listing them as threatened and all the consequential impacts that would have on rural desert communities."
Homestead Valley Community Council Publishes A Position Statement On Industrial Solar And Wind
- 09/16/2019
HVCC formed the Scenic Hwy 247 Committee to obtain official State Scenic designation for SH 247. Ord Mountain Solar and its associated Calcite substation will destroy high value scenic views along the Barstow Rd. section of Hwy 247. Download the HVCC position statement on industrial solar and wind here
Homestead Valley Community Council Approves A Resolution Supporting The Certification And Implementation Of Alternative Voting Methods By The San Bernardino County Registrar Of Voters And The California Secretary Of State -
09/09/2019 The San Bernardino County ROV is in the process of updating voting machines county-wide. HVCC feels this is a good opportunity to incorporate voting machines that provide alternative voting methods that help districts comply with demands to discontinue "at-large" voting.
Scenic Hwy 247 Committee Submits Comments to San Bernardino County Land Use Services Regarding Ord Mountain Solar Draft EIR
- 02/21/2019
HVCC formed the Scenic Hwy 247 Committee to obtain official State Scenic designation for SH 247. Ord Mountain Solar and its associated Calcite substation will destroy high value scenic views along the Barstow Rd. section of Hwy 247. Download the Scenic Hwy 247 Committee Comments here
Homestead Valley Community Council Sends Comments To The San Bernardino County Land Use Services Dept. Opposing The Proposed Calcite Solar Project -
02/21/2019 HVCC opposes industrial solar that scrapes thousands of healthy intact desert ecosystem, raises already high consumer electricity prices, and requires miles of antiquated transmission towers and lines. From the HVCC letter: "We must utilize all of the already developed spaces first for solar and wind, and prioritize “point-of-use” solutions to increase renewable energy supplies. This is the better way."