A 'really good thing' for the desert
Yucca Valley will let the STR moratorium expire on 12/17 and San Bernardino County adopts 'Dark Sky' lighting ordinance
Hello from California’s high desert, where it finally feels like winter. Another storm will blow in tonight and linger throughout the day tomorrow, so expect another round of light rain and strong winds. Looks like we are expected to get just 0.1 inches of rain, with higher totals in the mountains to our west. If you are heading up to Big Bear or Idyllwild, make sure to check for road closures or chain requirements before heading out.
We’ve got some (rare) good news this week. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Biden administration reversed the previous administration’s decision to grant a right-of-way permit that would have allowed Cadiz Inc. to pipe water across the desert to sell in urban Southern Californians.
It’s a wonky filing in a bureaucratic fight that’s dragged on for years, so I want to take a minute to dig into the history of the project, who its supporters and detractors are, and what the newest filing might mean.
Cadiz Inc. is a public, for-profit company that owns land and subsequent water rights around Southern California. It buys up land parcels that include reservoirs or river offshoots, builds massive pipelines from those areas to urban areas that will pay premiums for access to that water, and sells water to them. There have been a few recent stories about private equity companies pursuing similar strategies across the West as the drought intensifies and water becomes increasingly valuable for industries like agriculture and ranching, but it was a strategy first pursued by Cadiz nearly 20 years ago when it embarked on the Mojave water project.
One of the parcels Cadiz owns is adjacent to Mojave National Preserve. It wanted to extract underground water from the area, build a pipeline across the Preserve and adjacent areas through the Basin, and ultimately deliver the water to more urban areas in and around Los Angeles and Orange County. The pipeline would be roughly 200 miles long and have to travel through federal, state, and tribal areas.
Cadiz had previously been granted a right-of-way permit by the Trump administration to build the pipeline through federally owned land, which was one of the remaining hurdles Cadiz had faced with previous administrations declining the permits or instituting additional environmental reviews on the long-term impacts of groundwater extraction near the National Preserve. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom also signed legislation requiring Cadiz to undergo additional scientific evaluation of the project and would subject the project to approval from the State Lands Commission. The right-of-way permit essentially circumvented all of that and paved the way for the project outright.
Cadiz and its supporters have argued that its pipeline is an extension of railroad interests, pulling from a centuries-old law that granted eminent domain to railroad parties of interest. It has also claimed that the pipeline would lower water prices for its customers in and around Southern California’s cities while increasing access to water during drought years. Lastly, it has claimed that the pipeline itself would spur economic growth in the Basin by adding temporary jobs while the construction continues.
Environmental groups are among the project’s loudest detractors. They have brought several lawsuits against the project in its 20-plus-year history for violating environmental reviews, flouting conservation protocols, and potentially harming endangered species in and around the extraction area. It is the desert, after all, and even a minor change in the delicate balance can have wide-ranging implications, the legal arguments go. They also argue that tribal interests have been ignored throughout the process, and the construction of this project would infringe on tribes’ sovereign rights.
That brings us to last Friday, when the federal government filed a motion in court to rescind the right-of-use permit for Cadiz. A hearing on the motion is scheduled for March 2022, so for now the project is in limbo. It’s safe to say there’s a lot of money at stake given Cadiz has sunk several decades into attempting to push the project forward. As California’s water rights’ wars continue to attract big financial firms looking for profits, even a small pause in development may seem a victory.
“The Biden administration has taken the right step to stop this dangerous water grab that will destroy life-giving springs in the central Mojave Desert,” Ileene Anderson, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s a really good thing for the desert, because it will keep the project from moving forward.”
And now, onto this week’s news:
Yucca Valley Town Council opted to not extend the current 45-day moratorium on new short-term vacation rentals on Tuesday.
The moratorium only affects new short-term rentals while the town reviewed the impacts STRs have on different areas of the community and heard public input on different ways in which the town could better manage STRs.
The existing moratorium will expire on December 17. According to a report from Z107.7, the council “decided that it had served its purpose by drawing attention to the issue.”
It is not yet clear whether the town will enact new policies around short-term rentals or whether any changes proposed by the public will be considered. Council members said they felt that new policies and initiatives currently being worked on by town staff and the planning commission, such as increased enforcement of permit violations, modified application processes, and density restrictions were sufficient to resolve issues with vacation rentals.
Yucca Valley Town Council also appointed a new mayor from within its ranks Tuesday
Prior to the regularly scheduled town council meeting on Tuesday, the council unanimously selected Jim Schooler to succeed Merl Abel as mayor.
Schooler was selected from within the council, and Abel will stay on as a council member, Z107.7 reported.
Councilmember Rick Denison was selected as the new Mayor Pro Tem.
County officials approved an outdoor lighting ordinance on Tuesday meant to preserve the area’s night skies.
The San Bernardino County Light Trespass Ordinance was first introduced to the San Bernardino County Planning Commission on February 4. The commission has held educational meetings and workshops prior to approving it on Tuesday.
The ordinance regulates light trespass and outdoor lighting to minimize direct glare and light pollution. It establishes outdoor lighting curfews and enforces limits light brightness. Commercial businesses have 18 months to comply with the new regulations, and all other properties have 24 months to comply.
For additional information, you can call 909-387-8311 or visit the San Bernardino County Land Use Services website.
Pupdate of the week: We are finally in Oliver’s favorite part of the year: the only time we get direct sunlight in the house for him to nap in. Alice isn’t as big of a fan, and would rather destroy every squeaky ball we can find. We’ve gone through at least seven balls in the last two weeks. Any recommendations for indestructible options are very much appreciated!
Trail tip of the week: There’s a new trail running through Joshua Tree National Park that connects the Basin with Coachella Valley, but it is not clear whether it runs close to the area popular with folks looking for target practice. If you venture out on the trail, be sure to wear bright colors and make a decent amount of noise to avoid friendly fire. If you embark on this trail, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!
Book of the week: Instead of a book this week, may I interest you in an absolutely fascinating article in Atlas Obscura about the confounding history of grapefruit? I know it may sound dry, but I was completely unaware of the fact that grapefruit should not be part of your diet if you are on certain medications and it is some odd hybrid citrus mutant? Anyway, if you want to kill an afternoon and learn something new, this article is for you.
Show of the week: This time of year, I always enjoy rewatching holiday episodes of TV shows that I have seen hundreds of times. I like to think of it as the television version of mashed potatoes: lots of comfort for just a tiny bit of effort. I usually go through Friends, Gilmore Girls, Parks and Recreation, and a handful of others throughout the month of December.
Small business of the week
It’s officially climbing season in Joshua Tree, as if you haven’t already noticed the giant caravans out on the dry lakebed or hanging out on some of the BLM lands around. If you or someone you know is interested in learning the ropes, so to speak, I recommend reaching out to Kelly Fields with Athena Rock Climbing. I’ve climbed with Kelly a few times and each time I come away as a smarter, better, and safer climber than how I started out the day. She is a certified guide and ultimately wonderful human being that anyone would benefit from spending a day with. There are tons of guiding options in Josuha Tree, many of which are rock solid, but as a female-identifying climber, I personally always enjoy learning from someone who looks and climbs a lot like I do.
She offers small group guiding, personalized climbing in different lengths, and also organizes larger clinics in Joshua Tree and West Virginia throughout the year. If you have questions or are interested in heading out with her for a day, you can reach out via her website.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend and get to enjoy some time outside!
- Megan