Dispatch: Week of March 2
New federal and state masking guidelines unveiled, Yucca Valley adopts STR regulations, and where are all these semis coming from?!
Hello from California’s high desert. Only 11 more days until we spring forward for Daylight Savings Time, and I for one am really looking forward to having an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings.
Thank you to everyone who passed along recommendations the last few weeks. I had a fantastic time exploring Lone Pine, Alabama Hills, and Death Valley while I was off. My own pay-it-forward recommendation: if you can snag a campsite at first-come-first-serve campground Texas Springs in Death Valley, take it. It has great views, clean facilities, and is far enough away from RVs to avoid any ambient noise or light. As a solo traveler, I felt completely comfortable hanging out there and really enjoyed stargazing once it got dark. There are also grills at each site for cooking, but campers are asked to buy firewood from the local general store instead of bringing it from home.
And now, onto this week’s news:
In COVID-19 news:
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday in his State of the Union Address that all Americans will be able to order additional COVID-19 rapid antigen tests through the government at no cost starting next week.
The Administration initially offered four tests per household for free earlier this year. No word yet on whether there will be order size limits this time around.
Orders can be placed at https://www.covidtests.gov/
The CDC updated is mask guidance for vaccinated Americans last week. Now, vaccinated individuals (included boosters) can go maskless indoors if community transmission is low.
However, many public health advocates are recommending people continue to mask up indoors to reduce risk for immunocompromised people and unvaccinated children.
Unvaccinated individuals are still asked to mask up indoors, per the CDC.
California is dropping its mask requirement for schools and indoor settings for all people, including unvaccinated individuals, on the heels of the updated federal guidance.
Governor Gavin Newsom will let the school-specific mask requirement expire on March 11.
The indoor mask requirement for unvaccinated individuals expired on Tuesday. All people will still have to wear masks in certain higher-risk settings like healthcare facilities and public transit.
In local news:
Yucca Valley instituted new restrictions on short-term rentals following the review process it took on at the end of 2021.
New rules include:
Limiting total number of short-term rentals to 10 percent of the town’s total housing stock
Limiting the total number of guests at a single short-term rental to eight, though larger houses may seek a special permit for more guests.
An owner or agent must be available to respond to reasonable complaints against the rental within 15 minutes by phone or 30 minutes in person.
All new rentals must install noise monitoring hardware.
All outdoor lighting must be fully shielded.
Twentynine Palms is also starting its own review process of
A Fresno County Superior Judge upheld state protections for the Western Joshua Tree in a ruling against construction and real estate groups on February 16.
The the California Fish and Game Commission’s status review will be made public in April, and the commission is scheduled to make a final decision in June about whether to permanently protect the trees.
The Town of Yucca Valley voted to destroy four Western Joshua Trees at a recent Town Council meeting to make room for planned development.
Joshua Tree National Park has extended the public input period for its proposed Climbing Management Plan until March 13.
The current proposals would regulate rock climbing in Wilderness Areas within Park boundaries.
Comments accepted here: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/JOTRclimbing
In state news:
State water authorities alerted Central Valley farmers that they are likely to receive little or no water allocations this year due to the ongoing drought conditions across much of the state.
Governor Gavin Newsom called on the state’s pension funds to sell the roughly $1.5 billion in investments they’ve made in Russian holdings amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System, and State Teachers’ Retirement System, and University of California Retirement Retirement Plan hold more than $1.5 billion in investments in Russian stocks, private equity holdings, real estate, debt and other investments, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee.
In other news:
The MLB will miss its originally planned Opening Day on March 31 after failing to reach a bargaining agreement with the players’ union.
The season will be shortened to at most 157 games if an agreement is reached soon, but will likely be shorter as negotiations drag on. Players are asking for better profit sharing among the league, plus other protections for minor league players and additional availability of free agency.
The war in Ukraine is contributing to a historic refugee crisis in Europe. Here are some ways you can help.
I am by no means an expert here. If you use Twitter, I highly recommend following updates from Financial Times Moscow Bureau Chief Max Seddon for a trustworthy source of news on the ground.
If you’re like me and have noticed the increased presence of massive trucks on 247, might I suggest this Los Angeles Times article about a similar issue facing residential streets across Southern California?
Full transparency that the article may make you more angry about the situation, but it does help me to know the larger context of this issue.
A cargo ship carrying 4,000 luxury cars (Porsches, Bentleys, and Audis) sank in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday after catching on fire roughly two weeks earlier. The crew was safely evacuated once the fire erupted, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Authorities believe the cause may have been lithium ion batteries in some of the cars onboard.
Pupdate of the week: Oliver hurt his shoulder a few weeks ago so I wanted to thank the Beaumont Animal Hospital for helping us out with a quick appointment. He is on the mend, but we learned he has arthritis so we are digging into our options there. Alice was in heaven after our recent wind storms knocked down a ton of branches and sticks in our yard.
Trail tip of the week: If you are looking at any higher-elevation hikes, be sure to check out recent trail reports and snow conditions. Due to the long dry spell earlier this winter, many Southern California peaks are at risk of developing elevated avalanche risk directly after any new snow accumulation. Northern faces or trails are typically more at risk of icy or risky conditions than those facing South.
Show of the week: There’s a new season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel out on Amazon Prime Video out that has been on my list. I’ve really enjoyed the first few seasons, which are written and directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, the pair behind the first six season of Gilmore Girls. The show follows a recently divorced woman in New York City as she tries to make it as a comedian in the late 1950s.
That’s it for this week! I hope you have a great weekend and are able to get outside!
- Megan