JIM HARVEY APPOINTMENT
• We were pleased to hear that the Local Agency Formation Commission for San Bernardino County (better known as LAFCO) on Wednesday, May 18, appointed Johnson Valley resident Jim Harvey to serve as Alternate Public Member to fill an unexpired term of office through the first Monday in May 2024.
As a member of the Johnson Valley Improvement Association, Jim is currently a JVIA delegate to the Homestead Valley Community Council and has served as president from 2009 to 2013 and from 2019 – present.
He was one of nine delegates representing Johnson Valley at the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council to Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe, 2019-2021 (dissolved after the recent redistricting.)
He has served as a trustee on the Board of the Lucerne Valley Unified School District (which includes Johnson Valley) since 2010, re-elected unopposed in 2014 and 2018 (Board President 2012 – 2019). Also, he acts as School Board Governance Trainer/workshop presenter for the Small School Districts Association (SSDA).
Jim has owned I Candy Website & Graphic Design since 2000 (voted Best Website Design firm in Hi-Desert Star readers’ poll 12 years in a row) and is a member of both the Yucca Valley and the Lucerne Valley Chambers of Commerce since 2010.
You may remember reading in the Star and this newsletter that the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department presented Jim with their Citizen of the Year Award at the March meeting of the HVCC.
Back in 2008, the San Bernardino Sun headlined him in a Page One article as “Man of the People.”
LAFCO has three other member categories: two from the county, two from cities, and two from special districts. Jim has experience with the important role LAFCO plays in overseeing the orderly expansion of local agencies, as he has provided written and oral testimony in past Sphere of Influence considerations affecting Homestead Valley communities.
As Alternate Public Member he will attend meetings, only voting if Public Member Jim Bagley is unable to attend.
We extend our congratulations on his latest accomplishments: glad that our sparse and scattered rural desert populations have a dedicated representative to speak and act on our behalf.
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COUNTRY MUSIC FEST!
• Reminder! This Saturday, May 21, we can enjoy “live music from 12:30 p.m. till your boots fall off!”
The Downhome Hoedown presents country music headliners at Homestead Valley Park in Landers. Music, vendors, food and beverages, tickets at the gate only 10.00 per person, kids 12 and under free!
To go to Homestead Valley Park from Hwy 247:
-If you go on Linn Road, go about three miles, turn right at the Integratron onto Belfield Blvd.
-From 247 on Reche Road, go a little over two miles, turn left onto Belfield Blvd.
Bring your own seating for a fun day at the park at this first annual fundraiser for H.E.L.P. the Humanitarian Emergency Lifeline project!
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TORTOISE UPLIST?
• The California Department of Fish and Wildlife seeks public comment on a proposal to uplist the Mojave Desert Tortoise from “threatened” to “endangered” under the California Endangered Species Act.
CDFW is soliciting public comment regarding the species’ ecology, biology, life history, distribution, abundance, threats, and habitat that may be essential for the species, and any recommendations for management.
Submit your comments, any data, and other information by email to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov. If submitting comments by email, please include “Mojave Desert Tortoise” in the subject heading. All comments must be received by June 10, 2022.
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HOME ALONE?
• You Are Not Alone (YANA) is a free daily call service offered by the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Station to Basin residents.
They developed this program on behalf of community members and seniors who otherwise would have no daily contact with anyone else.
YANA calls are made every day, 365 days a year, by Sheriff’s Department Volunteers. Each should last about two minutes.
If the volunteer is unable to reach the person after 30 minutes, a Sheriff’s Deputy will attempt to make contact at the residence to see if medical aid or other services are needed.
For more information or to request a sign-up form, please call the Sheriff’s Station at (760) 366-4175, or YANA volunteer Caroline Von Flue at (760) 363-6072.
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To new members of the Johnson Valley Improvement Association recently added to this e-mail list:
This JV NEWS e-mail comes out every week or two to bring news and updates in a more timely manner than the Johnson Valley Journal mailing every two months.
The items expand and add to those published in the community column in the Hi-Desert Star. Other notices of particular interest to Johnson Valley residents and property owners also circulate to this list.
If you do not wish to receive this information, just reply and tell me to remove your name.
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FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS—-
• JVIA ADDRESS & DIRECTIONS
The mailing address is
JVIA
50567A Quailbush Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285
Directions to the Community Center:
From Hwy 247, turn onto Larrea Road, go 1-3/4 miles to Quailbush Rd. The Community Center is on your left at the corner.
The Paul Van Hook Desert Dreams Garden is next to the parking lot, open to all.
(Please help keep kids and dogs out of the garden railway layout; it’s easily damaged, and the trains won’t run with dirt on the tracks.)
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Keep smilin’ 🐶
Betty
Betty Munson
c/o Ship-It-Shop
51720 Hacienda Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285