CHICKEN DINNER + EMERGENCY AIRLIFT INFO
• You’re invited – next Saturday evening, August 6th, for the JV Chicken Dinner!
The Community Center doors now open at 5:30 p.m., while we have longer daylight hours, so dinner starts at 6:00 p.m.
It’s only 10.00 per person; kids under 10 years of age have chicken tenders, 5.00.
Cash, check, or credit card accepted.
After dinner, David Stumbaugh will be on hand to give you the details on how to subscribe to AirMedCare.
Their Network providers can be there for any patients in urgent need, but membership gives you important financial protection to cover the substantial cost of emergency treatment and transport.
Enjoy added financial peace of mind, knowing any flight expenses are completely covered. This is very important, given how far we are from emergency hospital services. Their air ambulance membership network is the largest in the country.
Everyone is welcome (you need not be a JVIA member to attend any dinner, meeting, or event at the Johnson Valley Community Center).
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RAIN?
• Once again we read a forecast for partly cloudy conditions with a teensy chance of rain. This actually occurred, bringing one big shower this week, a welcome surprise after so many dry months.
Of course, it is monsoon season. Just in case it rains again this Saturday, take care when you turn onto Larrea Rd. Even a little rainfall can collect until it runs over the crown of the highway out into the desert. Having washed down a lot of sand in the four-mile runoff, it can build up a hidden sandbar under what we fondly call Lake Larrea. So, splash through slowly.
(Yes, we have mentioned this to Caltrans.😕)
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OFFROADING AT ITS BEST
• Offroaders alert: we hear the best conditions prevail now after the rainfall – better trail surfaces, and no dust cloud catching up with you.
BUT, puh-lease, slow down on the community dirt roads – the only erosion repairs are done by neighbors, and you can mess things up pretty badly if you are not careful!
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IN THE DESERT DREAMS GARDEN
• JVIA member and past president Paul Van Hook purchased the property next to the Johnson Valley Community Center parking area and donated it to the Association in 2015. Development has been nothing short of amazing, thanks to JVIA volunteers, and community contributions of plants, money, and things, both whimsical and historical.
The Garden Railway can run four G-scale model trains simultaneously on separate tracks. The small crew must do some more right-of-way repair of weather damage, but have been interrupted by other commitments.
The one-man airplane built by former JVIA president and director Ed Warren, now mounted on the gearbox of an antique windmill, turns as a wind vane, and has become a landmark for low-flying aircraft.
Donations toward maintenance of the Garden help a lot. The Garden Committee welcomes half the proceeds from commemorative bricks, as well as direct donations by secure credit card online anytime, through PayPal, at www.johnsonvalley.com (memo Garden).
VISITOR PHOTOS! Wanted, for possible use in the Johnson Valley Journal or on the Johnson Valley website. Please e-mail your Garden pictures to me at www.ranchotaj@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!
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HVCC
• Mark the date for the next meeting of the Homestead Valley Community Council, being hosted at the Yucca Mesa Community Center.
Date: Monday, August 15th
Time: 3:00 p.m
Representatives from Law Enforcement, CalFire and County Fire are always invited. County Supervisor Dawn Rowe frequently attends. They are pleased to update us and answer your questions.
We have confirmation that the Flamingo Heights 640 “Glamping” project applicants, Robott Land Company, will be at the August 15th meeting, having cancelled for the July meeting.
This controversial project has been opposed by Flamingo Heights residents and by others concerned about a possible precedent set by developing a property zoned for Rural Living with a permanent commercial enterprise hosting up to 300 guests plus support personnel. Not rural living as we know it.
Yucca Mesa Community Center is at 3133 Balsa Ave. just off Aberdeen Rd.
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HAMMER STRIKE
• Updates from Supervisor Rowe:
Year-to-Date Stats: (Impressive)
1,006 – Total Search Warrants
1,280 – Suspects Arrested
1,396,202– Cannabis Plants Seized
171,326 pounds – Processed Marijuana
65,329g – Concentrated Cannabis
329 – Firearms Seized
$3,475,855.00 – Cash Seized
7,742 – Greenhouse Eradications
48 – Mitigated Electrical Bypass (Severe Fire Hazard)
28 – THC Extraction Lab
13 – Stolen Vehicles Recovered
Total Wholesale Product Value of Cannabis Seized This Operation:
Over $958,002,925
(Voters may have approved adult use of marijuana, but look at the numbers of firearms and stolen vehicles accompanying these pirate operations! Hope you were not a victim!)
THEN THE CLEAN-UP!
In late 2021, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, approved changes to County Code which allowed our Code Enforcement flexibility in addressing properties with abandoned illegal cannabis grows.
After these operations are shut down, there is often a great deal of debris left behind that must be cleared out to prevent further damage to the fragile desert environment.
In the first six months of this new effort, the Nuisance Abatement Unit (NAU) produced some impressive statistics.
▪ $448,209 – Estimated savings to County from owner-abated properties
▪ 556.5 – Tons of Trash Collected at abated properties
▪ 241 – Hoop Houses/Structures Abated
▪ 41 – Properties abated by owner due to NAU enforcement action
▪ 26 – Abatements Completed
It is worth noting that owners of the properties where illegal cannabis cultivations exist are billed for all costs related to these abatement efforts.
The NAU team is now preparing for the completion of additional abatements in a number of locations around the county.
Residents in these affected areas greatly appreciate their ongoing efforts to clean up blighted properties after the shutdown of illegal cannabis operations.
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POWER OUTAGES WHERE?
Also from Supervisor Rowe:
As power outages continue to impact neighborhoods around the Third District, it’s a good idea to bookmark and frequently check the Outage Center website offered by Southern California Edison.
This resource provides information about current power outages and planned outages from around the state. A drop-down menu on the Power Outages page allows users to access information specific to San Bernardino County and individual streets. A “View Map” function can be utilized to show zoomed-in details of the exact areas affected by these outages.
This website also offers you an opportunity to sign up to have power outage alerts sent directly to your phone number or personal email address. On this page, visitors can also report outages that may currently be affecting their households.
Get started by visiting the Southern California Edison Outage Center website.
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FREQUENTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS—-
To new sign-ups for the JV NEWS:
Items in these (usually weekly) JV NEWS e-mails appear in the Hi-Desert Star, but reports of particular interest to JVIA members and other interested parties may be added.
• 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.
Betty Munson
c/o Ship-It-Shop
51720 Hacienda Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285