The report, “The California Desert’s Role in 30X30: Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity” presents a comprehensive explanation of the vital role the Desert Region plays in carbon sequestration and biodiversity as part of California’s goal of “conserving and protecting 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.” The report’s recommendation is: “intact desert lands need to be left undisturbed.” MBCA is proud that Board members Pat Flanagan and Arch McCulloch were members of the team producing this critically important study.

MBCA is among 109 organizational allies requesting that the state legislative bodies and the Governor protect and preserve the California Environmental Quality Act. The letter is presented in response to special interests seeking to scapegoat the Act as an impediment to progress in California, particularly in housing development. Within the letter are many examples of data proving the successes and value of the Act to environmental justice, climate change, preservation of species and ecosystems.

This January 25 column in the Los Angeles Times updates the status of the Cadiz Water project and provides a good overview of its decades-long attempts to "mine" water from the Mojave Desert. MBCA has frequently provided public comments and joined group comments against the project, most recently in August 2023. While the pipeline approval we opposed was granted, the column points out that "Last month (December 2023) the agency reissued the approval for Cadiz to acquire the gas pipeline, but not to convert it for water." (our emphasis)

MBCA reported on December 17 about our response to the flawed Program 4 report commissioned by the County. The report concluded, "The County could not find clear and empirical data that indicates that short-term rentals (STRs) have a substantial impact on the availability of long-term, rental housing options in the unincorporated Mountain and East Desert communities."

We are now providing the full 62-page response letter that details what MBCA believes are fallacious arguments, inappropriate conclusions and inferences, and overlooked past County corroborations of the problem. Some new data arrays are also presented. 

Read the full "MBCA STR Letter" document.

The Center for Biological Diversity also submitted a letter of concern in December.

In a 3-2 vote on December 19, San Bernardino County Supervisors denied RoBott Land Company's appeal of the Planning Commission's earlier denial of their "campground" project in Flamingo Heights. MBCA's December 17 comments summarize the many concerns voiced by hundreds of area residents. All of the related documents are included on the County's page for this agenda item, including the video of the meeting. (Here is a timestamped list of the video of the Flamingo 640 Agenda Item). Supervisor and Chair Dawn Rowe introduced a substitute motion to replace Supervisor Hagman's motion to send the project back to the Planning Commission. Supervisors Cook and Baca joined Rowe in the majority decision to deny the RoBott Land Company's appeal. Extensive details can also be found on the Save Our Deserts FH 640 page.

On December 14, MBCA sent to Supervisor Dawn Rowe and County staff a detailed critical analysis of the recently-released Short Term Rental Technical Memorandum prepared by consultant firm PlaceWorks. MBCA's extensive evaluation, summarized here,  refutes the PlaceWorks study conclusion that “The County could not find clear and empirical data that indicates that short-term rentals (STRs) have a substantial impact on the availability of long-term, rental housing options in the unincorporated Mountain and East Desert communities.” Our conclusions are also supported by a letter from the Center for Biological Diversity. MBCA's full analysis will be made available here soon. 

On December 15, MBCA President Steve Bardwell received communication from Land Use Services Planning Director Heidi Duron that the Short Term Rental PlaceWorks report scheduled to be on the Supervisors’ December 19 agenda will be postponed until the January 23 meeting “to allow for additional time to evaluate and address your comments.”