The San Bernardino County Light Trespass Ordinance is now official. As we noted in our December 8 news post, "Two of the primary 'wins' of the final version of the ordinance are a shielding requirement and modernization of the terminology and measurement process concerning light trespass. Decorative string lights were one of the final issues of contention, and the approved version of the ordinance will only limit the color temperature and lumen output for residential, not commercial, string lights. The Supervisors agreed to revisit the issue in the future." In the near future, MBCA plans to provide more educational content about the ordinance.

 

In a unanimous vote, the San Bernardino County Supervisors approved the Light Trespass Ordinance that has been championed by MBCA and three successive Third District Dark Sky Committees as part of a decade of citizen action. Third District Supervisor Rowe posted this press release announcing the action. Two of the primary "wins" of the final version of the ordinance are a shielding requirement and modernization of the terminology and measurement process concerning light trespass. Decorative string lights were one of the final issues of contention, and the approved version of the ordinance will only limit the color temperature and lumen output for residential, not commercial, string lights. The Supervisors agreed to revisit the issue in the future. MBCA will provide more details upon official implementation of the ordinance.

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission unanimously approved the new Light Trespass Ordinance at their September 9 meeting. It will be forwarded to the Supervisors for their vote in the near future. Following its approval, compliance will be required in 18 months for businesses and 24 months for residents. The approved version is contained in pages 4-15 of the Staff Report; the existing Glare and Outdoor Lighting Ordinance is on pages 17-25.

From the weekly newsletter The Revelator, published by the Center for Biological Diversity, here is a list of recent news stories focused on the negative effects of light pollution. 

• Young Clownfish Likely to Die Faster When Exposed to Artificial Light, Study Finds
• Noise and Light Pollution Changes Which Species of Birds Visit Our Backyards
• Fireflies Need Dark Nights for Their Summer Light Shows – Here’s How You Can Help
• Turning Off Half of City Lights at Night Could Cut Bird Mortality By Up to 60 Percent
• Dark Sky Havens: Where Can I Find One?
• Orbital Debris Creates a New Problem: Light Pollution

The deadline for comments in support of the revised Light Trespass Ordinance for San Bernardino County is Friday, June 18. Send them to: [email protected]

We have revised our recent News item on this subject with new video footage. The presentation video (one hour) now includes post-presentation interaction of our presenters with the Commissioners, and we now have the full video of the meeting including timestamps for public comment via video from the Joshua Tree Government Center and for an oppositional presentation by a Newberry Springs resident. All these links and information are here.

At their February 4th meeting, the four San Bernardino County Planning Commission members present (Weldy, Stoffel, Haughey, Gongora) voted to defer any decision on the recommendation to adopt the proposed Light Trespass Ordinance. They will schedule a Workshop on the issue at a future Planning Commission meeting. Commissioners had many concerns that Land Use Services staff were unable to answer to their satisfaction. More background and links can be found in the first article of our February 1 Eblast or our January 31 News Update. 

Ten years after the start of Morongo Basin community efforts to improve the San Bernardino County lighting ordinance, the Planning Commission will hold a hearing on a revised “Light Trespass” ordinance on February 4. (Meeting details and documents can be found here.) The revision would replace the earlier “Glare and Outdoor Lighting” section of the Development Code with updated and improved language focused on light trespass. In the Land Use Services staff report you can read both the existing and proposed ordinances and additional background and context.