ICYMI: Coachella Valley news headlines for the week of June 12-18

Decision on western Joshua tree delayed

The western Joshua tree will remain a "protected" species after the California Fish and Game Commission failed to come to a majority decision on Thursday on whether the iconic plant should be listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

High desert cities, construction and real estate trade groups, and renewable energy developers oppose the listing, arguing it would stymie development of housing and renewable energy. Conservation groups, scientists, and advocates, however, have argued that listing the tree is integral to protecting the species from climate change, as well as other threats like wildfire and development.

The commission considered four hours of public comments on Wednesday, and also heard presentations from the Center for Biological Diversity, which submitted the petition to list the species as "threatened," and from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which issued a report recommending against listing the species in April.

Commission Vice President Erika Zavaleta and President Samantha Murray supported listing the western Joshua tree on Thursday, but commissioners Jacque Hostler-Carmesin and Eric Sklar said they want to delay the decision and encouraged all involved parties to work on a range-wide conservation plan in the meantime, although both indicated they would likely support listing the species at a future date. The fifth commissioner position is currently vacant.

— Erin Rode

Southwest to launch service between Palm Springs and San Jose

Southwest Airlines said Thursday it was adding daily year-round flight service between San Jose and Palm Springs.

The nonstop flights will begin Nov. 6, making it the third nonstop service from PSP to a Northern California airport from Southwest Airlines.

Southwest has grown its service with PSP since Nov. 15, 2020, when it joined the airport. The airline also announced a second daily round-trip flight to Las Vegas launching in July.

— City News Service

Indio City Council advances plans for warehouse at Avenue 45 and Golf Center Parkway

Plans for a 65,000-square-foot warehouse in Indio moved forward on Wednesday after the city council unanimously voted to deny an appeal on the approval of the project from a nonprofit group called Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility.

The design and development of an industrial warehouse on the southwest corner of Avenue 45 and Golf Center Parkway had been reviewed and approved by Indio's Planning Commission in May. At the time, the commission said the project would be exempt from California Environmental Quality Act guidelines, which exclude projects that don't occupy land that is a habitat for endangered, rare or threatened species and don't significantly affect traffic, noise, air or water quality in the area, among other conditions.

But in its request for an appeal of the approval, SAFER argued the city had not provided enough evidence that the project will not have adverse environmental impacts, specifically on traffic, air quality and biological resources, and should therefore not advance without an evaluation under CEQA.

— Eliana Perez

Ex-Shadow Hills High School basketball coach pleads guilty to sexually assaulting teen

Former Shadow Hills High School basketball coach Ryan Towner pleaded guilty Monday to charges of sexually assaulting a teenage girl he coached four years ago. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4.

Towner, 36, was arrested in June 2021 following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation and charged two weeks later with one felony count each of oral copulation with a minor and unlawful intercourse with a minor.

Appearing before Superior Court Judge James Stafford Hawkins on Monday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, he made his plea directly to the court, without an agreement on sentencing with prosecutors, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Hawkins stated that Towner would serve less than three years in prison, and Riverside County District Attorney spokesman John Hall confirmed that the indicated sentence by the judge is two years and eight months. Towner is out on $55,000 bail until sentencing.

Hired in May 2018, Towner led the Knights to a 20-9 record during his first season and then a 29-4 mark the following year, in 2019-20, which concluded with a 3A CIF championship.

— Andrew L. John

Children’s museum hits fundraising milestone

A goal to raise $150,000 to reopen the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, which will be matched by the City of Rancho Mirage, has been reached. And with another $150,000 allocated by the City of Palm Desert, the fundraising effort has passed the halfway point to a total of $3 million.

The Rancho Mirage museum has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic. In November 2020, the board announced the museum would remain shuttered indefinitely and its 23 employees laid off due to revenue shortfalls while it was closed.

When the pandemic forced the museum’s closure, 85% of its income had been coming from memberships, admissions and gift sales. With no visitors to provide revenue, the museum had little choice but to suspend operations and lay off staff, board members said at the time. The board began a campaign to raise $3 million to revamp and reopen the museum and in March 2021 named Cindy Burreson the museum’s new CEO, following an interim appointment. She has since been leading the reIMAGINE campaign, a multi-phase capital campaign to replace the original exhibits and reopen the museum, with a goal of reopening in December 2022.

— Sherry Barkas

Short-term rental permits paused in Joshua Tree

New short-term rentals will be paused in Airbnb hotspot Joshua Tree and other high desert communities under a temporary urgency ordinance approved by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The ordinance applies to unincorporated communities in the mountain and desert regions of San Bernardino County, including Joshua Tree, Morongo Valley, Landers, Big Bear City and Wrightwood, among others.

The 45-day interim urgency ordinance takes effect immediately, and was brought forward by Supervisor Dawn Rowe, who represents the majority of the county’s unincorporated mountain and desert communities.

Under the ordinance, the county will continue to accept and process applications for short-term rentals but no permits will be issued until after the 45 days. The pause on new permits does not apply to applications submitted before the ordinance took effect, or to applications to renew existing short-term rentals.

“Due, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism has increased dramatically in the mountain and desert regions of the County, resulting in a surge of new short-term residential rental listings and STR occupancy rates in unincorporated areas of the region. With the increase in occupancy rates, the community has expressed increased concern with the behavior of STR guests, including noise, parties, disruptive events, overoccupancy, parking problems, and safety issues,” the ordinance states.

In addition to the temporary pause on new permits, the supervisors also approved several amendments to the county’s short-term rental ordinance. These changes include a limit of one STR on parcels under 2 acres and two STRs on parcels over 2 acres in the mountain and desert regions, and occupancy limits of four people for a one-bedroom or studio unit, with two additional guests allowed for each additional bedroom up to a maximum of 12 total guests.

— Erin Rode

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley news headlines for the week of June 12-18