The Desert Trumpet

09/07/2025

A short City Council agenda previews the official adoption of several ordinances by the Council. And, it's Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) reauthorization time again! The recently released TBID Marketing Plan and Budget will be presented at this Council meeting.

Council adopts final ordinances for Ofland rezoning, TBID gets performance assessment

09/06/2025

As the Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) looks ahead to their next fiscal and operating year, their ambitious proposed marketing plan and $547,843 budget focuses on positioning the City as a premium travel destination, but offers little insight into what’s effective.
Read our analysis:

The ambitious proposed plan and $547,843 budget focuses on events, advertising, and enhancing the Twentynine Palms brand, but with little insight into what's effective.

09/04/2025

In a letter to the editor, Twentynine Palms resident Tom Ingram discusses the impact of flooding on his neighborhood and issues a call for residents to organize.

A call to residents to organize for the future

09/03/2025

Did you know bears sometimes wander through even the driest corners of the Mojave? Have you ever seen one or signs of one? We need wildlife crossings and corridors to keep them--and us--safe.

On s**t, storms, and what moves unseen in the Mojave

09/01/2025

Desert nights are cooling, but September skies are heating up with Saturn’s brilliance and stunning star clusters. All you need this month is a clear desert night and a little time to look up.

September’s Night Sky: Saturn’s Brilliance, Morning Planets, and the Milky Way Cutting Across the Sky

08/31/2025

Housing and Homeless Subcommittee members spar, a conflict of interest concern is raised, and the City seeks to prioritize tourism and tax revenue in its five-year Strategic Planning draft.

Also, community volunteer Kathy Dunbar gets honored for achievements at the Alex Roth Memorial Food Pantry, flood updates, and more— dive into our full City Council meeting recap, out now.

Council tiffs over Housing and Homeless Subcommittee, a strategic planning draft, flood updates, and more

08/26/2025

Flooding throughout 29 Palms! The City reports flooding on Lear, National Park Drive and Hwy 62. Stay Home and stay safe.

Video of the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Adobe Rd.

08/24/2025

Twentynine Palms City Council is back from their summer hiatus with a meeting this upcoming Tuesday, August 26, 6 p.m. at City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road.

💲🏠📈Agenda items include nonprofit grant recommendations, affordable housing updates, and the first draft of the City’s 5-year strategic plan.

Before the meeting, check out which nonprofits received subcommittee recommendations, alternative housing programs the City is considering, and what longterm City goals are being prioritized from the strategic planning sessions in our agenda preview.

Nonprofit grant recommendations, a Strategic Planning draft, affordable housing updates, and more...

08/21/2025

On Wednesday, August 20 a lawsuit was filed against the City of Twentynine Palms by the Center for Biological Diversity and Indian Cove Neighbors over the approval of the Ofland resort project. The suit alleges that the city violated CEQA procedures in allowing the project to move ahead. Read more about the lawsuit and the Ofland project:

Center for Biological Diversity and Indian Cove Neighbors allege City violated CEQA procedures in allowing Ofland to move ahead.

08/17/2025

29 Palms’ Tourism Business Improvement District tabled a discussion at their meeting about granting $$$ to events that don’t place in 29 and aren’t run by locals. Earlier this year they gave $20,000 to the Joshua Tree Half Marathon. What do you think—should grant money stay local?

Promotions, social media contractor selection, grant guidelines revamped, and budget approval

08/13/2025

The TBID meets on Thursday, August 14 at 3:30pm at City Hall. The agenda includes a potentially controversial events grant update which allows the funding of programming taking place anywhere in the Morongo Basin as long as it has "a proven track record of attracting significant visitor attendance to Twentynine Palms."

And with that larger number of applications comes a budget cut from $200,000 to $150,000.

Our questions:

1. Does the TBID have the infrastructure to process a larger number of applications?

2. What effect will this have on funding events taking place in Twentynine Palms and its sphere of influence?

Grant changes, social media contractors and a draft of the 2025-2026 marketing plan and budget to be discussed in an off-calendar meeting

08/10/2025

In a letter to the editor, Morongo Valley resident Ray Kennedy invites Morongo Basin residents to join him in forming a chapter of +More Perfect Union (+MPU). +MPU is a nationwide group dedicated to bringing community members together around the three pillars of service and social and civic engagement regardless of political persuasion, background, or ideology.

Kennedy points out that in the absence of the County Municipal Advisory Committee or MAC, a +MPU chapter might focus on issues facing the Basin such as Environment / Conservation / Animal Welfare, Emergency Preparedness / Response and Engagement with County Government.

Image: Group activities initiated by other +MPU chapters.

A wake-up call for the Morongo Basin and an invitation