Twentynine Palms council approves routine reports, a contract amendment and community grants; opposes AB 647

The Twentynine Palms City Council took a number of formal actions on April 22, 2025. Major votes and formal outcomes recorded on the meeting transcript include acceptance of state-mandated reports, a contract amendment for an engineering services provider, a small community grant and a formal opposition letter to a state bill.

Key outcomes recorded in the meeting minutes/transcript:

- Consent calendar: Approved by roll call as a single motion (vote recorded as approved 5-0). Council members recorded: Councilwoman Ramirez — Aye; Councilmember Scott — Aye; Councilmember Wright — Aye; Mayor Pro Tem Mintz — Aye; Mayor Bilderink — Aye.

- Building permit activity report (annual state report): Council accepted and directed staff to forward the report to the state (motion to file and accept, approved 5-0 as recorded). Staff noted the city’s assigned housing target from 2021 was 1,047 units; the city reported approximately 80 units built to date and said “900 and something” remain to meet the 2029 allocation.

- General plan status report (annual state report): Council accepted the report (approved 5-0 as recorded). Staff reported no general-plan amendments in the prior calendar year and noted the equity and social-justice element adopted in 2023.

- Development code amendment (chapters 19.06 and 19.04): Council found the item exempt from CEQA and adopted the ordinance approving the development-code amendment for the specified chapters (vote recorded as approve, 5 votes). This item corrected inconsistent term start/selection timing for the planning commission and removed a procedural requirement that state law does not mandate, allowing certain reports to be placed on consent.

- Contract amendment — Charles Abbott Associates: Council approved the contract amendment for Charles Abbott Associates (city engineering/building services) which includes an annual increase schedule (approximately a 5% increase as described by staff). Vote recorded as approved 5-0.

- Graffiti abatement cost confirmation (6045 Adobe Road): Staff requested council acceptance of abatement costs and direction to recover costs from the property owner by billing or a special assessment. A motion to accept the abatement costs was made during the meeting; transcript records a motion and second. (No roll-call tally was read aloud in the excerpt.)

- Self-help housing acquisition discussion (item 20): Council discussed authorizing or directing staff to acquire 10 lots for a self-help housing program; a motion was made to direct staff to inquire about acquisition and continue due diligence. The meeting record shows debate and several procedural questions; no purchase vote or final approval for land acquisition occurred on April 22.

- Grant/donation — Ready for Reading Book Club (Backpacks): Council approved a $5,000 grant to Lynette Ramirez’s nonprofit Ready for Reading Book Club to support backpacks and related resource-fair services for junior-high and high-school students; motion recorded and approved by roll call as 5-0.

- Animal-shelter sponsorship (Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter Woof Walk): Council members committed to sponsor the regional Woof Walk fundraiser; councilmember(s) allocated $1,500 from previously allocated homeless-shower funds to match the organizer’s funding in-kind; the motion and vocal aye vote carried in the meeting as recorded.

- State legislation — AB 647 (density/ministerial housing bill): Council voted to oppose AB 647 and authorized a letter in opposition to the Legislature. Vote recorded as approved 5-0.

The council recorded several other staff updates and future agenda items, and directed staff to return with more information on a handful of items. The transcript shows roll-call tallies when recorded by the city clerk; where the transcript did not carry a roll-call, the article reflects the motion and notes when a formal tally was not spoken into the record.

Votes at a glance (items and recorded outcomes): - Consent calendar — Approved (5-0) - Building permit activity report (state) — Accepted/Filed (5-0) - General plan status report (state) — Accepted/Filed (5-0) - Development code amendment (Ch. 19.06 & 19.04) — Adopted / Ordinance approved (5 votes recorded) - Contract amendment: Charles Abbott Associates — Approved (5-0) - Graffiti abatement cost confirmation (6045 Adobe Road) — Motion made to accept costs and recover from owner (motion recorded; roll-call not printed in excerpt) - Self-help housing acquisition (10 lots) — Motion made to direct staff to inquire and continue due diligence (no purchase vote recorded) - Ready for Reading Book Club grant ($5,000) — Approved (5-0) - Joshua Tree No Kill Shelter sponsorship (Woof Walk) — Council committed $1,500 (vocal aye recorded) - AB 647 (state bill) — Council voted to oppose and send letter (approved 5-0)

This summary lists the formal actions shown in the meeting transcript; where the transcript included a roll call the counts above match the recorded votes.