Public uses town hall to question Ridgecrest city council
Ridgecrest Daily Independent
The city’s town hall last Tuesday was intended to let the public engage the council, and the public was happy to comply.
Roughly 20 people showed up to join the council and city staff at the Kerr McGee Center.
Armed with a list of questions, Scott O’Neil got right to it.
“I would like to know of our city leaders what your priorities are for the future of the community?” O’Neil said.
“I am just curious from a strategic perspective, where is your head, where do you think we are going? What are your priorities?”
Ridgecrest Daily Independent
Ridgecrest-area residents wanting to engage with the city council on certain hot-button issues will finally have their say at a special town hall meeting next week.
The town hall scheduled for next week will cover topics ranging from post-pandemic concerns to quality of life issues, according to a revised agenda released by the city Wednesday.
Speaking up at a city council meeting can be a frustrating experience for some, because meeting rules prohibit long-form back and forth conversations between council members and the public.
Rules are different at a town hall, which allows for a freer conversational format. There is one kicker, though: no action can be taken at the town hall meeting itself. Issues would have to be brought back to a city council as action items before anything concrete could be done.
Wednesday Column by Jessica Weston: A return to normal society?
Ridgecrest Daily Independent
If you are reading this on Wednesday, please know that it is officially 24 hours until my second vaccine kicks in and I am theoretically fully vaccinated.
This will mark a momentous occasion. My basic commitment to following COVID-19 pandemic health and safety guidance has been made stronger because I live with my 82-year-old mother and I have not wanted to accidentally expose her to the virus.
But the end is in sight. She is fully vaccinated and as of Thursday, I will be too.
Which begs an interesting question: what do I do now? Since my mom got her second vaccine, I have taken a few steps toward re-entering the world. But I can go a little further now.
Groundwater Authority to meet Wednesday
Ridgecrest Daily Independent
The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority is scheduled to begin its open meeting no later than 11 a.m. Wednesday.
In addition to the consent agenda, the open meeting agenda lists public comment and reports from the water resources manager and the general manager.
A closed session scheduled for 10 a.m. includes three cases of existing litigation, one involving Frank Bellino, one involving Searles Valley Minerals, Inc. and another involving Mojave Pistachios, LLC.
Also on the closed session agenda is an item regarding two cases of anticipated litigation and one regarding real property negotiations regarding state water project importation price and terms of payment with the agency negotiator identified as Capital Core Group.