Council to hold public hearing on city’s exemption in regard to Joshua trees
PALMDALE — The California Fish and Game Commission, on Dec. 10, approved Palmdale for its own “set aside” that will allow the city to process its own applications for construction projects that could impact Joshua trees.
Joshua trees are protected under the California Endangered Species Act
he City Council today will consider an ordinance to require compliance with the California Endangered Species Act. A public hearing is scheduled for the proposed ordinance.
“If somebody happens to have a Joshua tree in the backyard in Palmdale and they want to put a pool in and they want to remove that Joshua tree, we can process that here in Palmdale. The state doesn’t have to get involved,” Palmdale City Manager J.J. Murphy said.
The city has had a successful Joshua tree relocation program for years with more than 95%
survival rate.
“What it means for developers is that Palmdale has expended the resources and time to make it cheaper to develop in Palmdale if Joshua
trees come into play,” Murphy said.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. It will be closed to in-person attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and resulting orders and direction from the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health.
Individuals may participate via Zoom webcast by going to the link https://zoom.us/j/94173444683?pwd=RlBpdlg1MDVyckRrd21pclhSanRZdz09 or by dialing in at 669-900-9128, webinar ID: 941 7344 4683, passcode: 150263
Verbal comments must be limited to three minutes.
Residents who wish to comment on agenda items without logging onto the meeting via Zoom may do so using the eComment feature on the city’s website at www.cityofpalmdale.org
To comment, click on the “Agendas and Meetings” button found at the bottom of the City web page at cityofpalmdale.org. Next, find the meeting under “Upcoming Events” and click on the eComment button of your selected meeting. Then, scroll through the agenda to find the item for which you would like to provide a com-
ment, and select that item to input your comments. You may either sign in to your SpeakUp Palmdale Account, or comment as a guest. Enter your comment in the field provided, and type in your name before submitting your comment. Note that one hour prior to the start of each meeting, eComments may no longer be submitted.
The meeting will be broadcast live on Spectrum Channel 27. It is also available online at www. cityofpalmdale. org. The agenda may be found at https:// cityofpalmdale. org/ 310/ City- Council-Meetings