AVUHSD set to hire director of equity

LANCASTER – Antelope Valley Union High School District’s Board of Education approved a job description for a director of equity.

The Board voted 4-1 at the Dec. 11 meeting with no discussion. Member Amanda Parrell dissented.

The Board rejected a similar proposal at its July 23 meeting on a 2-2 vote with Parrell and member Victoria Ruffin dissenting.

A representative from the Alliance for Black Student Equity submitted a comment in support of establishing the position.

“African-American academic and disciplinary issues are a national blight and have been festering in this district for too long with no real concerned prolonged plan of action,” the statement said. “This director of equity will be a tangible good-faith step to let

feet of a structure.

Councilman Richard Loa clarified that a project means a single-family unit, not the entire development.

“What’s interesting about this is if someone comes in with a proposal to build an apartment complex, there’s no limit on the number of Joshua trees that could be taken; is that correct,” Loa said.

Sexton clarified there is no limit for any project technically but rests on whether the city staff can process the permit, or if it would have to go through the state.

“An apartment complex that wanted to remove 50 Joshua trees, they would have to coordinate that permit through the state. If a single-family homeowner wanted to develop a new home or a patio and was going to remove up to 10 trees, they would receive that permit through the city,” Sexton said.

The city has had a successful Joshua tree relocation program for years with more than 95% survival rate.

“I’m very happy that we were able to accommodate this,” Mayor Steve Hofbauer said.

The City Council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance amending municipal code to require compliance with the California Endangered Species Act.

“This has been a big one because it’s going to change the way we develop here in Palmdale,” Councilman Austin Bishop said. “We still have a lot of open land and it’s going to be important that the city has a little bit more control on how that happens.”