There will be a Community Meeting at 1 pm, Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road, in Wonder Valley.
I’ve lived in Wonder Valley with my husband and son for a little more than 10 years. Shortly after moving to Wonder Valley I was appointed to the MAC, the Municipal Advisory Council and served for three years. The MAC was composed of representatives from the 9 unincorporated communities in the Morongo Basin and met monthly in Joshua Tree. We heard from the Third District Supervisor's Field Rep -- then Mark Lundquist, the Sheriff’s Department, the CHP, County Fire, and other agencies. We asked questions and returned to our communities with answers.
We also gave reports on our communities. These reports were drafted at a monthly community meeting held a week or two before the MAC meeting. We’d meet, and hear what the community wanted. I’d draft a report, and read it to them. They’d offer corrections, and additions, and then endorse the report for me -- the MAC Rep -- to read at the next MAC meeting.
At the monthly Community Meetings the community would first comment on items not on the agenda. Then we’d talk about items they’d added to the agenda at the prior meeting. Toward the end of the meeting they’d add items to the agenda for the next meeting. Below you’ll find an Agenda, and Minutes, from a Community Meeting held on May 6, 2017, as an example.
At the last few Dale Basin Well Owners Association (DBWOA) meetings people made it clear that they wanted public meetings again. The DBWOA was not designed for that purpose.
In 2017, my husband Ken, and I, along with founding members Stewart West, Gary Tufel, and Jill Reinig, formed a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization called the Friends of Wonder Valley. Over the years, and up until 2020, FOWV hosted more than 100 events of all kinds at the WVCC, including Community Meetings.
There hasn’t been a Community Meeting in Wonder Valley since Covid in 2020.
The Friends of Wonder Valley is happy to host the Community Meeting on January 18. Teresa Sitz will serve as facilitator. We anticipate a lengthy comment section. We will be discussing the scheduling of meetings, and proposing items for the next agenda.
Since there is no MAC we will send our Monthly Community Report to Third District Supervisor Dawn Rowe’s office, to the Desert Trail, and to anyone else The Community wants to reach out to.
If we are able to reinstitute Community Meetings we will be 1 of only 2 unincorporated communities out of the 9 in the Morongo Basin, to have constituted their own community meetings. The other community is Landers.
I hope to see you at the meeting. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.
Teresa Sitz
