11/7/2019 San Bernardino County’s short-term rental rules call for permits, parking and maintenance – San Bernardino Sun LOCAL NEWS San Bernardino County’s short- term rental rules call for permits, parking and maintenance By SANDRA EMERSON || [email protected] || PUBLISHED: November 6, 2019 at 11:30 am || UPDATED:UPDATED: November 6, 2019 at 11:5611:56 amam New rules for residential short-term rentals inin SanSan BernardinoBernardino County’sCounty’s mountains and desert will be in place by the winter holidays. The rules, approved unanimously Tuesday, Nov. 5, by the board of supervisors, create a permitting process for residential units rented for 30 or fewer days,, which have grown more popular among property owners looking to make money and take advantage of tourism. The county already had rules for such rentals in the unincorporated mountain areas, but rentals in the desert have gone unregulated. That has led to complaints about problems, including noise and traffic. The rules apply only to residential rentals and accessory dwelling units, includingincluding guesthousesguesthouses andand casitas.casitas. Other rentals, such as yurts, teepees and trailers, will be addressed in the future.future. https://www.sbsun.com/2019/11/06/san-bernardino-countys-short-term-rental-rules-call-for-permits-parking-and-maintenance/ 1/4 11/7/2019 San Bernardino County’s short-term rental rules call for permits, parking and maintenance – San Bernardino Sun The rules, which take effect in early December, require property owners to renew permits every two years, provide onsite parking and maintain the rental’s exterior and interior and follow requirements for registering renters. The ordinance allows for appeals if a permit is denied, limits how many people can stay in a rental at a time and has rules for renters’ pets. The county is hiring more code enforcement officers to ensure the ordinance isis followed.followed. Supervisor Dawn Rowe, whose district includes the Morongo Basin — a region thatthat hashas seenseen aa surgesurge inin short-termshort-term rentalsrentals inin recentrecent years,years, askedasked countycounty officials to make a few revisions, including allowing property owners to post evacuation maps on the back of the rental’s front door and not on the back of every bedroom door. Rowe also asked the county to allow primary and accessory units on properties that are at least 2 acres be used as rentals. Clint Stoker, a short-term rental property owner in Joshua Tree, agreed with Rowe’s request. He also asked the county to dedicate some of the tax revenue fromfrom short-termshort-term rentalsrentals toto specialspecial projectsprojects inin JoshuaJoshua Tree.Tree. “If you could earmark it for some local needs for the community it would go a longlong wayway towardtoward thethe publicpublic perceptionperception thatthat AirbnbsAirbnbs areare justjust therethere toto pullpull money out of the community,” Stoker said. Supervisors also approved some changes to the existing regulations for mountain rentals, including prohibiting open fires and requiring property owners to have trash service. On Sept. 5, planning commissioners recommended that supervisors approve thethe ordinance,ordinance, afterafter hearinghearing fromfrom dozensdozens ofof propertyproperty owners,owners, forfor andand againstagainst short-term rentals, during two public hearings. 11/7/2019 Losing our ‘cash cows’ to fire tax | Letters To Editor | hidesertstar.com http://www.hidesertstar.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_beb09b6e-00f9-11ea-b323-43c852e84442.html Losing our ‘cash cows’ to re tax Stanley Okumura Oxford, North Carolina 15 hrs ago I just received my property tax bill and was shocked to see $157 added for a re service fee. I was not aware of the tax kicking in but it would be interesting to see how many owners will abandon their properties as a result of it and county lose their “cash cows.” Forty years ago my dad, since passed, purchased lots on the expectation that Los Angeles Airport would be moved to the Hesperia district area and it would become a boom area; family has been paying taxes ever since. The 10-acre parcel has no road access, no water, no electricity and I was offered $600 for it before the re service fee; I should have taken it but now will abandon it. www.hidesertstar.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_beb09b6e-00f9-11ea-b323-43c852e84442.html 1/1 11/7/2019 Judge Overturns $113 Million Jury Award For Abused Boy | Palm Desert, CA Patch Palm Desert, CA Local News Real Estate Events Classifieds Judge Overturns $113 Million Jury Award For ◂Abused Boy A San Bernardino judge unexpectedly reversed a $113.4 million jury award to a 10-year-old boy who suffered brain damage from beatings. By Nick Garber | Nov 6, 2019 6:42 pm ET The new finding stunned the boy's lawyer, who said he plans to appeal the ruling . (Shutterstock) SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — A San Bernardino Superior Court judge unexpectedly reversed a $113.4 million jury award to a 10-year-old boy who had suffered brain damage from abuse by his father's girlfriend, the San Bernardino Sun reported. https://patch.com/california/palmdesert/amp/28394576/judge-overturns-113-million-jury-award-for-abused-boy 1/3 Judge Bryan Foster reversed the July 3 verdict, in which a jury had concluded that a county social worker failed to protect the Yucca Valley boy from abuse at the hands of his father's girlfriend, Hannah Thompson. The jury had found that social worker Karen Perry failed to report the abuse, ordering the county to pay $100 million to the boy and his mother for past and future pain and suffering, with additional damages for medical expenses and loss of future earnings. But Judge Foster found on Oct. 30 that Perry was in “no way responsible” for the boy's injuries, the Sun reported. The new finding stunned the boy's lawyer, who told the Sun he plans to appeal the ruling. 11/7/2019 Judge overturns jury's $113.4-million injury verdict for injured child | News | hidesertstar.com http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_0b3eda58-00fb-11ea-8c18-37c9cc693623.html TOP STORY Judge overturns jury's $113.4-million injury verdict for injured child By Jené Estrada Hi-Desert Star Nov 6, 2019 Updated 14 hrs ago Noah Reed, shown here in 2018 at the age of 9, now lives in upstate New York with his mother and grandparents. Photo provided by the Vartazarian Law Firm YUCCA VALLEY — Noah Reed was left a quadriplegic after he was severely abused by his father’s girlfriend; last summer a jury found that the San Bernardino County Department of Family and Child Services was primarily at fault for his injuries. Last week Superior Court Judge Bryan Foster overturned the verdict, which would have awarded Reed’s family $113.4 million. www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_0b3eda58-00fb-11ea-8c18-37c9cc693623.html 1/3 11/7/2019 Judge overturns jury's $113.4-million injury verdict for injured child | News | hidesertstar.com In 2014 5-year-old Noah Reed was living with his father, Christopher Reed, and his father’s live-in girlfriend, Hannah Thompson. They made their home on Palomar Avenue in Yucca Valley. While they lived there, multiple people, including Thompson’s mother and a roommate who lived with the family, reported to CFS that Noah was being abused, according to Noah’s attorney Steve Vartazarian. They were also visited by a county social worker, Karen Perry, who identied that Noah was potentially at risk in the home. In May 2014, Thompson called 911 saying that Noah had fallen off of a stool and hit his head. Doctors at Loma Linda deemed the injuries suspicious. Court records indicated that doctors found several bruises on Reed’s body and they noted he was malnourished. Thompson was found to have either beaten or violently shaken Reed to the point where he was critically injured and his brain was swollen. Thompson and Christopher Reed were both arrested for child abuse. According to court records, Thompson was found guilty on two counts of willful cruelty to a child resulting in injury or death. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Christopher Reed entered a plea to misdemeanor child abuse and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, a one-year batterer intervention program and three years of probation. He completed the terms of his probation in June and his case was dismissed. In October 2014, Noah’s mother, Laurell Reed, led a lawsuit against the county. The suit, led by Vartazarian Law Firm, alleged that the county was negligent because Perry with the Department of Child and Family Services did not le a case study after determining that Noah was in danger in a home with Hannah Thompson. “She identied that the child was at risk. She identied that he was abused but she did nothing,” Vartazarian said in an interview in July. “When you refer a family to services, you’re supposed to open a case plan to monitor the family over the next six months.” The trial went before a jury and on July 3, Noah and Laurell Reed were awarded $100 million for past and future pain and suffering, $9.9 million for future medical expenses, $2.9 million for loss of future earnings and $602,625.66 for past medical expenses. www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_0b3eda58-00fb-11ea-8c18-37c9cc693623.html 2/3 11/7/2019 Judge overturns jury's $113.4-million injury verdict for injured child | News | hidesertstar.com After the county was ocially notied of the court’s decision, it quixkly led for an appeal. “It is understandable that a jury would be outraged when a child is harmed. The county is outraged, too,” county public information ocer David Wert said in an email in August.