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Tribal leaders, reps advocate for Chuckwalla monument in DC
VOL. 8,
Stronger earthquakes striking in Southern California in 2024 By City News Service
By Staff and City News Service
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outhern California tribal leaders and politicians on Wednesday were in the nation’s capital advocating for the establishment of a Chuckwalla National Monument south of Joshua Tree National Park. In urging President Joe Biden to issue such a designation, the groups said they are seeking to protect the homelands of the Iviatim, Nüwü, Pipa Aha Macav, Kwatsáan and Maara’yam peoples, also known as the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, Mohave (CRIT Mohave), Quechan and Serrano nations. “Since time immemorial, we have called the lands in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument home,” said Secretary Altrena Santillanes of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians. “These lands contain thousands of cultural places and objects of vital importance to the history and identity of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians.” The proposed monument would encompass approximately 627,000 acres of public lands, as well
A box canyon in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument. | Photo courtesy of benmacaskill/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
as protect approximately 17,000 additional acres in the Eagle Mountains. Advocates say it would also “protect important
heritage values tied to the land, such as multi-use trail systems established
by Indigenous peoples and sacred sites,” in addition to further recognizing tribal sovereignty and allow new ways for tribes to co-steward their homelands with federal agencies. They said added protections for public lands would increase equitability in accessing the natural parts of the eastern Coachella Valley and surrounding areas, such as Mecca’s Painted Canyon trail and the Bradshaw Trail in southeastern Riverside County. As outlined, the potential monument holds spiritual significance and contains natural resources sustaining multiple Indigenous peoples. The organization Protect Chuckwalla cited the proposal as complementary to the developmental Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan. Monument boundaries were drawn not to interfere with areas the DRECP focused on as “suitable for renewable energy development,” with the DRECP in turn identifying parts of the lands in the eastern Coach-
See Chuckwalla Page 32
Inland Empire inflation rises almost 3% year-over-year By City News Service
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nflation throughout the Riverside metropolitan area climbed nearly 3% over the last year, largely driven by rising food and shelter costs, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency’s bimonthly report, which covers northwestern Riverside County as well as the cities of Ontario and San Bernardino, indi-
cated that the metro area’s Consumer Price Index continued its annualized upward trajectory, registering 2.8%. BLS officials said regional food prices were 1.8% higher than in July 2023, while property rents were up 6.6% compared to a year ago. However, year-over-year energy costs showed a drop of 3.7%. Sliding energy sector expenses accounted largely
for the overall 0.6% drop in the bimonthly CPI for the area, with gasoline and electricity costs falling 9.4% and 8.5%, respectively, in June and July, according to the government. During the two-month period, healthcare costs showed a 0.5% decline, and the category titled “household See Inflation Page 31
furnishings and operations” was down 0.9%, according to data. The report showed that, nationally, inflation rose 0.2% in July, and 3.2% from July 2023 to July 2024. The current rate of inflation reflects the elevated price trajectory impacting most sectors of the economy.
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Navval Air Weaons Station China Lake (July 7, 2019) following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, which occurred near NAWSCL and the city of Ridgecrest, Calif., July 5 and a 6.4 magnitude earthquake one day prior. | Photo by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist John Scorza
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f it seems there have been more and bigger earthquakes in Southern California recently, it’s because there have been more. Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist from California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, posted on social media Tuesday there have been 13 earthquakes in Southern California with magnitudes of 4.0 or greater this year. There have been about five earthquakes per year of 4.0 or greater in Southern California over the past 20 years. Since 1932, the average number of earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.0 or greater in Southern California has been between 10 and 12, Jones posted. The number of earthquakes greater than 4.0 in 2024 is closer to the average recorded in Southern California over the past 90 years. An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4 centered near the Highland Park area rattled a wide swath of the See Earthquakes Page 31
Southland last week. The temblor hit at 12:20 p.m., centered 2 miles south-southeast of Highland Park, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The magnitude was initially reported at 4.6, but was later reduced to 4.4. It struck at a depth of about 7.5 miles. Many residents reported a rolling sensation that lasted for several seconds. In Pasadena, close to the quake’s epicenter, a water line ruptured as a result of the quake at Pasadena City Hall, and water could be seen pouring out of a pipe on the building’s exterior. Employees mostly evacuated the building, but began going back inside around 1:15 p.m. Jones told reporters the earthquake appeared to be based in the same group of faults that created the 1987 Whittier Narrows quake. She noted that it occurred in roughly the same location as a 3.4-magnitude quake that struck on June 2.