Police seek help identifying suspect in 1991 Riverside killing
CV Repertory to audition high school students for play about bullying
Pg 02
Pg 31
VISIT HEYSOCAL.COM
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Thursday, August 14-August 20, 2025
VOL. 9,
NO. 236
More groups oppose lawsuit seeking to end Chuckwalla protections
Moms' case against vaccine requirements for kids moves to appeals court
By Joe Taglieri
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
A
ttorneys representing four mothers — two of whom are from the Inland Empire — federally challenging California's denial of religious-based exemptions to vaccination requirements for kids' admission to public schools filed briefs with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, setting the stage for oral arguments, it was announced Monday. "Our First Amendment liberties must be protected with vigilance," Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith & Freedom President Robert Tyler said about the case. "We are honored to take this fight to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of our courageous clients." In March, U.S. District Judge Marilyn Huff in San Diego dismissed the plaintiffs' civil rights lawsuit seeking an injunction against the state's enforcement of Senate Bill 277 because of its failure to include a "personal belief exemption" to the vaccination schedule — an exemption that existed from 1961 to 2016.
A
coalition of nine local, state and national groups Monday filed motions to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to end federal protections for land in the recently designated Chuckwalla National Monument. The organizations from the Coachella Valley along with broader-based advocacy organizations followed the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe in Arizona, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and two other tribal nations in opposing the federal lawsuit in Michigan. The Texas Public Policy Institute and Mountain States Legal Foundation are litigating the suit on behalf of an individual miner and the Blue Ribbon Coalition, an Idaho-based organization that advocates for off-road vehicle enthusiasts' access to wilderness areas. The lawsuit seeks to undo the monument designation, which was established in January just before President Joe Biden left office on 624,000 acres of desert lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Riverside and Imperial counties near Joshua Tree National Park. Monument designation restricts mining, oil drilling and other industrial activity in protected areas and also limits access to motor vehicles to protect ecosystems and endangered flora and fauna. The Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conserva-
See Vaccine lawsuit Page 31
Mountain ranges are characteristic of the Coachella National Monument. | Photo courtesy of Bob Wick/Protect Chuckwalla National Monument/envirom/Instagram
tive think tank based in Austin, filed the suit May 1 in the Eastern District of Michigan federal court. The suit names Interior Secretary Douglas Burgum and the Interior Department as defendants, alleging that Dan Torongo of Brighton, Michigan, will be blocked from mining on Chuckwalla lands in his retirement and won’t be able to buy or stake new claims. Since 1978 Torongo’s family has held mining claims in the Chuckwalla Mountains. The lawsuit also claims federal protections prevent driving, hiking and exploring trails inside the monument by off-roading enthusiasts from the BlueRibbon Coalition. The groups named in Monday's motion to intervene include the Cactus-
ToCloud Institute, California Native Plant Society, CalWild, Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Lands Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, Sierra Club, Vet Voice Foundation and The Wilderness Society. "These organizations each have interests and expertise in the monument’s designation, and intervention by interested parties is critical," according to a statement by Earthjustice, which along with attorney Joseph Lavigne are providing legal representation to the intervening parties. "Even if the US government vigorously defends the monument, it does not have the same interests as local tribes or this intervening See Chuckwalla Page 15
coalition," monument advocates said. “Chuckwalla National Monument is more than just land to me — it's a part of my personal story,” CactusToCloud Institute co-founder Colin Barrows said in a statement. “I grew up exploring the winding Painted Canyon on foot, and continue to find new adventures driving along the network of offhighway vehicle trails on the Chuckwalla Bench. It has become a sanctuary where I have found solitude, shared special moments with my wife, and introduced countless others to the unique beauty of our desert. This monument is a living classroom for geology, rare plants and climate change, and a vital, sustain-
Wildfires continue burning in San Bernardino National Forest By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
T
wo sizable brushers continued burning in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews worked to contain the Gold and Rosa fires, officials said Tuesday. The Gold Fire had burned 1,050 acres and was 79% contained, up from 63% containment the previous day, according to an update Wednesday morning from the U.S. Forest Service. "The Gold Fire has not grown and remains within its current footprint," the forest service reported. "Crews working throughout the fire area will continue to monitor and patrol the area while working on hazard assessment and mitigation plans. Resource advisors continue working closely with firefighters to avoid sensitive natural and cultural sites and to minimize disturbance to endangered fora in the fire area during the suppression and repair process." In a previous statement fire officials added that "suppression repair is a critical part of firefighting efforts to reduce erosion and soil degradation in the areas used in the See Wildfires Page 32