We all have heard news in recent months about how the Post Office is in financial trouble.  In addition to being a Realtor, I also contract with the Postal Service, delivering mail in the Joshua Tree area.  I mainly got this contract so an old high school friend could have a job.  I run this route one day a week, as mail is delivered 6 days a week (at least for now).

As  a Postal Supplier, I received an email from Postal Headquarters in Washington, DC stating that sometime in their next fiscal year, which starts October 1, Saturday mail delivery will be curtailed, unless Congrall passes legislation specifically prohibiting the Post Office from curtailing Saturday Delivery.

However post offices will still be open on Saturday, and mail will be delivered to post office boxes on Saturday.

But there's still plenty to enjoy  Rangers at Joshua Tree National Park said that although we have had plenty of rain, it came too late.  We need rain in the fall for large wildflower displays.

If you do venture to Joshua Tree to see the wild flowers, stop in Yucca Valley at one of our many restaurants for lunch. We appreciate your business.  And enjoy our many antique shops at the west end of town.

Johnson Valley, Californis, located in the Mojave Desert, east of Lucerne Valley and north of Big Bear, has , in addition to the oldest plant in the world, a cresote bush,a small dirt field and flying club called Valley Vista.  If anyone traveling Highway 247 between Lucerne Valley and Yucca Valley has wondered about the mailbox perched 20 feet high that says "Airmail"--this marks the road to the airport.

Several months ago a crosswind blew the clubs only plane, a 1958 Cessna 172 off the runway totaling it.  Fortunately no one was hurt.

The club has just acquired another 172.  I'm sure that the restaurant at the Big Bear airport will be happy to see this bright red and white plane on Wednesday mornings, as some of the group goes there every Wednesday for breakfast.

Having just read a blog about how the Wall Street reform bill in congress will require property owners who sell their property on "owner carry" will require these property owners to have a mortgage license to do so, I'm reflecting on a blog that I made about the California Air Resources Board, or "CARB."

CARB passed sweeping legislation recently concerning diesel engines in California.  This sweeping legislation has and will cost thousands of jobs.  The kicker is that one of the researchers responsible for CARB's regulation has a bogus Phd, which CARB ignored.

Just in the past couple of days news broke that CARB admitted that the research for diesel engines was 100% wrong!  It's going to be interesting to see how many lawsuits will happen now, justified but costing taxpayers countless dollars.

SB 401, enacted into law yesterday, generally aligns California's tax treatment or mortgage relief debt income with federal law.  For debt forgiven on a load secured by a "qualified princeple residence" borrowers will now be exempt from both federal and state income tax consequences.  This tax break applies to debts discharged from 2009 to 2012.

Here's an interesting note.  One of my agents is a tax preparer, and he told me that thid debt forgivness applies only to debt pretainig to the home.  If a debtor draws out an equjity loan to buy other things such as cars, has thid debt forgiven through a loan modification, foreclosure or short sale, he is still liable for taxes. 

In a follow up to my recent blog "California Kills the Diesel," I've found some pretty amazing stuff about the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

According to commentary on radio station KFI 640's John and Ken Show, documented on their website, apparent fraud exists within CARB.  One of the researchers behind this facist regulation, Hien Tran, claims to have a Ph.D. from UC Davis.  He lied to Mary Nichols, head of CARB.  He paid $1000 to a website run by a pedophile from New York on the lam in Israel for his "degree."  Nichols failed to disclose this bogus degree to members of CARB as they enacted the sweeping regulation.  When a Sacramento Bee reporter exposed this, Tran was put on administrative leave (he's still on the payroll to the tune of $97,000 per year). When CARB was asked to rescind or postpone this regulation, their response was that it would be too confusing to do this. When Nichols was asked about her concern of the over million lost jobs this regulation will cause, her resonse was "good rid of them."

California's Attorney General Jerry Brown, a friend of Nichols, refuses to investigate CARB for this apparent fraud.  And now Brown is thinking about running for governor.  God please help this state!

According to the USGS California Water Resource Center, California is expected to get a full season of rain/snow in the next two weeks.  These storms are being brought in from the west/northwest by a low altitude 200+ kt jet--just about as fast a wind as it gets on this planet. This means cold storms--low snow levals, along with 100-200 wind gusts at the Sierra peaks, as this low altitude jet literally runs into the mountains.

If these storm systems pick up tropical moisture later in the week as expected, extensive flooding is possible when the warm storms melt snow at the lower elevations.  I sure hope all this precipitation puts a big dent in our drought.

In Yucca Valley's local paper, there's a section called Sheriff's Calls.  Serious calls such as robbery, rape and murder are rare.  Most of the calls published include drunk in public, fight at bar, and such.  One of the most funny calls of last year was: Animal problem.  Subject reports rattllesnake in garage.  Subject's wife trapped on top of car:)

In December, 2008 the California Air Resources Board passed the most sweeping emissions rule in the nation.  This new reguation starts this year.

According to CARB, diesel exhaust causes cancer, and swift action must be taken in order to save thousands of lives in California.  This law is intended for all of the big rigs running around the state, but it affects all vehicles with a gross vehicle rating of over 14,500 pounds.  All full sized diesel pick ups that I'm aware of have a GVW rating of at least 19,000 lbs.  Exempted are motor homes and private utility vehicles.  Fleets have to start complying this year; individual owners have four years to comply.  This regulation also affects all out of state diesels that operate in the state. So, if you own a 2009 or earlier model diesel pick up, here's how it affects you:

2002 or earlier:  you will not be able to operate this vehicle in California, no matter what state it's registered in, after January 1, 2014.  There's a $1000 per day fine if you do operate this vehicle in California after 2014! Plan on saying good bye to your beloved pick up.

2003:  you cannot operate this vehicle in California after 2014 unless you install a particulate trap in the exhaust system, at a cost of $10,000 (!) per vehicle.  If you install this expensive filter, you can then operate your pick up in California until 2016. Good bye pick up!

2004:  same as 2003, except installing a particulate filter will allow you to operate until 2019. Good bye pick up!

2005, 2006:  same as 2003, except you can operate until 2020, 2021. Good bye pick up!

2007, 2008, 2009:  These newer models meet more stringent emissions standards, so no modification is required.  However, these models will not be able to operate in California after 2023.  Good by pick up! Wonder why new diesel pick ups are so expensive?

2010:  This model year is complient with the emissions regulations, therefore can be operated in California indefinately (or at least until CARB passes new regulations). Some other states are watching California, and plan on similar regulations.

I'd like to add a footnote to this blog.  This sweeping regulation, which in effect destroys chattel property rights, was made possible not by elected officials, but by appointed officials who do not have to answer to the public.  Will real property rights somehow be next? (This information was gathered from various websites, including manufacturers and installers of particulate traps and CARB's official site).

California Senator Boxer has introduced a bill that would create a new national park--the Sand to Snow National Park.  This new park would comprise of an area from Whitewater River, through Burns Canyon, and Pipes Canyon, all west of Yucca Valley.

We already have a national park nearby--Joshua Tree National Park, and the Feds can't afford to keep up the parks that  we already have.  In my opinion, this is just more irresponsible actions on behalf of our elected officials.