Morongo Basin Militia And Yacht Club

A militia armed only with a ballot measure and led by a man who converses with Joshua trees is waging war against the local water district. The landlocked Morongo Basin Militia and Yacht Club says water bills in this desert town are too high. It has spearheaded an initiative on the November ballot that would reduce or eliminate taxes, assessments and fees collected by the Hi-Desert Water District.

A militia armed only with a ballot measure and led by a man who converses with Joshua trees is waging war against the local water district. The landlocked Morongo Basin Militia and Yacht Club says water bills in this desert town are too high. It has spearheaded an initiative on the November ballot that would reduce or eliminate taxes, assessments and fees collected by the Hi-Desert Water District.

In this expanse of desert, a political dust cloud is forming that may become visible across the state. The Bighorn-Desert Water Agency, covering 40 square miles along California 247, is in a part of California that most people only see on their way to Big Bear or Las Vegas. But the district is the target of a recently approved ballot initiative that could trigger challenges in other California communities.