(April 29) Residents of San Bernardino County’s Mojave Desert  on both sides of the political divide are becoming animated this spring, well in advance of the 2016 political season next year.  While a Democrats currently occupies the White House, Republicans boast being the majority party in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Barack Obama’s eight-year hold on the presidency will come to a close after next year’s election and if the Republicans can maintain control of the legislature  while replacing the chief executive with a member of the GOP, they would be poised to put the policies and approach of the Democrats, which they have long denounced as a too-liberal deviation from traditional and conservative American values, into eclipse.  At the state level in California, the Democrats have been for the last several years in ascendancy, controlling both houses of the legislature in Sacramento, as Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, has just embarked on his fourth term as governor.
At the east end of San Bernardino County,  a newly formed political arm of the San Bernardino County Democratic Central Committee has established itself as the “Desert Bones” Democratic Club. It will host its first official meeting on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at Juicy’s in Needles.
“We’ve elected an outstanding Democratic citizen and retired educator, Lyn Parker, as our first president and another highly regarded instructor, computer technologist Mary Stein, who will serve as our first vice chairperson,” said Ruth Musser-Lopez who serves as controller/secretary of Desert Bones, along with Nyla Anderson, who is designated the controller/treasurer. “We are calling ourselves the ‘Desert Bones’ club because once in a while, Sacramento throws us a bone. We’ve now lost our local judicial courthouse here in Needles, so I’d say we are an unshielded bony skeleton at this point. This lack of access to justice is the first statewide matter that we want to turn around,” Musser-Lopez, who initiated the organization, said.
Other officers include the board of trustees Margot McKee, Nancy Prochaska and Bonnie Renfro. The club may be contacted by email at Contact@DesertBones.us and invites all who are registered Democrats to join.
Not to be outdone, just two days after the Desert Bones club’s inaugural meeting, the Democrat’s rivals will host a political get-together of their own.
The Victor Valley Republican Club and the Hi-Desert Republican Women, Federated are set to  host a unity dinner featuring the GOP’s California chairman on Thursday, May 7 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Victorville.
“The theme for High Desert Republican Women, Federated this year is Republicans United,” said Valerie Emick, president of the group. “This event, co-hosted by Hi Desert Republican Women, Federated and the Victor Valley Republican Club, is a perfect example of what we are trying to achieve. I believe we have the ability and the willingness to work together as one,” she said.
Jim Brulte, the chairman of the California Republican Party since March 2013, is expected to speak about issues impacting California’s Republican Party.
“Energizing the volunteers in the High-Desert is essential for our success,” said Brulte. Looking ahead, he stated that “The re-election of Congressman Paul Cook and Assemblyman Jay Olbernolte are critical to our 2016 efforts.”
“The California Republican Party has spent far too many years in the political wilderness,” said Richard Williams, president of the Victor Valley Republican Club. “We are looking forward to hearing Mr. Brulte’s assessment of our party’s current situation and his belief about the path we must follow to escape those dark environs.”
For more information about the Brulte dinner or to make reservations for the event, expected to be a sell-out, contact Becky Otwell, 760 964 7504, botwell711@msn.com, or Richard Williams, 818 531 8722, ric722@yahoo.com.