REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
AND RECORD OF ACTION
September 22, 2026
FROM
DAN MUNSEY, Fire Chief/Fire Warden, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District
TERRY W. THOMPSON, Director, Real Estate Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Conveyance of Easement to Southern California Gas Company in the Town of Yucca Valley
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Acting as the governing body of the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District:
1. Find that approval of a conveyance of one non-exclusive easement to Southern California Gas Company is within the scope of the Mitigated Negative Declaration previously adopted for the replacement Yucca Valley Fire Station project on November 18, 2025, that none of the circumstances identified in California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15162 have occurred, and that no further environmental review is required.
2. Adopt Resolution declaring the conveyance of one non-exclusive easement consisting of approximately 3,274 square feet over a portion of San Bernardino County Fire Protection District-owned property located in the Town of Yucca Valley (portion of Assessor’s Parcel Number 0595-171-04-0000), to Southern California Gas Company for natural gas pipelines, conduits, appurtenances, and associated communications is in the public interest, declaring that the easement interest conveyed will not substantially conflict or interfere with the use of the property by San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, and authorizing the conveyance by Grant of Easement in accordance with Health and Safety Code section 13861(b) and Government Code section 25526.6, at no cost.
3. Approve Grant of Easement, including a non-standard term, to Southern California Gas Company to convey a non-exclusive easement interest over a portion of San Bernardino County Fire Protection District-owned property located in the Town of Yucca Valley (portion of Assessor’s Parcel Number 0595-171-04-0000) at no cost.
4. Authorize the Director of the Real Estate Services Department to execute any non-substantive documents including but not limited to disclosures and notices necessary to complete the easement conveyance to Southern California Gas Company, subject to County Counsel review.
5. Direct the Real Estate Services Department to file the Notice of Determination in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
(Presenter: Terry W. Thompson, Director, 387-5000)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote and Fulfill the Countywide Vision.
Create, Maintain and Grow Employment Opportunities and Economic Value in the County.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). An easement will be granted by San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) to Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 13861(b) and Government Code section 25526.6. The easement will be granted at no cost pursuant to Government Code section 25526.6 which states that SBCFPD’s Board of Directors (Board) may convey an easement to any public utility corporation in the manner and upon the terms and conditions as the Board determines or prescribes, upon a finding by the Board that the conveyance is in the public interest and that the interest in land conveyed will not substantially conflict or interfere with the use of the property by SBCFPD. SoCalGas will be responsible for the installation, operation, and maintenance of SoCalGas’s improvements therein. SBCFPD (10.10.1268) will be responsible for all internal administrative costs incurred for processing the easement.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
SBCFPD provides fire protection, emergency medical response, and rescue services to the Town of Yucca Valley (Yucca Valley) and surrounding communities. The existing Yucca Valley Fire Station was constructed in 1959 as a volunteer station and requires replacement due to substantial population growth and increased tourism in the area, call volume and staffing demands.
On April 23, 2024 (Item No. 69), the Board approved SBCFPD’s acquisition of approximately 0.83 acres located on Joshua Lane in Yucca Valley (Assessor’s Parcel Number 0595-171-04-0000) (Property). On June 23, 2026 (Item No. 69), the Board also approved SBCFPD’s acquisition of adjacent property of approximately 0.86 acres located on Joshua Lane (Assessor’s Parcel Number 0595-162-08-0000). The Property along with the adjacent property will be used for the site of the replacement fire station, a project which was approved by the Board on November 18, 2025 (Item No. 97).
The proposed action involves the conveyance of a non-exclusive easement approximately 10 feet in width over a portion of the Property. The easement will allow SoCalGas to excavate for, install, construct, reconstruct, relocate, reconfigure, use, inspect, operate, maintain, repair, replace, patrol, change the size of, add to, and remove one or more pipelines, conduits, and associated appurtenances necessary for the transportation and distribution of natural gas and associated communications. The easement also includes reasonable rights of ingress and egress to and from the easement area.
The proposed conveyance of the easement will support the installation of gas utility infrastructure necessary to serve the replacement Yucca Valley Fire Station. SBCFPD has reviewed the proposed easement and determined that it is in the public interest and that the interest conveyed will not substantially conflict or interfere with SBCFPD’s use of the Property.
The Grant of Easement with SoCalGas includes the following non-standard contract term:
The easement does not require SoCalGas to indemnify SBCFPD.
• The standard general indemnity provision requires SoCalGas to indemnify, defend, and hold SBCFPD harmless from third party claims arising out of the acts, errors or omissions of any person.
• Potential Impact: SoCalGas is not required to defend, indemnify or hold SBCFPD harmless from any claims arising from SoCalGas’s negligent or intentional acts. If SBCFPD is sued for any claims, SBCFPD may be solely liable for the costs of defense, the cost of which is unknown.
Despite the absence of an indemnity provision, SBCFPD recommends approval of the Grant of Easement because the easement is necessary to provide natural gas service to the replacement Yucca Valley Fire Station. The public safety benefits of the project outweigh the potential risk associated with the non-standard term.
Additionally, this item will authorize the Director of the Real Estate Services Department (RESD) to execute any non-substantive documents including but not limited to disclosures and notices necessary to complete the easement conveyance, subject to County Counsel review. The RESD Director will not be authorized to execute any documents that would bind SBCFPD to obligations beyond those contemplated by this transaction.
On November 18, 2025 (Item No. 97), SBCFPD’s Board adopted the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration for the replacement fire station (Project), which contemplated the need for utilities from several providers including SoCalGas. A Notice of Determination for the Project was posted on November 24, 2025 (SCH 2025061277). Since then, none of the circumstances identified in California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section 15162 have occurred. Therefore, no further review is required under CEQA. RESD will be authorized to file a Notice of Determination for this easement to confirm these findings related to the easement conveyance.
PROCUREMENT
The easement is conveyed pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 13861(b) and Government Code section 25526.6.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Agnes Cheng, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on September 1, 2026; Risk Management (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-9039) August 27, 2026; San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (Bertral Washington, Deputy Fire Chief, 387-5975) on August 25, 2026; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on August 19, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (Matthew Dalton, 387-5005, and Eduardo Mora, 387-4376, Administrative Analysts) on September 3, 2026.
(EV: 893-0921)