San Bernardino County has completed a four-year effort to address blighted, abandoned and hazardous structures in the Trona area, officials announced last week.
The Code Enforcement Division’s Trona Project has led to significant visible improvements, according to the county.
During the 2024-25 fiscal year that ended June 30, Code Enforcement’s Nuisance Abatement Unit removed unsafe and deteriorated structures throughout the community in an attempt to improve public safety.
Code Enforcement Officers Angie Sanchez and Christina Castlebury led the NAU in completing 11 “abatements,” which refers to clearing properties of piled debris, and eight structure demolitions, officials said. Three additional properties were cleared voluntarily by property owners.
The project cost the county $245,303, with the voluntary abatements saving the taxpayers $77,348, officials reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the property totals and funding amounts were for this past fiscal year or the entire four-year project.
“This was a great accomplishment,” Sanchez said in a statement. “As we entered the final year of the Trona Project, we remained dedicated to ensuring residents felt satisfied and could see noticeable improvements in the cleanliness and safety of their community.”
Although this was a new experience for both officers, they adapted quickly, according to the county.
“We had to learn the process and ensure the project stayed on track,” Sanchez said. “That meant coordinating closely with San Bernardino County Counsel and the county budget analyst to confirm contractor approvals and making sure the asbestos survey company was cleared to perform their assessments.”
To determine which properties to clear, Sanchez and Castlebury reviewed open code enforcement cases and inspected various sites.
“We posted 11 properties that were found to be dilapidated, fire-damaged, structurally unsound, abandoned and dangerous,” Sanchez said. “Many of them were considered attractive nuisance and posed serious safety concerns. Our goal was to help improve the community and make it safer and more livable for residents.”
Officials said public engagement throughout the project played a key role.
“When a community comes together to request change, we make sure to show them that we hear their concerns and that we’re here to support them,” said Sanchez. “The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Demolition sites were managed with a focus on safety, as county contractors secured the properties designated for cleanup, and safety briefings took place before each demolition operation, officials said. Residents were also notified in advance of the scheduled demolition and cleanup work.
Now that the Trona Project has concluded, the Nuisance Abatement Unit will continue serving unincorporated communities countywide.
“We’ll continue to focus on improving safety, protecting property values and addressing the needs of residents,” Sanchez said.
The Trona Communities include Trona, Searles Valley, Argus and Pioneer Point. They are remote desert locales in the Greater Mojave Desert on the northwest boarder of the San Bernardino County and Inyo County line. A popular destination is the Trona Pinnacles, which are more than 500 tufa spires of calcium carbonate rock that rise up to 140 feet from the Searles Dry Lake basin.
The area’s population is between 1,800 and 2,000 residents, according to census data.
