Help us demand better!
We are asking you to email, call, and write to demand better.
Our Goal is 500 letters from concerned locals.
Letters addressed to Dawn Rowe and the MAC Council.
Please share with us a copy of your letters and emails. We will be collecting and hand delivering in person at the 4/7 MAC meeting.
Email us at: MountainBearDemSecretary@gmail.com
Tell them why we need their help:
- As our representative we demand better!
- Our story, explain the unique challenges living on the mountain. Give personal stories.
- The system has abandoned the vulnerable up on the mountain.
We respectfully ask for the County’s partnership in bringing real, accessible support to our mountain communities:
- Establish a Social Services satellite center on the mountain, potentially utilizing an existing facility such as the Crestline Senior Center.
- Increase access to Veteran Services locally.
- Implement Meals on Wheels for isolated residents.
- Expand access to Mental Health services.
- Have IHSS staff come up the hill to assist with enrollment and case management.
- Provide in-person support to help vulnerable residents sign up for State programs.
- Help local residents enroll and qualify to work as caregivers, strengthening support from within the community.
Who are we writing:
Crest Forest Municipal Advisory Council 385 North Arrowhead Ave. 5th floor, CA 92415-0110 (909) 387-4833
Dawn Rowe Third District Supervisor San Bernardino County Board 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., Fifth Floor San Bernardino, CA 92415-0110 Phone: 909.387.4855 Supervisor.Rowe@bos.sbcounty.gov
SAMPLE LETTER
Dawn Rowe
Third District Supervisor
385 N. Arrowhead Ave., Fifth Floor
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0110
Supervisor.Rowe@bos.sbcounty.gov
Dear Supervisor Rowe,
I am writing to share a story that reflects a much larger issue facing our mountain communities, and to respectfully ask for your help.
I met Buz through a friend in Crestline. He was a veteran who lived just a few doors down. We tried to get him signed up for IHSS. The red tape was unreal, forms, interviews, waiting, more forms. What we expect an elderly person with a flip phone to navigate is simply absurd. Even worse, a veteran living on Social Security did not qualify.
So I found another way to help him.
Buz had not owned a car in five years. He survived on food from the local liquor store because that was as far as he could walk. Over time, we became friends. We played cards. We watched Bar Rescue, his favorite show.
The first time I took him to Operation Provider, our incredible local food bank, we drove along Highway 18. I will never forget the look on his face, astonishment, awe, relief. In that moment, I realized he had not been to the Rim in over five years. I watched a man rediscover freedom.
This mountain is full of abandoned souls who do not have access to basic services. They need food. Heat. Medical care. Dignity.
We cannot continue to rely solely on neighbors patching holes in a system that is out of reach for the very people it is meant to serve.
We respectfully ask for the County’s partnership in bringing real, accessible support to our mountain communities:
Establish a Social Services satellite center on the mountain, potentially utilizing an existing facility such as the Crestline Senior Center.
- Increase access to Veteran Services locally.
- Implement Meals on Wheels for isolated residents.
- Expand access to Mental Health services.
- Have IHSS staff come up the hill to assist with enrollment and case management.
- Provide in-person support to help vulnerable residents sign up for State programs.
- Help local residents enroll and qualify to work as caregivers, strengthening support from within the community.
Our seniors and veterans should not have to leave the mountain, or navigate impossible bureaucratic systems alone, just to survive. Bringing boots-on-the-ground services up here would restore access, stability, and dignity to people who have already given so much.
We are ready to partner. We are organized. We are committed. We simply need the County to meet us halfway.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
MAC Meeting
Ask our local government what they are doing for our neighbors in need.
Crestline's Little Dirty Secret
Jessica............................................
I met Jessica through IHSS, a state program that pays caregivers to help vulnerable people in our community. The first time we met, she waited for me outside. Her hair was gray and so thin I could almost see through it. She was hunched over, fragile—but confident. She directed me to take her to the store.
Inside, it became clear she couldn’t walk the aisles. She sat in the Goodwin’s lounge area while I ran around grabbing what she needed, bringing items back for her approval. She was a strict vegan, and I had no idea what I was doing. We laughed a little.
When we got home, I offered to help put the groceries away. The outside of her house looked like a hundred unfinished projects and a lifetime of good intentions. A bucket of rotten food sat by the trash cans. My mind raced: maggots (I hate maggots), bears… and then the question I didn’t want to ask—what does the inside look like?
At the door, Jessica thanked me, took the groceries, turned around boldly and said, “Call me tomorrow,” and shut the door.
There is more to this story—blood, children, lawyers, and more maggots—but I’ll spare you the details. Within a week, Jessica was dead.
Buz......................................................
I met Buz through a friend who lived in the trailer park. He was a veteran, just a few doors down. We tried to get him signed up for IHSS. The red tape was unreal—forms, interviews, waiting, more forms. What we expect an elderly person with a flip phone to navigate is absurd. Even worse, a veteran on Social Security didn’t qualify.
So I found another way.
Edited in Prisma app with Crowd
Buz hadn’t had a car in five years. He survived on food from the liquor store because that’s as far as he could walk. Over time, we became friends—playing cards, watching Bar Rescue (his favorite).
The first time I took him to Operation Provider, our incredible local food bank, we drove along Highway 18. The look on his face—astonishment, awe, relief—I realized he hadn’t been to the Rim in over five years. I watched a man rediscover freedom.
He used to be a biker, so I started putting the top down on my red convertible. Wind, sunshine, the good old days. My favorite part was driving back into the trailer park and seeing the looks on people’s faces as we cruised in together.
Steve....................................................................
Steve always sat outside his trailer with his dog. A gentle, kind man. I’d bring him leftover food Buz didn’t want, and his face would light up every time.
I asked if he wanted to go to Operation Provider. He said yes immediately—his car had been broken for years. As I got to know him, the truth came out: no heat for winter, no hot water to bathe, serious medical needs.
Another soul lost. Another neighbor forgotten.
This mountain is full of abandoned souls.
They need food. Heat. Medical care. Dignity.
They are hidden deep in the forest—or sitting right in front of us, in the trailer park behind the Post Office. You see them walking every day. And every day, they are ignored.
There are too many for me to save alone.
If you want to help, please email me:
MountainBearDemSecretary@gmail.com
—Holiday
This mountain is full of abandoned souls.
They need food. Heat. Medical care. Dignity.
They are hidden deep in the forest—or sitting right in front of us, in the trailer park or back in the woods. You see them walking every day. And every day, they are ignored. There are too many to save alone.
Please attend the next MAC meeting and ask our local government what they are doing for our neighbors in need.Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) is a citizen group that advises the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on matters affecting the Mountain community. It discusses local issues like road conditions, public safety, and community projects, and its members are appointed to provide input on public works, planning, and quality of life concerns. Meetings are held publicly and are open to residents who can attend to ask questions and share concerns.
WHY THE NEED
The cuts to CalFresh and the delays in benefits didn’t happen by accident. They are the result of choices made by Republican leaders, including Trump and Rep. Jay Obernolte.
Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act is anything but beautiful. It handed massive tax cuts to the wealthy while cutting CalFresh benefits for working families and those most in need across California, leaving many uncertain about how they'll put food on the table this holiday season. As if that weren't enough, the ongoing government shutdown is delaying November's food assistance for those who rely on it the most.
This isn't about scarcity, it's about choices. We demand that our leaders restore funding and strengthen our safety nets. Until then, we are making sure no neighbor goes hungry.
While they ignore the people they are supposed to serve, the Mountain Bears Democratic Club is stepping up to help our neighbors.
