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Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Mountain Bears Democratic Club Community Update
This season, the Mountain Bears Democratic Club is focusing on Helping the Most Vulnerable Neighbors. While we continue to push the County for resources and accountability, we also know something important, County processes take time, and our neighbors need help now.
With recent budget cuts and limited services, there is no guarantee that County or State aid will meet the real needs on the mountain. That means, for the moment, we have to be the boots on the ground. Neighbors helping neighbors, in real and practical ways.
Two Paths, One Goal
We are approaching this work from two directions, meeting in the middle.
1. County Advocacy and Pressure
Holiday has been actively pushing for County intervention and services on the mountain. On February 3rd, she attended the Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting and shared what she called Crestline’s Dirty Little Secret, the urgent, ongoing lack of accessible services for our most vulnerable residents.
Public comments were limited to three minutes, so much was left unsaid. Still, the concerns are now officially documented in the meeting minutes and are expected to be addressed at the April MAC meeting.
The plan for April is clear and collective. Ten of us, each speaking for three minutes, all calling for real action and County follow-through.
We are also pursuing additional avenues to get the County to step up, including:
- Exploring “boots on the ground” services such as IHSS staff coming up the hill
- Support for signing up vulnerable residents for State programs
- Helping locals enroll to work as caregivers
- Possibly using the Crestline Senior Center as a satellite office
A meeting will be scheduled with Rhea, President of the Crestline Senior Center, to get guidance and help define next steps.
2. Community Action and Mutual Aid
At the same time, we are building something just as important, a community-led mutual aid effort.
As we begin this work, we are already seeing how diverse the needs are:
- Seniors and disabled neighbors without adequate support
- People struggling with heat, broken pipes, or unsafe housing
- Neighbors who need rides, food, clothing, or basic home repairs
Many existing programs and nonprofits are overwhelmed and underfunded. But as a community, we have skills, time, resources, and care that can help fill those gaps.
*Some of us have extra firewood.
*Some have HVAC, plumbing, or carpentry skills.
*Some can offer rides, deliver meals, or check in regularly.
And just as importantly, this is not a one-way street. Often, the people who need help in one area can offer help in another. This is how real community grows.
There are also many smaller, niche action groups already working on the mountain. By linking together, we can create a larger, more connected mutual aid network, one that will evolve as we listen, learn, and respond together.
Community Meeting, Join Us
To build shared understanding and an action plan, we’ll be holding regular community and volunteer meetings.
First meeting:
February 19, 6:00 pm
At Holiday’s house, with a Zoom option for those who can’t attend in person
This meeting will focus on learning more, sharing what we’re seeing, and beginning to help neighbors we already know need support.
Where You Come In
There are many ways to plug in, and all of them matter.
Right now, you can:
- Attend the February 19 volunteer meeting
- Show up to the April MAC meeting and speak
- Attend a County meeting and ask for help
Next Steps (Guidance Coming Soon)
- Email or write letters of concern to targeted County recipients
- Ask friends, clubs, and family to do the same
- Write about personal experiences with unmet needs on the mountain
- Submit letters to local newspaper editors
- Send copies to the Club so we can share and amplify them
Community-Level Action
- Get to know your neighbors, especially those you don’t see often
- Knock on doors, bring baked goods, introduce yourself
- Let people know they’re not alone, unless they want to be
You may discover neighbors who need help, neighbors who can offer help, or both. That’s the bigger picture we’re building together.
Moving Forward Together
This is not a short-term fix. It’s a commitment to showing up, listening, and caring for one another while continuing to demand better from our institutions. For now, we are the boots on the ground. We are the safety net while we fight to strengthen the system.
We are neighbors helping neighbors.
If you’re interested in helping, email us at MountainBearDemSecretary@gmail.com
Thank you for your kind heart and your willingness to step up for our neighbors.
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
MAC Meeting
Ask our local government what they are doing for our neighbors in need.
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.
Crestline Antiques & More
This Holiday season Crestline Antiques and More was a neighbor helping neighbors! Jessica opened her shop to food and toy donations. We are grateful to have such wonderful people in our community looking out for each other.
Spade and Spatula ......Thankyou
There are so many people who made this food drive a huge success. From the volunteers who organized and delivered donations, to the small businesses that dedicated space for collecting them (@spadeandspatula and @crestline_antiques_n_more_ ).
To @lakearrowheadlgbtq for hosting a trivia night, and to our congressional candidates (@tessaforca and @paulforca23 ) who stopped by to speak with Operation Provider about the challenges they face as the largest food bank in our mountains, and with Chef Bev about the struggles small businesses face in our community.
This is what community looks like.
Spade & Spatula: spadespatula-cagastropub.com 27214 CA-189 Ste. G, Lake Arrowhead
What a morning! Thank you to everyone who donated and a special thank you to Bev at @spadeandspatula for hosting our food drive and joining us in supporting our community this holiday season.
As families, seniors, and veterans receive their CalFresh benefits, our food drive is helping fill the gaps and ensure everyone has what they need.
We collected 197 items today! Let’s keep the momentum going — we have one more week to go. Drop off your donations during regular business hours at @spadeandspatula and help make sure no mountain resident goes without.
