The Region - News from Feb. 11, 1987

Residents of the high desert region of San Bernardino County earned a victory in their bid to form a separate county that they hope will provide them with better services. County Registrar Gerane Jacobson said the desert citizens have collected enough signatures to get their petition considered by a special state panel. She said she has validated more than 15,000 signatures of people who want to create a new county called Mojave. Residents of the fast-growing desert communities complain they don’t get enough county services and want to solve the problem by carving out a big chunk of northeastern San Bernardino County, which is the largest in the United States at 20,000 square miles. The successful petition drive means Gov. George Deukmejian must name a committee to study the matter and recommend whether it should be put on the ballot.