Candidate Q&A: Palm Desert Voters Will Use a New Voting System to Select Two District 2 City Council Reps Among Five Candidates

There may be electoral change afoot in Palm Desert, and the city’s registered voters will sort out much of it when they cast their ballots on Nov. 8.

One big change is this year’s transition to a ranked choice voting (RCV) system for its local elections. The transition is a result of the 2019 settlement of the California Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the city, after which the city created two voting districts—District 1, with one representative, and the much-larger District 2, with four representatives.

The new RCV system was originally slated to be introduced in the 2020 elections, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its implementation was postponed until this November. This year’s five-candidate race for two open City Council seats in Palm Desert’s District 2 should provide a fine test of this new voting method.

Palm Desert’s ballot will also include an advisory measure which, in its conclusion, asks this question: “Should District 2 be divided into four smaller districts, with all voters electing a single person from their smaller district every four years?” This advisory measure represents the City Council’s attempt to address dissension among its residents as to the fairness of the current two-district system. Regardless of the election results, the ultimate decision will be made by the five City Council members holding seats after the election.

According to Ballotpedia.org, four cities in California have already introduced ranked-choice voting—Oakland, Berkeley, San Francisco and San Leandro—while Palm Desert, Albany and Eureka will transition to it this year. The city of Palm Desert website explains: “In District 2, voters will elect two (2) members of the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 33% of the votes cast. If no candidate has enough votes to win in the first round, then the candidate with the fewest votes would be eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as a first choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until two candidates earn more than 33%.”

Only one of the five District 2 candidates is an incumbent: current Mayor Jan Harnik, who has served on the council for 12 years, and has lived in Coachella Valley since 1977. With her husband, she has raised five children, which led her to volunteer with the Palm Desert High School Foundation.

The challengers in alphabetical order:

Gregg Akkerman is a retired music professor at the University of South Carolina who now runs his small business as an author and musician, while devoting much of his time to taking care of his 91-year-old mother. Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, Akkerman has two adult children who attended Palm Desert schools, and his wife teaches currently in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

Carlos Garcia owns and manages Garcia Research Associates, Inc. which he founded in 1990. His career-focus has been multicultural consumer research and marketing, with a heavy emphasis on the Hispanic market. Garcia, who serves on the Insights Association trade group’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) Council, just celebrated his 23rd anniversary with his husband, and is a father and grandfather as the result of an earlier marriage to his former wife, who remains a close friend.

Greg Meinhardt is a retired Homeland Security special agent and investigator at Los Angeles International Airport. Among other career pursuits, Meinhardt has been a licensed real-estate broker for 14 years.

Evan Trubee is the owner of Big Wheel Tours, an outdoor adventure company with shops in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Trubee, whose wife is a teacher in the Desert Sands Unified School District, is father to three children, and also serves as the assistant cross-country coach at Xavier College Preparatory High School. Trubee lost his bid for a seat on the Palm Desert City Council in 2020

The Independent reached out to all five candidates and asked them the same seven questions. Below, in alphabetical order, you will find their responses, which have been edited only for clarity and editorial style.

Gregg Akkerman

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I’m the only candidate who grew up in the Palm Desert area, so no one else, I believe, has a deeper appreciation for our history, and how we’ve grown from a city of date groves and vacant lots to become a thriving resort destination. Also, I’m a commissioner on two city committees, the Parks and Recreation (Committee) as well as the newly formed Civic Outreach Committee, so I have quite a bit of experience maneuvering through City Hall. I’m a small-business owner, so I know what it’s like to balance a budget and plan for the future. I’ve guided children through our public school system. I think all of that experience, brought together, makes me the total package that you won’t find in another candidate.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city’s residents overall?

My own area of great concern, because of my own experience, is increasing access to senior care for both seniors and their caregivers. I’d like to see the formation of a web-based resource put together by the city to help caregivers and seniors have more access to what’s available out there to keep our loved ones safe and healthy.

My second goal is fixing our two-district mess. The current system of one large district and one little district was agreed to by lawyers. It was never voted on by the residents of Palm Desert, and I don’t think anyone ever envisioned it as a long-term solution. Since we can’t go back to being one at-large district, I believe the only way to fix the problem is to move forward to five equally-sized districts.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

Yes, I do support the five-district solution, but I see it more as a fix to the two-district problem that we’ve been left with. Like I said, this was a settlement agreed to by attorneys, and I just don’t think anyone wanted it to be the long-term solution, so I would be happy to be a part of that five-district solution.

Palm Desert’s 2016 General Plan calls for citywide housing unit growth of 8,049 units by 2040. In the north sphere of the city, the administration projected a need for 7,704 units (including some three-story buildings) to be built in the near future. That would mean just 345 units would be built in the rest of the city between now and 2040. How should the city adjust this discrepancy, if at all?

I think the emphasis on the northern part of our city is appropriate, and the number of units being built there should be left alone, because that’s where we have the most land. That’s where it makes the most sense to have that growth now. There’s simply not as much land available anymore in the other parts of the city.

I don’t think that master plan has to be the last word on the subject. If anything, I would like to see more building occurring in other parts of the city, but it’s simply a matter of availability, and the expense involved. It’s more expensive to build in other parts of the city. To sum that up, I would leave that master plan alone as far as the northern sphere (is concerned), and only try to add units in the older parts of the city where it’s convenient, but we’re simply out of land.

In light of the La Quinta City Council’s rejection of a surf park-centered development, should the Palm Desert City Council reconsider its support for a similar high-water-use project at the Desert Willow property?

Yes, and I sincerely hope that the council reconsiders its support for the Dsrt Surf park. They’re talking about a use of 24 million gallons of water per year at this location that’s not being used right now. I think it’s a terrible decision, considering that we’re all being asked to reduce our water usage. Like a lot of Palm Desert residents, I’m seeing trees and shrubbery around my house die. But we all have to contribute something. I think the city needs to do a better job of leading by example, and hopefully they will come to their senses and stop supporting this poor idea. If I’m elected, and depending on where (that project) is in its process, I would do what I can to undo it, if it’s still possible.

According to the state’s OpenJustice database, of the nine cities in Coachella Valley, Palm Desert experienced the second-most property crimes and robberies in 2021. What should the city be doing to reduce the level of property crime experienced by residents, particularly in District 2?

Public safety is a big concern of mine. Having grown up here, and now living here with my family, I want to make sure that we all feel safe. I’m going to tie that question into education. I think the more we can educate our residents, and find people better jobs, that will help bring down the crime rate. So, I’d like to see Palm Desert get the university growth that, for years, we have been looking for with the Cal State-San Bernardino campus. And (we need) to continue to support the College of the Desert, so that we can educate our young people and keep them here, pursuing good jobs, which always has a direct relationship to bringing the crime rate down. That’s what I’d like to see.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

My wife and I have devoted a room of our house to being a piano bar, so I’ll sit at the piano and play old classic rock songs, and old torch songs. It’s really good at keeping you centered, and enjoying the small pleasures of life.

Carlos Garcia

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

Throughout my professional life, I’ve always felt a strong responsibility to give back to my community, and I’ve done so in many different ways. While running my company, I’ve also served on the boards of various organizations. I’ve served on the board of the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, which is for Latinos. I’ve served on the Pomona College Alumni (Association) Board and have been president of that association for several years. I’m still very involved with them. And I’ve been on the board of Valley Community Healthcare—that’s a (federally qualified health center) that’s in the San Fernando Valley—for 16 years, and served as the board chair for two years. Then when we moved out here, I got involved with the Artists Council, and I’ve been on that board for a couple of years. Also, I’m serving on the Palm Desert city Finance Committee.

So I have a lot of experience on nonprofit boards, and I’m the only candidate running in this election who lives north of the wash in Palm Desert. Basically, there’s no representation (on the City Council) whatsoever for anyone living on the north side of town. You could call Magnesia Falls the dividing line. Basically, there’s nobody up in this part of town who’s representing us. The City Council is in this really twisted system of two districts, with District 1 being the majority Latino district, which was the city’s response to the lawsuit and the California Voting Rights Act. The rest of the city is in this bizarre District 2. It’s a very unfair system, and it’s very unreasonable, and it needs to go. That’s something I would certainly do if I’m elected. So, there’s nobody representing this part of town at all. When you study an issue, it’s different from when you live the issue. So, living with the traffic, living with the sand, living with the wind, living with the construction problems and various issues that we face up here, is a qualitatively different experience.

So I really want to bring this vastly different experience; and it’s not just because I’m Latino; it’s not that I’m gay; it’s not that I’m short and bald. It’s (because this is) where I live; it’s my community, and I really feel a strong need to represent this part of town which does not have a voice.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city’s residents overall?

The first one is to have an equitable voting system. We really need to go to five districts. That is without question. The city needs to be fully represented by every part of town. We can’t have the city being run just by the “old guard,” who all live in the same neighborhood. So that’s a pretty basic issue, and there are a lot of other issues that come out of that, because I thought, “This issue is so unfair and so unreasonable, I wonder what else is (that way).”

People laud this city for being so well-run, but it’s kind of run like a for-profit corporation, rather than as a service organization that serves the community. I want to bring that spirit to the city. Also, because I’ve been a marketing researcher, I’m basically a professional listener. My job has always been finding out what’s out there—finding out what people think, what they like or don’t like, and responding to that. So, it’s never really about me. It’s about our community. What do they want? What do they need? And I think the city could do some interesting studies to talk to residents about issues of concern to them.

Right now, if you’re annoyed about something, you can show up at a City Council meeting and address the council for three minutes, but the people who do that are not necessarily representative of the entire city. So, I think there’s a lot of listening the city can do, a lot of better listening. Rather than listening only to the squeaky wheels, there are plenty of other wheels that have no squeaks, but issues and concerns. It’s really about the city setting up a process to listen to the residents. One of the positive things I want to do is set up a bilingual ombudsman office, basically to assist the residents with paperwork. It’s something that my mother used to do. She’d help the neighbors in East L.A. with paperwork for Medicare or MediCal and Social Security. You know, sometimes paperwork can be confounding to people, and they might need some assistance. Also, they might need getting assistance with a building permit, or finding out what the rebates are for installing a car charger in your garage. There are so many things that could be helpful to people, and I think the city needs to step up and be of meaningful assistance to our residents.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

I really feel this is important for many reasons. District 2 includes 40,000 residents. District 1 includes 10,000. The idea is that, in a city of 50,000 people, each district should have 10,000 residents that (each councilmember) is responsible for representing. Having four represent 40,000 people means (each councilmember) can’t be that responsive. Being responsible for 80% of the city is just too much to take on, but if you have a smaller district, you can actually be much more responsive to your residents, and listen, and show up at events and be there for people in a much more meaningful way.

The other thing is that this whole two-district solution feels like another form of voter suppression. When you’re that disassociated from your representative, people become less engaged, and obviously, it costs a lot more to run for office if you have to reach 40,000 people rather than just reaching 10,000. Of course, the City (Council) refused to impose any campaign-donation limits, so someone with a lot of money can put a lot of money into a campaign and (exercise) undue influence on an election. So, as part of a move to five districts, I think the city needs to impose very strict limits, including the $4,500 donation limit that the state recommended, and the City Council rejected. I think that was just outrageous. So, yes to campaign donation limits; yes to five districts; yes to more responsive and attainable representation, so that (councilmembers) can really listen to their constituents. We need a better system.

That north sphere is where I live, so I see this on a daily basis. I see all the houses going up. I see the land that was formerly just vacant being built upon—and how that gets done is crucial. The goal of building all these homes, and building a financial base for the city, was (adopted) before a lot of things changed. This was done before COVID-19, and it was done before the current (economic) situation that we all collectively face now. We have global inflation, and a global energy crisis—thank you, Mr. Putin. I think everything needs to be revisited.

For example, there are two—not one, but two—affordable-housing developments planned for the north part of town, and both are on Gerald Ford Drive. One is right next to the sheriff’s substation, and the other one is near the DMV office. I’m all for it. We desperately need affordable housing, but there are some complications. Traffic is going to be impacted, but also, there are no schools. I live in the Genesis community in north Palm Desert, and my neighbors have to drive from Portola (Avenue) and Gerald Ford, all the way up to Indian Trail and Highway 111 to the Rancho Mirage Elementary School. That’s a good 20 to 25 minutes away, depending on traffic, and there are no buses. There’s no other way for the kids to get there except to be driven by their parents, or friends or family. So all this affordable housing is going to be built here, but there’s no way for people to get their kids to school. I mean, if they have a job, and they have to get to work, or if they don’t have a car, what are they supposed to do? Presumably, this is affordable housing for people who don’t have a lot of money, and you have to have a job to qualify for this housing, so I’m just wondering how these people are going to cope. There are no day-care centers around here. There are no afterschool programs around here. There’s no way to get your kids to school, other than driving them. In one of our neighboring families, the husband is retired military, so he’s got time to drive the kids. Another family nearby has an uncle who comes by and drives the kids to school in the morning, and then the grandmother picks them up at the end of the day. So it’s really complicated, and we just have to think about people’s lives.

These are people who we want to thrive in Palm Desert. We want them to be happy, and we want their children to be happy, and the (city administration) is not thinking through the entire process. They’re thinking about planning, but they’re not really thinking about people’s lives, and that’s what we need to bring it back to. How are these people going to cope? How are they going to get groceries? There is no grocery store nearby except for Walmart, and you have to drive to it. I mean, you have to drive everywhere. I’m worried that decisions are being made at an abstract level, without really thinking about people and how these decisions are going to impact their personal lives.

I don’t think there’s any question that we have to. The water isn’t there, especially because people are going to be in this water. Golf courses use a lot of water, and they’re also very important to our tourism economy, but the water (they use) is mostly gray water. You can’t use gray water in a surf park, because people will be swimming in it. So now it becomes clean water, which we should be using in other ways, and preserving for future generations and future years. It’s bad optics. We’re trying to encourage people to remove lawns and save water in various ways, but here we are, approving this monstrous wave park.

Now, I have to tell you my grandkids would love to have a wave park here. I know that. I’m sure it would be a draw, and (the city) would make a lot of money on TOT (transient occupancy tax) and people visiting our local restaurants. Economically, it’s very appealing. But where’s the water coming from? I think the developers would have to find other ways to save a lot more water than is currently on the table. They’ll have to pay people to remove lawns, for resorts and other places to remove fountains, and waterfalls and vast areas of lawn around communities. They have to find ways of reducing that water (demand).

If they can find those ways of reducing their water usage, then we can think about it. But honestly, even then, the optics will still be bad, because we’re asking people to remove lawns, do all these things and be responsible citizens; meanwhile, here we are, putting in this big water park. It’s hard to justify given the circumstances. And here we are, heading into another La Niña year, which means another year with no water. It’s pretty hard to justify, and I don’t get it.

Obviously, one thing you want to know is: What is the nature of these crimes? What was the source? What is the rate of actual apprehension of the perpetrators; who are they; and what is the (reason)? It’s really easy to draw a knee-jerk reaction to that, but you need to understand where (the crime) is coming from. I lived in Palm Springs, and I know that a lot of people blame homeless people for a lot of their crime. I don’t know if that’s true or not. I had things stolen from my house in Palm Springs.

One thing we can do to address it is offer affordable housing, so people can have a decent life. Also, we need to provide real, meaningful services for homeless people—a full complement of services that people need to be able to get back on their feet and become contributing members of society again. I’ve heard and experienced many stories at the Valley Community Healthcare center, where we were serving homeless people. We would send a medical van out to various communities to offer people healthcare checks. So I think there are a lot of things we could do to help the homeless, (including) mental health services, addiction services and addressing food insecurity.

I’d want to find a positive approach to reducing crime, rather than taking a punitive approach. I think punitive approaches just produce more problems and more crime. Building more prisons isn’t the answer, but building more schools might be. I always want to find a more positive solution to issues, but to come up with a solution, you need to really understand the nature of a situation. So, what happened? What was stolen? How was it done? Who do they think did it? I think a deep study needs to be done. In my career, when there’s something you don’t know, or you don’t understand, you study it. You do a research project, and you try to find out what’s going on, and then you propose actions based on data and evidence. So I’d be opposed to any knee-jerk reactions to this, and I would propose that we try to understand what’s really going on. If there are quick solutions we can find, (like) more patrols, more (closed-circuit) cameras for certain communities, etc., then we can do those things. But we need to understand the whole problem more completely before we come up with a complement of solutions.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

My husband and I really love to watch the television together. One of the things that keeps us happy is that we like the same things; we like the same people; we like the same actors, the same movies and TV shows. So watching and experiencing them together, and then talking about them afterward, is joyous for us. My husband worked in film and television for 30 years, so he’s a professional. He was an art director at NBC and in feature animation at Disney. He sees the technical side, and he’s a real afficionado of film and television, and I’ve always loved them, too. So we share this pleasure in watching an interesting show, talking about it and thinking about the implications.

Jan Harnik

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

My experience and knowledge of how government functions, how the region works together, and how we get grants and financial support for the projects in Palm Desert definitely set me apart. Currently, serving as the Southern California Association of Governments president, I have abundant knowledge and understanding of all of those things. We have projects working right now for Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley, such as the train and our broadband initiative, that are well under way, but we have to keep our foot on the accelerator.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city’s residents overall?

Please understand that I don’t view it as District 1 and District 2; I view it as the community of Palm Desert. We must continue developing the Cal State University campus that we have. We’ve made tremendous strides with that (and have) been awarded $79 million to build a student center there, which will really bring that campus alive. That’s really important.

You know, we have such a great history, (and) we have to continue on the path we’re on. I say that, because financially, we’re in such great shape, and we have strong reserves that got us through COVID-19, (and) our businesses are still thriving. Our community members have been able to stay in their homes and keep food on their tables. So we have to continue supporting the values that got us where we are today.

I would add that, every year when we have the State of the City (address), generally, the mayor chooses the theme. So I got to choose the theme for our last State of the City, and it was, “Our values are constant; our vision evolves.”

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

No, because we are always stronger together, understanding each other. Having five representatives, I always believe, is best. As a community member, I want all council members accountable to me. And to separate communities, and to say they are different, does not bring us together to do our best work. During COVID-19, I think that was illustrated so clearly. We had a program called Unite Palm Desert, and our goal was always to take care of our neighbor and see how we could help each other. And we’re always stronger together. To separate people out and say, “Well, that’s a different neighborhood than this one,” and to try to create different designations for different neighborhoods, doesn’t bring us together. It separates us.

One of the most important things in planning is remaining flexible. Yes, we want to have a vision. We want to understand where we’re going to. But we must remain flexible, and as we’re watching growth in the university area, and of the university specifically, that growth will drive a lot of those decisions. We need to make sure that we have the housing needed for our workforce, for those community members who are contributing at the university, and our nurses and firefighters and those sorts of community members who contribute in so many ways. So we have to remain flexible, and that’s why we have General Plan updates. The universe throws us curves, and we have to make sure that we are ready to respond in the best way, and we do sometimes have to change plans that we have made before. Although we worked hard to get that $79 million for our university, the development of that will change some plans. And then Sacramento changes, and they throw us curves all the time. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I say that. We have to be prepared to adjust with what Sacramento passes to us, so that we can respond in the best way.

It seems Sacramento views California as a “one size fits all,” and we know what works in downtown Los Angeles doesn’t necessarily work in the Coachella Valley. But there have been so many changes where they have taken away our right for planning. They mandate us to do a General Plan update, and then change much of the zoning and planning that we have integrated into our General Plan, so then we have to change it. With the knowledge that we have of our community, we can make the best decisions for our community, and we should be allowed to do that. But sometimes, they take that right away from us, and it’s not in the best interests of the community. So we do have to find the best way to work with Sacramento, which is not always easy.

That’s a great way to pose the question. However, La Quinta’s decision would not be our decision just because they’ve made it.

We have not approved that project completely. It is not approved, and I think it is going in front of the Architectural Review (Commission). I’ve heard a lot (about) the optics are bad, and I understand what people mean when they say that. But every agenda item we have, we must research and review, and give it a fair opportunity. I am very environmentally conscious, so I don’t fall in love with a project. I look at it (on) a business level and an environmental level. So, I know the council will look at this very closely when it comes in front of the council again.

What we need to do is go back and look at where District 2 is, and what property crime includes—and that’s shoplifting. We are the center for retail, so that always skews that way.

We’re always watching public safety. That is the foundation on which a community is built, and without it, you have nothing. We currently have a program for all of our businesses (where) we will match them $500 if they put a camera in their business. All they have to do is register that camera with the Riverside County sheriff, so that if there is a crime, the Riverside County sheriff knows they can come, if needed, and review the camera footage. So we have that program in place. Additionally, we have put in cameras throughout the city to protect our community members and guests if there is any reason to have to read a license plate if there was some sort of robbery or crime committed. Also, we’ve added an officer in our shopping district, and we continually work with our public safety to make sure that we’re providing the best safety that we possibly can.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

It’s a tie between hiking and gardening. I love them both. Digging in the dirt is good for your soul.

Greg Meinhardt

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I think my wide variety of experience on so many different levels, (including) the municipal, the state and the federal. I put 200 words together for a qualifying paragraph for the ballot. The other candidates were pitching why they should be voted for, but I can barely get a career like mine into 200 words. It comes down to education and experience. I have a long history of analyzing communities on all levels. When my dad was in the Air Force, and we were stationed in California, our house got broken into twice. So since the ’70s, I’ve been paying attention to how communities deal with crime. A lot of it is interconnected with how you develop your real estate, how you use land, and your attitude toward crime. I caught somebody going through my trash here, and the deputy said, “Well, you abandoned (those things) when you put them on the curb.” (I told him), “Well, no, not in Palm Desert. Maybe in another city nearby where you used to work, but in Palm Desert, there’s the health and safety code. … And my contract is with Burrtec (for waste removal). I’m not abandoning that property; I’m handing it to Burrtec. It’s not (there) for any random person to show up and steal my identity.” But with my three dogs around, they didn’t get too far into the trash, if you know what I mean. That’s on the municipal level.

On the state level, I dealt in real estate fraud, bankruptcy dumping, and title slander. These are all issues that are going to become really important as the money gets tighter, and foreclosures start to happen, and people struggle with their mortgages and their property ownership. They don’t screen for fraud on the county recorder’s level. If you fill the boxes out, they’ll record it. So I had a four-year case, and the U.S. attorney wouldn’t take it; the local prosecutors were burned out on their own case, and so I took it to the deputy attorney general’s office for the state of California. So I’ve had to go shopping on a lot of different levels to get attention (paid) to a community’s needs. I don’t think a lot of people have that kind of experience.

I didn’t chuck the responsibility. I went to Washington, D.C., and I was the national program manager as a special agent for public safety, and (dealt with) transnational gangs and human rights violators, and also wrote policy directives and handbooks. So I went to D.C., and that was quite a sacrifice. I couldn’t stand it there after a year and a half, so I took a demotion, and I went to Bakersfield, which was the job I could find in California. I worked a different part of ISIS activities, and for two years, I supervised deportation officers. Then I went back to criminal investigations. So I’ve had these kinds of experience in smaller offices, headquarters and larger offices. I know what policy should read like, and I look two or three moves ahead to figure out the best way to tackle something.

I think I’m the only veteran on the ballot. I was in the infantry, and then I went into the reserves with a special operations unit that went in and built schools and provided medical care. I worked with the Thai government and in Papua New Guinea, and it was a good experience. On the government level, I have the veteran’s experience and the criminal investigator’s experience. Then in the private sector, I was a sales rep for Eastman Kodak Company, and I worked at Automatic Data Processing, not to mention that I had a real estate broker’s license. That’s just an awful lot of experience to bring to the community. I’ve been to all these border towns that are in the news and worked alien smuggling and drug trafficking. There’s a difference between human trafficking and commercial vice and alien smuggling. It’s all very different, and most of the police don’t get it. You’ll see human trafficking used across the board, but that’s a different animal completely. So, I have that international experience, the state experience, the federal experience and right down to the municipal level.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city’s residents overall?

In my generation, it was population growth, and a lot of the newer kids are into climate change, and I think they could be related. You know, there’s just an awful lot of people. There’s a change in the demographics, obviously. We’re getting a lot more people from L.A., and a lot more people from Canada are not coming back because of COVID-19. Basically, the root issue is a lot more people. We just have a lot more people coming, and there are two ways of looking at it. In Los Angeles, they triage crime, because there are so many people. But actually, the more people you have, the more you need to pay attention to the law. I think New York City figured that out when they cleaned up, but now they’ve got a problem on their hands. But you can’t triage crime. They called it “broken windows,” but that’s a little simplified. That’s their policy of handling smaller crime so that it doesn’t lead to larger crime. And there’s something to that. So that would be one of the big issues. I worked asset forfeiture, too, on the criminal side of the accumulation of real property and those issues.

So the planning and the development, and how you handle crime, are all going to be related to who comes to town, and how many people. It’s a little scary when you drive to San Diego, and you see they’re filling in about every open piece of land in the state. And that’s going to be the big issue here. They’re getting squeezed from Palm Springs, and they’re getting squeezed from Indio and La Quinta, and I think Palm Desert is a really good location, but you can make some serious mistakes very fast, and it can drag everybody’s lifestyle down. I don’t want to see that happen.

So I’m concerned about the development and planning of the community in conjunction with the ever-increasing population, as it pertains to public safety. Those are the two issues.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

I do, and I just don’t see why that’s such a problem. If the goal is to get better representation, I don’t see the problem with that.

You know, it works two ways. When I went to the public library in Palm Desert and had them pull up the districts, have you seen what they look like? It just doesn’t look right to me. This one district that seems like it’s the College of the Desert is District 1, while District 2 goes all the way to the freeway. It doesn’t look right to me, and I can’t see why they should be threatened by more districts.

I think they should, because 2016 was a long time ago. We’ve had COVID-19 since then. I was told by the city clerk that there are 33,000 registered voters (in Palm Desert). Then there’s the plan for Disney (to build a community) with 18,000 residents right next door in Rancho Mirage. I think you have to constantly be analyzing public housing and commercial developments all the time. I asked my stepbrother why there wasn’t any low-income housing in Westlake Village, where he lives, and he said, “Well, we just pay the fine.” They can get away with that, because there’s no room to put anything. But I had coffee with a deputy, and the Guatemalans were chasing the Mexicans off with guns, and almost all of the crime was in one little pocket of low-income housing that’s pushed and mandated at all levels of government. But if you know what you’re doing, you can mitigate a lot of the problems. So I’m a big advocate of always keeping an eye on what’s going on and making adjustments if necessary. It’s kind of like flying a plane. If it starts to go down, you’re going to have to pull up on the stick.

I’m biased here. When I got my driver’s license, I started surfing, because I could drive (to the ocean). We didn’t live near the beach. It’s been the best exercise and the best experience. As you get older, you’re just not using your shoulders like you did when you were younger. So I just think it’s one of the best forms of exercise in the entire world. I remember when Kelly Slater started working on that. I think they were up near the Naval Air Station somewhere near Hanford. They had a mockup, and he’s been working on this for a long time. This is a guy from a really nice community. Laguna Beach is a very nice community. So I think he knows what he’s doing. And I’m not for wasting water, but there’s a lot of (water) reclamation technology, and golf courses certainly use a lot of water. I think they’re zeroing in on the water unfairly. And it’s a NIMBY thing: They’re picturing a water park with a bunch of screaming kids going down water slides, and that’s just not what this is. This is a whole different animal.

This could really put this city on the map worldwide. People will come from all over the world. I can’t afford to go to Tavarua (Fiji) and hang out on the beach. When I was younger, I was lucky enough to surf in Sri Lanka and all up and down the California coast. So it would mean a lot to me personally. I’m biased, and I don’t want to say it’s a bad project. But I don’t know enough about the water reclamation and use part of it, and I think there’s a lot of misinformation. But I do have a lot of trust in Kelly Slater’s view on the environment, and the responsible use of water.

(Editor’s note: Kelly Slater’s name was attached to La Quinta’s Coral Mountain Resort project, but he has no announced involvement with the proposed Dsrt Surf project in Palm Desert.)

It’s a little selfish, but I mentioned earlier that I’ve been studying this (problem) my whole life since our own home was broken into. In the ’70s, there weren’t enough police, and I came home from school, and somebody was in the house. It took the police 45 minutes to get there. So I know how that feels to get violated and have your personal property stolen.

The city is very open to a lot of halfway houses and drug-rehabilitation places, and the one thing you’re going to learn analyzing crime is that drugs and theft go together. And this is selfish, but sometimes, I really believe you’ve got to take care of your own community first, and that means making the neighboring communities more attractive to crime. I don’t want that to sound wrong, but if you take care of the security on your own property, thieves are lazy, and they’re going to hit the places that they think are the easiest to tackle.

About a year ago, somebody tried to break in while I was in the house here. I had thrown my back out, and I was talking some pain pills. So I feel like my information was sold by a pharmacy tech who maybe makes $15 an hour. I think I could solve 50 burglaries if I did a blind match against addresses for prescription drugs. That’s just a hunch, but these are the kinds of things that I’d pursue. But first, you’ve got to tighten the ship where you are before you start worrying about the bogeyman out there, and sometimes that means making your place less attractive to steal from than your neighbors.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

It’s easily my three dogs. They’ve been a great thing for me.

I haven’t seen any progress with the animal parks since I’ve gotten here. They’re not bad, but there are a few things that they could do to improve people’s lives with their animals. A lot of this community is older, and their animals are very important to their lives. I’d like to see that expanded. I was pretty impressed with Ocean Beach and the way they allow animals everywhere. I see a lot of facilities that aren’t getting used, and I think, “Why not open them up?” If there’s a big grass field that the geese are using as their toilet anyway, why not open it up to some dogs? There are always going to be people who don’t clean up after their animals, but there are also a lot of people who clean up after other people’s animals, including myself. I think my favorite activity is walking the dogs. People know me as Greg in town, and they see me walking with my Dalmatians. So, that’s definitely my favorite activity.

Evan Trubee

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I think that it’s a blend of my experience of living in Palm Desert for just under 30 years, and I’ve got a real vested interest in the city. I own a commercial property here. I own a home here, and my business is headquartered here. I’ve had three children go to school here, so I definitely have a lot of experience in a lot of different circles within the city. All that has brought me into contact with a lot of people who travel in a lot of circles here in the city. I’ve already served on the Public Safety Commission as well as the Resource Preservation and Enhancement Committee. I’ve been following the City Council’s affairs for years, and made a lot of connections at City Hall. I’ve come to understand how the city works, and I just believe that it’s a blend of all those things together that make me the most well-suited candidate.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city’s residents overall?

My emphasis will be on public safety and fiscal responsibility. I think those are the two facets of city government that have made us, in my opinion, the envy of the Coachella Valley, and maybe of Riverside County, and maybe of California. When you put an emphasis on those two things, I think the quality of life follows. We enjoy a really good quality of life here in the city of Palm Desert, thanks to previous city councils having sound policies with regard to public safety and fiscal responsibility. We’ve got strong reserves. We’ve got safe streets. And as a result, we have a prosperous business community, and really varied and thriving amenities here. You know, the variety of amenities in Palm Desert is astounding: The Living Desert, the McCallum Theatre, a four-year university, a junior college, the aquatic center, Civic Center Park. All those things are made possible by good stewardship from previous city councils, and I intend to carry those things forward.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

No, I don’t. I don’t think our city has reached the appropriate population to warrant that. I think that with a population of roughly 53,000 total, that would make just over 40,000 in District 2. I just don’t think we’ve reached the size that would warrant having five districts. So at this point in the city’s life, I guess we’ll call it, I don’t like the idea of taking away three of the four votes that District 2 residents currently have for the City Council.

The north end of town is where the open space is, so it only makes sense that’s where the growth is going to be. To me, that seems like a sound plan. We’re already sort of pretty densely built in the south end of town, so to me, that seems like a sound plan.

You know, I like the idea, but my approach to the Dsrt Surf project is this: The developers, and it looks like they have, promise either a “net zero” water usage through offsets in other parts of the city—at the Desert Willow golf course, for example—or from the figures I’ve seen, (they promise) a net reduction in water use, because their lagoon will use, like, 23 million gallons of water, and they plan to reduce (usage through offsets at Desert Willow) by about 34 million gallons. I need to have assurance that it’s going to be either a net neutral or a net reduction of water use in our city for that to move forward. But if the developers can promise that, then I’m fine with it. I like the idea of adding one more quiver in our tourism offerings.

I can tell you I’m a victim of several of those. I have a fleet of vehicles with my business, and we’ve lost catalytic converters; I’ve had fuel siphoned; we’ve had attempted thefts of my cars which have caused thousands and thousands of dollars of damage. I’ve been in business nearly 25 years down here in Palm Desert, and there seems to be an uptick in property theft.

So this is just anecdotal, but what I’m guessing is contributing to the increase in property theft would be probably homelessness and drug use. You know, there’s just a little more vagrancy out there. I like what the sheriffs are doing now. I like our approach to the homeless issue, and we have the resource officers dedicated, so it’s a more holistic approach. You know, you have the carrot and the stick. So it’s not just sheriffs out there telling people to get a move-on, or arresting them. We (can also) say, “Here are some services that are available.” I’d like to see more of that, and maybe add a third or fourth resource officer if needed. But as I mentioned, I’m a fan of the Sheriff’s Department and our public safety officers. So if it requires putting more officers on the street, I’m fine with that.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

That would be two things. Riding my bike is definitely my biggest hobby. It’s huge, and it gets me out with my friends. But exploring the desert with my family and my doggie, that’s why I got into the business I’m in, because I love, love the open desert. Those two things are my favorite free time activities, by far.