Incumbent District 1 Palm Desert City Councilmember Karina Quintanilla has been in the local news quite a bit since 2019.
That year, she was one of the two plaintiffs who filed a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the city; ultimately, that lawsuit led Palm Desert to move from at-large City Council districts to two districts and, finally, five electoral districts. In 2020, Quintanilla ran successfully to become the first District 1 representative—and first Latina—on the Palm Desert City Council.
In August of this year, she again attracted the spotlight when she posted comments on an official city social media account criticizing an article in a trade publication highlighting the East Valley Republican Women Patriots’ store on El Paseo; Quintanilla characterized the merchandise and overall theme as “extremist.” Her comments were met with a critical response from supporters of the store, which forced the city to issue an official explanation and apology.
Quintanilla—who is wrapping up her year as mayor in December—is seeking a second four-year term on the council. A Coachella Valley resident since 1984, she graduated from Cathedral City High School and the University of California, Riverside. She has lived with her two daughters in Palm Desert since 2002. Quintanilla’s political activism solidified when she attended the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Leadership Institute in 2015. According to her campaign website, “Passionate about education, (Quintanilla) has worked in various capacities as an educator, working with students in K-12, and in higher education, including those studying for their associates, bachelors, masters, credentials or Ph.D.”
Endorsements listed on her campaign website include U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz, Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein, Palm Springs City Councilmembers Christy Holstege and Lisa Middleton, Desert Hot Springs Mayor Gary Gardner and Palm Springs Unified School District Board President Madonna Gerrell, among others.
Her challenger, Chris Scott, has lived his entire life in Palm Desert, and attended its schools from kindergarten through high school; in fact, he first met the girl who grew up to become his wife, Brieana, at Palm Desert Middle School. They run a local real estate business together while raising their young son; they are expecting a second child in January.
Endorsements listed on Scott’s campaign website include Palm Desert City Council members Jan Harnik, Evan Trubee and Gina Nestande, along with retired PalmDesert City Councilmember Sabby Jonathan, Indian Wells City Council Member Dana Reed, the Inland Empire Business PAC and the Riverside Sheriffs Association.
The Independent recently spoke with each of the candidates and asked them the same set of six questions. Here are the answers in their entirety.
Karina Quintanilla
What do you believe are the top two issues confronting all Palm Desert residents, including your District 1 constituents?
Of the issues impacting the whole entire city right now, public safety is first, and we need to be looking at whether we are using our funds appropriately.
On the issue of the tax measure, to me, it’s important that we clarify that, (because I’m) opposing the tax measure, (but that) does not mean that I’m opposing public safety and funding public safety. When we were told that the CAL FIRE union was changing its max hours allowed (per personnel shift) from 72 to 56, I was happy to hear that. No person should work and go without sleep for 72 hours, and then be expected to be alert and strong enough to run into burning buildings. That’s a no-brainer.
I know that several years ago, the number of positions we had protecting the city were reduced. Also, I know that we increased the number of people who are volunteering for the Citizens on Patrol, and that’s absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy to see people engaged. However, I think it’s kind of risky that we have placed so much of this (responsibility) on the hands of our volunteers (when issues) need to be responded to by people who have law-enforcement training. For example, if there is a car accident, then our Citizens on Patrol will go, and they’ll cone things off and wait until the sheriffs arrive. That’s wonderful. But what happens if somebody doesn’t respect that, or if someone gets hurt? These are unpaid volunteers. They’re not covered by any sort of benefits, and I’m concerned.
Are we allocating our resources to maximize the impact and the quality of life for our residents? I’m concerned about how much has been spent in areas that are vanity projects. We have needs, and needs are not $1 million elevated crosswalks on El Paseo. We don’t need Lupine Plaza. So, I’m very happy that I was able to get some of those shop owners engaged and feeling heard when they were saying, “We don’t want Lupine Plaza.” So that was another $3-$4 million that the city was going to spend on a vanity project.
We need to look at (whether) we are allocating funds where they need to be. So, for example, when we looked at the budget, and we were formulating it back in February, everything seemed great and moving along. We trusted our staff was putting everything in, (until) I saw the inflated budget amount for the visitor center. That one’s an easy one; it’s not very complicated (to understand) what they’re spending on, and the budget allocation was increased so drastically that it gave me concerns over how many other things are over-inflated and padded to make it seem like we don’t have money.
I strongly oppose having a tax increase without an oversight committee. Other cities have it, and they’ve been very successful. If we’re going to raise the sales tax, we need to be sure that the community has input on how things are being run. Palm Desert has a history, and this is all public knowledge. There was a report issued by the State Controller John Chiang in March of 2011 (which) was an audit of cities across the state (about) how they were using their redevelopment money. So, the redevelopment money was given to the cities by the state. The funds came from different tax funds … to use on things like public improvement, health and safety improvements, parks and eliminating blight. There’s (got to be a) public benefit to things. Palm Desert was cited in that 2011 audit of 18 cities for having misused funds. Palm Desert used that money on Desert Willow (Golf Resort). It was, like, $16.7 million that could have gone to parks. It could have gone to a lot of things, but they used it for Desert Willow. Desert Willow isn’t blight. You can’t even see it from the street on Country Club or Cook. Yet, that’s where they chose to use it. So, Palm Desert was specifically cited in a state report that talked about the misuse of millions of dollars to make the municipal golf course, that a lot of people don’t even use, at the expense of state taxpayers. Ultimately, the redevelopment agency funding was eliminated in the state of California, because they showed cities misusing it. To me, that’s a giant red flag.
And now, we want to raise taxes without an oversight committee. The way it’s written to me shows that it’s a blank check. The language says “public safety,” but there’s also language that essentially says “other things that the city may need.” OK, but we need to define that, and we need an oversight committee to say, “Yes, this meets the intention. This is how the community wants it spent.” It shouldn’t just dangle words like “public safety” and make it seem like that’s the best investment. I’m very concerned over the lack of oversight, and I think that the two things are very intertwined.
Yes, we increased the number of license-plate readers. Yes, they have helped. Within the first quarter, they were able to assist with recovering a quarter million dollars in stolen property, (including) cars and items from retail thefts, and another quarter million dollars of narcotics and illegal weapons, including ghost guns, were seized. When there was the shooting at the mall; I think that within 15 minutes, there had been an arrest. And, within another few days, they knew the other party who they were shooting at. So, these are great tools, but they don’t replace the number of officers that do the work. This is not a process that can be shifted to automation. Yes, we have those tools, but there’s still the human component needed.
Our city has grown, and it’s going to keep growing. But, there’s no understanding (as) to why the city hadn’t budgeted more if we knew we were going to grow this much. Why didn’t we put in those reserves to keep planning for more public safety?
To me, another vanity project is the park (proposed for the north sphere). The homeowners in Genesis said, “Hey, city of Palm Desert, when we purchased our property, the master plan said there was going to be a passive park next to us.” And a passive park means (it has) basic (amenities), mostly recreation. It’s not a sports park, not a complex and not a soccer park. They said that was part of why they bought there, the promise of a cute little community next to a park.
So, now the residents are asking, “Where’s our park? You said we were going to get a park.” And, the city took that as the opportunity to say, “Wow, OK, let’s do this, and let’s present options.” And the residents said, “No. We said we did not want an active park. We don’t want the stadium lights. We don’t want the noise. We don’t want the traffic. How you’re designing it is going to impact our quality of life.” So, then the city decided, “Great! Well, let’s put up the $30 million regional park.” Yes, this may have been part of the master plan, but nothing says that we have to build it right now. There was not a group of residents that came forward saying, “Where’s our giant regional park?” But other residents did say, “Where’s our small park?” So now there’s these grand, lofty ideas for this giant park, but we don’t need a giant park. We don’t have all those people yet. We can’t get a grocery store out there because we don’t have people yet. We can’t get Sunline (Transit Agency) to go out there, because we don’t have people yet. But we want to build a $30 million park when there are no people yet?
So those are red flags to me. Is the city of Palm Desert really spending its funds on the priorities that makes sense for everyone, and are we aligned with what the community needs?
Do you believe that the level of animosity and emotionalism being displayed by candidates and voters of opposing parties in United States elections is justifiable, or good for the future of our cities and our country, whether it involves a local city council race, or the campaigns for president of the United States?
Well, I don’t feel that anyone is necessarily able to say what is justifiable for others. It’s a personal issue. Our country has the fundamental right to freedom of speech, and in our country, we respect that, regardless of whether we agree or disagree, whether it’s a general conversation or one that does become emotionally charged.
For example, there are issues for me that are non-negotiable, such as bodily autonomy. And, absolutely, it can make someone emotional to have someone say, “I support a policy and or a candidate that would have an impact on what you can do with your own body.” So those are examples of where things are emotionally charged. That’s a federal issue, and people don’t realize that it has a local impact (concerning) how it will benefit or hurt our local population and our health, right? So those are examples of when things are emotional. And in terms of whether it’s justifiable, in our country, we’ve had lots of discussions and lots of disagreements going back to the Federalists. So, we’ve had instances where people feel very passionately, and at the end of the day, we get past elections, and we move forward, because we’re still people living in the same communities with the same goals of serving. It may look different than what one person wanted; we’re never going to satisfy everyone. We just have to find the greatest common good to do the most amount of good for the greatest number of people.
Palm Desert voters are being asked to vote on Measure G, aka the “Safety, Roads, City Services Measure” city sales tax proposal this November which calls for a 1 cent increase in this tax. Do you support or oppose Measure G, and why?
Again, it’s being framed as if it’s (about) public safety, but there need to be more guard rails. There needs to be economic safety, so our residents know that that money is going to be used where it is intended. And as mentioned, it’s important to show that, in Palm Desert, the interpretation and the intent of where the funding is to be spent should not be up to (those) who aren’t the ones feeling the pinch of every penny. I’m living exclusively on the salary paid for by the City Council. It is a fixed amount. It is not a lot, and I feel that I’m living with the same kind of pinch that a lot of residents are who are on fixed incomes. People assume that everyone in Palm Desert has wealth, and that is far from the truth. To me, it’s problematic that the claim is (being made by some) that 70% of our sales taxes are paid by people who are from out of the area.
The way that they’ve justified that claim is to say that (the city) purchased records from MasterCard and said, “Which people live in what zip code?” If I’m a part-time resident who spends part of the year in Montana, and I’m registered to vote over there, and I have my billing address over there in Montana, when (I’m living here and) I spend here, I’m still a local. I am not part of that external 70% that they’re claiming is going to be making up for all of that amount. I think that we need to have time to prove to voters that we can be responsible. If you have someone saying, “You know what? I spent my allowance too soon, and now I want a raise,” and it keeps happening over and over, don’t you want to say, “Prove to me that you can be responsible”?
I think that we should take these next two years to tighten up and look for wasteful spending, and then tell residents, “This is how we are earning your trust, (and) the money that we are going to be collecting from you will be put to use in the way that is intended, and (that) respects the people paying the tax.”
While crime rates in Palm Desert have decreased overall in the past year, with violent crime dropping by roughly 20%, officer response times increased across the board, and crime clearance rates remain low, with only about 10% of property crimes and vehicle thefts being solved, and roughly 33% of violent crimes. What should the city council do to better protect residents, businesses and homes?
We had a good opportunity, and I hope that we bring it back. I believe it was a short-term offer, and it was a rebate program for business owners to put up security cameras and get a $500 rebate, as long as they were able to connect their cameras (with a) feed to the sheriff’s department. I think that it goes back to the same issue of assuming that by having more citizens on patrol, it will offset the number of officers that we have, and clearly, that’s not true. They can’t be the ones there who are (expected) to have the same level of training (as an officer) to document the same amount of detail that will directly go toward the investigation. For example, we had the very unfortunate incident with minors engaging in a conflict. And it wasn’t just a conflict; these were two groups of teens, where there’s clearly animosity. This wasn’t a quarrel over, “Oops, you stepped on my toe.” This in the middle of the night, and there was a stabbing at the Civic Center Park. Our citizens on patrol, again, as wonderful as they are, and their intent to serve is beautiful—and I love that they give their time their service when it’s ugly and muggy and hot—but they’re not patrolling 24 hours a day. Still, what if they were the ones to encounter this incident? They don’t have the same level of trauma training. The stabbing happened at the Aquatic Center, and then (the participants) were dropped off at the at the soccer park.
I remember when I voted (on the City Council) to say we need more license plate readers, I mentioned that we need to ensure that we have them along Magnesia Falls, because we have (College of the Desert), and we’re near City Hall. We’re near an elementary school, a middle school, and the route to a high school (which) are all considered sensitive and target areas. But when I went and retraced the area—because again, this is my district, and this is very close to my home—I noticed that there were no license plate readers near the Aquatic Center, or near the elementary school that would have been able to catch a license plate of who was driving where. The quickest way to get from the Aquatic Center over to the soccer park is Magnesia to Portola to Hovley. There was one camera that was on Hovley, near the school there. But I’m not sure if that was able to catch anything. But again, have more in areas where they are sensitive, right? I mean, if something happens near a school, we need to be able to know who was involved. So again, it’s a matter of strategic use of the tools available without assuming that it’s going to replace the people power required to operate it, and to maximize the impact.
So, it’s a matter of human involvement. For example, with the use of the license plate readers, although it took weeks of collaboration, they were able to bust a smash-and-grab ring of people who were involved in a local incident. (Editor’s note: A jewelry store on El Paseo suffered a smash-and-grab theft on Oct. 5, 2023, and initial arrests of three Los Angeles county residents were made on Oct. 20.) So again, it’s a tool, but it’s not going to fix everything right away.
About the number of crimes, how they’re reported and the number of things that go unreported as well: I think that we tend to assume that crime is a “somewhere else” problem. I think we tend to have a false sense of security everywhere, and when we see the numbers trending, we think it’s not going to happen to us. So we need to make sure that there are people that know our communities (who working) in public safety. I think that’s another big component that we need to have in our law enforcement, to know the community, know the people. Neighborhood policing, as they say, is that community involvement. And I think that because Riverside County is so large, the (issue with) response time is because our sheriffs support us from such a broad area. That clearly will impact the response rates, and our population is growing. So, we need to find the ratio. We can’t just point the finger and say, “Look, your response times are too high,” because the population is higher, and we’re keeping the same staffing ratio.
What steps should the city of Palm Desert take to address homelessness, both from a city and a valley-wide perspective, especially in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Grants Pass decision?
Homelessness is a tough one. I’m very happy that we live in an area where we have a network within the cities and the county to provide resources that see them as unsheltered individuals, and that they are still people. They have different needs, and people have to stop assuming that every person who’s homeless is someone with severe mental illness and or addiction who is beyond help. People need to remember that the highest risk for becoming homeless right now is among single moms with kids and seniors. We need to adjust that perspective and understand who we’re talking about. You talk about homelessness with some people, and it’s a bad word. No, it’s not a bad word. These are people, and they’re not bad people.
I’m proud that the city has opened up opportunities for housing on a sliding scale. Everybody assumes that it’s all affordable, FREE housing. This (program) is on a sliding scale, based on your ability to pay. We’ve got teachers and nurses who are fresh out of school and have their loans, but they’re having difficulties. We’ve got people who haven’t recovered from the pandemic. You lost a spouse; you lost half your income, and now you are at risk of losing your home. So, I think that part of the issue starts with humanizing. The cities need to humanize the issue, and CVAG (the Coachella Valley Association of Governments) and their Housing First program does a lot of good outreach.
I think that we need to look at a partnership with College of the Desert, for example. No one talks about student homelessness. We’re proud of being the home of higher education. We’ve got Cal State. Cal State’s expensive, and not everybody gets full financial aid. So, we do have people living in their cars. In the morning, some of them have a gym membership so they can go and shower. Nobody knows unless they divulge that they’re homeless. So, we need to shift the idea of who is homeless. Now, we’ve also made some small changes. There’s a form now that allows any business owner to essentially get a “cease and desist” or “no trespass” letter from law enforcement regarding any individual who may be (around their property). Before, it was antiquated. You had to fax your sheet in. I was like, “Oh my god, I can’t believe I even heard the word ‘fax’ being used.” So, we’re streamlining and modernizing some processes that allow the store owners and merchants to notify the city that this individual is persisting.
I know that there is county funding for mental health services and for rehab services, and we need to take a look at how to use and where to apply the conservatorships that are also permitted under the law. And that’s a very tough one. I know somebody who walks around my neighborhood who grew up here. I’ve known this person since they were a child, and this person now struggles with severe mental illness, substance abuse, and he’s a sex offender. He is so far out of touch with everything when he’s not medicated, and he has no family. His mom left here. He was with the grandma, but grandma died. Now, he’s homeless. They can’t get hold of mom. He has no one, and he is a danger to himself, and he’s a danger to others. There are processes that the state can use to help somebody into having a better quality of life where they’re not a risk to themselves.
So, there are people with severe mental illness, and we need to look at what legal processes there are to help them, and help the community, because, again, they are people who need our help. Yes, there are people with substance use disorders who don’t want help, who want to feed their addiction, and that’s on them. We can’t force them. But when there is someone who is a danger to themselves or a danger to others, we need to look at those resources. I think that, just as we need to shift our view from homeless to unsheltered human beings, I think we need to explore that our younger generations are interested in the more minimalistic approach to things. The “tiny home” movement was huge on TV for a while, and I think that we could fund beautiful and esthetically pleasing tiny home communities where we have younger people who want to move out of their parents’ homes. They’re tired of being there. They finished college, and then they came back, and now there’s no housing. They’re stuck with their parents, and they don’t want to be there. So, I guess I’m envisioning something like a dorm style, right? It could just be a small little condo and then a shared kitchen and other common areas, because some of our young folks want to do more traveling, and they don’t want to have a huge house payment. Also, people are having smaller families. And as people are getting older, their fixed incomes aren’t covering the cost of the quality of life they thought their retirement would afford. And now, when people are seeing that their utility bills are just as high as their mortgage payments, our young people aren’t going to want to follow that same model. So, maybe we can find something that accommodates tiny living, and make it beautiful, esthetically pleasing and affordable, because Palm Desert is innovative, and we can find a way that suits people’s needs.
You know, my peers have said there’s something for everyone at every price point. Well, I think this would expand that opportunity, especially because universities are no longer building housing. That is being outsourced, because they don’t want to be the ones to manage it. They don’t want to be the ones that have the liability. So, you’re getting private corporations that come in and they’re going to charge premium rates for housing to live close by. We’re the closest Cal State (campus) to Blythe. We’re going to have people coming from all over the place, and if they can’t find housing, why shouldn’t we have an opportunity available with something like tiny home villages? So, I think that part of addressing homelessness is preventing homelessness. Seniors who need to downsize could thrive in a tiny home community, where maybe there’s a shared kitchen, and those who can cook will cook for others. and just create a social environment that helps fight isolation.
Another thing that I think that Palm Desert can do is revise the pet policy. We’ve got people who want to move into apartments and qualify with the requirements or income, but then they’re told, “No pets.” For some, it’s important just knowing that you have the support from that animal. And you’re going to take that away? Now you’ve got a person who isn’t going to be engaging in their normal walks, and is going to experience a physical decline. Those are the kinds of things that we need to do to keep the quality of life and support our seniors and anybody that’s homebound.
So, there are a lot of different approaches, but there’s not a magic wand. It’s a very complex issue, but we can take little bits and pieces from successful models in other cities and see how we can adapt it for success here. We need to look at the broad demographic of people who need housing and the different ways to approach it. You know, the University Village community is great. It’s a variety of housing sizes and models, and we’ve got the apartments coming up. And again, that’s great. People are complaining, “But where are students going to live? Where are faculty going to live?” If we want quality faculty, then we’re going to want somewhere for them to live close by. So, we want to invest in the quality of life for our current residents, our future residents, and the students we want here. That’s what’s going to help make our city successful. We have to embrace and redefine the way that that we live up to the saying, “Love thy neighbor.”
What’s your favorite relaxation activity to pursue in Palm Desert?
In my free time, I’m kind of a doodler. My free time consists of telling my brain to calm down and engage in some mindfulness. But when it’s hot, it’s hard to focus on anything. So, my goal that I have set forward is to create another recreation opportunity (to pursue).
Having grown up here, I know that there’s nothing to do once you turn 18, until you’re 21. You turn 21, now you can go to the different bars, whether you drink or you don’t, but at least it’s somewhere that is open to you. But in between, there isn’t anything to do, especially if you don’t have access to transportation to go elsewhere, for example, to clubs that let you in at 18. So, I remember thinking, “Wow, one day I would love the opportunity to advocate and create something to do for that age group.” Well, I would absolutely love to have a roller rink out here. I’ve heard people support the idea, so now we just need the magic wand that takes care of all the bureaucracy, permits, funding, contractors and everything that needs to be done.
The nearest roller rink is, I think, within 60-65 miles. If we were to add karaoke to it, the nearest one is like 70-90 miles away. This would be for all ages. It would be open at various times all the way into the evening, and offer different theme nights. This is something that would be affordable for families, indoors and (a source of) excellent exercise, recreation and socialization. It’s something that wouldn’t be competing with other cities. It would be a big draw, and any experiential type of entertainment is an economic boost for the surrounding area. Now, we’ve got opportunities coming up at the mall. We’ll see what happens with that Sears building. There’s growth coming, and I think that Palm Desert needs to find ways of engaging with the younger population. We want them to get away from video games. We’re always talking about everyone being on their phones, so this is a perfect way to do that. This is a perfect way to bring, and create, community. So, that’s something that I would really want to do.
For right now, I’ll kind of stick to jewelry-making, which I need to get back to doing. That was excellent, and very fun. I had a lot of fun making some very cool jewelry. I have a bazillion different types of semi-precious stones to make jewelry. So, it’s little things, like going on walks. It’s the simplicity of being human. It’s getting out of my own head. But inadvertently, my head goes back to the responsibilities of being a mom, being a good partner, being a good community leader, and being just the best person that I can be in this challenging world. We all try to be the best person we can be.
Chris Scott
What do you believe are the top two issues confronting all Palm Desert residents, including your District 1 constituents?
No. 1 is public safety, because without public safety, we have nothing. I fully support our law enforcement and public-safety initiatives, so they have the tools and technology to do their job effectively. That impacts the entire city.
What I like to include under that umbrella of public safety is the homeless crisis, which is certainly a factor in other districts, but significantly a factor in District 1. I’ve walked (to) every business on Highway 111, and each one of them has a story about how they are impacted more than once—frequently, certainly—with homeless activity. So, that is certainly No. 1.
No. 2 for the entire city: I look forward to restoring Palm Desert’s long-standing reputation as being a business-friendly and business-supportive city. I think that we rely so much on businesses to come here and invest in our city, so we must be able to offer not only support of them, but a place where they can feel empowered, and a place where they can feel like it’s easier to do business. That’s what I see for Palm Desert.
Do you believe that the level of animosity and emotionalism being displayed by candidates and voters of opposing parties in United States elections is justifiable, or good for the future of our cities and our country, whether it involves a local city council race, or the campaigns for president of the United States?
I think it is a detriment. You know, I talk a lot about restoring civility to the City Council here in Palm Desert, because I believe that we must work together to better our city for all residents. That includes creating opportunities for public safety and for the community to work together. I mean, that’s foundational, not just to the success of District 1 that I seek to represent, and not just Palm Desert, but for everything to work, we must be able to work together. And civility is so important. I talk a lot about removing obstacles, and speaking specifically about City Council, I don’t think it’s appropriate at all, in my view, for someone representing a city in a nonpartisan position to lead with partisan beliefs, and certainly when I talk to residents at their door or at the local coffee shop, they agree.
Our elected officials on the City Council took an oath. And even myself, when I accepted my ballot nomination for the City Council, I took an oath to serve the interests of the residents of Palm Desert and not govern based on partisan beliefs. I believe Palm Desert has something for everyone, and I’m running because I believe our leaders must represent Palm Desert with civility, respect and common sense.
Palm Desert voters are being asked to vote this November on Measure G, aka the “Safety, Roads, City Services Measure” city sales tax proposal which calls for a 1 cent increase in this tax. Do you support or oppose Measure G, and why?
I’m certainly not one to support raising taxes just for the sake of raising taxes. And with that being said, I support Measure G, because we need something like Measure G to keep up with the incredible growth that Palm Desert is (experiencing), and will continue to experience in this decade and beyond. But, first and foremost, I like to point out that this sales tax increase will not impact groceries, medication or rent, which in a typical household in District 1 where I live, are the three biggest categories that we spend (on) every month. Those who oppose Measure G have brought this mantra of “paying more at every store,” which I believe, and residents agree, is misleading. It’s simply not the case. The opposition to Measure G also talks about … a lack of oversight, or that more oversight is needed. But I’ve attended multiple budget meetings with city staff, as well as forums specifically on Measure G, and the city does have oversight for Measure G. Specifically, (there’s) the council. There’s the finance department at the city, which is a team of incredible people, as well as what’s called the Palm Desert Finance Committee, which is comprised of community volunteers. If these three levels are accounting for every dollar, I believe that that’s an effective oversight.
Secondly, when we visit La Quinta, Indio, Palm Springs, we’re already paying, in some of those cases, an even higher sales tax than what Measure G is proposing. And Palm Desert is currently one of the lowest sales-tax cities in the Coachella Valley. Measure G would match (the) Palm Desert sales tax to what La Quinta has been for the last 10 years. And, even with this increase, we’re still among the middle rung in comparison to the other Coachella Valley cities. I mentioned I’ve attended forums specifically on Measure G, and the residents and I agree that we don’t change our buying habits based on the city in an attempt to avoid sales tax. That’s not something we think about. And another thing that came up from a resident, which I agree with, is that when we’re considering to travel somewhere, we’re not factoring in a given city’s sales tax as to whether or not we decide to visit them. So, I’m hearing from residents, and I agree, that Measure G is not going to deter tourism.
I also support Measure G because they talk about Palm Desert residents (being) estimated to contribute 30% of this total revenue from Measure G. They’re able to estimate that, because we already get sales tax as one of the biggest revenue sources for the city. So based on a history of analyzing that sales tax, we know that residents are going to contribute about 30% of this Measure G. So, that means that the other 70% will be generated from visitors spending money in Palm Desert. When I hear this, it tells me that as a Palm Desert resident, we only have to provide a small portion, and yet we get to reap the full benefits of this revenue, and this is revenue we need in order to ensure Palm Desert continues to be a leader in the region.
For example, we have the funds to build out the new fire station that’s desperately needed in the north part of Palm Desert, but we don’t have the funds to stock it, or maintain it once it’s been built. The residents I talked to and I want more investment in public safety initiatives, in personnel, which includes addressing the homeless crisis that we talked about in District 1. But we’re talking about just in north Palm Desert alone, the number is close to 6,500 new homes. And Palm Desert uses a figure of 2.5 occupants for each new residence. So, we’re talking 12,000, or 15,000, or maybe even as much as 20,000 new residents in the north part of Palm Desert alone. We simply cannot sustain the type of growth needed with that type of increase in population.
And, some people will argue that, “Well, should we not be getting an increase in revenue from the property taxes?” And yes, Palm Desert does receive revenue from property taxes, but Palm Desert is a post-Prop 13 city. So, the actual bottom-line dollar (amount) that comes into the city of Palm Desert that we can use as revenue is very small. It’s actually seven cents for every $1,000 collected in property taxes (by Riverside County). That’s not a lot of money, and that doesn’t even account for what goes into school district funds. There are different child care funds that are separated out in the property taxes that we pay here in Palm Desert.
The last point that I’ll hit home about Measure G is that our sales tax that we pay currently is 7.75%, if I remember correctly. That gets split up. A huge portion goes to the state, and another large portion goes to the county. The leftover is what actually stays here in Palm Desert. But (with) Measure G, the full 1% is going to stay here in Palm Desert. That’s massive. So Measure G will, no doubt, provide the necessary funding that we need. And unlike sales tax funds that get split, Measure G will stay in Palm Desert, and that’s why I support it.
While crime rates in Palm Desert have decreased overall in the past year, with violent crime dropping by roughly 20%, officer response times increased across the board, and crime clearance rates remain low, with only about 10% of property crimes and vehicle thefts being solved, and roughly 33% of violent crimes. What should the city council do to better protect residents, businesses and homes?
Thank you for that question. The demand for services is increasing tremendously in Palm Desert. We talked about the necessity just to support the growth in the north part of Palm Desert. But, in District 1 specifically, we need more. The city has done, what I believe, is a great job in allocating funds to build out the automatic license plate reader system, because that has really made a difference, and they’re still building it out. I think, as of right now, they have 120 cameras, and they’ll be doing another 40 over the next two years, or maybe more, depending. So, initiatives like that are very powerful, because it gives the tools and tech that our law enforcement personnel need. But we absolutely must continue to invest.
I understand, and I’ve talked to and been endorsed by the former and now-retired Palm Desert police chief, who was one of the main people breaking down that budget where they ultimately reduced the amount of deputies on patrol here in Palm Desert. That’s certainly been a contentious choice, so I’ve talked to him about how he came to that decision, and why it was ultimately done. And I’ve heard from members of the council as to why that decision was made, understanding that the decision was made during COVID when they were unsure what sales tax revenue, what TOT (the transient occupancy tax) revenue was going to be, given the potential decrease in tourism (back in 2020 and 2021). Now, although a lot of households and businesses are still recovering from the pandemic, it’s time that we reinvest and restore that promise, of not just bringing back the deputies that were taken out, but bringing them back and more, and continuing to invest in our public safety initiatives and law enforcement personnel.
What steps should the city of Palm Desert take to address homelessness, both from a city and a valley-wide perspective, especially in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Grants Pass decision?
I think Palm Desert has done an excellent job providing resources to address and combat this homeless crisis in both a compassionate and effective way. Speaking about District 1 specifically, I believe that it’s a failure of our current representative that nobody in the district, (including) our business owners, are aware of these great resources that we currently have. As I was canvassing all of the businesses on Highway 111 here in District 1, which is the north side of Highway 111, and hearing their stories, I was providing them with a flier that had a who-to-call and how-to-call hit list. In other words, “If you’re experiencing this, this is how you can get help,” and it included law enforcement and 911, but it also included the city’s outreach with City Net, which is a third-party provider. There’s also a full-time employee now at the city of Palm Desert whose main job is to create relationships with those who are unhoused, so that we can help them get where they need to go. Ultimately, people become homeless for a number of different reasons, and so meeting them where they are is certainly valuable. So I think Palm Desert’s done a great job providing those steps. And when elected, I look forward to ensuring (that), not just the businesses, but also our residents know about these resources so that we can effectively as a community, make an approach and tackle this issue.
What’s your favorite relaxation activity to pursue in Palm Desert?
Gosh, well, I have a 2-year-old, and we’ve got another boy due in January. So, the key word I heard is pursuing relaxation. I am, and my wife and family, are very active people. We love being outdoors. One of our favorite things to do is start our mornings early, walk down across Highway 111, and enjoy El Paseo. We’ll get some coffee. My son loves to run around in the Gardens on that grass patch area while we sit at Sottovoce having some coffee and a croissant, because he’s a spoiled 2-year-old. You can leave that in or not. But otherwise, I grew up as an athlete, and I still consider myself an athlete. I don’t get out as much these days, but anything with a club, a bat, a ball or a glove, I’m there, and I love to do it.
