Last month in this space, I talked about how much was at stake in the presidential election.
“We currently live in a country where, in many places, LGBTQ+ freedoms and womens’ bodily autonomy have been taken away or are being threatened,” I wrote. “One major presidential candidate has made it clear that she supports the LGBTQ+ community and a woman’s right to choose; the other has made it equally clear—with his words, his actions and the people with whom he surrounds himself—that he’s happy to take away abortion rights, demonize trans people, and elevate judges who want to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, including gay marriage.”
Well … we all know what happened. And many of us, myself included, are still coming to terms with how much turmoil many of us may face in the coming months and years.
We recently published a piece by Haleemon Anderson that looks at some of the things Coachella Valley progressives are doing in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory. Haleemon asked Elle Kurpiewski, of the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert, what she’s planning to do.
“What I’m saying—and many of us are saying the same thing: Everybody, take a breath,” Kurpiewski said. “You’re not going to solve this thing tomorrow morning. We have begun the discussion of: What do we do next? And the consensus has been, ‘It’s the holidays. Let’s take this time to kind of clear our heads, and then, in January, really come back and make some decisions.’”
In a sense, that’s what we’re doing here at the Independent. While mentions of the second Trump administration are dotted here and there, our primary focus this month, as it is every December, is on the Best of Coachella Valley readers’ poll—the winners and finalists you, our readers, picked as the valley’s best, along with a handful of our own staff selections thrown in.
Our December print edition is meant to be a celebration of everything that makes the Coachella Valley such a special place—like our best and most popular bars and restaurants. Our talented and hard-working artists and performers. Our unparalleled nonprofit and philanthropy community. Our outdoor recreation and hiking gems. The people who work hard to make all of our lives better, in ways small and large.
This publication’s mission statement begins with: The Coachella Valley Independent is the valley’s source of independent news, arts coverage, commentary and culture. We believe in true, honest journalism: We want to afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted. We want to be a mirror for the entire Coachella Valley. We want to inform, enlighten and entertain.
In 2025, we’re going to be focusing on the “afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted” portion by explaining and contextualizing what happens in our community as a result of the Trump administrations action’s (and inactions). If the president-elect does a mere fraction of what he’s promised, we’ll have a lot of stuff—awful, heartbreaking stuff—to cover.
But this month, for the most part, we’re informing, enlightening and entertaining as we celebrate this place we call home.
Note: This is a slightly edited version of the editor’s note that appeared in the December 2024 print edition.
