In the backdrop of the immigration raids across the Coachella Valley, the Thermal community has experienced another betrayal.
On Monday, June 16, the Thermal Community Council turned their backs on the Thermal community during a special listening session about the Thermal Ranch project, a 619-acre luxury housing and equestrian development in the heart of Thermal. The project will further gentrify the small, rural, unincorporated community that has been fighting for years for basic rights like access to clean water and safe housing.
More than 50 community members showed up to urge the council not to sign a letter of support for the development. That’s 2 percent of the 2,676 Thermal residents—a significant turnout by any means.
The community made 1 1/2 hours of poignant and passionate public comments opposing the project, making it clear: We want change. We want growth, but not like this—not based on the unaccountable charity of a luxury developer whose main priority is business and profit.
One community member said, “The horses will have air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. That’s more than some of us who work in the fields have.” Among other luxuries, the plan outlines space for up to 2,700 horses onsite.
Yet the council members voted 4-1 with one abstention to approve the letter of support. This act proved the listening session was a performative gesture instead of an actual attempt to listen and represent the community’s wishes.
Most of the council members were convinced that they need this luxury development. A councilmember argued the revenue from the project will somehow thwart the threat of the cities of La Quinta and Coachella from annexing Thermal. The rest of the council agreed. They were more concerned with the size of city boundaries than the community’s health and well-being. Because of this, the developer walked away with the victory, while the community experienced yet another betrayal.
This kind of governmental betrayal is nothing new for the Coachella Valley. For years, the Coachella Valley community has opposed luxury developments. See the litigation around Disney’s Cotino community. Yet the cities continue to approve these developments. It is a part of a larger trend of cities siding with developers instead of the communities they represent.
The cities, supported by organizations like Visit Greater Palm Springs, approve these projects based on the promise of jobs and tourism revenue. Yet residents rarely see the benefits in their day-to-day life. Instead, residents face mostly dead-end hospitality and service jobs, with stagnant wages. All this is set against the stark rise in the cost of living that tourism brings to the valley, making it challenging for residents to survive.
Thankfully, for the Thermal community, the fight is not over yet. The next phase is for the Thermal Ranch project to go to the Riverside County Planning Commission for approval. The county has said the meeting will be scheduled this summer.
Follow the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability to stay up to date with this project. Join the cause to put a stop to this valley-wide gentrification.
Allyson Jeffredo is a poet, writer, and educator from the Coachella Valley. Read more of her work or connect with her at www.allysonjeffredo.com.
Without Rich developers coming in and paying taxes, they will never have enough taxes from the illegals that are living there to develop anything they want they want they want, but yet they don’t want to get educated and want to work in the fields. They want to have someone give air-conditioning and free housing and food stamps yada yada yada. Those are the things they need their employers to be paying them for not blaming it on the rich who come in and build developments and bring tax dollars.
Thank you for posting this ongoing development situation in Thermal. I was unaware, perhaps purposely so. Creative framing of proposed projects that target a specific audience seems to be a reality.
I /we in my community circle will further investigate with the intention of forging support and change.