Possible Iranian Drone Strikes in California? Really?! Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: March 12, 2026

Indy Digest: March 12, 2026

A week ago in this space, I wrote: “As (an undeclared) war goes on in the Middle East, we don’t have to worry much about bomb or missile attacks here in the United States.”

Well … um … ABC News reports:

The FBI warned police departments in California in recent days that Iran could retaliate for American attacks by launching drones at the West Coast, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News.

“We recently acquired unverified information that as of early February 2026, Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United States homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” according to the alert distributed at the end of February. “We have no additional information on the timing, method, target, or perpetrators of this alleged attack.”

The warning came just as the Trump administration launched its ongoing assault against the Islamic Republic. Iran has been retaliating with drone strikes against targets throughout the Mideast.

Now, before you start looking for flights to Nebraska or something, here are a few other details you should know:

• Here’s another line from that ABC News story: “A senior law enforcement official said it’s believed the 12-day bombardment has severely degraded Iran’s capabilities to carry out such an attack.”

• The governor does not seem worried. From CNN: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday there is no ‘imminent threat’ to the state following reports that federal authorities had alerted state officials of unverified claims by Iranian-affiliated actors desiring to conduct potential drone attacks.” According to The New York Times: “‘It’s all about a posture of preparedness for a worst-case scenario,’ Mr. Newsom told reporters during an unrelated news conference.”

• Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said: “I interpret this as an unlikely possibility, and we are being given a heads up. We are an unlikely target. We are one of a few cities in the nation with radar covering the entire city. So, lets go about our business being a great community. Should we learn more, we will let you know. I have full faith and confidence in our federal partners and the US military to keep us safe.”

In other words … the possibility of such attack is low. Very low. The threats are unconfirmed, and Iran may lack the capability of even trying such attacks. And just in case, the powers that be, such as they are, are on alert.

It’s a deeply unpleasant fact that malevolent actors can do bad things at any time, in any place. Look at what happened with the synagogue incident in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., today. And what happened right here in the Coachella Valley, at the American Reproductive Centers building, not quite 10 months ago.

As Chief Mills put it: Let’s go about our business being a great community—and live each day to its fullest, because you never know what tomorrow may bring.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Goldenvoice has announced another one-off fall music festival at the Empire Polo Grounds. Billboard magazine reports: “Goldenvoice will produce a one time only dance megafest, Head Trip, Oct. 10-11 at the Coachella grounds in Indio, Calif. Head Trip follows the tradition of 2016’s Desert Trip and 2023’s Power Trip, which each put on eye-popping lineups of classic rock and classic heavy metal, respectively. Per this framework, Head Trip will feature two days of dance music greats, with Saturday’s bill featuring Calvin Harris, Chris Lake and Fisher performing as Under Construction, Peggy Gou playing b2b with Four Tet and Ben Sterling playing b2b with Seth Troxler. Sunday will feature Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, Dom Dolla b2b Kettama, The Blessed Madonna and DJ Harvey.” Passes go on sale tomorrow (Friday); learn more here.

• You may see signs pop up locally that say: “ICE stole someone here.” The Los Angeles Times tells the tale behind these signs: “Since November, the signs have popped up around the Inland Empire, bringing awareness to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in the area, which activists say might otherwise go unnoticed because they often happen in the early morning. According to (Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice activist Andrea) Galván, the signs keep the stories of local immigrants taken by ICE visible and tangible. ‘Some people say, it wouldn’t happen in my neighborhood. It is, it has,’ said Javier Hernandez, executive director of the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, the organization behind the signs. IC4IJ has organized a network of volunteers who post them throughout Ontario and as far as the Salton Sea. Designed by Pomona artist Jaime Muñoz, the butterfly-adorned signs tell a story of deported community members and the places where they worked, gathered and lived.“

• Here’s an interesting Politico headline: “Newsom railed against Medicaid work requirements—until he didn’t.” Details: “California provides health care for 1.7 million undocumented immigrants not impacted by an upcoming federal requirement that Americans prove they’re employed or meet other criteria to remain enrolled in the government’s free health care program. That left Newsom with a choice: Follow the president’s lead or have a two-tiered system, in which citizens must prove they’re working but undocumented immigrants do not. Newsom chose equity, albeit quietly. Buried in a state budget plan, he included plans to impose the same work requirements on all recipients of Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program, including immigrants living in the country illegally. The decision marked a reversal for Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential contender who has been a vocal critic of Medicaid work requirements in the months since Trump approved them. A reflection of both California’s budget woes and the fraught national climate around immigration, the move was another step back in a retreat by a governor who, in his final year in office, has rolled back gains he made over two terms expanding health care coverage regardless of a person’s immigration status.”

• In other state-government news: You may remember that in 2024, voters approved a bond measure to fund various mental-health initiatives. How’s that going so far? According to our partners at CalMatters … not great: “None of the projects expected in 2025 under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mental health ballot measure have opened, CalMatters has found, even though the governor says the bond is exceeding its goals. Newsom promised that thousands of mental health treatment beds would come out of Proposition 1, a $6.4 billion bond California voters passed by a narrow margin in 2024. But projects in the initial round have hit delays, in some cases pushing back opening dates by two years, or been cancelled. The state awarded nearly half of the money from the bond last spring, kicking off what Newsom described as the fastest distribution of bond funds in California history. When it rolled out that money, the state said it expected 10 of those first 124 projects would be finished by the end of last year. That didn’t happen. CalMatters has confirmed that nine of those projects were delayed, with new completion dates ranging from this summer to summer 2028. One project was cancelled. … The delays in getting Prop. 1 projects built highlight the difficulty of quickly scaling up treatment options to meet the demand for mental health care in California, as well as the challenges of building anything in the state’s expensive and highly competitive real estate market.”

• NPR reports on a new technology: small, easy-to-use solar panels … and utilities are doing their best to keep consumers from getting them: “Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs. That’s because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner’s or renter’s utility bill right away. ‘A year ago, nobody was talking about this,’ says Cora Stryker, co-founder of Bright Saver, a California nonprofit group that advocates for plug-in solar. The panels are already popular in Germany, where more than 1.2 million of the small plug-in systems are registered with the German government. For the panels to become more widely available in the U.S., state lawmakers are proposing bills that eliminate complicated utility connection agreements, which are required for larger rooftop solar installations and, most utilities say, should apply to plug-in solar too. Those agreements, along with permitting and other installation costs, can double the price of solar panels. Utah enacted the first law, last May, supporting plug-in solar, and now some 30 pieces of similar legislation have been introduced around the United States. But the drive toward plug-in solar is facing pushback from electric utilities. They are raising safety concerns and prompting legislators to delay votes on the bills. So far, utilities have won over lawmakers in five states and convinced them to delay votes on plug-in solar bills.“

• We’ll conclude with two pieces showing how NOT normal the current presidential administration is. First, from The Washington Post: “The Defense Department has barred press photographers from briefings on the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran after they published photos of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that his staff deemed ‘unflattering,’ according to two people familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. The March 2 briefing came days after a joint military strike on Iran that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28. It was also the first time the defense secretary had appeared from the briefing room podium since June 26. Several outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images sent photographers to the briefing from Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But after they published photos—which have broad reach because they are licensed by publications globally—members of Hegseth’s staff told colleagues that they did not like the way that the secretary looked. Hegseth’s aides decided to shut out photographers from the two subsequent briefings at the Pentagon, on March 4 and March 10, according to the two people familiar with the decision.” Sigh.

• And finally … as if there weren’t enough evidence that the Trump administration is a little cult-ish and dictator-ish … here’s a story from The Wall Street Journal (unlocked with a gift link): “The hottest and most exclusive MAGA status symbol is a pair of leather oxfords. Prefer a wingtip, loafer or monk strap? Black or brown? President Trump’s got you. ‘All the boys have them,’ said a female White House official. Another joked, ‘It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.’ The shoe-salesman-in-chief is paying attention. Trump has fallen in love with Florsheim, the American brand that’s been pairing comfort and style for more than a century. They’re also affordable: many cost $145. The president has taken to guessing people’s shoe size in front of them. He asks an aide to put in an order and, a week later, a brown Florsheim box arrives at the White House. Trump sometimes signs the box or attaches a note of gratitude, according to people familiar with the ritual. … Recipients have taken to wearing their Florsheims around Trump, some apparently begrudgingly. One cabinet secretary has grumbled that he had to shelve his Louis Vuittons, according to people who heard the complaint.”

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