Palm Desert City Council - Regular Meeting, March 27, 2025

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[00:27:17] Mayor Harnik: Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome back. And thank you for being patient with us, if you were patient with us. But we had work to do, and we had to take our time to go through the process in the best way possible. So welcome to the Palm Desert City Council meeting for Thursday, March 27th. And do we have any comments from closed session?
[00:27:46] City Attorney: Thank you, Mayor. There's no reportable action for this afternoon.
[00:27:51] Mayor Harnik: Okay, thank you. And would you like to take roll call?
[00:27:57] City Clerk: Councilmember Nan?
[00:27:59] Councilmember Nan: Here.
[00:28:00] City Clerk: Councilmember Petto?
[00:28:01] Councilmember Petto: I am here.
[00:28:02] City Clerk: Councilmember Kia?
[00:28:03] Councilmember Kia: Present.
[00:28:04] City Clerk: Mayor Pro Tem Truby?
[00:28:05] Mayor Pro Tem Truby: Here.
[00:28:06] City Clerk: Mayor Harnik?
[00:28:07] Mayor Harnik: Here.
[00:28:08] City Clerk: All Council is present.
[00:28:09] Mayor Harnik: Thank you so much. And we will now have the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by inspiration from Councilmember Kia.
[00:28:42] Councilmember Kia: Good afternoon, everyone. This last two weeks, I've had different opportunities to look at the ways that we as individuals can do more to care for our neighbors, for our loved ones, and share compassion. All it needs is a little bit of education, and that's how we grow in compassion. From supporting the Blue Envelope program—that was an excellent opportunity that I had in Sacramento—to an earthquake roundtable, and I'll talk about that a little bit longer, but a little later, excuse me. But getting to know your neighbors, we shouldn't wait until an emergency. We learned that from the tropical storm, but have we followed up on that? Are we still building those connections? Let's maintain those connections—present, active, ongoing, and always looking to build more, because that's what makes us a community. Thank you.
[00:29:42] Mayor Harnik: Thank you. Okay, so I went a little out of order. Now, I asked for a report for closed session, but we'll go right into awards, presentations, and appointments. And if anyone's following your agenda, we are going to flip A and B, and we're going to start with the Crime Victims' Rights Week.
[00:30:03] Staff: Proclamation, and Madame Mayor, we're going to begin with a video.
[00:30:14] Video Narrator: Every year, National Crime Victims' Rights Week reminds us not just of the people forever impacted by crime, but of the journey we've taken to bring victims' voices to the forefront. Decades ago, victims had little support, few rights, and little say in the justice process. But today, we've moved forward. We don't just seek justice in the courtroom; we ensure victims are seen, heard, and empowered. This year's theme, 'Lighting the Path Toward Healing,' is more than a phrase. It's a promise—a promise to continue advocating, innovating, and making sure victims are at the center of everything we do. When I think about the impact of crime, I don't just think about statistics. I think about stories behind the lives of the people we impact: the mother who lost her child and turned her grief into advocacy, the survivor of assault who found their voice through art, the families who gather every year holding candles, remembering and refusing to let their loved ones be forgotten. This year marks 45 years of service to victims of crime in Riverside County. We've come so far, not just in supporting victims, but engaging them in new ways, helping them heal through storytelling, giving them a role in shaping laws to protect others, and ensuring their voices reach further than ever before. At our annual candlelight vigils during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, we do more than remember. We honor, we share stories, we provide shared space for collective grieving. We remind our community that behind every crime statistic is a name, a life, and a legacy. Healing doesn't always happen in a courtroom. That's why we hold spaces like our Healing Hearts exhibit, where survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault use art to reclaim their stories. These pieces are more than paint and canvas; they are testimonies of resilience and proof that healing is possible. The victims' rights movement has come a long way, but our work isn't done. We must continue to advocate, to educate, and to ensure that victims have a voice, not just in the justice system, but in shaping laws, policies, and public awareness. Because healing is not just about surviving; it's about lighting a path toward healing, taking tragedy and turning it into change, standing together to ensure that a victim's voice will always be heard.
[00:32:51] Mayor Jan Harnik: We do have a proclamation for this occasion, and I'd like to read it and then hear from you. Whereas, the victims' rights movement has resulted in the passage of laws at the local, state, and federal levels that established essential rights for victims; and whereas, Crime Victims' Rights Acts passed in California and at the federal level have provided victims with ways to participate meaningfully throughout the criminal justice process; and whereas, the rights of crime victims are best protected when all participants in the criminal justice process, not only the victims, are appropriately educated about victims' rights; and whereas, honoring the rights of victims, including the right to be heard and to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect, rebuilds their trust in the criminal justice and social services systems; and whereas, National Crime Victims' Rights Week provides an opportunity to ensure that accessible, appropriate, and trauma-informed services are offered to all victims of crime; and whereas, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Division of Victim Services is dedicated to supporting victims through the criminal justice system and strengthening victims and survivors in the aftermath of crime, building trust and engaging in our communities and our victim service providers, and bringing hope and healing to all victim survivors; now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Jan C. Harnik, Mayor of the City of Palm Desert, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim the week of April 6th through 12th, 2025, as Crime Victims' Rights Week, and express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for those community members, victim service providers, and criminal justice professionals who are committed to improving our response to all victims of...
[00:35:04] Speaker: ...crime. Oh yeah, absolutely. Thank...
[00:35:13] Speaker: ...you. Thank you so much, Mayor Harnik, and to the Council here in Palm Desert. I am so honored to be here and to have the opportunity to receive this Proclamation on behalf of my office at the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
[00:35:26] Speaker: National Crime Victims' Rights Week is a very important cause for us, and this location is very special. We host our candlelight vigils every year just right outside these doors at the park.
[00:35:40] Speaker: And every year, what we see are hundreds of people who come together for one cause, one night. And the most significant thing about that is that everyone who joins us at the vigil has lost a loved one as a result of crime.
[00:35:57] Speaker: For one night every year—and this year it's going to be April 8th on Tuesday—we have the opportunity to come together as a community and support our local community members so that they don't feel alone. Grief, as you all know, is a very lonely feeling. It's something that you would never wish on anyone to experience.
[00:36:18] Speaker: And in one night, we have the opportunity to come together and hear from multiple families, and to have the opportunity to support them as they battle in their grief, and as we join collectively as a community to support them.
[00:36:33] Speaker: So, I think it's also important for you to know that we're here. I have the distinguished honor of supporting this community by serving as the manager of the Victim Services Division here in the desert, which means that it's my job to make sure that we provide good services to the people that have been affected by crime in our community.
[00:36:48] Speaker: And so we want our community to know that help is available. We don't want you to have to discover us because the crime has happened and have to deal with the referral at that point. We want you to know in advance that if someone you know in your community has been affected, we're here to help.
[00:37:08] Speaker: I also want to thank our fellow law enforcement and first responders here. We can't do the work that we do without you, and so it's very important that you all know this is a very special venue, and we're so grateful to the City for everything that you do to support us. Thank you.
[00:37:29] Mayor Jan Harnik: And I do encourage you, if you've never been to this evening, it is an evening of hope and of healing. And if you can be there April 8th in Civic Center Park at the amphitheater, it's worth it to have a greater understanding of what it is that happens and all the efforts made. Thank you.
[00:37:47] Speaker: And just a reminder, I put some flyers out for the event for everyone to grab, so please take one if you'd like one. Thank you.
[00:37:53] Mayor Jan Harnik: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:37:58] Mayor Jan Harnik: Okay, the next... is there... who's getting the water conservation? Who's receiving it? Louise?
[00:38:15] Mayor Jan Harnik: Okay, I will go ahead. We participate each year in Water Conservation Month, and it's important everywhere, but of course, here in the desert, it is critically important. So I'm going to read the proclamation. I want you also to know—I actually see him trotting—that you might applaud him when he walks. This has got this moment, this Olympic moment as he walks in. But on our website, there are ways that you can conserve water and ways you can help this effort, so please take a look.
[00:39:02] Mayor Jan Harnik: So, Louise. 'Whereas, the City of Palm Desert, in conjunction with the Coachella Valley Water District, continues to explore ways to conserve water and use it wisely as our most precious natural resource;'
[00:39:17] Mayor Jan Harnik: 'And whereas, the City of Palm Desert recognizes that how we manage water today will affect our future generations directly;'
[00:39:24] Mayor Jan Harnik: 'And whereas, from April 1st to April 30th, 2025, the City of Palm Desert wishes to inspire its residents to take the Wyland National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation by making a series of online pledges to reduce their impact on the environment;'
[00:39:45] Mayor Jan Harnik: 'And whereas, by leading by example, the City of Palm Desert can become a better environmental steward for our residents and neighboring communities;'
[00:39:55] Mayor Jan Harnik: 'Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Janey Harnik, Mayor of the City of...'
[00:40:00] Speaker: Palm Desert, California, along with the entire City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2025 as City of Palm Desert Water Conservation Month and urge all residents to conserve water and reduce their impact on the environment. We'll take a picture. We're going to...
[00:40:53] Speaker: Next item on our agenda is, I think, one of everyone's favorites: the Youth and Government presentation by Family YMCA of the Desert.
[00:41:15] Milo Morel: Good afternoon. My name is Milo Morel, a former Youth in Government president and current senior in high school. Joined with me is Riley and Skyla, the current president and vice president. I've been in this program for the past three years, and it has been incredibly amazing. This program runs deep in my family, all the way back to my grandpa as an adviser, my mom also an adviser, and my older brother and sister as delegates, but also the president of the delegation. And as I went through the program, I decided to keep the legacy going and run for president, and I got the position my freshman year. Before joining Youth in Government, I was completely against joining or even having anything to do with the program. I thought it sounded boring and a waste of my time. Why would I want to spend one night a week talking about politics with a bunch of random people I have no idea who they are? After convincing from family and friends, I finally decided to go out to a meeting and I gave it a shot. Just from that one meeting, I was hooked. I truly don't think I've missed a meeting since. I came to realize that it was more than just a group of smart people talking about politics. It was a group of people that came together every week for a common interest, debating politics, but most importantly, making new friends and relationships outside of our local delegation. My junior year, I took a leap of faith and ran for youth governor of the entire Youth and Government program, a program that consists of over 3,000 high school students from all over California. Although I didn't come out with a win, I feel like I won through the experience. It taught me putting yourself out there can be one of the most beneficial things in life. The connections I've made, lessons I've learned will forever stick with me through life. Youth and Government is not purely a simulation; it's a society where young minds are forged into informed and engaged citizens. We learn the intricacies of government, from crafting legislation to understanding parliamentary procedure and navigating the complex rules of debate. We grapple with complex issues but also throw in a bit of fun, from environmental policies to the best type of food, developing critical thinking skills and communication skills essential for effective participation in our democracy. We learn to research, analyze, and articulate our positions, skills that are valuable in any field but especially vital in the realm of public service. For instance, we could think about a bill concerning increased funding for after-school programs. This involves not only understanding the budgetary implications but also gathering data on programs' impact on crime rates and academic performance. We consider diverse perspectives: those of taxpayers, parents, and the students themselves. Hands-on experiences like these teach us the importance of evidence-based policymaking, a principle that I know is central to your work as well. It also taught us the importance of collaboration and compromise as we work hard with delegates who held different views to find common ground and craft a bill that could garner majority support. Specifically, as a city council, you understand the importance of local legislation. Youth and Government at its core mimics the very process you engage in. We, as participants, learn to research, draft, and debate bills that address real-world issues impacting our communities. We learn to understand the impact of policy decisions on our lives, the lives of our...
[00:45:02] Student Speaker: families and the lives of our neighbors. This experience provides us with a foundational understanding of the very work you do, giving us a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing our city. We learn about the complexities of balancing competing interests, the importance of compromise, and the need for transparency and accountability in government. We also learned the importance of engagement, how to effectively communicate with the people we represent, and how to ensure their voices are heard in the decision-making process. Youth and Government fosters a sense of civic responsibility. It teaches us that our voices matter, that our participation is essential, and that we have a duty to contribute to the betterment of our communities. It cultivates a generation of informed and engaged citizens who are prepared to take on the challenge of the future. And let us be clear, the young people actively participating in Youth and Government are not just the future of this city, but the future of this country. As I prepare to graduate and embark on the next chapter of my life, I carry with me the lessons I've learned and the experiences I've gained through Youth and Government. I am confident that this program has prepared me to be a responsible and engaged citizen, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated. Thank you.
[00:46:19] Council Member: Thank you. Thank you so much. Are we going to hear anything from you? No? Yes, we're open to questions. Okay, are there any questions of our Youth and Government attendees? What was—I want to ask, what was your favorite part of being in Sacramento? Um, well, you guys can answer. There you go.
[00:46:43] Riley Stendell: Hi, my name is Riley Stendell. I am the current vice president. I think my favorite part of Sacramento is just meeting everyone from all over the state. We get to—I get to participate in group settings with kids I've never met, and it is oftentimes really scary, but just meeting them and getting to participate in like mock legislation is really interesting, and I have a lot of fun meeting all the new people.
[00:47:16] Skyla: Hi, my name is Skyla, the president of Youth and Government. At Sacramento, I was able to gain a lot of skills that not only help me as a student now, but help me as a person I've become in the future. I believe that the skills that I've gained at Sacramento will help me in my upcoming path through what I want to do in my life. And I feel that the people that I've met and the people I've been able to have debates with and just normal conversations with are people that I've learned to have different interests, and it's helped me to become a better person when it comes to understanding someone else's point of view today. So I just felt that Sacramento has helped me not only become a better person personally, but helped me in my education and my future path of life. Thank you.
[00:48:03] Council Member: Wonderful. Any questions or comments?
[00:48:06] Council Member: I'll just say, yes, so you are our youth and you are our future, and I expect great things will happen to all three of you. And congratulations, and yes, thank you. And I'll share with you just a little thing: my daughter went through that program, she now is a legislative director, lives in Sacramento, and works for Assemblywoman Rubio and loves every minute of it. And it all started with the YMCA in this program.
[00:48:41] Council Member: Of course. I'm not sure if it was last year or the year before that, Council Member, Mayor Pro Tem Trusty, Mayor Harnik, and I attended one of the sessions. When is the next one? That was a lot of fun.
[00:48:57] Council Member: We look back at the advisor. When's the schedule planning? When would you like to have us? She's very nervous, she doesn't want to say 'you're not invited back'.
[00:49:05] Council Member: Say, is there something going on that you don't invite us anymore? Did we do something wrong, or...
[00:49:09] Advisor: No, no, I'd love to have you guys, yeah. To be determined, I'd love to have you guys again. We plan on our meetings starting at the beginning of the next school year, that would be around the end of August, early September. But we do plan on having get-togethers and fundraisers to help the—to help our club grow while we're away from our meetings.
[00:49:30] Council Member: So they're going to invite us to the fundraiser.
[00:49:35] Council Member: Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us. Thank you.
[00:49:48] City Manager: Okay, City Manager comments. Mayor and Council, I'd like to invite Lieutenant Porras up. He has a brief presentation on e-bikes, and he'd also like to introduce a couple of our new...
[00:50:06] Speaker: Good afternoon, everybody. So, I want to talk about e-bikes. I know we mentioned this topic, we've been doing some outreach, I've talked about it in the Public Safety Committee, but I wanted to get the message out because we're getting toward the end of our education on this and ready to take enforcement. So, e-bikes are gaining popularity across California. They're an environmentally friendly and efficient mode of transportation, but there's a lot of confusion on the types of e-bikes that people buy. And this message is really for the parents out there, and I want to make sure they're educated. Anytime I say something too fast, or if somebody needs some information, I want you to know that you can call our Palm Desert station and talk to Sergeant Don Olsen, and he can give you all the information I'm about to share.
[00:50:56] Speaker: So, let's go back to the next slide, please. So, really quick, Class 1 e-bike is something that is pedal-assisted, and it can go up to 20 miles an hour. There's no age limit, but everybody under age 18 needs to wear a helmet. Next, please. Class 2 is a low-speed, throttle-assisted bicycle, and this can go up to 20 miles an hour. All right. And again, there's no age limit. All people need to wear helmets when it comes to under the age of 18. And this is where it comes to the tricky part: Class 3 go up to 28 miles an hour. These are only for kids 16 years of age and older, and they must wear a helmet.
[00:51:42] Speaker: And the crux, and the real reason I'm here about to share this information, is the next one: these electric motorcycles that we're starting to see in Palm Desert. They're not an issue, and we're trying to tackle that before it becomes an issue. City of Temecula, beach cities are having a huge problem with these electric dirt bikes. Please consider them what they are: dirt bikes. They're not allowed anywhere within the city of Palm Desert, anywhere. If you can ride a dirt bike legally somewhere, do it. These are the bikes that you can use. They seem like a lot of fun, but these things can go anywhere from 40 to 60 miles an hour, and that's not something our kids need to be riding. This is where it becomes dangerous, that these kids that are riding these bikes don't know how to operate them in a safe manner, and this is where our next accident could happen, and we're trying to avoid that.
[00:52:41] Speaker: So please, as a parent, know what you're buying your kids. Technically, if we find somebody—and we've already stopped a couple of adults that bought these thinking that, hey, it's just a great way to commute to work. Unfortunately, that's not the case. They need to be registered through the DMV, which is not very likely going to happen because they're not designed to be registered through the DMV, and you also need to have a motorcycle license. So you think you're going to work in an economically friendly way; the next thing you can do is you can get a citation and you can get it impounded for 30 days. And these things cost about $3,000 to $5,000. And parents are buying them for kids, and if you find a kid on one of these, they can be towed. All of a sudden, you're going to have to call Mom and Dad, explain why their bike was towed, and then get a ticket. And that's a ticket—basically, you get a citation for not having a license, and that's going to impact your provisional license status, so you may not be able to get a license up until 18 years of age.
[00:53:51] Speaker: So like I said before, it's something that we're starting to see here and there, but we really want to make sure that the message is clear: do not ride these in the city of Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, or anywhere in the valley, because they're going to get towed and people aren't going to be happy. But unfortunately, we're doing it for everybody's safety.
[00:54:10] Speaker: So, the next thing I want to share really quick is, I'm always up here talking about scams, unfortunately. And recently, out of our station, we arrested somebody for trying to extort somebody because of their immigration status. So luckily, that person ended up calling us, and we were able to make an arrest. So we want to let people know, please, if you feel like you're being a victim, somebody's trying to extort some money from you because of your immigration status, please do not hesitate and call us. We're here to help. There's avenues for there, and we want to make sure that message is out there, that oftentimes people are afraid to call or contact law enforcement because of it. But please, give us a call. We're here to help. And last thing before I present our...
[00:55:00] Staff Member: ...two new staff members is on. I know you were talking about the hillside earlier. On April 9th, Stacy Austin—I'm sorry, on—it's going to be, yeah, April 9th between 8:00 and 10:00 o'clock, Stacy Austin and some of the staff from the city are going to be at Homie Adams Park giving out some educational pamphlets regarding hiking up in the desert, regarding private property, and making sure that everybody uses our hillside in the proper way. So that's something we're looking forward to. And last, last but certainly not least, I want you to come up here. I want to introduce our two new staff members to the SET team and Business District team.
[00:55:44] Staff Member: So first, we have Deputy Keith Granados. He started with our department in 2020 and had worked the jail, and then recently came out to our Palm Desert station in 2022. And as of last month, he was on our Special Enforcement Team and our Business District team. And the next person is Deputy Christen Ly. He started with our department in 2019 and also worked the jail, and started at the Palm Desert station in 2021 and was assigned to our Special Enforcement Teams and Business District team. So, just two new people. I want you to, when you're out and about, say hi to them. They're working with the Palm Desert team, looking forward to all the great things they're going to do. So welcome and thank you. That's it for me. Do you guys have any questions?
[00:56:35] Council Member: Thank you for the report, and welcome to our new deputies. We already hired the two motorcycle...?
[00:56:45] Staff Member: That's correct, and they were supposed to be here, but one was in court, so that's my next introduction. I didn't want to take the lack, you know, I want to make sure both of them were here. So they were going to be presented, but next time I have the opportunity, I'm going to present those two new staff members.
[00:57:02] Council Member: Okay. And then did these two new awesome hires—are they part of the six that we were going to get? Weren't there going to be two motor and then six additional?
[00:57:10] Staff Member: No, these were some vacancies that we had on our team, so they're filling those vacancies.
[00:57:15] Council Member: Thank you very much, I appreciate that. Awesome, thank you.
[00:57:20] Staff Member: Anything else?
[00:57:21] Council Member: No. Is there some way we can put a link or communicate about the e-bikes so that when people go onto the City of Palm Desert, there'll be a link where they know to get in touch? Is it Sergeant Don Olson?
[00:57:35] Staff Member: Sergeant Don Olson. What we've also done is we've gone out to the schools, our local high school and our local middle schools, and we're giving this information out through our outreach because we want to get the kids. Obviously, they're the ones that are using these things, they think they're great. So we've done that, but we'll definitely link up and make sure there's something out there for everybody.
[00:57:56] Council Member: We can help with that. That would be great.
[00:57:58] Staff Member: We'll do. Thank you.
[00:58:00] Council Member: May I suggest also the Visitor Center? We get people from out of the area that may not be part of that campaign, that may think, 'In my town, this was okay,' without knowing if they're here for a few days versus a few weeks, and they may want it to be an option.
[00:58:13] Staff Member: Perfect, we'll do. Thank you.
[00:58:15] Mayor: Thank you so much. Okay, is there any—that's it for City Manager comments, correct, ma'am?
[00:58:22] City Manager: Correct, ma'am.
[00:58:25] Mayor: Okay, thank you. So we'll move to Council Member reports and requests for action, and these are items where we want to share with our community members information they may need. Can we start with Council Member Petto?
[00:58:39] Council Member Petto: Last—two weeks ago on Friday, I witnessed our team come together in a way that the public and I could never really appreciate unless I saw it. I started the day off with our Public Works team and the guys who go out and literally shovel mud and get trees out of roadways so that people could get to work and live their lives. And then I finished the night with the grand opening of the Fashion Week to see the whole other spectrum of what we do. So I want to say kudos to all of our team that makes the city run in such a way that we attract something like that, and to the Palm Springs Life team and the team from Palm Desert to help put that event on. It was a big success. So, I know I saw Thomas and Bea out there working and babysitting everyone. You guys did a great job, so thank you to you, and additional kudos to our Public Works guys who just go without a lot of recognition. So thank you, Randy, for you and your team.
[00:59:40] Mayor: Thank you. Council Member Kia?
[00:59:43] Council Member Kia: Thank you, Madame Mayor. Yesterday, I was in Sacramento. I was invited by our Senator, Rosalia Chabo. She reached out and said she has introduced legislation, co-sponsored in the Assembly by local...
[01:00:01] Councilmember: Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez to have the blue envelope program go statewide. Right now, it is only in use by Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino counties. It's used in four states, and they're seeking support. And I was proud to be part of the press conference, not only to advocate for some of the reasons that Palm Desert is very supportive and forward-thinking of how to support individuals with autism, but to hear some of the benefits. And I learned that a Riverside Deputy recently received an envelope when they pulled someone over, and their envelope said, 'I have had a stroke.' And that's powerful because did this individual not know? They could have seen this woman is slurring her speech, and if she gets pulled out of the vehicle, her balance—she may not pass the field sobriety test. And instead of being arrested for drunk driving, they understood this person has a medical condition. This would be a voluntary program, and there's so many good opportunities. So, I'm hoping that the Council will take it under consideration to not only support this as a city, but take this forth to CVAG possibly, so we can do this as a region and show the support. And special thank you to Erica Gano. She helped me put a pamphlet together, or a booklet, that had the envelopes, and none of the other legislators had them present, so they were able to see it. And they were also very interested in the programs that we've had, such as the autism certification reimbursement program. They're very impressed with what we do, so Palm Desert continues to lead the way. Another opportunity was as part of the Environmental Quality Policy Committee meeting where we talked about earthquakes. We recently had a roundtable, and our Public Works Director was able to participate virtually. And we learned that there is a statewide Assembly Bill that is coming forward to allow the State of California to provide financial support for small communities that don't qualify for FEMA. There was a city, I think in Rio Dell up north, they had a big earthquake, 500 aftershocks, but they are a small community and completely off of FEMA's radar. We learned that it would take $63 million as the threshold to qualify. Riverside County helps to do this collaboratively, but I think that this is something that we can do statewide to help all of our neighbors. Part of that request was also to look at how we can do more to centralize our efforts for CERT training and activate that as a network, and asked if we could look at the Palm Desert housing units specifically to know how many homebound residents we have, so in case of an emergency, our apartment managers would know, 'Check on these folks.' It's not that they're not answering because they're not home; it could be they just can't get out of bed. So again, the more that we can do to support. Again, I would present that as an opportunity both to look into issuing our support for the Assembly Bill for supporting small communities in terms of natural disasters, and Senate Bill 664, the blue envelope program, and also bring that forward to CVAG. We always do much greater—we succeed as a region. And Food and Wine Festival, it was great to see our sister cities represented, and they were one of the large sponsors to see their chefs presenting and have that opportunity to exhibit why we've been a sister city. And maybe next year we could have Gisborne, New Zealand come and join us, too. But my big ask is that we support these Senate bills that help our community. So, can I get your support?
[01:04:17] Councilmember: We'd like to see the bill so that we can—I support reviewing the bill, yes.
[01:04:23] Councilmember: That was the ask, that if we could bring it forward, look at sponsoring, and if possible, bring it forward to CVAG.
[01:04:30] Councilmember: That sounds reasonable. Very good. I have no comments this evening, thank you.
[01:04:36] Mayor: Okay. Mayor Pro Tem?
[01:04:38] Mayor Pro Tem: Yeah, just I want to echo Joe's comments a bit, or actually everybody's comments regarding the Food and Wine Festival. It was—I was able to attend the opening night—I'm sorry, Fashion Week, beg your pardon, got them mixed up. Fashion Week. It was—and I just note that every year just seems to get a bit more prestigious, and I'm just so proud that we're able to host it. I'm proud that we have visitors from all...
[01:05:01] Mayor: ...over the world who come to Palm Desert and get to go back home and sing our praises for us and the work of Shelby, Amy, and I know Thomas was there as well. I know their other staff were involved, maybe behind the scenes I didn't see, but I'm just so, so pleased with all the work you've done and so thankful for what you did. And then, of course, Food & Wine came after that, the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday after Fashion Week. And I was fortunate enough, Ms. Ortega, Rosemary Ortega from our Sister Cities Foundation, brought the contingent. I was able to meet the group from Zihuatanejo, our sister city, I think that's proper, Ixtapa, and I got to—it was just fascinating. And Luis as well, thank you for serving as the translator. But it was just reinforced that that was the exact right city to choose as our sister city. We share so much in common: tourism as the number one driver, founded about the same time as we were founded, and all the things just lined up. It was fascinating, worthwhile, and I love the cultural exchange. So thank you so much for doing that.
[01:06:06] Mayor: Thank you. Just a couple items I do want to mention. The AZA, which is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, is in town. And it is in town, and this is an international program. It is in town, there's 1,100 attendees. It's here because of The Living Desert, so we should always remember how special The Living Desert is. And if you haven't been there for a while, please go and understand how great it is. And they convened this morning, and they just have a couple days. Also, I attended a homeowners association event we had right here in this chamber. And the reason I bring it up, it was a great event, it was full of information, and I want everybody to know, anyone who should live in a homeowners association, the City is a resource for you. Ryland did a great job pulling it all together, I know it wasn't easy, but please remember we're a resource for you and check in with us, and we're always happy to help you. The other thing is today, most of us were at the Senior Inspiration Awards. This was the 33rd annual. It was started by our own City Councilmember Jean Benson and Supervisor Roy Wilson. And we honored Dave McFarlan, who is one of our Citizens on Patrol, and it was wonderful seeing him honored and all he does for our city. He is an amazing person. He's a doctor, he's a PhD, he's a research scientist. He retired, and now he is one of our Citizens on Patrol, and he does amazing things. He helps everybody out. You see him at every event. You saw him, I'm sure, at Food & Wine and at Fashion Week. So when you see him, please congratulate him and remember that's a great opportunity for a lot of people to volunteer as a Citizen on Patrol, a COP. And we are very proud to be able to recognize and celebrate him. And those are my comments. So we'll move to non-agenda public comments. I do have a few blue cards, and we'll start with Ken Somalo from Indian Wells, who is always so positive. And please, please correct me with the pronunciation.
[01:08:35] Ken Somalo: That's good enough, thank you. It's Somalo. Okay, thank you. Honorable Mayor, members of the Council, my name is Ken Somalo. I'm the Public Works Director for the City of Indian Wells. I'm here today to express my appreciation and thanks to your staff, specifically Randy Chavez, Robert Becerra, Julia Brier, and Martin Alvarez for their assistance with the traffic that we had for the tennis tournament. Specifically, Warner Trail and Fred Waring, that intersection. We had struggles there on Friday, March 7th. I texted Randy at 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night. He responded to me at 9:01 on Friday night and said that they are ready to help. Robert Becerra showed up to that intersection first thing in the morning to assist the Sheriff's Department with signal control and made a huge difference in the traffic. So I want—this is exceptional service, and I wanted to express my appreciation for your staff. They're wonderful to work with, and that's the first reason I'm here. The second reason is on a lighter note. For the record, I'd like to express a complaint about Andrea Staley for organizing a Palm Desert municipal softball team that regularly beats the Indian Wells softball team by mercy rule. They don't just beat us, they beat us by mercy rule. That means 15 runs or more. So I'd like to express my complaint about that, Madam Mayor.
[01:10:00] Speaker: Members of the council, you have a great staff. We thank you and we applaud them. I'm available to answer questions. I just want to thank you for being such a great neighbor.
[01:10:08] Council Member: Any other comments or questions? What was the score?
[01:10:12] Speaker: We only knew that we were down by 15. I guess that's enough. Yeah, yeah, thank you. It was merciful. Well, thank you so much.
[01:10:21] Mayor: Yes, ma'am. Okay. Uh, Mike MCH, please.
[01:10:37] Mike MCH: Thank you, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, council members, staff. I'd like to say something in regard to the Air Quality Management District Rule 1111, 1121. As Council Member Nancy knows, they've made a change up on the requirement to change over from gas water heaters and HVAC units to electric as a mandatory option. Some homes and new construction would be in 2026, some 2027, some things in 2028, such as mobile homes. They've backed away from that due to public outcry. Their records are, and they stated, 80% against doing this type of a change from gas heaters and furnaces to electric. It was 80% against, only 20% probably really didn't understand what they were doing. So after public speaking on this to various clubs throughout the Coachella Valley, now I have to go back and give them the good news. So anyway, thank you, Gina, for your input on this. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you so much.
[01:11:59] Mayor: Okay. And our final blue card is Rosemary Orga.
[01:12:12] Rosemary Orga: Madame Mayor and our Mayor Pro Tem and members of the City Council, my name is Rosemary Orga. I'm president of Palm Desert Sister Cities Foundation, and I'm here to give you a very brief report on the participation of our delegates that came from our sister city of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. They brought two chefs, Felipe and Antonio Meneses, the tourism director of the municipality, a member representing the office of Visitors & Conventions Bureau, and someone representing one of the hotels. They did a beautiful job in participating. They had, I believe it was sold out for their brunch on Sunday, and they participated in everything, had a beautiful booth there to not only represent the twin city resort destination, which is our sister city, but also to welcome and invite folks from our city, residents as well as others from the valley, to come and visit. They did a beautiful job. And I'm also here to thank Mayor—I mean, Mayor Pro Tem Evan Trubee, who was there to welcome and greet our visitors. He had a lot of questions, and they were there to also exchange more information, so we really appreciate your being there and welcoming them, giving them a warm welcome to our city. And I also want to acknowledge and thank Amy Lawrence, who is obviously a member of our staff here in Economic Development, and also Luis Moctezuma, who also sits at our board meetings representing the city, as well as Gina, who will now be—excuse me, Council Member Nestande, who will now be on our board as well representing the City Council. So I thank you. I thank you very much. This was something that we started last year. I took a trip down there last March to promote our sister city relationship, to continue to collaborate, and to invite them to participate in Food & Wine, our signature event. I do feel very—it's very important to reach out beyond our borders, and that's why I have served on this—used to be a committee of our city and now a foundation—and I have served for about 26 years. I'm very proud to be a part of it. I really believe in citizen diplomacy, which is what President Eisenhower started after World War II, believing that we could reduce worldwide conflicts by reaching out to communities outside our country. So I am here to thank you again for welcoming them, welcoming our guests, and I will...
[01:15:01] Speaker: I'll have more of a full report that I will do in writing to the Council and to the City. But thank you very much, and I acknowledge again those folks that I already acknowledged. And it's good to be here in these Chambers. Thank you. Thank you, Madame Mayor.
[01:15:18] Clerk: For those on Zoom, if you want to participate in public comment, please click the raise hand button on your computer or smartphone. If you're calling in on your phone, please dial *9 to raise your hand, and when called upon, press *6 to unmute yourself. And Madame Mayor, I have no public comments online.
[01:15:37] Mayor: Thank you very much. We'll now then move to the consent calendar, and I do have a blue card for one of them, so we will pull that, and it is 13i. Is there anything else that anyone would like to pull?
[01:15:55] Council Member: Sorry, 13d like dog, please.
[01:16:03] Mayor: D, okay. And I. Is there anything... and that is okay. Is there anything else that anyone would like to pull?
[01:16:15] Council Member: I'll move the balance.
[01:16:19] Council Member: Okay, I did have one thing and I was scrambling to find it, which is 13j. I just have a quick comment. And um, I'm trying to figure out how to do this appropriately. Oh no, you know what, it is also 13i, so I don't need to.
[01:16:37] Mayor: Okay, so we're moving the balance, everything but I and D.
[01:16:39] Council Member: I'll make a second.
[01:16:42] Mayor: Okay, can we have a vote, please?
[01:16:51] Clerk: Motion passes 5 to 0.
[01:16:55] Mayor: We'll now move to 13d, El Paseo delivery truck concerns. Is there anyone here that we need to address this?
[01:17:07] Martine Alers: Good evening, Mayor, members of City Council. Martine Alers, Director of Economic Development. Happy to answer any questions you may have, or I can give you kind of just a brief update of what we found recently.
[01:17:18] Council Member: Thanks, Martine, I appreciate it. And I know this is something I asked for due to concerns that were expressed by a few business owners and residents along El Paseo. In the staff report, it sounds like the issue that was addressed was simply delivery trucks. And I understand that... well, two things. You know, is there any way to distinguish what's a delivery truck from just a regular old commercial truck that's going down, that's not making deliveries and using El Paseo? And, you know, between the... I understand delivery trucks are necessary to bring the goods that people need, the shops need on El Paseo, but is there any way to distinguish between the two?
[01:18:02] Martine Alers: We can certainly look into that a little bit further. Obviously, there's some businesses on El Paseo that have the rear access for deliveries, and typically the deliveries are basically on the street. They park the truck and then deliver the goods. But we'll have to look at the vehicle code and see what that definition is in terms of a service vehicle versus a delivery vehicle, and we can report back to you on that.
[01:18:30] Mayor: Right, and I... good question. I just... I can't... I just have one last thought. Okay, I just want to ask you a question when you finish.
[01:18:34] Council Member: Yeah, I just... I don't imagine that there's much call for a traditional commercial truck that's not doing deliveries to go down El Paseo, but I'd just like to... I don't want to make any assumption, I just want to make sure. It seems like that's one problem we could solve if there are non-delivery trucks going down. But besides that, I respect the opinions of that Business Improvement District, El Paseo BID. So that was kind of my question: why would they... would that be a shortcut down El Paseo to go a little faster? I mean, yeah, so I just don't know why somebody would do that. But I understand, I heard their expressions because there are some businesses with no rear access, so they're kind of stuck there. I mean, it wasn't designed perfectly.
[01:19:24] Council Member: But I did get a complaint just this week, somebody who wasn't even aware this was on the agenda texting me a picture of a large flatbed truck. And many delivery trucks have, you know, cabins, and so I don't know what this truck was doing. It could have been delivering, but it was empty. And the comment was, 'It's tough to enjoy a cup of coffee or lunch on El Paseo with this noisy thing going by.' So I respect the retailers. Also, I don't think this is something we abandon, but we keep in the back of our mind as we...
[01:20:01] Councilmember: Look for solutions. I agree. Can we modify possibly the definition? I mean, in the sense that we know there may be large pieces of furniture that they can't navigate from the rear. Can we say if you have to bring a large vehicle, it has to be during these evening hours? Is there a compromise? Because obviously, we don't want to say nobody can unless you don't have rear access, because that just makes it so much more nuanced. But possibly a policy that says no large trucks during these hours.
[01:20:36] Staff: Mayor and Council, if I may, the truck route map is a component of the Mobility Plan, which is currently under review by the Development Services team. So that is an item that staff is studying and will come forth to you in the coming months.
[01:20:47] Councilmember: Thank you. Okay, great, because I just want to make sure we're not micromanaging, and we want to ensure that goods get delivered properly and not put up roadblocks as well. So there is going to be a fine balance. And I think I had... I think Councilmember, I got the same call about the trucks, and I think the issue was the speed of it as well. I think that was one of the concerns, if it was the same call. But anyway, I'm ready to...
[01:21:20] Councilmember: Good news is we're going to have raised crosswalks, so they're all going to slow down.
[01:21:26] Councilmember: Um, is there anything else? Just, I think limiting hours might be a nice compromise because we want to obviously serve the retailers, make sure they get what they need, restaurant tours, but also preserve the quality of the experience for what I consider a world-class tourism destination. So that would, I think, be the avenue we want to pursue. I look forward to getting that report back so that we can review it.
[01:21:48] Staff: Absolutely, we'll look into that. Also, there's other opportunities to look at sort of the vehicle rating and weights of some of these vehicles, because typically you have like the Amazon truck, UPS, that normally just come and stop and go. But there might be another opportunity for us to limit the size and the weight of some of these other vehicles.
[01:22:09] Councilmember: Thank you. I'll move the item.
[01:22:11] Councilmember: Second.
[01:22:13] Mayor: May we have a vote, please?
[01:22:17] Mayor: Motion passes 5 to 0. Thank you.
[01:22:21] Mayor: Okay, the next is 13i that was pulled. We do have a blue card. This is to review the 2024 calendar year General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports and authorize submittal to the Governor's Office of Planning and Research and Department of Housing and Community Development. The blue card is from Donald Ziggler. Please state your name and residence, and you have three minutes.
[01:22:52] Donald Ziggler: Good afternoon, thank you. Excuse me, I'm Donald Ziggler. I live in Palm Desert. As you said, these comments are in reference to item 13i in the consent calendar. Pardon me. The agenda item calls for the approval of the status update of the city's General Plan. The plan includes several policies that concern the city's response to the extreme heat experienced by the city in the summer months. The status update to be approved includes several policies that address that concern and, if fully implemented, would go a long way to adequately protect City residents from the impact of extreme summer heat. I provided a written list of the policies and action items in the plan, and I hope you had a chance to read them and to look at them. I hope you would agree that in these policies, the city's government recognizes that the extreme summer heat here is a safety and sustainability issue that the city has some responsibility to mitigate. The reliable delivery of electricity to run our air conditioners 24/7 is an essential part of that mitigation. The fact that Goal 5 in the policies does not include any mention of electricity as a vital utility, I thought was something sadly missing. This all leads to my concern that while there are serious policies in place in the plan to protect citizens from extreme summer heat, not enough is being done to implement them, and the plan ignores the elephant in the room. To live safely in Palm Desert, we need reliable and resilient electrical power. The risk of a power outage in the summer here is very high, and the consequences of an outage lasting more than a day or even less would be catastrophic. The city's reliance on the SCE grid is a bad gamble, and other sources of power need to be urgently explored. Just in the last few weeks, we have witnessed a massive power outage at Heathrow Airport because of a substation...
[01:25:00] Public Speaker: Imagine if a substation fire happened here. We have also learned of Volt Typhoon during this recent fiasco in Washington, in which the federal government knows of the existence of foreign governments that they can shut down the electrical grid at any time they choose. We've also learned that the federal government will be shutting down FEMA if the power goes out in Southern California for an extended period in the summer. There will be no help coming. We will need to rely on our own preparation and resources to respond to it. And finally, we can no longer look for federal grants to finance any mitigation we plan to put in place. So not only is the Council now completely responsible for keeping our citizens safe from the heat, you're also now completely responsible for paying for whatever you continue—for whatever you come up with to do it. Thank you.
[01:26:04] Councilmember: Thank you. My question is simple. I thank you for all the work that's gone into this. It's comprehensive, and I appreciate it. I would suggest that we have a study session because the housing element is so important. So could we just have an overview for the Council to bring us all up to date? I mean, we go through the process with the housing element getting accepted, and I just wonder if we might be able to do that coming up. I support what we have here. I believe, though, the information would be good information for the Council.
[01:26:49] Mayor Harnik: We can certainly do so. Do I have any support on that? Okay, great. Thank you. So now we—let's—I'll entertain a motion on 13i.
[01:27:00] Councilmember: Moved.
[01:27:02] Councilmember: Second.
[01:27:03] Mayor Harnik: We have a vote, please.
[01:27:07] Mayor Harnik: Motion passes 5 to 0. Thank you. Okay, there's nothing on the action calendar, and so we'll move to public hearings, and that is 15a: a public hearing to approve an amendment to disposition development and loan agreement and related resolutions for Arc Village project with Chelsea Investment Corporation pursuant to H&S Section 33433. Who will be presenting that?
[01:27:39] Veronica Chavez: I will be presenting tonight, Madam Mayor. Good afternoon, Mayor Harnik and members of the City Council. Veronica Chavez, Director of Finance. I'm subbing tonight for Jessica Gonzalez. As a partner to Chelsea Investments on the affordable housing project known as Arc Village, the board approved conveyance of the land plus $3 million to assist with the development. The location of the project is near Country Club, and it's noted here above in the vicinity map. And then you have the overhead picture here of the land. The developer has since requested an amendment to purchase the land at a fair market value of $1.68 million and an increase to the loan from the Authority to facilitate the purchase. Doing so will create an exemption and reduce the construction cost by 20% to ensure the affordability requirements can be met and the tax credits award can be maintained. The amendment also recognizes the change in the number of bedrooms for the manager, as well as the condition for a secondary emergency access through Los Serenus. All other terms of the agreement remain effectively or relatively the same, with repayment of the loan anticipated at the end of the term. No comments were received by the public during the two-week notice period, and HCD has reviewed and provided acceptance of the exemption. That basically concludes my report. Staff, the developer, and the consultant are available if you have any questions. Thank you.
[01:29:21] Mayor Harnik: Thank you. Are there any questions on this item? Questions? No? Okay, then we will open the public hearing. And is there—are there anyone who would like to address this issue?
[01:29:41] Staff: No hands in public or no public comment online, Madam Mayor.
[01:29:47] Mayor Harnik: Okay. And would the applicant like to address it? Although I don't see it necessary. Okay. Well, we've opened the hearing and see no one. I think we can close it also, so...
[01:30:02] Speaker: We'll close the public hearing. And are there any comments? I know this project has been going on for a long time, we've been wanting to get to this point, and it's exciting to know we are at this stage and look forward to all of the hard work that staff is going to continue to do and with our partners. This is an excellent place that we are, and Palm Desert likes to lead the way. I think this is excellent, and I'm very grateful for everything that we're here. Any other comments?
[01:30:40] Speaker: Okay, this has been a long time in the making. This is wonderful, we're still moving forward with it. And for anyone who might not know this project, I think it's 40 units off the top of my head, 10 of which are designated for essentially clients of Arc, but it may just be a developmentally disabled adult. And this is an outstanding project and something we should all be... and it doesn't just serve Palm Desert, it serves the region. It is really an outstanding project and something we should all be very proud of. And I know the Palm Desert team has worked so hard to get this this far. So, wonderful. So, is there a motion?
[01:31:25] Speaker: I'll make a motion to approve.
[01:31:26] Speaker: I second.
[01:31:28] Speaker: You have a motion and a second, and we have a vote, please.
[01:31:35] Speaker: Motion passes 5 to 0.
[01:31:38] Speaker: Okay, thank you. And Madam Mayor, for the next public hearing, staff is simply requesting the item be continued to a date uncertain, and no action from Council is necessary.
[01:31:48] Speaker: Okay, thank you. Then is there, are there any information items at this time? Seeing no unfinished business, this meeting stands adjourned.