Palm Desert City Council - Regular Meeting, October 23, 2025

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[00:02:31] Speaker: Pete's pretty cool.
[00:02:34] Speaker: Pete's pretty cool.
[00:02:37] Speaker: That makes sense.
[00:02:42] Speaker: That's good. That makes sense.
[00:02:44] Speaker: This is going to be...
[00:03:37] Mayor Harnick: We all ready? We have...
[00:03:58] Mayor Harnick: Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining us at the Palm Desert City Council, successor agency to the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, Palm Desert Housing Authority, and the Palm Desert Board of Library Trustees meeting for October 23rd, 2025. Thank you all for being here. Um, can we have roll call, please?
[00:04:29] City Clerk: Council member Nestandandy?
[00:04:31] Council Member Nestandandy: Here.
[00:04:32] City Clerk: Council member Pettto?
[00:04:34] Council Member Pettto: Here.
[00:04:34] City Clerk: Council member Kinttonia?
[00:04:36] Council Member Kinttonia: Present.
[00:04:36] City Clerk: Mayor Prom Trouy?
[00:04:37] Mayor Prom Trouy: Here.
[00:04:37] City Clerk: Mayor Harnick?
[00:04:38] Mayor Harnick: Here.
[00:04:39] City Clerk: All councils present.
[00:04:40] Mayor Harnick: Thank you very much. We'll now have the pledge of allegiance and Mayor Prom Trouy will lead us and then the inspiration will be Council Member Kintania.
[00:04:49] Mayor Prom Trouy: All right. Very good. Please repeat after me: To the flag of the stands,
[00:05:02] Speaker: ...indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[00:05:12] Mayor: Thank you all for being here. I like seeing a packed house. I like thinking in terms of context, and history is not linear. It's often a matter of cause and effect and the ripple that it causes. And it got me thinking that each day we have lives that are filled with experiences unique to every single individual and includes our highs and lows. And while each day is but a moment in each of our lives, it can be a blip or it can be a turning point. And so I was thinking that today, October 23rd, we have a very light agenda overall, but there's been a lot of different things and random moments to think of in terms of world history. 1850, the first national women's rights convention. 1925, Johnny Carson is born in Iowa. 1940, Brazilian soccer icon Pelé was born, winning—eventually winning three cups for Brazil. Not so wonderful news: 1941, Nazi Germany prohibits Jews from immigrating even within their own occupied territories. 1955, 'Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing' by The Four Aces is number one on the Billboard Top 100. 1958, Peyo's comic, The Smurfs, makes their debut. 1995, Yolanda Saldívar convicted in the murder of Selena. 2001, Apple releases the iPod. That in itself was a before-and-after moment. And 2021, the Houston Astros beat the Boston Red Sox and win the American League Championship. So overall, any given day can be a turning point in our lives. And it's important to act with compassion each day because we never know what the interaction that we have today and how it'll impact others down the line. And as they say, health is wealth. So I hope that each one of you and your loved ones are healthy. Thank you. Thank you. Is there a report from closed session?
[00:07:14] Speaker: Thank you, Mayor. No reportable action taken in closed session this afternoon.
[00:07:17] Mayor: Okay, we will move then right to awards and presentations at this time, and we have a number today. So, hang in here with us, and they're all—each is important. Is there somebody from Greater Palm Springs Pride to join me in the front?
[00:07:34] Speaker: I will be—
[00:07:35] Anthony Mejia: I'll be accepting it.
[00:07:37] Mayor: Perfect. Meet me down there.
[00:08:00] Mayor: And those of you who may not know, Anthony Mejia is our city clerk, and he keeps us all on the right path. And as we veer off, he very gently brings us back. Thank goodness for Anthony. Okay. Whereas Greater Palm Springs Pride is an annual event that draws residents and visitors to celebrate community and culture in the Coachella Valley. And whereas the festival and parade contribute to the local economy by attracting attendees who support area businesses, restaurants, and hotels. And whereas Greater Palm Springs Pride highlights the history and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community while providing opportunities for artistic expression, entertainment, and civic engagement. And whereas events such as Greater Palm Springs Pride showcase the spirit of inclusion and provide opportunities for residents and visitors alike to participate in community life. And whereas the City of Palm Desert values opportunities to recognize events that promote unity, visibility, and positive representation of the diverse communities that make up our region. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the City Council of the City of Palm Desert does hereby recognize Greater Palm Springs Pride 2025 and extends best wishes for a successful celebration.
[00:09:34] Anthony Mejia: Well, I'm also proud to also say that I was also the former city clerk of Palm Springs. So, I do hope that you will go to the Greater Palm Springs Pride. And if you didn't know, next year, September, there's also a Pride in Idyllwild.
[00:09:48] Mayor: And I could just say that we win because we have them here in Palm Desert. So, one more time. Okay.
[00:10:01] Mayor Jan C. Harik: Okay. So, next is the proclamation for code compliance officer week. And I'm going to read this and I'm sure it'll cover this all. And I wonder if my colleagues will come down for this because code compliance makes a big difference in our community. And who do we have there? There we go.
[00:10:38] Mayor Jan C. Harik: These are the professionals in our city who keep things running right. It's not always easy when they have to very kindly tell you perhaps you're parked in the wrong place, you've got to clean up your front yard. Although they help us when we do acts of kindness through our Rotary where they let us know where we can go clean up someone's front yard, but they're always there and they do so with the utmost professionalism and kindness. And I can assure you that they are not always greeted with the respect they deserve, but that doesn't change the way they act. They always act with professionalism.
[00:11:19] Mayor Jan C. Harik: Whereas, code compliance officers provide for safety and welfare of the citizens throughout the United States through the enforcement of local codes or ordinances facing various issues of building, zoning, housing, animal control, environmental health, and life safety; and whereas, code compliance officers often have a challenging and demanding role and often do not receive recognition for the job that they do in improving living and working conditions for residents and businesses of local communities; and whereas, the role of many code compliance officers has expanded in recent years with jurisdictions increasingly reliant on the expertise and training of these officers in their communities; and whereas, code compliance officers are dedicated and highly qualified and highly trained professionals who share the goals of preventing neighborhood deterioration, enhancing communities, and ensuring safety and preserving property values through knowledge, training, and application of housing, zoning, and nuisance laws; and whereas, code compliance officers often have a highly visible role in the communities they serve and regularly interact with the public, first responders, and a variety of state, county, and local officials in their capacity as code compliance officer; and whereas, code compliance officers are called upon to provide quality customer service and excellence to the residents and businesses of the communities in which they serve; and whereas, the state of California and the Association of Code Enforcement Officers wants to recognize and honor code compliance officers that served our communities and acknowledge their role in leading the way to improve the quality of life within our communities; now, therefore, I, Jan C. Harik, mayor of the city of Palm Desert, California, along with the entire city council, do hereby proclaim that the second week of October be known as Code Compliance Officer Appreciation Week in the city of Palm Desert and urge all citizens to join us in recognizing and expressing their appreciation for the dedication and service by the individuals who serve as our code compliance officers. So, who gets this?
[00:14:03] Mayor Jan C. Harik: And this is Pedro Rodriguez. And he is kind of steers the ship. This way.
[00:14:37] Speaker: Thank you, Sarah.
[00:14:48] Pedro Rodriguez: Well, I just appreciate the award, Mayor, members of the City Council. As you know, you mentioned, we strive to serve the community as best as we can. So, we appreciate all the community input, all the help and participation.
[00:15:01] Speaker: Because it's a partnership. We can't do this alone. So, we rely on your voluntary compliance when necessary and your input when we're doing something wrong, and your input when you see change that needs to be done. We're here to help and to make change the best for the community. So, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
[00:15:34] Speaker: Okay, next is for community planning month. Who's going to join me for that one? Okay. These are the people who protect the integrity and the character of our community. Whereas planning is vital to manage growth in ways that enhance quality of life for current and future residents. And whereas Palm Desert's approach to planning has always invited residents to be meaningfully involved in making choices that determine the future of their community. And whereas we celebrate the long-standing commitment of residents, businesses, elected officials, and staff to excellence in planning throughout Palm Desert. Whereas the month of October is designated as National Community Planning Month throughout the United States of America and its territories, affording an opportunity to thank and celebrate the tireless efforts of our planning staff and their commitment to public service. Now therefore be it resolved that the month of October 2025 is hereby designated as community planning month in the city of Palm Desert in conjunction with celebration of national community planning month. So October 2025 community planning month. Who's going to take this?
[00:17:43] Speaker: Thank you, Madame Mayor, for allowing us to recognize our teams today. To the planners, you are our talent, our visionaries, and those that will shape the future of our city. Please know your work will make a difference. I am proud to recognize you today and thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
[00:18:09] Speaker: Okay. Next is Pete Carlson. We need him up here.
[00:18:35] Speaker: Okay, there's a lot to say about Pete, but we only had like this size paper. So, and those of you who may not know, although a lot of this would be said in here, he truly is a keystone of Palm Desert. He's a destination, international destination. There's no question. I saw that and continue to see that and thank you for all you do for our community. Okay. Whereas Pete Carlson is now a subject of whereases. The son of Beverly and Helgar Carlson grew up in Berkeley, California, where he developed a love of sports from his father and a dedication to business excellence from his mother. And whereas Pete moved to the Coachella Valley and in 1981 opened the original Pete Carlson's Golf and Tennis Shop in Palm Desert, a modest 800 square foot space that has since grown to a world-renowned 14,000 square foot destination for sports enthusiasts from around the globe. And whereas Pete Carlson's golf and tennis has become a gathering place for everyone from professional athletes and entertainers, local residents and beginners, where all are treated with respect and friendship. Whereas Pete's appreciation for the arts and community spirit inspired Pete's parking lot jazz nights, which showcased
[00:20:02] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: ...legendary jazz performers, local musicians, and young talents while always welcoming students and military members free of charge to enjoy jazz you can understand.
[00:20:16] Speaker: There you go.
[00:20:16] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: There you go. And whereas Pete has long supported Palm Desert students through sponsorships, donations, and mentorship, contributing to athletic teams, academic programs, and youth development organizations, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coachella Valley and the Palm Desert Academic Foundation. And whereas for more than two decades, the Pete Carlson's Golf Expo has enriched the community with opportunities to learn, play, and connect through the game of golf, promoting health, character, and the joy of sports for all ages. And whereas Pete and his wife Edna continue to demonstrate generosity, kindness, and a deep commitment to Palm Desert, embodying the spirit of community service and excellence that strengthens the city and inspires others. Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Jan C. Hearnick, mayor of the city of Palm Desert, and the entire city council of the city of Palm Desert, hereby recognize and honor Pete Carlson for his decades of leadership, philanthropy, and dedication to enriching the lives of residents and visitors through sports, music, and community engagement. And be it resolved that the city council does hereby proclaim October 23rd, 2025 as Pete Carlson Day in the city of Palm Desert, and encourages all residents to join in recognizing and expressing their appreciation for the dedication and the exceptional contributions of a cherished community leader. Well, thank you.
[00:21:58] Speaker: Thank you very...
[00:22:19] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: I don't know if you've been in Pete Carlson's. If you haven't, you have to go over there and enjoy every moment and every treasure that's in there. And it may be, probably is, the only golf and tennis shop in the world that has a grand piano in it. So, you want to say a few words?
[00:22:42] Pete Carlson: Sure. Why not?
[00:22:45] Pete Carlson: Thank you all for turning out today and recognizing the long years we've put in at the store. It's been a group event, a group affair all along. I was lucky to come down to the desert, as it was said, in 1980-81 and got the lay of the land, so to speak. And who knew it was going to go this long and become as great as it turned out to be, but I'm so thankful and grateful. And Edna has done an amazing job. She does everything that I can't do. And Jan gave me a long laundry list that I don't know if I can live up to either. So, I'll keep trying. I'll keep trying.
[00:23:27] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: Far beyond what we said here.
[00:23:29] Pete Carlson: Thank you. But you're all so kind and wonderful, and thank you for acknowledging us, and we appreciate it. And we will try to continue to do our very best for everybody in the community and make Palm Desert what it is. It's a great place to come and live and enjoy. So, thank you all very much.
[00:23:53] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: Edna, do you want to be in some of these pictures? Maybe.
[00:23:56] Edna Carlson: Maybe.
[00:24:30] Speaker: Thank you so much.
[00:24:41] Speaker: Absolutely.
[00:24:45] Mayor Jan C. Hearnick: Okay, then we have... and thank you, Pete Carlson, for what you've done for the city of Palm Desert. Truly made a difference. Okay, next we have a couple more things. We'll go to our... we have a...
[00:25:00] Speaker: Someone from Hidden Harvest here.
[00:25:03] Speaker: Come on up. Oh, good to see you.
[00:25:07] Speaker: Okay, you're doing a presentation for us.
[00:25:10] Speaker: Okay, Sarah, you might have to...
[00:25:44] Speaker: You know what? Why don't we just... we'll give a few minutes for everyone to settle so that we can focus on this.
[00:25:55] Speaker: Can I, um...
[00:26:09] Speaker: Reminds me I need new workout socks. I got to get over a piece.
[00:26:20] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:26:27] Speaker: Okay, we're ready to go.
[00:26:29] Francisco Linares: Thank you, Mayor, City Council.
[00:26:34] Francisco Linares: My name is Francisco Linares. I'm the executive director for Hidden Harvest. I've been with Hidden Harvest for 20 years already. I was honored to step into the role after our executive director, Christy Porter, retired last year. A little bit about Hidden Harvest...
[00:26:59] Francisco Linares: Hidden Harvest is a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping the neighbors in need. Hidden Harvest acquires produce, partners with local packing houses here around the valley. Any surplus that the packing houses have, we go get it off their hands and we give it a second chance and send it out to senior centers, youth groups, anywhere where it's needed, other Martha's Kitchen, soup places, anything where they could use it.
[00:27:38] Francisco Linares: Another way that Hidden Harvest started acquiring produce, because after COVID, packing houses started slowing down, we weren't getting as much. So we started a new program with small local farmers. We started paying these small farmers, family-owned farms, to grow the produce for us. That way our seniors and youth groups could get fresh, healthy, local produce grown here by our own farmers.
[00:28:08] Francisco Linares: I'm sorry. Um...
[00:28:13] Francisco Linares: A lot of that produce, like I said, we take it out to senior centers, 55 and older communities, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs throughout the valley. We serve all the way from Desert Hot Springs to North Shore and up in Idyllwild. So we have plenty of places that we distribute. A lot of our, how do you say, places that we deliver to is Joslyn Center, Rescue Mission, Martha's Kitchen. We share and trade with FIND Food Bank. We work together. We've been trading, I mean, produce that we grow, stuff that they have and we don't have, we trade to make sure that we have a different variety of produce for the agencies.
[00:29:13] Francisco Linares: That's a little bit about Hidden Harvest. Also, I wanted to... those invitations that I gave the clerk is we're having an annual luncheon on November 20th. We would like to invite you, see if you want to join us and see if you guys want to sponsor us, buy a table. Check it out and see. We'll have the Friends of Hidden Harvest put together every year a nice fashion show. They have their silent auctions. So we would like to invite you guys and see you join us, and hope to see you there.
[00:29:54] Speaker: Thank you so much. Does anybody have any comments or questions?
[00:29:57] Speaker: Questions?
[00:29:58] Speaker: Nice.
[00:29:59] Speaker: Yes.
[00:30:00] Councilmember: Hey, thank you very much. Um, a couple of questions. Is, is Miss Porter still involved with the organization?
[00:30:05] Francisco: Uh, no.
[00:30:07] Councilmember: Okay. Fully retired.
[00:30:08] Francisco: Fully retired.
[00:30:09] Councilmember: All right. I met her maybe 25 years ago and she was one of the hardest working people I ever met. That's good to know she's able to take a breather.
[00:30:16] Francisco: Yeah.
[00:30:17] Councilmember: Um, question number two. If I recall at the time when I first became aware of what you guys were doing, met Miss Porter, that, uh, you were gleaning fields. In other words, going into the fields after they'd been harvested and picking up—
[00:30:29] Francisco: What was left, what wasn't the right color, right shape, right? Whatever.
[00:30:32] Councilmember: Uh-huh. Are you still able to do that, or no?
[00:30:34] Francisco: Not anymore. Uh, that's why we decided to start growing with our, uh, getting our small farmers. Uh, 'cause it kept getting harder for us. The farmers are getting really good at growing just what's necessary, what's been needed at markets, so they're not leaving much behind anymore. So that's why before she left, we started this new program, started, uh, working with small farmers.
[00:30:57] Councilmember: Terrific. Thank you. Perfect. Thank you.
[00:30:59] Mayor: Any other comments?
[00:31:01] Councilmember: Francisco, thank you for coming today. And I know the concept was so ahead of its time when Christy first developed it and came in and took produce and, and just like the Mayor Pro Tem said, it would have been tilled back into the soil. And yet she had an idea that you could pay people a really good wage to go through and glean that rather than have it tilled back in, and there were people who would then be able to eat that. So you had people being paid, and then they had the benefit of healthy food. So it's, it's been a great concept. It, it's evolved over the years. Uh, this, I hope that everybody can go to the November luncheon. It always, um, kind of tugs at your heart because it does such great work and it makes such a difference in so many people's lives. So if you have the time to attend that luncheon, I highly recommend it. They truly make a difference in our community.
[00:32:00] Francisco: Yes.
[00:32:00] Councilmember: Thank you.
[00:32:01] Francisco: Thank you. And thank you for the opportunity.
[00:32:03] Mayor: Thank you.
[00:32:30] Mayor: So, I—this is no surprise to me, but that's because I work closely with our financial department in some ways. And so, once again, come on down. And I, and I wonder if the City Council would come down, too. Financial. This is, these are the people that make this work. And we have a member of our, of our finance committee, too, a citizen, uh, who, who joins in and volunteers his time. So, this is the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada presents the Award of Financial Reporting Achievement to Finance Department, City of Palm Desert, and some really, really small font that there's nobody can read this, uh, but it's the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. So, they've received these really, uh, extraordinary accolades for everything they do. And it was this group who identified the fact, for one thing, we needed Measure G, because they look so closely, not at where we are only today, but where we're going to be in 10 years, and how is that going to impact the lives of every community member. They recognized it. They did something about it, and every day they're doing something about it, and they're extraordinary. So, would you like to say anything?
[00:34:06] Finance Representative: Um, so this is our 28th year of receiving the Award of Excellence. Um, what the recognition represents for us as a team is really just, um, hard work, late nights, tears, endless spreadsheets, and, um, teamwork that's necessary to ensure that we're good stewards of public funds. And for this team in specific, it just, um, it's proof that when you, um, work with purpose and pride, that good things follow. So, that's it.
[00:34:42] Mayor: Thank you. And I, I want to add to that, that there, it, it talks about their financial reporting, and their transparency is—no one does a better job than this team. And, and as I always say, when you want to find out anything about the finances—
[00:35:02] Speaker: of our city, you're one click away. Palmdesert.gov, you do a little work, it's all there. We are completely transparent and the detail with which they do their job is what, you know, eventually it culminates in these sorts of things and in a really well-run city. So thank you all and I think there's...
[00:35:47] Speaker: Come on. Come on. Over here and let's get all together.
[00:36:07] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:36:34] Speaker: Okay, that was a lot and congratulations to our finance team. And again, this is why we have the parks, we have, we have the infrastructure, we have, we have the police, we have the fire, we have all those things that they steward our public funds to make sure that we are well provided for and the quality of living in Palm Desert is a testament to their excellence. Okay, so we'll move to city manager comments.
[00:37:04] City Manager: Three quick updates. I'll invite Lieutenant Porus up for the sheriff's report.
[00:37:20] Lieutenant Porus: Good afternoon everyone. A couple things I want to mention today. This week is National School Bus Safety Week. Palm Desert is reminding drivers of the dangers of passing a stop school bus when a school bus's red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended. Drivers have the legal responsibility to slow down and come to a complete stop. So you're going to see our motors out there enforcing this all the time. Just a good reminder around all our schools to slow down, be cognizant of your surroundings, especially when the school bus is around to get our kids there and get kids to school safely. Second, I want to invite all our business owners that on Wednesday the 29th of next week, which is going to be here at council chambers at 8:00 in the morning, we're having a public safety resources for businesses of Palm Desert. You're going to have the opportunity to meet our business district team, sitting at our code enforcement officers, and the ability to just to gather and have a conversation to work through some problems or any kind of resources that they don't know about. So if you know a business that could benefit, please RSVP with Daniel Hurtado. He can be reached at dhurtado@palmdesert.gov or you can call him at 760-776-6414. And last but not least, so Sergeant Krider was our supervisor for our business district team. He's no longer the supervisor, but still serving the residents of Palm Desert in our investigations bureau. So today I'm happy to present Sergeant Steven Nelson, who is our new supervisor for our business district team. Many of you know him. He's a staple in the city before. So Sergeant Nelson has been with the sheriff's department for 15 years. In 2013, he was assigned to the Palm Desert Station. He spent four years here as the deputy on the business district team. And now he is here serving the city and the residents of Palm Desert. And we're excited to have him. So once again, thank you, Steve. Appreciate it. Looking forward to working with him and everybody at the city.
[00:39:27] Speaker: Great. Welcome back.
[00:39:29] Speaker: It's great to see you back.
[00:39:30] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:39:31] Lieutenant Porus: Thank you. And that's all I have today.
[00:39:33] Speaker: Okay. Um, is our Chamber of Commerce aware of this, the resource that you're providing on the 29th?
[00:39:42] Lieutenant Porus: If not, we put it out. Vanessa assisted us and we'll make sure that they're aware. If not, we'll make sure definitely get that information. My bet is if Vanessa helped, they know.
[00:39:53] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:39:53] Speaker: All right. Thank you and welcome back.
[00:39:56] City Manager: We'll invite Chief Beverlin up next.
[00:40:10] Staff: Good evening, Mayor, Council members. I got two items to update you on. First is, as you know, you approved in this fiscal year's budget to bring Fire Marshal services back to the city. So, I'm going to make an introduction of the first member of that team. This is Deputy Fire Marshal Carlos Rodriguez. He's been part of the Fire Marshal team within Riverside County Fire Department for many years and, in fact, has previously worked in the City of Palm Desert. So, it's a welcome sight to have him back. He's actually working with the team today, getting some things taken care of, and it's great to have him here. It's great to have collaboration with Rosy's team, and looking forward to what we're going to be able to accomplish over the next year. So, let me introduce Carlos.
[00:41:00] Carlos Rodriguez: Looks like it's coming home week. So, after 21 years of being away, I'm back to serve the City of Palm Desert, and I'm happy to be here. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you.
[00:41:14] Staff: Secondly, earlier this month, we had a large high school career day at the Indio Fairgrounds, and Palm Desert High School happened to attend that. Palm Desert High School's video and photography club actually made a video about their experience there at the career fair. So, a little bit about this is that we basically had every single bureau in the fire department—Riverside County Fire Department with Cal Fire is the third largest fire department in the state. And so, we have not only all the firefighting activities, but we also have finance teams, human resources, everything that you can imagine. So, we had people from our department from every single bureau out here to be able to show the kids what they do, and it sparked a lot of interest. There was a very good 500 kids from local high schools came. It's the second one. This is the first time it has happened on the east end. So, we'll go ahead and play the video.
[00:42:17] Video Speaker: All these high school students are here to see what Cal Fire can put out for the community. I think it's a great opportunity for the young ones to come out and see what Cal Fire can offer within the different ranks, from firefighter one to the chiefs, division chiefs that are here amongst us.
[00:42:41] Video Speaker: The questions kids have been asking have been in regards to how to apply for Cal Fire as a firefighter. I've been asking what my position is and how I got to where I am.
[00:42:56] Video Speaker: So, what inspired me to be a firefighter was really to become a paramedic. I thought, not knowing what firefighting was, I thought I had to become a firefighter to become a paramedic. So, I decided to start looking into it. I found a fire academy at College of the Desert here in Palm Desert and went to the fire academy and fell in love with the fire service. What I'm hoping to achieve from this is to show the youth, same place where I come from, that you can also be where I'm at right now.
[00:43:35] Video Speaker: I would say that today has been a wonderful opportunity to bring 500 students from across the eastern and the Coachella Valley as a whole to this amazing expo with Cal Fire. This is our second annual Cal Fire Expo. Brought fire trucks, ladders, boats, lots of representatives here in partnership with the Riverside County Office of Education, our community colleges, and the kids are having a wonderful time of engagement. So, we've all come together because we want to support students. We want to expose them to opportunities in the field of the fire sciences. It's not just firefighting, but it's also dispatch, it's communications, it's automotive, and a plethora of other opportunities that our kids are being exposed to. But having a fair like this is really powerful as our students see the possibilities that are before them.
[00:44:25] Staff: So one of our driving factors for having this fair is a lot of kids don't know that there's these opportunities in the Coachella Valley. We're growing everywhere in every single one of our bureaus. We're growing. So, we appreciate all the support for the College of the Desert programs. We have EMT, paramedic, fire marshal services—those classes are all available at College of the Desert and some of our other community colleges in Riverside County. So, if you know anybody that's looking for a job, we are hiring everywhere. So, into my report, I'm happy to answer any...
[00:45:00] Mayor: Thank you. Are there any questions? You have one.
[00:45:03] Mayor: Any questions or comments?
[00:45:05] Councilmember: Thank you.
[00:45:05] Mayor: Thank you. It looks like it was well attended, that job fair. So, good work.
[00:45:15] Mayor: And Jess Co Pepper, Director of Capital Projects.
[00:45:17] Jess Co Pepper: Okay.
[00:45:22] Jess Co Pepper: Good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. Jess Co Pepper, Director of Capital Projects. Oh, my clicker here. Um, I'm going to—I'm just here to provide some updates on some of our capital projects that we've been working on. Some few notable projects that we're working on now and wrapping up. First, we'll touch on is the El Paseo street rehabilitation. This project started back on June 16th. The scope was to rehabilitate the street and curb ramps along El Paseo from Highway 74 to 111, about a 1.2-mile strip. In pulverizing and reconstructing the street pavement to a depth of 10 inches, we constructed five midblock crossings along with that, and regraded San Luis Rey intersection, adding some storm drain improvements as well. All major construction was completed as of October 10th. We do still have a few finishing touch items: installation of some signal loops and some push buttons for the crosswalks that will occur by the end of next month. The next project I'll touch on is El Dorado Street Rehabilitation. That project began back in July. This project was to rehabilitate the street and curb ramps from Hovley to Country Club, about a one-mile stretch. And this was also pulverized and reconstructing the street pavement to a depth of 10 inches. We demolished and reinstalled the concrete cross gutters and curb ramps to ensure ADA compliance in this project, as well as revising the striping and signage to reconcile with our Walk and Roll Active Transportation project design. We also added additional vehicle and bicycle detection loops at the traffic signals as well to improve detection and signal responsiveness. Happy to report we completed that project last month. The next project we'll talk about is the new library facility. The RFP just closed today, and we have a couple proposals we'll be going through, and we'll be coming back to you next month to award the project. The demolition of the Parkview building is planned for early 2026, and the construction is planned to begin this summer and anticipated to finish by the end of 2027. And lastly, we have Fire Station 102. So, grading activities began in June. The underground retention system, which is the top left corner there, as well as the structural steel, the stem walls, and the building foundation are now complete. The next major milestones include the vertical elements, building the building framing, which is happening now, as well as the carport structural steel installation and also the site walls. So, that's a very exciting project for us. But that concludes my updates. I'm happy to answer any questions.
[00:48:17] Mayor: Great. Are there any questions or comments?
[00:48:21] Councilmember: I have a comment. I have gotten so many compliments on how excellent El Paseo looks and the raised crosswalks, so kudos.
[00:48:32] Jess Co Pepper: Thank you very much. Kudos to our team, and Ryan Gayler, and Ed Gallardo, and we had a great contractor, and all kinds of different staff that worked with us through Public Works and many other divisions. So, we're very happy with the team. It was an amazing implementation of what was a very difficult project. And one of the comments, and I've said this before, one of the things I've heard is, 'Wow, I didn't know how much parking was on El Paseo.' So, it helped people discover the parking that's all behind all the shops, too. So, that was a good thing. So—
[00:49:05] Councilmember: And the parking is free. Isn't that nice?
[00:49:08] Councilmember: How many places can you go to and not have to pay for parking?
[00:49:11] Councilmember: Always in Palm Desert, right? Uh, I have a question I want to ask, and you know, you can choose how you want to answer. What was the biggest surprise you found on El Paseo?
[00:49:21] Jess Co Pepper: Well, I think we found—and Ryan Gayler could speak to a lot more—but we found several, we had several different change orders we had to have. We found just concrete. There were layers of concrete under different sections of the street. We found a line that was filled with concrete. So, you can see over the years there were some things that were just kind of patchwork. So, we're glad that we got to do this full reclamation project and get it where it deserves to be.
[00:49:49] Councilmember: Right. And I think it's important for our community to understand this wasn't just slurry coating. This wasn't just repaving. We really went in there and addressed issues that have existed. And
[00:50:00] Staff Member: Now we've got a whole fresh, really well-engineered street. And you know, I say that, you know, one time when we redid Monterey, we found a truck. So, this was years ago under Mark Greenwood, but there was a truck that they somehow found as they were digging up Monterey. So, you never know what you're going to find and what you're going to have to address, and our team's up to it. So, thank you.
[00:50:28] Speaker: Thank you.
[00:50:32] Mayor: Okay. Anything else? Okay. So, we'll move to the non-agenda public comments. And I have a few blue cards. Are there any—oh, should we do housekeeping? I apologize.
[00:50:47] Staff Member: For those on Zoom, if you want to participate in public comment, please click the raise hand button on your computer or smartphone. And if you're calling in by your phone, please dial star nine to raise your hand and, when called upon, press star six to unmute yourself.
[00:51:01] Mayor: Okay. And Mayor Pro Tem was kind enough to remind me I just missed number 11 on the agenda. So we'll get right back to this. This is Council Member reports and requests for action. So, Council Member Quintanilla, would you like to begin, please?
[00:51:17] Council Member Quintanilla: Thank you, Madame Mayor. Wanted to start a little bit of a follow-up on public safety. Yesterday at the Cove Communities meeting, we were presented with some of the information and considerations from our law enforcement partners about how we can use drone technology to improve our response to some of the locations, which I think would be a good way to even reduce the amount of time that it takes to get to actual emergency calls, instead of deploying ambulance and fire in the event that it may just be a small fender bender. I also appreciated learning about how there is a program that is either underway or coming, as I look over to our Chief, to help route some of the 911 calls to speak to registered nurses. That way we can help people identify, 'Is this a true emergency or just something that needs urgent attention?' And this evolved from having one individual that called 911 over 700 times within a 12-month period. And so, to find out is this an ongoing need, or what can we do for that individual and reducing the stress on the 911 system. So that was—that was great. There was also the luncheon for the United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire, and I attended that with Mayor Pro Tem Trott, and that was an opportunity where they honored Josh and Linda Hines, who we know have been very active in the Concerts for Autism and have been pushing through Visit Greater Palm Springs to get the autism certification for different businesses, and was the impetus for getting Palm Desert certified. I want to also congratulate Ryland Penta. Ryland was chosen as Palm Springs Life 40 Under 40. So, that's a distinction that shows the kind of energy and creativity that we have here. And also with Mayor Pro Tem Trott, we had the Animal Campus Subcommittee, and that falls in line with the recognition for our Code Compliance team. And it's important to recognize that they're not code enforcement the way they are in other cities. The attitude of Palm Desert being code compliance to help people get in compliance, instead of just repeatedly feeling that people are being targeted. And the purpose of that meeting was to help determine how the City can take ownership of our own ordinances for animal control that allow us to deliver better services. My request for action: during the luncheon, we learned that every month, the United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire gives out two adaptive bicycles, and this allows two of their clients to be able to enjoy things that a lot of us take for granted. Not only being able to ride a bike, but the access to a bike. And I spoke with their executive director, and if Palm Desert is able to sponsor bicycles, they would have our name and logo on the bicycles. And I would like to request and explore that the City purchase two bicycles and sponsor for an upcoming month. So, that's my request for action.
[00:54:49] Council Member: I concur.
[00:54:51] Staff Member: It's something that should be done through outside agency funding, I would recommend.
[00:54:55] Mayor: Okay. That we're trying so hard to get people to use our outside agency funding.
[00:55:01] Councilmember: ...process.
[00:55:02] Councilmember: Understandable, but I do know that there are times that we can make exceptions, and this is a small ask. So, I would kindly ask that this be reconsidered.
[00:55:12] Mayor: Well, we will, we can always look and to see. I know there's always some spare funds, and we can take a look at those.
[00:55:18] Councilmember: Thank you very much, Madame Mayor.
[00:55:22] Mayor: Um, okay.
[00:55:24] Councilmember: No comments.
[00:55:27] Councilmember: Please.
[00:55:28] Councilmember: A couple weeks ago, I joined Southern California Edison on a tour of their Big Creek facility in the Sierra Nevada. I was able to see their hydroelectric generation facility that was really, really phenomenal, amazing 100-year project. Um, but during that course, I was able to learn a lot of their challenges with infrastructure redundancy distribution, and it's pertinent because now the new rates are out and so people are getting the increases and they're, um, you know, there, I, I, I note a lot of people are upset. So I wanted to share a little bit that I was able to get a nice education seeing that with the demands of electrification throughout the state along with, uh, just a chronic underinvestment in redundancy and distribution, we are now in catch-up mode. And so some of these bills are just reflecting that for years we have not been paying the cost and now we're getting hit with it. So, my request for action is I'd like to invite, uh, Aaron Thomas, our rep, to come and talk to the council and the public about the rates and also some of the programs that exist for moderate and lower income residents at a future council meeting.
[00:56:49] Councilmember: Seems reasonable.
[00:56:50] Councilmember: Absolutely agree.
[00:56:51] Councilmember: Okay. Support that.
[00:56:54] Mayor: Okay. Anything else?
[00:56:58] Councilmember: Actually, no comments tonight. Thank you.
[00:57:01] Mayor: Okay. Well, I do have a few. There were, uh, some of us on council did attend the Cal Cities annual event, which is really an, an opportunity to become more educated, to learn what other cities are doing to address certain issues, and there are numerous breakout sessions and we get to pick and choose what would be relevant to our city. And there was a lot of good information, uh, that we, I think we all left Cal Cities with. Uh, I do, we had the Southern California Association of Governments Demography Demographics workshop, which fortunately we're able to attend by Zoom. They give us that opportunity, and there's some great information in that. And if anybody gets really wonky and is interested in the demographics, where we're going and where we are coming from, they are always on the SCAG website and they are, um, accessible by anyone. We did have the State of the City. It was well attended, and it was nice to talk about all the projects and all of the support system inside City Hall that makes those projects happen, and to talk about our volunteers, our community volunteers, and all the great things coming up. Uh, additionally, on the 4th, which is also Election Day, we have Coffee with the Mayor at the Joslyn Center. So, please, if you have questions about the city, please, we'd love to have you there. We can give you those answers and/or do our best to, and if not, we will always, uh, direct you where you can get those answers. And November 10th is the inaugural McCallum Stars, Stripes, and Songs. And it's a great Veterans Day celebration, and, um, really showing the respect that our veterans deserve. So, please take a look at that on November 10th, McCallum. It'll be a great... It starts, I think, at 5:30. 5:30. See nods out there? Okay. And it will be a wonderful event. It's very reasonably priced. It's as inclusive as they could make it. So, please show up and support our veterans, support the McCallum, and really celebrate all there is to celebrate for because of those veterans that we have. And that is all I have for now. So, now we'll move to non-agenda public comments. And, uh, the first one I have for these, again, these are non-agenda. These are items that are not on the agenda. So you may, uh, you have three minutes. Because of...
[01:00:00] Speaker: ...the Brown Act, we are not allowed to respond to items that have not been agendaized. So please, our first speaker is Janna Cororazinski.
[01:00:28] Jana Kchinsky: Good evening. My name is Jana Kchinsky and I live at 73570 Woodward Drive in Palm Desert. I and other seniors from the Jocelyn Center attended and spoke at the meeting of the Cove Community Service Commission yesterday. We find it inconceivable that there is no oversight of the way the large pot of money collected from private donations, business support, federal grants, and public funding for the Jocelyn Senior Center is spent. At the meeting, the city manager told the commissioners that they had no say in how the money allocated to the center is spent. A number of us attended a recent board meeting to get answers about the firing of our director and were rudely told to leave. We insisted that we were going to speak and the board president said, 'Okay, one of you can speak for 3 minutes then get out.' The board president said they would not discuss the firing. Now there is a rumor that the board has hired security for their meetings. What are they afraid of? A group of senior citizens? Considering the fact that there is no oversight of the board of directors of the Cove Community Senior Association, the members at the Jocelyn Center find the circumstances of the center's director's firing very disturbing. Now, we find out that neither the commission nor the city staff nor the city's councils have been offered an explanation by the board. The more we find out about the organization and non-oversight, the more disturbed we are becoming. The members have lost confidence in the board of Cove Community Senior Association and question whether they are acting in the best interest of the center. We will be circulating a petition of no confidence among the membership. We heard that the staff at the center have already voted no confidence in the board. There is growing consensus that the structure and oversight of the board should be reviewed. We have the following suggestions: City funds should be used for programs only, not for legal expenses resulting from their actions. Two active Jocelyn Senior Center members should serve as voting members of the board. Why is the current board president someone who does not reside in the Coachella Valley? Members of the board should be required to reside within the three cities that fund the center. The Cove Commission Senior Association board does not comply with the Brown Act. Failure to comply can lead to legal consequences, invalidation of decisions, even personal liability in serious cases. And we would like to see the termination of Dr. J. Sellers reversed. Thank you.
[01:03:42] Speaker: Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Suzanne Connor.
[01:04:00] Suzanne Connor: Hi, my name is Suzanne Connor. I live here in Palm Desert and Janna has done a really wonderful job going through all of these things. So the whole first half that I did yesterday when I went to the Cove Community Commission meeting, I'm not going to even bother with. So all of my concerns are basically the same. I'm just another one echoing what Janna has said. You know, the fact that we are searching for a new director when we had an excellent one seems to me rather foolish. We've got no information about why he was terminated. There seems to be absolutely no oversight of the board and this is what we're really kind of concerned with, like who is paying attention to what is happening. I have been on my own HOA multiple times. We allow people to come to our board meetings. We allow them to listen. We give them their three minutes to talk and say whatever they need to.
[01:05:01] Speaker: And I don't understand how Joslyn Center, which has probably a much faster budget than my HOA does, doesn't—we don't even know when the meetings are or where they are. That doesn't seem quite right. And what we're asking for, what I would like to see is some transparency. I want to know what that board of directors is doing. We should be able, we should know when board meetings are. We should know where they are. We should be able to attend them and we should be able to say for our three minutes what we think. And Dr. Sers, I would like to—Dr. Celler, I would like to see him back. I mean the energy shifted dramatically when he came to the positive aspect and went downhill almost immediately as soon as he left. And that's not just the people being upset but the whole cleanliness attitude, everything deteriorated. Members of the board should live in the area. They, you know, live in the three cities that are covered by Joslyn Center and, you know, I don't understand if you don't live here, how you know what people need, what you know, what can be done. We feel that two active members of the center should be on the board and have voting privileges. And finally, if it's really necessary to replace Dr. Celler, then two again active members should be on the interviewing committee and selection committee for a new executive director. Thank you very much for your attention.
[01:06:46] Speaker: Thank you. Okay, we have one more, Christine Tomstead.
[01:07:02] Christine Tomstad: Good afternoon, Madam Mayor and council members. My name is Christine Tomstad and I'm president of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Coachella Valley. We are part of the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization providing advocacy, education, and support throughout the Coachella Valley for families and individuals whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness. We advocate for lives of quality and respect without discrimination and stigma for all families. Our affiliate has been here in the Coachella Valley since 1984 and we are a 100% volunteer-run organization. All programs, supports, groups, presentations that we provide are always free of charge. On Saturday, November 15th, NAMI Coachella Valley will host our fourth annual Namiwalks Coachella Valley. It's an in-person event at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. It's a 5K walk and resource fair. The event is to raise funds for our programs as well as raise awareness about mental health. There will be organizations from across the valley who will be there to share their resources as well. The event is free and open to the public and we just found out that we will also have a special appearance by Fuego. So, I don't know about anybody else, but we're really excited. So, I previously sent to Mr. Ma—I'm going to say his name wrong—Maha, I sent him the flyers and some information about NAMI Coachella Valley. On behalf of NAMI Coachella Valley, I would like to thank the council, the City of Palm Desert for allowing us to be able to host our walk at Palm Desert Civic Center Park. We've been doing this since we had our first walk in 2020. And I'd also like to extend, excuse me, extend a personal invitation to the council members and the City of Palm Desert staff, people in the council chambers right now to attend our event. It's a great time. We have great fun. You learn a lot. So, thank you very much for your time.
[01:09:41] Speaker: Thank you so much.
[01:09:45] Speaker: Okay, our last speaker is Todd Warden from South Coast AQMD.
[01:10:01] Todd Warden: Good evening, Mayor, Council, residents of Palm Desert in the Coachella Valley. Todd Warden, your general field rep for the South Coast AQMD in San Bernardino County. I'm here tonight helping out my Riverside cohorts to announce a few items that we have coming up in the territory. First off, we have a Dust Summit on the 6th of November at 5:00 p.m. We'll be right up the street at UCR Palm Desert, and we will be discussing dust issues in the Coachella Valley, tricks, tips, and the science of that as well. It is an issue in the territory, and we are also the folks that help work on that. Again, the 6th at 5:00 p.m. on the UCR campus right up the street in Palm Desert. Next, I have a spot of funds called Invest Clean. This is more targeted towards the heavy-duty goods movement in the Southern California territory—electrifying those warehouses, the trucks, EV chargers for those heavy-duty trucks. It doesn't really apply necessarily to this city, but it does apply to the growth of warehouses in the valley. And if you have freeway frontage, it might be worthy of looking at the incentive funds, bringing those clean trucks to the territory, not the dirty diesel ones that we're trying to mitigate and keep from polluting the air in the area. Next, we have the Go Zero program, which is a neat spot of funds that just came out. We were trying to pass a rule on the heat pumps, water heaters, and HVAC systems. We did not pass the rule, but we now have funds to help bring out heat pumps for water heaters and HVAC systems, lowering the cost of electricity that was mentioned earlier for your residents, saving emissions that go into the air from the natural gas-fired equipment. And then I got to meet one of your landscapers for the City of Palm Desert. Beautiful park outside, and we talked about the AQMD's electrified lawn and garden program for your commercial landscapers and for your residents alike. We have two different programs; we will help fund those electric landscaping devices. And then last, I want to thank Palm Desert for many years. The EV charging stations outside that I'm plugged into right now, we put in almost 20 years ago, and they're still working. And there's some new ones that the city put in about 10 years ago, and it's good for the air, good for the residents. And we also have—thank you for the CNG trucks that you put in, your waste haulers. The CV Link and SunLine always is amazing in this territory with the hydrogen buses and their history of natural gas. Thank you.
[01:13:00] Councilmember: I have a quick question, and it's good to see you, Mr. Warden. If a community member would like to know more about the Go Zero, the funding that's available for heat pumps and those, where might they go?
[01:13:13] Todd Warden: I'm going to send them to your City Clerk, Mejia, and I'll also say that it's always available on the AQMD's website. We do have a number of other incentives, from fireplaces in San Bernardino to other devices that reduce emissions in Southern California. So, it's just worth kind of crawling around on the AQMD website. It is a difficult website sometimes, but I will send these specific programs to the Clerk. And we do have landscapers that will bring out the equipment as well to test it with your city crews.
[01:13:48] Councilmember: Great. Thank you.
[01:13:50] Mayor: Okay. Are there any other comments online?
[01:13:55] City Clerk: No online comments, Madam Mayor.
[01:13:56] Mayor: Okay. So, we'll move to the consent calendar. I want to remind everybody, if you just simply need to comment on an item, you can do that without pulling the item. And are there any items that anyone wishes to pull?
[01:14:12] Councilmember: I'd like to pull 13H.
[01:14:15] Mayor: Okay, H. Any others? No? Okay. I'll entertain a motion to move the balance.
[01:14:24] Councilmember: I'll make a motion to approve the balance.
[01:14:26] Councilmember: I will second.
[01:14:28] Mayor: Can we have a vote, please?
[01:14:34] City Clerk: Motion passes 5 to 0.
[01:14:36] City Clerk: Mayor, if we could go back just one quickly and check for public comment on the consent calendar.
[01:14:42] Mayor: Oh, was there any?
[01:14:43] City Clerk: No speaker cards and no online comments, Madam Mayor.
[01:14:49] Mayor: Thank you very much. Okay. So, we will move to 13H, and that is a task order to Accenture LLP for—
[01:15:02] Council Member: ...construction management services at the Dave Irwin Community Park project.
[01:15:07] Staff Member: Hello again. Staff reports in front of you, happy to answer any questions.
[01:15:12] Council Member: Yeah, I'll add some context for the public just to know this is a task order to procure construction management services for the Dave Irwin Park in the northern sphere. I am pulling this, I'll say, to question or just to bring light to the process and the costs of administrative overhead. Typically, projects like this are 10 to 20% within the realm. If we approve this tonight, it's within that—my calculations roughly 17%. But it did catch my attention, and it was brought up to me outside of that. One of our finance committee members was here, who is always mentioning to me something about using too much outside consultants. Mike—Mr. Morian, too bad he left—and I said, 'Well, too much is a subjective term, right? It could be necessary.' So considering that we've asked the public for another 1% for taxes to deliver a lot of projects, we have a lot of projects coming. If we're going to be towards the higher end of that administrative overhead on projects, it's going to compound and add a lot. Meanwhile, your department is dedicated to delivering construction projects, so it kind of brings up a question about internal capacity. So, I'm setting this as context, and I'll give my question. I'd like to ask staff, and partly for the City Manager to weigh in as well, to explain how this contract helps deliver us good value to the taxpayer, how it aligns with the City Manager's aim to increase staff capacity and reduce reliance on outside consultants, and what the plan is going in the future to trim some of that administrative overhead.
[01:17:09] Staff Member (Jess): Yeah, and just to start forward, I think this is obviously the exception more than the rule. Typically, we don't—most of—we have about 30 projects that are in the queue right now for capital projects alone. Public Works has many others. But it's these larger, complex projects like the library will be using a construction management, Fire Station 102 construction management. But typically, our internal staff handles everything, but it's the magnitude and size of this and the complexity with the design, the review. We have really—you can break it down into two parts as far as the pre-construction and the construction. For a project of this size, and this is for Dave Irwin Park, as far as the construction documents, not only going through the documents and check, which will be extensive—we haven't started the full review at a 30%, 60%, 90%, and then full documentation—we'll have their overview along with our staff overview to confer. So that's a lot of time that goes into that process, as well as a lot of the technical services that they'll provide as far as geotechnical, as well as soils analysis, CEQA, and assisting also with some of the RFP process. And then you roll into the construction phase of it, where it's the quality control and the day-to-day oversight with the contractor, the inspection, as well as with the closeout. So, it's really just the magnitude and complexity of this size of project. We don't want our staff to get mired in the hours it would take for a project of this nature. It would take a full project manager probably off the board, at least a vast majority of their time, to take on every aspect of this project. So, that's where we typically will bring in this extra layer of construction management to just more effectively and efficiently deliver the project on time and on budget.
[01:19:23] City Manager: I would just add, to Jess's point, many of the projects are conducted by our in-house staff. On these larger, complex ones, two things need to happen, which is being within our budget estimate as well as delivering it on time. So, a lot of what you see with these types of firms is doing the advanced work so that when we bring back to you solid construction documents award for construction, we're meeting those milestones.
[01:19:51] Council Member: Thank you. I just wanted to bring this to the public so that they know that we're doing our best to deliver good value and be...
[01:20:01] Councilmember: So, it wasn't to put anyone in the hot seat. I just wanted to make sure that we're being very transparent.
[01:20:06] Councilmember: Absolutely.
[01:20:07] Councilmember: And I appreciate you bringing it up, and when you look at what a censure is doing, if we were to have our staff do that, they'd do nothing else. They have a considerable task in front of them to really deliver a project that we could then effectuate. So I appreciate you bringing it up and clarifying so that people understand really there are times where it is beneficial and more cost-effective to go to somebody else to help us out with this.
[01:20:40] Councilmember: Okay.
[01:20:40] Councilmember: Thank you.
[01:20:41] Councilmember: I motion approval if there are no other comments.
[01:20:45] Councilmember: I'll second.
[01:20:46] Mayor: We have a motion and a second.
[01:20:58] Mayor: Motion passes 5 to 0.
[01:21:02] Mayor: Thank you. We will move to—there are no action items, but we do have public hearings, and the first one is 15A, resolution designating Marrakesh Country Club as a historic district, CRPC25-00002.
[01:21:23] Councilmember: Madam Mayor, I must recuse myself. I own property within a gray area, so out of abundance of caution, I will be recusing myself.
[01:21:31] Mayor: Okay, we appreciate that. Thank you for letting us know.
[01:21:43] Bobby Keading: Good afternoon, Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and members of the Council. My name is Bobby Keading, associate planner in the planning division of the development services department, and I'm here to present a request to designate Marrakesh Country Club as a historic district. The applicant, Marrakesh Country Club HOA, following unanimous approval of the HOA board representing all property owners, submitted a request to designate all parcels within the project site as a historic district. The proposed district includes the guard house, administrative building, clubhouse, golf course, common areas, and all residential condominiums.
[01:22:32] Bobby Keading: The project site is located at 47,000 Marrakesh Drive, located approximately south of Grapevine Street, west of Portola Avenue, north of Haystack Road, and east of Amir Drive. The project site abuts the city of Indian Wells across Portola Avenue and vacant city-owned parcels on the north side of Haystack Road.
[01:22:56] Bobby Keading: Marrakesh Country Club is a 155-acre condominium and golf club complex originally designed and constructed between 1967 and 1979. It's generally recognized for its display of Hollywood Regency style residential units characterized by dramatic roof lines, grand entries, and exaggerated proportions, and a traditional mid-century modern style clubhouse, all painted in its signature pink color.
[01:23:27] Bobby Keading: The development team for the project included developer Johnny Dawson, who had previously developed the Thunderbird and Seven Lakes Country Clubs. John Elgin Woolf is the architect who helped realize Dawson's vision for a Hollywood Regency style country club, a style for which Woolf was well known. Architect Richard Harrison designed the clubhouse in a more traditional modernist design compared to the rest of the property. Other members of the project team not pictured include golf course architect Theodore Robinson, civil engineer John Botsford, and landscape architect Phil Shipley.
[01:24:07] Bobby Keading: The project site has minimal alterations overall and the primary character-defining features of the property remain intact. The few inappropriate alterations that were observed by staff include additions and window replacements that would not be approved today under the HOA's existing architectural standards. Other alterations, such as the 1970s enclosure of the covered walkway on the administration building and a recent rear addition to the clubhouse, appear compatible and substantially preserve the publicly visible portions of the original design.
[01:24:42] Bobby Keading: The process for designation of a historic district is outlined in Chapter 29.50 of the Palm Desert Municipal Code. The code establishes seven criteria for designation, and at least one of which must be met in order to be eligible for designation. Staff found Marrakesh Country Club eligible for designation.
[01:25:01] Staff: Under five of the seven possible criteria as detailed in the staff report and summarized in this slide. On August 27th, 2025, the Historic Preservation Committee, at a regular meeting noticed to all property owners within the proposed district and those within a 300-foot radius, made findings pursuant to the Palm Desert Municipal Code and voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to the Palm Desert City Council to adopt a resolution to designate the property as a historic district. Multiple information sessions were held to provide community engagement and address questions or concerns regarding the proposed district designation. City staff attended an information session held on April 11th of this year, and a vote to approve the submission of the application was held at the annual HOA meeting on April 27th. Public notification for today's hearing was sent to all property owners within Marrakesh Country Club and those within a 300-foot radius of the site. The designation is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to the general exemption rule, as the proposed project will not result in any foreseeable direct or indirect change in the environment. The project is also exempt under CEQA guidelines since the activity is not considered a project as defined by CEQA. Staff therefore recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution to designate Marrakesh Country Club as a historic district. And that concludes staff's presentation, and I'm available for your questions.
[01:26:41] Councilmember: Thank you. Are there any questions of staff? Any questions? When I took a tour some time ago, there had been discussion of modifying one of the rooms that was to the rear of the main building for possibly changing the recreational purposes or adding additional weight rooms. I forgot what was there and what they wanted to switch or vice versa. Has that plan been entirely eliminated?
[01:27:11] Staff: No, portions of that plan, to my understanding, have been completed. We do have representatives from the applicant team who can discuss that more in detail, but at a site visit by staff, we were shown those additions and alterations, and as you stated, they are at the rear, and staff didn't find them to degrade the integrity of the original design.
[01:27:32] Councilmember: Because I saw some of those in the slide that were alterations, that noticed what it was before and after. So, I was wondering if there are pictures of what those alterations look like.
[01:27:43] Staff: We do have photos from that site visit that are available.
[01:27:48] Councilmember: Okay. Are they in the presentation?
[01:27:51] Staff: They're unfortunately not in the presentation, but we could certainly get them to you.
[01:27:57] Councilmember: Because I know it's very distinct. There's nothing like it in terms of design and color, and looking at how significant this is, I'm just wondering if we can then have the applicant potentially describe what changes were made. I think that would be beneficial in the absence of a visual.
[01:28:18] Staff: Absolutely. Yeah, we have several representatives from the applicant team who are much more versed than I am in exactly what those alterations were completed.
[01:28:27] Councilmember: Thank you.
[01:28:29] Mayor: Are there any other questions? Okay, I see no questions. Then we will open the public hearing. And do we have—I do have some blue cards.
[01:28:43] Staff: Certainly. But if we could have the applicant representative come to the counter, because they will have five minutes for their presentation.
[01:28:51] Mayor: Oh, okay. Great. And the applicant—is the applicant here?
[01:29:07] Ula Robertson: And I believe I have a blue card as well. Madam President, Madam President, Madam Mayor, and City Council members, my name is Ula Robertson, and for the past year, year and a half, I have been the project lead for the historical designation for Marrakesh. And at the time, we were calling it historical designation; we didn't know what we wanted it to be. It has evolved into the resolution that's in front of you, which is the historical district designation for Marrakesh that is there today, which includes the upstairs and also the bottom stairs, which would be the gym and the meeting room and conference room that we have on that floor. The construction of the clubhouse included the initial
[01:30:02] Speaker: Original footprint. We did not extend further than that footprint. The room that has all of the meeting rooms, etc., etc., that is the same. It did not change. We just updated it. Communication, etc. The gym area is the same: new equipment, new flooring, ceiling fans, etc. That project was completed a couple of years ago, and I invite any of you to come out and see the new Cliff House at any time. My message that I wanted to deliver: number one, I want to thank all of the staff that have worked with us through this process. It actually started about 10 years ago, and the architectural and landscape committee was the committee that sponsored this effort. It was approved by the board. But as you mentioned before, sometimes those of us that are working on either staff or board, we don't have the time or the effort to do a project of this magnitude. It was a year-long project. So last year, the board approved bringing in Luke Lishner, who is a historian, and Luke was brought in to do the application on behalf of Marrakesh. And I know that you guys have all seen that. It's just a great—we're so excited about that document. It's a great document. But I have to tell you, we're standing on the shoulders of so many that came before us. This isn't the first time that Marrakesh has looked at this project and wanted to do it. I think the timing was right, though, because the city's timing was absolutely perfect. Working with Carlos and his planning team, working with Bobby, and also working with CG has just been the group that's taken us through the last mile. There was a vision, a vision that was brought in 1979, 1969, and that vision was to create a place of whimsy. It was a place where you approached a curved wall and wondered what was behind those pink walls. It was a place that had a little bit of fun associated with this guard house. Once you entered, you knew that you were someplace special. The boards, the committees, the city has helped us over the last almost 50 years to maintain that. And what you see in front of you today is the product of the men that came—the John Elgin Wolfs, the Richard Harrison, the Johnny Dawson, the Ted Robinson—those men that had a vision, and those of us that have maintained that vision and come before you today asking you to approve the resolution that's on the floor. I thank you.
[01:32:54] Speaker: Thank you. Well said. Okay. I have another speaker card. Uh, Stephen Price.
[01:33:20] Stephen Price: Aloha. I hope I can fit this in three minutes. I'm Steven Price. I'm an author, architectural historian, preservation consultant, and I became a full-time resident of Palm Desert about 10 years ago. Yeah, since 2015. The first five of which I was at Marrakesh Country Club. There I served on the board of directors and its ALC, the architecture and landscape committee, and one year as its chair. I've been active in preservation work 15 or more years with the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, and most recently served on the architecture design committee of the Historical Society of Palm Desert. Now, I say this because I believe that that means that it will qualify me to attest to the council that this nomination as an historic district is unique in its importance, both from its size and range. I mean, it's an enormous project. In all my years, I've never seen a project of condominiums and outbuildings of this size come for landmark consideration and pass. It's also important for both its architectural and cultural standpoint. The scope of the property, as has been said, 364 houses, villas, duplexes, 14 pool pavilions, and administration buildings, and that cupcake of a gate...
[01:35:01] Public Speaker: House on 155 acres is monumental. And it took an act of courage for you all to consider it even, and I think that's great that we made the case this time. Johnny Dawson, after Thunderbird and Eldorado, then did Seven Lakes and Marrakesh. Cliff Henderson, by the way, was the person who came up with the idea for the pink tone. He had worked in Morocco with General Patton and came back and said, 'You know what, Johnny? These remind me of the Atlas Mountains, and that's why it's pink.' The golf course by Ted Robinson, landscape by Phil Shipley, by the way, who were all titans in their fields at the time and the zeniths of their careers. The nomination itself is by respected historian Luke Loer. It's very solid, very fine. Because I always find errors in other people's presentations. He did—this is what was perfect. It's beautiful. I want to express just how timely and appropriate this designation would be, and I applaud the Marrakesh community for carrying it to this point. It's a historic opportunity both in scale and quality. The council would be doing the city and the region a great service and bestow a very real legacy to the resident members of Marrakesh past, present, and future. Thank you.
[01:36:33] Mayor: Thank you.
[01:36:38] Mayor: Okay. Are there any other comments at all?
[01:36:46] City Clerk: No online comments, Madame Mayor.
[01:36:50] Mayor: Okay. So, we can close the public hearing at this time. Are we closing? Yeah. And is there any comments at the dais? Any discussion?
[01:37:03] Mayor: I would just say I've been in there several times and it's beautiful, and it is just so historic. It's a testament to the architecture of the time, but it's timeless. And as a real estate broker, people from all over the United States, when I bring them to Marrakesh, they're just amazed and in awe, and I look forward to supporting this motion. Any other comments?
[01:37:36] Council Member: I just think that's a great way to put it, that it is representative of its time while being timeless. That's a great way to phrase that. My only concern had been if there had been any changes to the clubhouse in the back. I think any of those remodels were very necessary for the quality of life for your residents and guests. And I think this is—it's the right time. As was mentioned, it's the right time. It's the kind of thing that we want to preserve so nobody comes down the line and says, 'Let's make it mint green instead.' So, it's iconic.
[01:38:14] Council Member: Yeah, I'm all for this project. I'm a huge fan of preserving—well, embracing and celebrating and preserving what makes your community unique, and this is right in keeping with that. I'm a huge fan of this whole process. So, a big thumbs up for me.
[01:38:31] Mayor: Great. And it is a wonderful development, and it used to be kind of a secret. It's not anymore. Bobby, I do have a question for you. You said it was voted on, and for some reason I have April 27th in my head. How—what was the vote on with the—was it an executive committee or...
[01:38:54] Bobby: So, the HOA board on that date voted to submit the application. So, they had the consensus of all property owners, and they voted unanimously to submit that on their behalf.
[01:39:10] Mayor: Great. Thank you. Okay, that's all we have on this, and I'll entertain a motion.
[01:39:21] Council Member: I'll make a motion to approve as presented.
[01:39:24] Council Member: I'll second the motion.
[01:39:26] Mayor: Okay, we have a motion and a second. Please vote.
[01:39:31] City Clerk: Motion passes 4 to 0 with Council Member Pedto recused. And just so there—there's a book still at the counter if somebody left it there.
[01:39:44] Mayor: Okay, a historic district is on its way.
[01:40:01] Mayor Hornik: Okay, our next is 15B, approve a zoning ordinance amendment to permit single family dwellings and daycare centers in the downtown edge transition overlay. I will be recusing myself from this because, due to the proximity of real estate that I own, and did you want to...
[01:40:28] Mayor Pro Tem Trippy: Yeah, I need to recuse myself for the same reason: proximity of real estate owned to the project in question.
[01:40:36] Mayor Hornik: Okay. And I will turn it over to Councilmember Nandi to run this public hearing.
[01:40:42] Councilmember Nandi: It's all you. Should I sit over here or just...
[01:40:47] Councilmember: Okay, great.
[01:40:50] Councilmember Nandi: Okay. So, we just read the public hearing, or the Mayor did. And is there a staff report?
[01:40:57] Carlos Flores: No presentation, but a brief report. Carlos Flores, Development Services. Thank you, members of City Council. Back in August, the City Council approved a general plan amendment and zoning ordinance amendment to change some things in our downtown, including allowing single family homes within the downtown edge transition overlay to correct some nonconformities as well as daycares. Staff incorrectly took the zoning ordinance amendment as a resolution, and so we are bringing it back as an ordinance. It was publicly circulated as required with 20-day notice and brought back to you as a public hearing for formal adoption. Happy to answer any questions.
[01:41:39] Councilmember Nandi: Okay. Are there any questions? Seeing none, I will open the public hearing.
[01:41:51] Staff: No public comments.
[01:41:53] Councilmember Nandi: Okay. So, no public comments, and Council comments?
[01:41:59] Councilmember: Okay.
[01:42:01] Councilmember Nandi: The code as it stands is, to put it lightly, complex. So, my gratitude to staff and my colleague for taking all of this and trying to make it cohesive. And as we've mentioned many times before, daycare is not only quality of life, but it is an economic development issue. So I fully support that this be approved and move forward to help clarify our ordinances and zoning. And I will close the public hearing. There we go. So we're ready for a vote.
[01:42:36] Councilmember: Move approval.
[01:42:38] Councilmember: Second.
[01:42:45] Staff: Motion passes three to zero with Mayor Hornik and Mayor Pro Tem Trippy recused.
[01:43:12] Mayor Hornik: Okay, good deal. There is, we are at the end of our agenda. I do want to remind everybody our next meeting is November 13th, and also remind you that we do have the golf cart parade coming up here. So we'd love to see you there. Bring the families, and November 10th at the McCallum. Please be there. Support our veterans and support all that Veterans Day means. And seeing no unfinished business, this meeting stands adjourned.