Coachella Valley Independent May 2022

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MAY 2022

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263 Cathedral City, CA 92234 (760) 904-4208 www.cvindependent.com

Editor/Publisher Jimmy Boegle staff writer Kevin Fitzgerald coveR and feature design Dennis Wodzisz Contributors Max Cannon, Kevin Carlow, Melissa Daniels, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Clay Jones, Matt Jones, Jocelyn Kane, Matt King, Keith Knight, Cat Makino, Brett Newton, Greg Niemann, Dan Perkins, Theresa Sama, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor The Coachella Valley Independent print edition is published every month. All content is ©2022 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. The Independent is available free of charge throughout the Coachella Valley, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for $5 by calling (760) 904-4208. The Independent may be distributed only by the Independent’s authorized distributors. The Independent is a proud member and/ or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, CalMatters, DAP Health, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.

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In late 2012, I placed an ad on Craigslist. The headline: “Coachella Valley Independent seeks talented, fun freelancers.” One of the first responses came from Erin Peters. In her email, she talked about her writing and reporting experience, most notably for her own website, called The Beer Goddess. While her experience was impressive, I was especially intrigued by the portion of her email that addressed the “fun” portion of that headline. “Am I fun? Well, I think so,” Erin wrote. “Here are just a few fun things I’ve done: 1. Attended Burning Man last year and helped build a New Orleans themed jazz bar, which was bigger than the actual bar (Le Bon Temps Roule). 2. Skydiving: I won’t get into the fact that there was a malfunction with the main chute, and we ended up pulling the reserve chute. Okay, maybe ‘fun’ isn’t the right word for this. 3. Moved to Big Bear for a couple of years from Los Angeles to work from home and snowboard. 4. Made up a beer holiday. Yeah, seriously: www.StoutDay.com.” The Independent had its beer writer. And I’d met someone who would become a dear friend. Erin was definitely fun. Strikingly beautiful, she taught swim classes in her spare time, and dealt with a wonky shoulder that she kept dislocating. We bonded over our love of good alcoholic beverages. While I am more of a cocktail person, she introduced me to craft beer—instilling in me an appreciation of good sour beers. Like many young professionals, she found advancing her career in the Coachella Valley to be challenge. A digital marketing/content specialist, she worked at Graphtek Interactive for several years before moving on to Cord Media and then Palm Springs Life. In 2017, she decided she needed a change and moved to Ventura. Around this time, she received some life-shattering news: She had ovarian cancer. She fought the cancer with every ounce of her being, undergoing energy-draining treatments and constantly looking for new trials and therapies. Through it all, she kept living her life as best she could. She married a wonderful man, Mark Valance. She continued to teach swim lessons, and worked as the digital media manager for Good Sam. She kept writing about beer, and made trips to Guinness’ headquarters in Ireland to celebrate International Stout Day. On Jan. 1, Erin beautifully and heartbreakingly wrote on Facebook about her rough 2021. She started off the year paddleboarding in the local harbor, she said—but things soon went downhill. The post concluded: “Everything in life seems to have crests and troughs. 2021’s trough was deep and strong. But I’m a good swimmer. While the breaths I took and continue to take are shallow within the rough waters, they are keeping me alive. May 2022 rise up in a beautiful crest so that I can ride the wave to health and vitality.” That crest was not to be. Just 13 days later, she posted, simply: “Chemo stopped working.” Early the morning of April 7, Mark posted on social media: “The love of my life passed peacefully tonight. I’m lost, but thankful she is not suffering from the 5-year battle with ovarian cancer anymore.” I love you, Erin Valance. I’m beyond heartbroken. Every time I drink a sour beer from now on, I’ll toast you—and a life well lived. —Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com


MAY 2022

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 3

Passes On Sale May 2 CVIndependent.com


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MAY 2022

OPINION OPINION

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

RIDING FOR LIFE BY BRETT KLEIN

I

’m Brett Klein. I am participating in the AIDS/LifeCycle 2022—and I’m inviting you to join our “love bubble.” This June, it will be 23 years since I first took part in the world’s largest single-event HIV/ AIDS fundraiser—a seven-day, 545-mile bike ride that benefits the HIV/AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. While I’ve supported, donated to and trained for the AIDS/LifeCycle for many years, this year’s ride will be very special, as I’ll be joined by my local ALC team, the Desert Roadrunners, which includes more than 50 riders and roadies. Our fundraising goal is $200,000. I initially participated in the ride in 1999. At the time, I thought I had only months to live. rides to be canceled, but AIDS/LifeCycle is set It was my sixth anniversary of being HIVto make its return this year from June 5 to 11. positive. Medicines at the time were limited I’ve been posting on social media and and toxic, and I was greatly struggling with sending email updates to friends and my health, so I wanted to challenge myself to fight for those living and aging with HIV/AIDS acquaintances, and people have been one last time. To my thankful surprise, I’m still donating—including some people I don’t even know who’ve read or heard my story. here. Ride director Tracy Evans recently Since 1993, when the ride began as the announced that more than $9 million has California AIDS Ride, participants have raised been raised so far for the 2022 ride. “People more than $220 million and completed more are just so eager and happy to be back with the than 42,000 journeys on bikes from San community, and when we opened registration Francisco to Los Angeles. The COVID-19 in August, they were all in, and they just got pandemic forced the 2020 and 2021 in-person

The Desert Roadrunners plan on participating in the annual 545-mile AIDS/Lifecycle until there’s a cure to it, which is why we are where we are with fundraising,” she said. “While we’ve come so far in the last 40 years in our mission to end AIDS, we’re not there yet, and it’s going to take a lot more to get there.” While fundraising is off to a blistering start, teams still need volunteers—known as roadies—to work behind the scenes of the 545-mile bike ride. “If you’re the kind of person who thrives from providing service to others, and working toward a collective goal, then there is nothing better than this,” said Victor Yepello. He has been involved since 2009 as a rider, a roadie and recently as a bike-maintenance tech. “We’ve got people who are going out there marking the roads, people setting up the camp each day, a complete medical team, route teams, food teams—it’s everything you would need to create a moving city.” It takes approximately 650 volunteers to successfully move the event down the coast each day, with overnight stops in Santa Cruz, King City, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Ventura. The volunteers are divided into 32 roadie teams with jobs that vary in skill and physicality. It is a tough week, but one filled with love, laughter and solidarity. The energy is amazing; describing it is hard to put into words, but I’ll try: Being able to be part of this ride, which raises millions of dollars, is unparalleled. Being part of what we call the “love bubble” is one of the best highs I’ve ever experienced in my life. Thinking about all the memories I’ve built up over 23 years gives me chills. Our Desert Roadrunners team is captained by veteran rider and training ride leader Tim Wood, who is celebrating his 15th year as a participant. “I am truly humbled and honored to be part of a group of cyclists nationwide and around

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the world using a bicycle to make a difference. Desert Roadrunners, Positive Pedalers and all the other teams that have included me in their family—THANK YOU!” Wood writes on his AIDS/LifeCycle Page. “… The stigma of HIV remains very prevalent, and many in the HIV community are still reluctant to talk about it. Those living and aging with HIV/ AIDS struggle daily in maintaining their health and getting reasonably priced health services. New infections are still alarmingly present in communities all over the U.S. Those becoming HIV+ are constantly saying, ‘We didn’t know; we didn’t realize; we don’t care; no one told us; we thought it was a manageable disease!’” Some 1.2 million people live with HIV and AIDS in the United States—and one in seven of those people do not know they live with the disease. For many riders and roadies, the AIDS/ LifeCycle is the most physically challenging week of year—but it is also the most emotional and fulfilling. The average rider will train on the road and hills for six to nine months, riding thousands of miles. I started training in September—after a 10-month recovery from a nasty bike crash. Thankfully, I’m now riding 60 to 75 miles each weekend, plus more miles during the week. It can be grueling; it’s a huge time-suck; and days are filled with mental and physical challenges. But I love it, because do it with my Desert Roadrunners team, a group of like-minded and selfless individuals representing our own desert “love bubble.” Brett Klein, AIDS/LifeCycle rider No. 1367, can be reached at brettdklein@gmail.com. To learn more about the Desert Roadrunners, visit www. facebook.com/groups/DesertRoadRunners, or view Brett Klein’s LifeCycle page at www. tofighthiv.org/goto/brett22.


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 5

MAY 2022

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MAY 2022

OPINION OPINION

HIKING WITH T I

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

The Windy Ridge Trail lives up to its name—but hiking it is worth the challenge

BY THERESA SAMA

f you’re looking for a good trail that’s a bit challenging and off the beaten path, but not so difficult to get to, the Windy Ridge Trail might be the trail for you. On days that it’s not too windy, that is. It’s located in the foothills of Desert Hot Springs, just above Mission Lakes Country Club, near Indian Canyon and Highway 62, about 5.5 miles north of Interstate 10. You should find parking along Augusta Avenue, across from Clubhouse Boulevard. From there, continue past the Mountain View homes sign—before the gate, on the back side of the fence—and follow the gravel hill about three-quarters of the way to the top; veer left, and the trail starts just a few feet from there, on the left. want to get out of the house and take hiking You may find the trail to be a bit excursions where they could safely exercise challenging, as it starts out with a short, and have socially distant visits. Then, the steep climb—then add an additional three secret was out. more climbs before reaching the top of the The Windy Ridge Trail showed up on ridge, at over 2,000 feet, with an elevation gain of about 810 feet in less than a mile. The AllTrails.com in 2020, listed as a 3.6 mile, moderately challenging, out-and-back trail. trail is very technical on all three hills, and can be treacherous, both going up and coming Shortly after that, the trail was one of six trails listed on the City of Desert Hot Springs down. It’s rocky with washouts and ruts that Trails and Parks Map, released in July 2021. can be a bit tough and gnarly to maneuver. Most recently, this February, California.com If you think this is challenging, the biggest rated the Windy Ridge Trail among the “Best challenge of all may actually be finding the Desert Hikes in Southern California.” trailhead, since it’s not marked (as of this I will vouch for that—it truly is among writing). Someone recently put up a wooden the best! For more than a decade now, I have stake as a marker, but it didn’t stay up long. When I moved to the area more than 10 years experienced not only amazing views of Mount San Jacinto and Mount San Gorgonio from ago, I immediately noticed a small portion of this trail; I’ve watched the steady growth of the trail visible from the road. Being the trail the city of Desert Hot Springs and beyond. connoisseur that I am, I set out to find the trailhead … and failed three times! But finally, There are 360-degree views, with rolling hills from the east to the west. The San Andreas I found it—and the trail has been my little Fault runs along the north end of the hillside, slice of heaven every since. and looking south, you can see past Palm I’ll be honest: I hesitated to write about Springs. As you turn southwest, you can see the Windy Ridge Trail. It had long been one the beautiful San Jacinto Peak. There’s just of those “best kept secret” trails, until the so much beauty, with the spring blooms, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, making people

Burrowing owls are a common sight on the Windy Ridge Trail. Theresa Sama

CVIndependent.com

The view of San Jacinto Peak, looking southwest from the Windy Ridge Trail. Theresa Sama

wildlife and the peacefulness; it’s really hard to explain and is best experienced in person. However, a warning: The trail certainly lives up to its name, as it is often very windy up there. The wind will push you around— and not just from one direction: The wind may hit you on one side one minute, then whip around and hit you from behind or from the other side the next. It’s crazy! During windy times, you may have to fight to stay on the top of ridge. Excuse the TMI, but at times, the wind will literally suck the snot right out of your nose. It’s quite the unpleasant experience. The wind does help make the extreme temperatures feel a bit cooler, at least. It’s not always windy, thankfully, and the trail is also great for mountain biking and trail running. Despite the recent attention, the trail still doesn’t have much foot traffic; it’s unlikely you will encounter many others il during weekdays. Mostly, I see more wildlife than people, including horned lizards, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, desert bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, coyotes and even

burrowing owls that hang out along the housing-development. (I tend to see the burrowing owls more when I do a 4-mile loop from the ridge trail, rather than just an out and back.) Please be careful: Rattlesnakes are almost a given during the extreme-heat months; in fact, some of the biggest rattlesnakes I’ve ever seen have been on this trail. Please be mindful of all wildlife, and remember: They share their trails with us, so be considerate to them, and always give them their space. Although there are no trail restrictions at this time, the best times to visit are September through May; during the rest of the year, you’ll want to stick to the early morning hours. Dogs are welcome and should be on a leash. There’s absolutely no water, of course, so please remember to bring lots of it, especially during the summer months. Don’t forget the essentials for desert hiking; wear proper hiking shoes; and always pack in and pack out. Enjoy the trails!


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 7

MAY 2022

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MAY 2022

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

WORKERS UNITED

Employees at a La Quinta Starbucks take steps to unionize

by melissa daniels

A

nde Hernandez has worked for Starbucks on and off since she first trained as a barista at the age of 16. For the past seven years, she’s been a familiar face to customers at the bustling La Quinta location at Highway 111 and Jefferson Street, near the Costco and Residence Inn. “I loved the company Starbucks was,” she said. “They truly seemed to represent their morals at the time—what it meant to care about your employees, and also caring about the Earth.” But the pandemic’s pressure on service workers didn’t spare Hernandez and her colleagues. Hernandez said her team became frustrated with hours being cut, low pay and high turnover— Hernandez said 21 employees—or so Hernandez and many of her colleagues said partners, in Starbucks lingo—have signed in April that they want to join the hundreds union authorization cards. That marks the of Starbucks shops across the country that first step toward a vote to form a union under have taken steps to form a union. the rules of the National Labor Relations “We deserve to be treated with dignity Board, and represents half the current staff, and humanity at work,” Hernandez and her Hernandez said. fellow La Quinta organizers wrote in a letter A vote has not yet been scheduled, to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. “We know Hernandez said. through the union we will be able to have a Their announcement was shared widely livable wage, dictation over our workspace online on April 11 when it was tweeted by layout, a better structured schedule with Starbucks Workers United, a collective of predictable hours, and accountability workers who organized in the Buffalo, N.Y., for everyone, from baristas to upper area in December and became the first to management.”

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Starbucks Workers United announced the La Quinta store’s unionization effort on April 11.

organize one of the coffee chain’s stores since the 1980s. Hernandez said the local committee has connected with those from other areas to learn about the process and what’s involved. While each store’s situation is unique, the concerns of the La Quinta crew echo those in hundreds of other Starbucks locations that are unionizing, in places from Boston and Los Angeles: Employees aren’t paid enough to meet expectations to provide the “Starbucks experience” amid staffing issues and workplace conditions. Hernandez said these efforts show that she and others are committed to Starbucks and want to see improvement. “Being critical of something doesn’t mean you hate it and doesn’t mean you don’t love it,” she said. “You want to be part of the change.” A Starbucks spokesperson the Independent that the company respects partners’ right to organize and will bargain in good faith, as executive Rossann Williams said in a letter to employees back in December following the Buffalo unionization effort. Starbucks also plans to respond by adding roughly $1 billion in incremental investments in annual wages and benefits over two years. That includes 5% or 10% raises for some long-serving employees. By the summer, the company anticipates an average wage of $17 per hour nationwide, and $15 to $23 across the country. “We are listening and learning from the

partners in these stores, as we always do across the country,” the statement said—language that is identical to statements issued to other media sources following other unionization efforts across the country. “Starbucks success—past, present, and future—is built on how we partner together, always with Our Mission and Values at our core.” But the company has cast a union as an unnecessary third party in its relationship with employees. “We’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed,” the statement to the Independent said. That messaging was also promoted by Schultz, the company’s founder who returned as CEO this year in the midst of these unionization efforts. In an open forum and public letter, he’s promised to do better by partners and “reimagine” their experience at work—without letting the unionization effort take hold. “... (M)y job in coming back to Starbucks is to ensure the fact that we, the collective we, co-create, reimagine a new Starbucks with our partners at the center of it all,” Schultz’s letter said. “As a pro-partner company. A company that does not need someone in between us and our people.” Hernandez, however, said a union representative is not a third party. “It’s us. It’s our voices, legally, being amplified,” she said.


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 9

MAY 2022

NEWS

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

CV HISTORY B

Stagecoaches brought the first non-native settlers to the Coachella Valley—but the railroad helped them stay

by greg niemann

efore white settlers arrived, the Coachella Valley was populated by the Desert Cahuilla Indians—and they would not permanently be joined by outsiders until the railroad arrived in the latter part of the 19th century. The 1774 Anza expedition went to the south of the Coachella Valley and what would become Palm Springs. By the early 1800s, some Cahuilla Indians had been baptized into Catholicism, and given Spanish names through Mission San Gabriel, according to historical records. The Cahuilla were also noted to have helped the Franciscan padres with irrigation projects and farming in the Redlands and San Bernardino areas starting around 1819. None of those Anglo/Cahuilla even though it included expensive ferry fees, encounters, however, happened in the became the most popular road from California Coachella Valley. to Arizona for decades. By the mid-1850s, several white men had The Bradshaw Line carried U.S. mail as well settled in the San Gorgonio Pass area, but as with travelers, gold-seekers, prospectors there is no record of any of them living at or and assorted wanderers. It is said that the around the hot springs at Agua Caliente (later stage was ambushed on its first return trip renamed Palm Springs), even though outsiders going through the San Gorgonio Pass, and visited several times. the driver and another man were murdered, Some mail riders on horseback stopped at robbed of $5,000 worth of gold dust. Agua Caliente/Palm Springs for water, but it The Bradshaw Line not only stopped at would be years until stagecoaches also stopped Agua Caliente, but had a station built there. at the springs. The first overland stage in Bradshaw hired Jack Summers to operate the California was the San Antonio and San Agua Caliente way station; Summers thus Diego Mail Line, followed by the Butterfield became the first white settler in Palm Springs, Overland Mail, which ran from 1857 to 1861. living in an adobe hut from 1865 until 1877. Their routes went south of Palm Springs—but According to Chief Francisco Patencio in they opened the door to other enterprising his 1943 book Stories and Legends of the Palm stage companies. Springs Indians: “Jack Summers was agent In 1872, the Grant Stage ran from Prescott, at Palm Springs. He was the first white man Arizona, to San Bernardino—but the biggest to live here. He rented from 10 to 12 acres impact upon Palm Springs and the Coachella where The Desert Inn now stands and hired Valley came from the Bradshaw Stage Line, the Indians to raise barley for his horse. which ran from 1863 to 1877. … Summers and his wife lived in an adobe Gold had been discovered in La Paz, New station. It was made of sticks and brush Mexico Territory (near present-day Ehrenberg, plastered with adobe mud. This adobe was Ariz.), and people from Los Angeles needed bought from the Indians. It came from the to get there. This prompted an enterprising Spring.” southern gentleman named William D. (Big That hut of mud from the hot springs that Bill) Bradshaw into action. He scouted the housed Jack Summers remained standing Coachella Valley in 1862 and was able to get until the 1920s. Cahuilla Chief Cabezon and a Maricopan The stage lines brought the first travelers Indian to show him the best route to the to the area—before the railroad nudged them Colorado River. Later that year, Bradshaw out of business. The railroad brought Palm wrote the Los Angeles Star and described sites Springs and the surrounding area to the and stops along the new trail, including Agua public’s attention. Caliente (now Palm Springs), Sand Hole (now In 1875, the Southern Pacific Railroad hired Palm Desert), Indian Wells (now Indio), Toro, some of the Indians, including future Chief Martin’s House, Lone Palm, Dos Palmas, Francisco Patencio, to haul timber and logs, and Chuckwalla Well, and others. lay track. The railroad finally opened in 1877, Bradshaw partnered with a man named sounding a death knell for the stage lines. William Warrington, and they established The Bradshaw stage station manned by a ferry across the Colorado River just north Summers closed. The train tracks passed to of present-day Interstate 10 to complete the the north of Agua Caliente at a place called route. With the ferry crossing, the Bradshaw Seven Palms, about six miles away. There Trail was extended from San Bernardino would be a train stop there, which remains through Beaumont, Banning, Cabazon, to this day, near Interstate 10 and Indian Whitewater and the entire Coachella Valley Canyon Drive. to the gold fields and points east. His route,

Railroad construction also gave birth to the city of Indio, as the railroad town sprung to life in 1876 while the Southern Pacific Railroad was building the lines between Yuma and Los Angeles. The engines needed a place to refill their water, and the workers needed local housing and supplies. The first Southern Pacific facilities at what was then called Indian Wells consisted of “one tank and well, one freight and passenger house, and one coal bin.” The town’s name was changed to Indio in 1877. That same year, the competing Santa Fe Railroad reached Los Angeles— forcing the Southern Pacific into a rate war. The low fares created a land boom for areas served by the railroad, and it wouldn’t be long before the old hot springs once called Agua Caliente would be one of those areas. The title of “first land speculators in Palm Springs” must go to W.E. Van Slyke and M. Byrne of San Bernardino. They had already bought 320 acres of prime Palm Springs land from the Southern Pacific Railroad and had their eyes on more. In 1880, Van Slyke and Byrne paid Pedro Chino $150 for his 10-acre ranch between the hot springs and the mountains. (That area is now called Chino Canyon, located at the base of the Palm

Springs Aerial Tramway.) Fruit trees irrigated by canyon waters surrounded his one-room adobe house. It was the valley’s first real estate transaction—and the fact that Pedro Chino didn’t even own the land didn’t deter anyone. The land actually belonged to the railroad, but Chino had lived there for years and figured he had the right. It wasn’t long before others found their way to the Coachella Valley, most notably John Guthrie McCallum, who in 1884 became the first permanent non-Indian settler in Palm Springs. He began buying up land and held a big auction in 1887. It was a success, as the railroad brought crowds of people; 137 parcels of land were sold on the first day. Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley were getting ready to welcome pioneers who would eventually develop resort living in the desert. Sources for this article include Coachella Valley’s Golden Years by Ole Nordland, Coachella Valley Water District, 1978; The McCallum Saga by Katherine Ainsworth, Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1973; and Stories and Legends of the Palm Springs Indians by Chief Francisco Patencio, Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1943.

Stage lines brought the first travelers the area—but the fledgling railroad nudged them out of business. Photo courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society

CVIndependent.com


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MAY 2022

NEWS

CANDIDATE Q&A C

by Kevin fitzgerald

alifornia’s primary election will take place on Tuesday, June 7, and one of the most-watched races for Riverside County voters will be the showdown between incumbent Sheriff Chad Bianco, and challenger Michael Lujan. In a two-candidate race such as this one, if either candidate garners more than 50 percent of the votes cast on June 7—which is a near-certainty, with only two names on the ballot—there will be no general election held for this office: The candidate who gets the most votes wins. Bianco is running for a second term—after a first term that has proven to be much more controversial than many of his 2018 election supporters expected. Born and raised in Utah, Bianco is down. Instead of calla husband and father who has worked in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for some ing it what it is, we call it a “mass shooting” 28 years. to scare people from His challenger is Michael Lujan, who retired going out into public. as a captain in the Riverside County Sheriff’s Because of media, Department in December 2020, after 31 years social media and of service. He lives with his wife in Menifee, instantaneous worldwhere they are raising two daughters. wide news, we hear The Independent asked each candidate the about them like they same slate of questions. Lujan spoke with happen in our own the Independent over the phone, while Bianco neighborhoods on a responded via email. Below are their complete weekly basis, but that is just not the case. answers, which have been edited only for style The truth of the matter is that we have evil and clarity. people in the world. Many, but not all, have For an expanded version of this Q&A, visit extensive criminal and mental-health issues that CVIndependent.com. we ignore, for the most part. We do a fantastic job of intel-gathering and social media-monitoring, searching for these types of incidents in Chad Bianco our area. We have a great relationship with our What two issues do you believe will neighboring counties who do the same. We take demand most of your attention should you public threats very seriously and follow up on win the election? all of them. While I pray we never have one of Currently, fentanyl is the area of major concern these in Riverside County, we judiciously look to for law enforcement. We must get a hold on the stop them before they occur. major increase of the drug being smuggled into our country, and the persons responsible for its Data appearing on California’s Open Jusdistribution. It is the most lethal, highly addictice website (view a table at CVIndepentive drug we have ever seen. We will continue to dent.com) show an increase in overall violose lives of those poisoned by the drug, and it lent crime, aggravated assault, assault with will add to the drug addiction and mental issues a firearm and motor vehicle theft from of our homeless population. 2018 to 2020, as reported by the Riverside Upward trends in criminal activity will conCounty Sheriff’s Department. What steps tinue to be an issue. While we must continue need to be taken to reverse this trend? our very successful proactive efforts at criminal We have already experienced a slowing or activity, we must also demand our Legislature reversing of this trend as shown by 2021 statisreverse its pro-criminal, anti-public-safety agentics because of our efforts at proactive policing. da they call criminal reform. When you ignore criminal activity, you foster an environment that promotes it. By engaging with What can U.S. law enforcement agencies the community and targeting the individuals do, and what can be done on the county and groups who commit the majority of crime, sheriff’s level, to curb mass shootings? Are we will continue this downward trend. … The you concerned we may see such incidents current trend of decriminalization and lack of taking place in Riverside County? punishment needs to change directions, or CaliMass shootings are not as common as you fornia will certainly suffer the consequences. think. Take Sacramento, for instance; those were career criminals who have taken advantage Given the intense residential and comof a soft-on-crime environment in California, at mercial development under way around a party that law enforcement should have shut CVIndependent.com

Meet the two candidates running for Riverside County Sheriff Interstate 10, from Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage in the west, to Palm Desert’s Cook Street in the east—including the new arena, multiple hotels, resorts, housing communities and surf parks—is the Sheriff’s Department adequately prepared to meet the population surge that will result? As the population increases, law enforcement levels must also increase. Our cities, particularly cities who contract with the Sheriff’s Department, understand that and are taking necessary steps and planning for an increased level of service. We are a very large and capable department and will be able to accommodate this need.

set aside our personal views, or politics in this case, and follow the rule of law in an equally and fairly balanced manner. I’ll restore the integrity of the office. That’s No. 1. No. 2, I think we’re very challenged with staffing. Currently, we have our John Benoit Detention Center (in Indio) that sits 90% vacant. We need to continue robust hiring to meet staffing needs as our department expands, because the county is in a constant state of growth. It’s difficult to number a priority No. 1, 2 or 3. During my 31 years in the sheriff’s department, we’ve had to balance all priorities and work on achieving and resolving those challenges simultaneously.

What your stance is on the question of whether the person elected to the office of Riverside County Sheriff should enforce all the duly-passed laws of the state, as well as legal public mandates issued by duly elected officials of the state of California? As the sheriff, and the head law-enforcement officer for the county, it is my job to manage the enforcement of criminal laws which will best provide for the safety of our neighborhoods, schools and business communities, and to keep our residents safe from criminal activity. There may be some never-before-seen reason to enforce a mandate, but what we went through with COVID was not one of them. It is not, and never has been, the responsibility of law enforcement to keep society healthy. Politicians using a pandemic as a tool for social agendas should never be joined by law enforcement. Eventually, our news sources are going to start telling the whole truth to the public, and the politicians will “mandate” they are silenced. I, as your sheriff, will not be a part of that, either. There is a reason why there was never a law concerning the mandates. That reason is the public would never have stood for it, and our lawmakers would have been held accountable. By making it a mandate, it’s easy to blame everyone else for the negatives and the failures. … For example, some uninformed people, including some in media, have blamed law enforcement for COVID deaths rather than the virus or personal health choices.

What can U.S. law enforcement agencies do, and what can be done on the county sheriff’s level, to curb mass shootings? Are you concerned we may see such incidents taking place in Riverside County? That’s a definite concern for Riverside County and for public safety as a whole. What we need to do is have public awareness, and encourage individuals to report any suspicious activity of individuals who may be talking on social media about conducting a mass shooting incident, or who have personal knowledge of a threat. I can recall one incident where it came out on social media at the Norco College campus, and we were able to stop that from occurring. So we need crime prevention, education and cooperation with the community and our elected officials in building that bridge of trust, where they can come and say, ‘Hey, this is what I’m hearing.’ Then we can initiate an investigation to determine the credibility of any threat.

Michael Lujan

What two issues do you believe will demand most of your attention should you win the election? One is assuring the public and our elected officials that we’re going to be removing partisan politics from the office, and follow the rule of law. To meet our public safety goals, we need to

Data appearing on California’s Open Justice website (view a table at CVIndependent.com) show an increase in overall violent crime, aggravated assault, assault with a firearm and motor vehicle theft from 2018 to 2020, as reported by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. What steps need to be taken to reverse this trend? We need to do a combination of things in the patrol field. One, we need to ensure that there’s adequate staffing on patrol. Also, we need to bring back our community-orientated policing philosophies where our deputies are out in the community, attending neighborhood watch meetings and crime-free multi-housing program meetings. We need to have a more robust presence in these communities so that we can talk to individuals and build these bridges of trust. We’re always going to see a rise and fall in crime, and when we see a dip in crime, we’re


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CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS in the community more, doing more community-orientated policing. When the same deputy, or group of deputies, sits down with community groups—say, at an HOA meeting—you build and foster positive professional relationships with those members of the community. They, in turn, will report chronic problem situations, or they’ll report potential crimes that are about to occur. So we need to re-establish that communication and trust with the community. When Sheriff Bianco first ran for office, he said he was going to bring about community-orientated policing strategies and philosophies. I’ve yet to see it, but they are effective when you have that trust. When the public sees the deputy sheriff as someone more than just a peace officer—when they see a deputy sheriff as an individual who is there to help them and make a difference in their lives, and will keep the community safe—it helps. As a young deputy, I was a member of the community-orientated policing team, and we got to know people on a first-name basis. We’ve got to build trust and respect for what community members and activists do in their communities, and build mutual trust and respect for what the deputies do to make the communities safe. We need to bring that back. We’re seeing now that there’s a lot of increased staffing in specialized units. Our SWAT team has been increased. Our narcotics units have been increased. But we need to start transitioning toward a more community-orientated policing philosophy, and re-establish trust with the community. It starts at the top. It starts with the leadership. In Riverside County, you’ve probably seen division within our community based on partisan politics. We need to end the politics there so that we can rebuild our communities and make them as safe as possible. We need mutual trust between the community and, not only law enforcement, but all our public agencies. Given the intense residential and commercial development under way around Interstate 10, from Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage in the west, to Palm Desert’s Cook Street in the east—including the new arena, multiple hotels, resorts, housing communities and surf parks—is the Sheriff’s Department adequately prepared to meet the population surge that will result? Yes. The department has recognized that development is going on, not only in the Coachella Valley, but throughout the entire county. We recognize that our population growth is rapid. The department, at least when I was in it, was planning to increase staffing. Currently, our staffing runs at about 4,000 for the department, with a total authorization for 4,900 in the department. Of that 4,900, I think about 4,200 are actually funded now. That is in anticipation of the growth of the county, which will coincide with the growth of the department.

MAKE THE EASY CHOICE

I would encourage anyone out in the Coachella Valley or any of our desert communities to consider a career in corrections as part of the Sheriff’s Department. It an outstanding career that provides a good income with benefits and retirement. When we do robust recruiting out there, we want to get qualified applicants who live in the area to help us with our public safety mission. What your stance is on the question of whether the person elected to the office of Riverside County Sheriff should enforce all the duly-passed laws of the state, as well as legal public mandates issued by duly elected officials of the state of California? I think we should enforce the law, and we should enforce the law in two manners: one, to the letter of the law, and; two, in the spirit of the law. We should work diligently to gain lawful compliance with the law. I think it’s important that, if the law allows for enforcement, educating an individual who’s in violation of the law and asking for compliance should be our first step. The second step then would be to take corrective action, take the person into custody and issue a citation. So, yes, I do believe we should enforce the laws as they were either passed by the Legislature, or if they were passed by the voters via a proposition. I do believe we should support enforcement of a mandate. During the pandemic, I do believe we should support the mandate, because the government code allows for that. I believe it’s Government Code 8665 that outlines the penalty for violating a mandate, such as the mandate to wear a mask. There is actually a government code that says that the governor has that authority to prevent the spread of the disease or of a pandemic, during a natural disaster or a state of emergency. If you’re focusing in on the mask as being part of general public policy, then you can respond in a couple of ways. Most people will comply with the mandate, because it has to do with public safety and the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic. If there are those who are not complying with it, it’s easy to gain compliance by just explaining the government code to the individual, asking for compliance, and informing them that the consequences of violating the government code could result in an arrest, a citation—and, of course, you’d have to go to court. The majority of our residents are very reasonable and understanding once you explain the law to them. Voluntary compliance is the goal, and it’s usually achieved once you explain it.

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by melissa daniels

ne of my favorite parts of going out in Palm Springs is the come-as-you-are ethos. Cocktail attire might mean sequins, caftans or a good pair of jeans. Naturist hotels sit in unassuming neighborhoods. Bras are optional. But lately, we’ve seen an ugly wave of transphobia triggered in large part by misinformation—a wave that hardly squares with the welcoming and accepting atmosphere for which the city of Palm Springs is known. In late March, the Palm Springs City Council voted to give $200,000 to a pair of organizations looking to pilot a first-of-its-kind guaranteed income program for transgender or in the development of unrestricted assistance nonbinary residents. Queer Works and DAP programs in the past two years. She heads Health will use the money to support their up a best-practices group of advocates and application to the California Department policymakers that has grown from 125 of Social Services’ $35 million Guaranteed members to nearly 400—with the popularity Income Pilot Program initiative. due in large part to COVID-19 stimulus They envision a pilot that could provide checks showing the power of putting cash in a fixed dollar amount each month to people’s hands. transgender residents. But most of the “Unrestricted cash allows you to meet details—like how much money, and who is your needs as they come up,” she said. “Each eligible—will be worked out during a sixcommunity has their own needs, but cash is a month application and design phase. The solution that crosses those boundaries.” council stopped short of committing funds By definition, guaranteed income programs directly to the program. are meant to address the needs of a specific Yet this fairly incremental and innocuous population, Neighly said, whether that’s step was quickly picked up by the national LGBTQ+ people, seniors or people of color. news and incorrectly portrayed in right-wing The outcomes of experimental programs media circles. Fox News proclaimed: “Palm so far show how impactful a small amount Springs mayor pushing to pay transgender of cash can be: The city of Stockton’s SEED and nonbinary residents,” despite the fact program sent $500 a month for two years that Mayor Lisa Middleton, who is a trans to 125 randomly selected individuals. Some woman, expressed reservations about the people secured better jobs, while others long-term viability of the proposal. reported decreases in anxiety and depression, This outpouring of identity-based fearbecause the extra money made it that much mongering coming from right-wing and/ easier for them to make ends meet. or over-dramatic media outlets grossly Some programs can be designed to help mischaracterizes what’s basically a local policy families stabilize their finances: Magnolia experiment—similar to other experiments Mother’s Trust provides $1,000 a month happening all over the country. to Black mothers in Jackson, Miss., and is Madeline Neighly, the director of currently in its fourth round. guaranteed income at the Economic Security Neighly wasn’t familiar with any examples Project, said there’s been a dramatic increase

CVIndependent.com

Misinformation, slurs distract from the potential benefits of Palm Springs’ guaranteed income pilot proposal

Palm Springs’ vote to give $200,000 to a pair of organizations looking to pilot a first-of-its-kind guaranteed income program for transgender or nonbinary residents caught the attention of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson.

to specifically aid transgender or nonbinary people. But she pointed to data that shows how little transgender people generally earn compared to cisgender folks. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation found, for example, that a trans woman earns 60 cents on the dollar compared to other workers. “When we think about building an economic floor and targeting those with support for the most need, it makes sense to pilot this and demonstrate this with a community we know is disproportionately low-wage,” she said. Unfortunately, the rhetoric surrounding these pilot programs often gets racist, classist or sexist. There’s “an ugly history” in our country of determining who is valuable, Neighly said. “Those tropes continue to underlie some of the arguments we hear against (guaranteed income),” she said. Jacob Rostovsky, the founder and CEO of Queer Works, who is spearheading the grant application, is a longtime trans advocate. So when the Fox News segment aired, and he started getting threatening and transphobic calls from all over the country, he wasn’t exactly surprised. What was especially concerning was that some of those calls came from Palm Springs residents.

“It’s like, this person lives in the city; this could be my neighbor,” he said. That part, he said, is “disappointing”— especially when the details of the proposal are still being worked out. “This is what my community needs, to have this little extra leg up to find the additional resources to continue to survive,” Rostovsky said. “This money could mean not having to decide whether to eat or have a safe place to sleep.” There are certainly debates to have about the good, the bad and the ugly of social safety-net programs. But how would fellow Palm Springs residents be harmed if a handful of community members felt less stress in their day-to-day lives because they had financial support? If they could get a hotel the night before a job interview instead of sleeping on the street? If they could pay a local mechanic to fix their car? We won’t know how effective these programs can be unless we keep experimenting. And perhaps if people from disadvantaged and oppressed communities have healthier, happier lives, the rest of us will be able to enjoy living in a healthier, happier community, too—one where we don’t have to hurl insults at strangers over lies in order to feel powerful.


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MAY ASTRONOMY M

Four planets continue to hang

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight out in the mornings, For May,while 2022 May 15 This a skytotal chart iseclipse drawn for latitude degrees north, brings of the34 moon but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico. N

By Robert Victor

orning events include the ongoing display of four bright planets—with the moon sweeping past them May 22 through 27—and a meteor shower peaking before the first light of dawn on May 6. Evening highlights include a glimpse of departing Mercury near a crescent moon; a familyfriendly total lunar eclipse early on Sunday evening, May 15; the departure of most of winter’s bright stars; and a possible outburst of meteors on May 30. The May 2022 Sky Calendar illustrates most of these events, both morning and evening. To view these items or to subscribe, visit www.abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar. A rewarding sight for early risers throughout May is the continuing fine display of four planets in the east to southeast sky, as shown on our than Mars and Saturn, both near magnitude morning mid-twilight chart at CVIndependent. +0.8 in May. com. The best time to view the four planets is May’s evening sky highlight is the total actually about one hour before sunrise. The sky eclipse of the moon early on Sunday evening, is in darker twilight then, about a quarter-hour May 15. As the moon rises in the east-southeast before the time of our chart, when the sun is around sunset, it will already be in partial only 9 degrees below the northeast horizon. eclipse. The eclipse becomes total at 8:29 E Featured in May an hour before sunup are tight p.m. The moon’s disk will then be completely pairings involving Jupiter, our solar system’s immersed in the Earth’s shadow. The sunlight largest planet. First, Jupiter appears 0.6 degrees that reaches the moon at that time will be to the upper right of brighter Venus on May dimmed and reddened by its passage through 1. The other pairing occurs on May 29, when the Earth’s atmosphere on its way to the moon. Mars passes 0.6 degrees to the lower right of From the Coachella Valley, the moon will be low, Jupiter. Each pairing is enjoyable to follow for about 30 degrees south of east. several mornings around those dates, when The total phase of the eclipse lasts 85 the planets appear close enough for day-to-day minutes; the moon will rise higher, and the sky changes to be quite noticeable. will darken as the event progresses. The deepest From May 2 to 28, the order of the lineup and likely the darkest stage of the eclipse will of planets from lower left to upper right is occur at 9:11 p.m., when the moon passes Venus-Jupiter-Mars-Saturn. On May 29, the closest to the center of the Earth’s shadow. The Mars-Jupiter pair is 28 degrees to the upper moon will then be 16 degrees up near the end of right of Venus, and 38 degrees to the lower left twilight. As the eclipse progresses, watch for the of Saturn. From May 30 on, the lineup is Venus- red star Antares, 14 degrees to the lower left of Mars-Jupiter-Saturn. the moon. Total eclipse ends at 9:54 p.m., with Other predawn rewards include the Eta the moon in the southeast, in a dark sky, 24 Aquarid meteor shower, near peak in a dark degrees up. This will likely be the brightest and moonless sky 1.5 hours before sunrise on May most colorful view of the totally eclipsed moon. 6. The radiant of the shower is in the eastFor the next hour, until 10:55 p.m., the moon southeast, about 10 degrees above Mars and gradually exits the umbra, or dark central core low. Meteors could flash into view anywhere in of Earth’s shadow, whose circular edge will be the sky, but don’t expect more than 20 per hour. projected upon the moon. For perhaps another The moon returns to the morning sky on 20 or so minutes after that, the dusky semiMay 15, then passes Antares on May 17; shadow called the penumbra can be detected. Saturn on May 22; Mars and Jupiter on May 24 Other evening twilight rewards include the and 25; and Venus on May 26 and 27. Can you planet Mercury, near the young moon on two spot the old, 4 percent crescent moon rising 16 evenings: On May 1, start looking for the 2 degrees to the lower left of Venus on May 28? percent crescent moon just 4 degrees up in Morning’s brightest stars (none as bright the west-northwest about 40 minutes after as Venus of magnitude -4 and Jupiter of sunset. Very clear skies and an unobstructed magnitude -2) are Arcturus, in the west; the view are essential. Binoculars will help you spot Summer Triangle of Vega, Altair and Deneb +0.6-magnitude Mercury some 7 degrees above nearly overhead; Antares in the southwest; and the moon; the Pleiades star cluster 2 degrees to Fomalhaut, low in the southeast, to the lower the lower right of Mercury; and Aldebaran, eye left of Saturn. Golden Arcturus and blue-white of Taurus, within 12 degrees to the upper left of Vega, at magnitude 0.0, are noticeably brighter Mercury. On May 2, the 6 percent moon will be

May's evening sky chart. ROBERT D. MILLER Deneb

Vega

8 1 Mercury

Capella

Aldebaran Arcturus

Castor Pollux

W Betelgeuse

Regulus Rigel

Procyon Spica Sirius Antares

Evening mid-twilight occurs higher and easier 5 degrees when Sunto is see, 9 below horizon.to the upper left of Mercury, 7 degrees the right of May 1: and 43 minutes afterto sunset. 15: 44 is " fainter " "each evening, and Aldebaran. Mercury " "glow" by week’s end. will be lost in31: the46twilight

In May, if you observe at the same stage of twilight each night, all the bright winter stars in the western sky sink a little lower. Look nightly within an hour after sunset, and watch for the disappearances of these stars, in order: Rigel, Aldebaran, Sirius and Betelgeuse. At the end of May, only the “Spring Arch” of Procyon, Pollux, Castor and Capella remains. At dusk on May 5, look for the “Twin” stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor, 4.5 degrees apart and 9 to 10 degrees above the fat crescent moon. On May 6, the moon has an unusually close approach to Pollux, 3 degrees from it. On May 7 at nightfall, use binoculars to locate the Beehive cluster 3 to 4 degrees to the lower left of the moon. On May 8, the moon is

S

Stereographic Projection

at first quarter phase, half and 90D.degrees Mapfull by Robert Miller from the sun. On May 9, Regulus, heart of Leo, is 5 degrees to the lower right of the 61 percent gibbous moon. The moon is new and invisible on Monday, May 30. That evening, there may be an outburst of unusually slow meteors lasting for several minutes around 10 p.m., as Earth encounters a stream of debris from a disintegrating comet. For details, visit www.imo.net. On Tuesday, May 31, at dusk, the young crescent moon starts a new cycle. Look for the 3 percent crescent about 7 degrees up in the westnorthwest about 45 minutes after sunset. Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium’s monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968, and still produces issues occasionally, including June 2022. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the wonders of the night sky, and is hoping for the pandemic to end! CVIndependent.com


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On Jan. 13, the Bureau of Land

Management (BLM) approved a right-ofway request made by Intersect Power. The move allowed the company to proceed with construction on the Oberon Renewable Energy Project near Desert Center, located about 50 miles east of Indio along the north side of Interstate 10. The Oberon project, slated to be built on some 2,600 acres of public land (about four square miles), is expected to be completed by the end of next year. It the latest effort by Intersect Power, which “develops and owns some of the world’s largest clean energy resources providing low-carbon electricity, fuels and related products to customers across North America,” according to the company website. Intersect Power—which did not respond to the Independent’s requests for comment—is a big player in this country’s renewableenergy push. The BLM press release issued on the day of the approval stated: “As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2035 and meet the Energy Act of 2020 goal of permitting 25 gigawatts of renewable energy on public lands by 2025, the Bureau of Land Management has approved the Oberon Solar Project, which will generate up to 500 megawatts of renewable energy and have capacity for 200 megawatts of battery storage.” Given the increasingly bad news about the amount of carbon in the planet’s atmosphere, and the worsening effects of climate change, the United States certainly needs more truly carbon-free energy production. However, an increasing number of ecologists and environmental activists are beginning to speak out about large-scale desert solar projects like Oberon—because, they say, these projects will do more harm than good. “Industrial scale solar is appropriately controversial,” said Cameron Barrows, the director of the Center for Conservation Biology at UC Riverside’s Palm Desert Center, during a recent email exchange with the Independent. “On the one hand, we need to facilitate what you referred to as the ‘rush CVIndependent.com

MAY 2022

to renewables.’ Climate change is real. It is serious. There is a long list of reasons why. Climate change is already impacting people’s lives—(with) flooding, unseasonable hurricanes and tornados, historic drought and forest fires.” The Obama administration thought industrial solar, built across our deserts, was a solution to this problem, Barrows said. “They held the naïve but popular view that our deserts are wastelands and that industrial solar was the highest and best use of those lifeless wastelands,” Barrows said. “They could not have been more wrong. The reality is that our deserts are among the richest regions for biodiversity, below tropical forests, but significantly above other regions in terms of plant, insect, reptile and mammal species richness.” Our deserts are not only homes to a richness of biodiversity; they’re also places where a lot of carbon has been sequestered. Robin Kobaly is the founder and executive director of the SummerTree Institute, based in Morongo Valley. Her lengthy resume on

the institute’s website, in part, says that she “has served as both United States Bureau of Land Management District botanist for the California Desert District and preserve manager at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. … Robin co-founded and helped to develop The Wildlands Conservancy, one of the largest nonprofit land conservancies in the United States.” During a recent interview with the Independent, she said the demolition of ancient desert lands will release a whole lot of carbon—sequestered in desert plants and their root systems for hundreds to thousands of years—back into the atmosphere. “Classically, stored carbon has been quantified just on above-ground biomass, like in the forests,” Kobaly explained. “So the trees and the mulch on the ground, and a couple of inches under—that’s the stuff that has been studied.” The desert, on the other hand, has been misunderstood, Kobaly said. “When (government policymakers) look across the desert, they see really short plants that are well-spaced apart,” Kobaly said. “The

The BLM says the “Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) is an innovative landscape-level plan that streamlines renewable energy development while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and provides outdoor recreation opportunities.” However, environmentalists say it’s doing the exact opposite of “conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems.” Photo courtesy of Tom Brewster Photography via the Bureau of Land Management

studies that have been done on sequestered carbon in the desert have looked just at this above-ground biomass, which is not large, and go down to what they call ‘plow depth.’ That’s where they look for carbon in the desert—the same way they look for it in the forests and the grasslands of the Great Plains. But the desert is an entirely different animal.” Because there’s so little water and so much heat in the desert, plants need extremely deep roots to survive. “Most of a (desert) plant is underground,” Kobaly said. “If we could take that plane of the desert, look into that soil and then flip the whole thing upside down, we would have what would look like the densest tropical forest (made up) of all the roots that extend between three feet (for perennial plants) down to 100 to 150 feet—which is storing carbon. But nobody looks at this.”

Oberon is one of three

projects the BLM and the Interior Department announced in December 2021—and more are on the way, thanks to the BLM’s Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Land Use Plan Amendment. “The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan covers 10.8 million acres of public lands spanning the desert regions of seven California counties and is a landscapelevel plan streamlining renewable energy development, while conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems and providing outdoor recreation opportunities,” that Jan. 13 press release said. Kobaly said the BLM’s decisions are doing the exact opposite of “conserving unique and valuable desert ecosystems.” “I originally worked on the science advisory panel for the California Energy Commission when the first phase of the DRECP was started, and the guiding light … for all the biologists working on that was, ‘Do no harm,’” she said. “We viewed everything through that lens, and we’d say, ‘If we don’t know enough about it, then let’s not screw it up.’ We wouldn’t say, ‘Well, we don’t know enough about it, so let’s go ahead and screw it up.’” The Independent reached out to BLM


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representatives for their input, but after more miles of infrastructure to a home.” than two weeks of email exchanges indicating Battaglia said the utility monopolies are that we’d hear back, we never did. desperate to hold on to an outdated energy The possible reason for the BLM’s model they’ve controlled for more than a reluctance to talk: money. century. Kobaly believes that an intense lobbying “You’ve got a 130-year-old model of a hub campaign by the utility monopolies—who that generates electrons that was created by are attempting to maintain total control Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse—all the old over the generation and transmission of dudes who are dead and gone,” Battaglia said. solar electricity—is impeding the efforts “We didn’t have the technological (option) of scientists and environmentalists. These of creating distributed generation, meaning companies don’t want rooftop solar to photovoltaic (solar) or wind, and then storing succeed, she said. that power in batteries. … Now, here we are, “They want industrial-scale solar, so people continuing in that era of the 130-year-old have to pay those generation and transmission model, yet we have technology of today that fees to them,” Kobaly said. “The (California can release us from this centralized model Public Utilities Commission) is considering that is extremely inefficient. reducing the amount of credits you can get “You’ve got the hub, and the spokes are through their net metering program from all these transmission lines that lose all the about 80% of the energy you produce (going power on the way to the city center from toward) a credit, down to about 20%. And where it was generated. You’re creating not they want to increase the fee for (a utility) only visual pollution, but you’re creating to connect the people who have solar to the (the danger of) fire, too. On average, those grid. The lobbyists for these energy companies transmission lines are now 50 years old, and are pushing the CPUC to really smash the that infrastructure is antiquated. It’s falling incentives for apart. And now we’ve rooftop solar.” got the utilities coming Kobaly said the to (the public) and utilities are claiming saying, ‘Well, we’ve been that poorer people around for 130 years, are paying more for and we’re dependable, electricity, because so you need to help us it’s rich people who upgrade those lines.’ are getting solar. Now, where do you think “Well, I would love they’re going to get that to be considered in money? They’re going the rich category, to get it by fleecing but I’m telling you the rate-payers. … that the only reason Instead, the government we could get solar policymakers should be is because (our saying, ‘You know what? installer charged) no We have a transitional out-of-pocket costs technology called for it,” Kobaly said. photovoltaic and battery Vincent Battaglia storage. We should be is the CEO of Renova turning more toward Energy, which he that direction.’ But the Director of the Center for utilities keep saying, founded in 2006. Conservation Biology at UC ‘No, no, no. Don’t look “The reason why those utility Riverside’s Palm Desert Center in that direction. We’ll monopolies are do the solar and the building those larger-scale systems is because batteries, as long as you allow us to keep our they do not want to lose their complete profits coming in on a quarterly basis.’” control of the generation of electrons,” Battaglia said the government needs to Battaglia said. “Our governments (are) giving distinguish between what he calls “good solar” hundreds of billions of dollars to the electric and “bad solar.” utility monopolies for infrastructure, but if “Good solar is rooftop solar that actually that money were to go toward incentives for creates jobs and savings for folks, and doesn’t installing rooftop solar, then those rooftop destroy pristine lands,” he said. “Bad solar is units will provide the power for the home or what the utilities are into because they have the business beneath it, thereby removing to (maintain their) quarterly profits. … Again, the necessity for generating electrons in a they’re just doing what they can to try to centralized power plant—be it a solar power remain relevant as rooftop solar establishes its plant or coal-fire power plant—and then roots and … expands in the market. Therefore, carrying those electrons through miles and they’re just looking for ways to eliminate their

“(The Obama administration) held the naïve but popular view that our deserts are wastelands and that industrial solar was the highest and best use of those lifeless wastelands. They could not have been more wrong.” —Cameron Barrows

competition by doing things like creating anyway.” these massive solar projects.” Battaglia added that the jobs on these To date, the rooftop solar industry has major installations only usually last for six indeed established good roots in the Coachella months or so. Valley. “The union realizes this. They’re no “We have about 14,000 solar systems dummies,” Battaglia said. “They know they installed on homes in the valley who are have a membership base of intelligent, skilled served by Southern California Edison,” Battaglia said. “So (rooftop solar) has reached about 10-11% penetration rate of our (eligible) population here in the valley. That’s high compared to 4% in all of California, or less than 2% across the United States.” In the eastern Coachella Valley, the Imperial Irrigation District also offers a rooftop-solar arrangement to its customer base, but Renova Solar and some other companies have chosen not to install solar panels and battery units within their territory due to IID’s net billing business model, which is less favorable to rooftop solar customers than the net metering practice employed by SCE. The rooftop solar industry is also proving to be a source of jobs. The BLM press release Robin Kobaly, founder and executive director of the SummerTree touting the Oberon Institute, with an ancient nolina plant. project said it will create 750 union construction jobs—but just electric labor, and I want them in rooftop. eight permanent jobs. Meanwhile, Renova We’ve been actively talking with them to has about 300 full-time employees right now, convince them that rooftop needs them. We Battaglia said. need their journeymen to get on the rooftops “During the pandemic, we went down to and to move forward. America is not going about 125 workers, but about a year ago, to be able to install micro-grids in homes and we started to build back up,” he said. “We’re businesses without organized labor being getting really good people, too. Our average involved, both here in the United States and age is 26 years old, and our average pay is $22 around the world.” per hour. “And I’d like to make the announcement here that rooftop (solar companies), and Renova in particular, have been in talks with the International Brotherhood of Electrical to keep Renova and the rest of the rooftopWorkers so that we can put organized labor solar industry relevant in the face of utility into rooftop solar. People don’t realize this, lobbying efforts, Kobaly, of the SummerTree but right now, (IBEW workers) are only out Institute, worries that large solar installations in the fields building those ridiculous solar like Oberon will end up having a net effect of power plants, which will be disconnected releasing more carbon into our atmosphere. when there are brownouts and blackouts, Continued on next page

As Battaglia fights

CVIndependent.com


16 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

MAY 2022

Continued from Page 15

WHAT STORY DOES EACH FACE TELL?

By Shonda Chase, FNP Nurse Practitioner, Co-owner, Artistic Director and Advanced Aesethetic Injector at Revive Wellness Centers in Palm Springs and Torrance, and Medweight, Lasers and Wellness Center in Irvine

M

y pa�ents’ faces tell me as much about their story as what they verbally say does. I’m blessed to be in a sector of medicine where I can help people look and feel happier! Every great product tells stories to which people can relate to. Apple products’ stories helps users, including people with every kind of disability, to enrich their lives. Apple product development begins with empathe�c ques�ons, including, “What stories are this product going to tell?” When I’m listening to a pa�ent’s story, I’m also looking at their expressions and body language in order to be�er “hear” how what I do can improve their lives. Secret No. 1: Sympathy is believing you know how someone feels. Empathy is listening with all of our senses to try to understand what a person is experiencing—without our feelings ge�ng in the way. Sympathy is impossible to achieve, because we can never feel what another is feeling. Secret No. 2: When I think I understand a pa�ent’s goals, I summarize what I believe they’re telling me. If I get it right, we proceed. If I’ve missed something, they will always tell me more to dial me into their goals. For example, I had a first-�me pa�ent who was preparing to meet someone in person for the first �me. A�er listening to their story, I summarized what I thought they were saying: “We need to help you look hot for your date!” They replied enthusias�cally: “Exactly!” Secret No. 3: Once I’m on their page, they can listen to what else I might bring to their table. If I start with my observa�ons, I’ll never be able to really help improve their lives. That aforemen�oned new pa�ent has come back repeatedly since, and they have found someone they’re very happy with. You have a right to be happy—and your aesthe�c providers should be listening to you so they can help you look and feel your best. Un�l next month, keep the Secrets. Our Revive Wellness Center loca�ons are in Palm Springs (760325-4800) and Torrance (310-375-7599); www.revivecenter.com. Our Medweight, Lasers and Wellness Center office is in Irvine (949-586-9904); www.medweightandlasers.com.

You can email your individual ques�ons to Shonda Chase FNP, or Allan Y. Wu MD, Revive’s cosme�c surgeon, at shonda@revivecenter.com.

CVIndependent.com

She explained how that would happen. “What’s happening all across our deserts is all of these plants are breathing in excess carbon dioxide and storing it underground in a lock box that can stay that way for tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years—if it’s not disrupted,” Kobaly said. “What’s really fascinating to me is that all of these little carbon sequestration units that we call desert plants are so old that each individual plant can be storing carbon for 30 to 50 years—which is a short lifespan for a desert shrub—to 100 years or more. The average age of a normal creosote bush in our area is probably 600 years, but they can get much, much older. Single yucca plants that have been studied out in the Lucerne Valley area are at least 2,500 years old. “So here we have these little carbonsequestering units that can live many hundreds to several thousand years taking carbon out of the air and storing it underground … and the only way we can stop that is by putting a bulldozer blade down and removing all of them to put in an industrialscale solar plant, under the guise CEO of saving us from carbon dioxide in the air. And that industrial-scale solar plant probably has a viable lifespan of 20 years, if we’re lucky. “As soon as you kill the plant … there’s no more carbon sequestration underground at depth. Instead, if there’s disruption at the surface, and there’s weathering or erosion, the calcium carbonate—the mineral form in which the carbon removed from the atmosphere stays sequestered—can be dissolved, and all that carbon is released back into the air. So if we disturb the desert, we not only stop the carbon sequestration that’s going on every day by all of our desert plants, but we release the carbon that has been stored there for millennia.” The reached out to the California Natural Resources Agency to discuss the concerns of Kobaly and others, and received this statement: “California is committed to protecting and supporting the health of our

deserts through a variety of mechanisms, such as our 30x30 Pathways Strategy, our Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy, the Scoping Plan, the new California Desert Conservation Program, and implementation of our Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). We are also interested in deepening our understanding of the nexus between climate change and desert landscapes through California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment (which is currently under way).” Meanwhile, the utility companies continue to make plans for more large-scale solar projects in the desert. Right now, in a roughly 90-plus square mile area in and around Desert Center on the northside of the Interstate 10, there are three existing solar energy projects already in operation; two projects under construction (including Oberon); and three proposed projects in various stages of the BLM right-of-way approval process. Kobaly and her fellow environmentalists are preparing for the worst. “We need to go out and map these areas so that we know exactly what’s there, and so we’ll know what we’ll lose if we allow renewable energy (installations) there,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong: I love the rush to renewables. But we need to think smarter. of Renova Energy We are venturing down pathways that the people who are approving these projects don’t know enough about. The bottom line is that we have to get our lawmakers more aware of the consequences of approving industrial-scale solar on intact desert land. So while I think this rush toward clean energy is fabulous, we need to be rushing toward (solar on) parking lots, roof tops, old agricultural fields and open canals and aqueducts. “What rattles my cage is that the first kneejerk reaction that everybody has—even the nonprofits who profess to be green—is to say that the answer to climate change is to put solar fields all over the desert, because there’s nothing out there anyway: ‘There’s no carbon sequestration. There’s no carbon storage.’ And they couldn’t be more wrong. What the desert is giving back to us is so underappreciated— until it’s gone.”

“You’ve got a 130-year-old model of a hub that generates electrons that was created by Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse—all the old dudes who are dead and gone. We didn’t have the technological (option) of creating distributed generation, meaning photovoltaic (solar) or wind, and then storing that power in batteries."

—Vincent Battaglia


PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // CC1

April 29-May 7, 2022

The Joshua Treason at Blackbook. CVIndependent.com


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PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

Come Celebrate With us in

www.RowanPalmSprings.com Sales@RowanPalmSprings.com

RowanPalmSprings.com/Palm-Springs-Restaurants/Lobby-Bar

From Safety Net programs to Life Enrichment

we are here for you visit us online at

www.thecentercv.org 1301 N. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs, CA 92262 & 1515 Sixth Street, Coachella, CA 92236

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Welcome to the Fifth Annual Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Week Q: How does it work? A: Bars and restaurants across the Coachella Valley create a special craft cocktail or highlight one of their existing craft cocktails from April 29-May 7. The participants then donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales of that special craft cocktail to our beneficiaries: DAP Health’s Food Depot, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert’s Community Food Bank. This is the fifth year of Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Week! We are back after being cancelled in 2021 due to that pesky virus, and being postponed from January/ February due to the omicron variant of that pesky virus! Have questions? Call us at 760-904-4208! Q: What happened to the Palm Springs Craft Cocktail Championship? Is it going to happen this year? Yes. It’s going to happen this year, but not until the fall. Here’s what happened: After an amazing, sold-out Craft Cocktail Championship in 2020, we couldn’t wait to bring it back this year. We had the big theater at the Palm Springs Cultural Center reserved for May 4, and we had an amazing liquor sponsor signed up. However, when we started talking to the participating bars and restaurants, we realized there was a problem: Like businesses around the country, local restaurants are enduring staffing shortages ... and due to the everincreasing popularity of the Coachella Valley, our local restaurants are overwhelmed—so much so that some of our regular participants said they couldn’t spare their star bartenders’ time to compete. Therefore, we decided to delay the championship Craft Cocktail Championship until the fall. Our apologies for this delay ... but Palm Springs Craft Cocktail week is all about showcasing our amazing bars, restaurants and bartenders, so it was the right thing to do.


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // CC3

PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

MARKET

GET 25 TO 50 PERCENT OFF GIFT CERTIFICATES TO SOME OF THE VALLEY'S TOP RESTAURANTS!

ONLY AT CVINDEPENDENT.COM

WEDNESDAYS

Swinging to the Music of the Rat Pack Era Special Date Night Menu

TUESDAYS

Jazz Legend Sings the Music of Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Duke Ellington & More

T HU R S DAYS

Sass, Sex and Songs – One of the Desert’s Most Popular Performers

6:30-9:30 PM | NO TICKET/COVER

JOIN US FOR THE DESERT’S BEST

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

4 - 6pm LIVE JAZZ with Mark Kahny

RESERVATIONS:

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1900 E. Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs, CA (Inside Club Trinidad Resort)

350 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs Open at 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday Order at rioazul.pay.link CVIndependent.com


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PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

Participating Bars and Restaurants VIEW PICTURES OF ALL DRINKS AND GET UPDATES AT PSCRAFTCOCKTAILS.COM!

1501 Uptown Gastropub

Featuring the Ward 8, with Bulleit rye, lemon juice, orange juice, grenadine and Luxadro, for $14! 1501 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-320-1501.

Blackbook

Featuring the Joshua Treason (on the cover “a conspiracy of flavor” with Junipero Gin, Lillet Rouge, fresh lemon and honey, for $13! 315 E. Arenas Road, Palm Springs; 760-832-8497.

Blue Coyote Grill

Featuring the Ancho Prickly Pear Margarita, with Tres Generaciones silver tequila, Ancho Reyes chile poblano liqueur, prickly pear syrup and lime juice, for $15! 445 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-327-1196.

Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge

Featuring The Eight4Nine, with Crater Lake reserve vodka, chilled mionetto prosecco, limoncello, and Mandarine Napoléon, served on the rocks with fresh strawberry, for $11! 849 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-325-8490.

Frank’s Bourbon Bar at the Purple Room

Featuring Frank’s Final Word, with hand-picked Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select, green chartreuse, amaretto, fresh-squeezed lime juice and burnt sugar syrup, for $16! 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422.

Giuseppe’s

Featuring the Cosmic Spritz, with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a couple of dashes of lemon bitters, and freshly muddled blueberries, all topped with prosecco, for $14! 1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-5371890.

Jake’s

Featuring an amazing drink TBD! 664 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-327-4400.

Palm Springs Cultural Center

Featuring the Blood and Sand at the Camelot, with Johnny Walker Black, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and freshsqueezed orange juice from the farmers’ market, for $10. The drink is a celebration the historic screening of Lawrence of Arabia on 70mm, happening May 7! 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs; 760-325-6565.

Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill

Featuring an amazing drink TBD! 350 S. Indian Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-992-5641.

Seymour’s

Featuring the Apple Blossom Old Fashioned, with Four Roses Bourbon, apple syrup, peach bitters and rose water. It’s a cocktail to celebrate the blossoming of apple trees and the spring season, for $17! 233 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-892-9000. Continued on Page CC6

CVIndependent.com


PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // CC5

according to Yelp, Tripadvisor & OpenTable WE ARE ONE OF THE VERY BEST with 9,000 Sq feet keeping you safe is easy OPEN DAILY FROM 11AM - 3PM & 5PM - 9PM 849 N PALM CANYON DRIVE . PALM SPRINGS EIGHT4NINE.COM 760.325.8490 CVIndependent.com


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PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

Participating Bars and Restaurants VIEW PICTURES OF ALL DRINKS AND GET UPDATES AT PSCRAFTCOCKTAILS.COM!

Trio

Featuring the Flower Sour, with local Modern Love Gin, egg whites, St. Germain, fresh lemon juice and hibiscus lavender syrup, for $18! 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760864-8746.

V Wine Lounge

Featuring the Jamaica En Rojo, with Ammunition bourbon, red cab wine, blood orange bitters, simple syrup and hibiscus-infused vermouth, for $13! 600 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-668-9665.

Willie’s Modern Fare

Featuring the Palm Desert Paloma, with Hornitos blanco tequila and fresh squeezed lime, topped with Fever Tree pink grapefruit soda water, served in a Collins glass and garnished with a rosemary sprig and grapefruit wedge, for $16! 69830 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage; 760-2024499.

Window Bar at the Kimpton Rowan

Featuring the Light My Fire, with Aperol, Mommenpop ruby grapefruit vermouth, prosecco, soda and blood orange, for $16! 100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-904-5015.

Top: V Wine Lounge's Jamaica En Rojo. Bottom left: Eight4NIne's The Eight4nine. Bottom right: Window Bar at the Kimpton's Light My Fire. CVIndependent.com


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // CC7

PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022

2022 EVENTS

DATE

EVENT

Apr 28–May 1

Blatino Oasis

Apr 29–May 1

White Party Palm Springs

Apr 29–May 1

Stagecoach

May 1

Desert Winds Freedom Band's Pops Concert

May 2

Sing Out for Ukraine – A Benefit Concert

May 6–8

Palm Springs Hot Rodeo

May 11

Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast

May 11

Chamber of Commerce Annual Joint Mixer

May 11–15

Oasis Music Festival

May 11–15

Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival

May 12–15

Modernism Week - May

May 22–June 30

WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival

May 26–29

Desertopia

May 27–29

Pioneertown International Film Festival

May 28

Purple Reign: The Prince Tribute Show

June 3–5

WeHo Pride Weekend

June 3–5

OUTLOUD Raising Voices Music Festival

June 3–12

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week

June 10–12

Splash House - June

June 11–12

LA Pride in the Park and Pride Parade

June 21–27

Palm Springs ShortFest

June 25–26

San Francisco Pride

July 7–Aug 12

Taste of Summer Rancho Mirage

July 15–17

Out in the Vineyard: Gay Wine Weekend

Aug 12–14

Splash House August - Weekend 1

Aug 19–21

Splash House August - Weekend 2

Sept 16–18

Gay Days Anaheim

Aug 18–21

Big Bear Romp

Sept 21–25

Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend

Oct 13–16

Modernism Week Fall Preview

Nov 4–6

Palm Springs Pride

Nov 6

Palm Springs Pride Parade

Nov 11–13

Palm Springs Women's Jazz Festival

Nov 18–20

McCormick's Palm Springs Collector Car Auction

Celebrating All the Colors

in the Rainbow

#ILoveGayPalmSprings CVIndependent.com


CC8 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

CVIndependent.com

PALM SPRINGS CRAFT COCKTAIL WEEK 2022


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 17

MAY 2022

ARTS & CULTURE PLAYS, WHALES AND CHARO, OH MY!

A

By JIMMY BOEGLE

fter one season cut short, and another wiped out entirely, the McCallum Theatre finally re-opened its doors last November. “It really has been an amazing season,” said Mitch Gershenfeld, the McCallum’s president and artistic director. “It started out, I think, a little bit slow; it took a little while for audiences to feel comfortable coming back. But certainly, January, February and March were spectacular. The houses were full, and people were enjoying the shows.” After a successful 2021-2022 comeback season, Gershenfeld is now looking ahead to a jampacked 2022-2023 season, which will include more than two-dozen shows that are brand-new to the theater—along with a whole lot of McCallum favorites. eight-show week.” “We have seven Broadway shows, which is While the schedule is packed with shows by great, because this season, we only had four,” Gershenfeld said. “It’s a season that has a lot of returning favorites, from The Ten Tenors (Dec. 10 to 11) to Patti LuPone (Feb. 7) to Steve the audience favorites.” Tyrell (Feb. 22), the calendar is sprinkled with The first of the Broadway shows to arrive— six “Mitch’s Picks”—shows most people have from Nov. 18 to 20, 2022—will be a musical not heard of, for which Gershenfeld personally Gershenfeld has long been trying to bring to vouches. Palm Desert: The Book of Mormon. “It’s about trying to figure out what is right “It’s an extraordinary show—for reasons for this market—because, frankly, there’s a lot that perhaps most people don’t see,” he said. of stuff that I turn down that I would buy a “Every big production number in The Book of ticket to,” he said. “I’m trying to find the things Mormon is an homage to a great Broadway that our audience will embrace, but also trying show of the past. For example, there’s a scene to push the audience to try new things, and where the children from the little village in that’s why there are Mitch’s Picks.” Uganda tell the story of the Book of Mormon. The first of Mitch’s Picks will take place on It is right out of The King and I, where the Jan. 25, when four bluegrass masters—Sam Siamese children tell the story of Uncle Tom’s Bush, Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer and George Cabin. There’s a song in The Book of Mormon Meyer—get together for a special performance. called ‘Sal Tlay Ka Siti’—and that is right That will be followed by Loudon Wainwright out Little Shop of Horrors’ ‘Somewhere That’s III performing with Vince Giordano and the Green.’” The Book of Mormon will be followed by Rain: Nighthawks on Feb. 5. “This is a group that is based in New York, A Tribute to the Beatles (Nov. 25 to 27). The and they play music from the ’20s and ‘30s lavish Lincoln Center Theater version of My in an absolutely authentic style,” Gershenfeld Fair Lady will take the McCallum stage Feb. said of the Nighthawks. “Vince is a scholar 17 to 19, 2023, followed by On Your Feet!, the in the way that Michael Feinstein is a scholar story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, from Feb. of the American Songbook; he has 66,000 24 to 26. arrangements of music from that era. … The Waitress will return to the McCallum from last time I was in New York, I saw Vince, and March 10-12, and the Broadway season will I said, ‘Do you guys ever come to the West conclude in April with Come From Away (April Coast?’ And he said, ‘No, we really don’t travel. 4 to 9) and the return of Riverdance (April 14 We’re all New York-based freelance musicians, to 16.) and that’s what we do.’ And then I heard that Gershenfeld said he was particularly excited they’re coming to the West Coast; they were to get Come From Away on the schedule; it going to do one performance in the L.A. area, was originally slated to come to the McCallum during the pandemic-erased 2020-2021 season. and I said, ‘I have to get them here.’” Another of Mitch’s Picks is Mnozil Brass, a Gershenfeld called the story of 7,000 airplane group which will (hopefully) make its delayed passengers who became stranded when their flights were forced to land in Newfoundland on McCallum debut on Feb. 27. “These guys are so extraordinary,” Sept. 11, 2001, “one of the most extraordinary Gershenfeld said. “These are brass players from musicals of the last 20 years.” Vienna. Thomas Gansch is the first trumpet “It’s an unbelievable story,” Gershenfeld player—and I’ve never heard trumpet-playing said. “It’s based on a true story, and it’s like this guy. But the other thing about them cathartic—it’s uplifting art. I’m so happy that is that they’re hilarious. They do physical we’re able to have it. We’re going to do a full

The McCallum Theatre announces its 2022-2023 season

comedy. … It’s sort of like Monty Python meets the Vienna Philharmonic.” It wouldn’t be the holidays without a slate of shows such as A Prairie Home Holiday (Nov. 28), The Storm Large Holiday Ordeal (Dec. 9) and Dave Koz and Friends (Dec. 19). However, Gershenfeld pointed to the Dec. 6 show in particular as a can’t-miss night of theater. “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is one of the most extraordinary pieces of theater. … It was here once before, and I’ve been trying to get it back ever since,” Gershenfeld said. “It’s based on what actually happened in World War I. On Christmas Day, the British and the German troops, who were about 150 yards apart in trenches, came out, and they spent the day together—socializing, sharing food, playing soccer and things like that. Then the next day, they went back to killing each other. … The actors read from the letters of the actual soldiers, and then the singers sing the German carols and the English carols they would’ve sung together. It’s such a moving piece of theater.” National Geographic LIVE will return to the McCallum for a fourth season with three shows, starting with Secrets of the Whales on Jan. 15. “It built up slowly,” Gershenfeld said about the National Geographic series. “The first year, I think, we had a little better than half a house (of tickets sold per show)—and then it kept building, and building.” Gershenfeld said the McCallum is getting in on the trend of tribute shows, which meld great singers with theatrical performances. One of these shows, scheduled for March 14, comes with a story of a local boy who made good—Tyler Hilton, who graduated from La Quinta High School. “(He) played Elvis in Walk the Line,” Gershenfeld said. “There’s a show that we’re going to do called Celebrating Elvis Presley’s Records From Sun Studios. These are the songs from the early years of Elvis, when he was recording for Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis. … The band will be the Hot Club of Cowtown, which is a group that’s been here before. Tyler will play Elvis. … I think that’s going to be a really cool concert.” No McCallum Theatre season would be complete without some oldies but goodies. The Smothers Brothers have come out of retirement and will perform on Jan. 13-14— and toward the season’s end, the seemingly ageless Charo will come to Palm Desert for a show on March 31.

The Storm Large Holiday Ordeal will return to the McCallum on Dec. 9. Laura Domela

“Obviously, there is a kitsch component to Charo—cuchi cuchi and all of that—but she is really an outstanding classical guitar player,” Gershenfeld said. “She studied under Segovia. … She’ll be joined by the Mariachi Divas, which is the all-female mariachi group from Los Angeles.” Proof of vaccination and face masks were required throughout the 2021-2022 season. Gershenfeld said those requirements may or may not return for 2022-2023; it all depends on what SARS-CoV-2 does between now and then. “Whatever the protocols are at the time, that’s what we’ll do,” Gershenfeld said. “If everything gets better, then hopefully, we won’t have to wear the masks and do all this— but we don’t know what’s going to happen over the summer. We don’t know what the fall’s going to look like. For now, these protocols are in place and they’ll be re-evaluated by the board in the fall.” Tickets for the 2022-2023 McCallum Theatre are available at the box office, at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, in Palm Desert, or by calling 760-340-2787. For a complete schedule or more information, visit www.mccallumtheatre.com. CVIndependent.com


18 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

MAY 2022

ARTS & CULTURE

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

AN ARTISTIC LEGACY By Cat Makino

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oah Purifoy (1917-2004) was an important and well-known figure in Los Angeles. He was an artist, an activist, a social worker and an educator. In 1965, he used burned-out debris from the Watts riots to create what would become his best-known sculptural assemblage. Born in poverty to sharecroppers in Snow Hill, Ala., he was one of 13 siblings. During World War II, he served with the United States Navy as a Seabee, and in 1953, he became the first African American to enroll at Chouinard Art Institute (now called CalArts) as a full-time student. He earned his BFA in 1956. preserved homes and studios of American In 1989, Purifoy moved to a friend’s trailer artists represent the diversity of America, Joshua Tree—and the Noah Purifoy Desert and show how a house or a studio is imbued Art Museum of Assemblage Art would be with an artist’s creativity. Such sites attract born. The museum today occupies 10 acres, more than a million visitors each year, and includes hundreds of his assemblage demonstrating their importance as part of sculptures, keeping alive his legacy of the nation’s cultural heritage. social activism. The museum was recently “We are incredibly pleased at being accepted by the National Trust for Historic acknowledged,” said Joseph Lewis, president Preservation into its prestigious Historic of the Noah Purifoy Foundation and an art Artists’ Homes and Studios (HAHS) program. professor at UC Irvine. “It opens us up to Purifoy’s museum is one of seven the a whole new audience that gives us more HAHS program selected this year. These

The National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrates Noah Purifoy’s Desert Art Museum

prominence as a national organization.” Laura Esparza, a member of the HAHS Advisory Committee, described her feelings while visiting the Purifoy Museum. “My first feeling was surprise,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about the site before I went there. It was a quest to find it; I took a lot of back roads to get there, but it was well worth it. I was blown away, moved to tears. The four hours flew by.” Purifoy moved from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree in 1989, because he needed the space offered by the desert to make the monumental works that he wanted to create—and also because the city was becoming too expensive. “There was just sky, flat earth and cacti,” Esparza said. “He found his utopia, his happy life. He created a lot; it seemed like the objects were found there in the desert. They didn’t have a reason to be there, but he did have intent. Everything came together to tell a story, sometimes humorous.” Purifoy used everyday objects in his works. “It ignites things in our head, people stepping out of their traditional paths,” he once said. “Junk art, assemblage art … it’s as close to human existence, because it’s all the castoffs we are utilizing here. I won’t say that assemblage art is much like life itself, but it’s closer to existence than any other art form.

Because it’s your shit that we’re remodeling ... and you got rid of it.” While walking among Purifoy’s assemblage sculptures, one may, at first, feel like they’re in a junk yard, surrounded by tires, bathroom fixtures and ragged clothing—but each piece has a story to tell. For example, one installation has a water fountain labeled “White” beside a toilet—which is mounted as a drinking fountain and labeled “Colored.” In 1971, Purifoy said, “The problem of race in this country is not socio-economical; it is psycho-morality.” Lewis pointed out that many artists of color did not have access to the mainstream art world in the ’80s and ’90s, and Purifoy worked to change that, initiating many programs using art. As one of the earliest members of the California Arts Council, he helped initiate programs to bring art into communities including the state prison system. Lewis, who knew Purifoy, described him as an intense person, not one for small talk, who would not compromise his values— and who always stayed true to his art. The Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum of Assemblage Art is located at 63030 Blair Lane, in Joshua Tree. For more information, visit www. noahpurifoy.com.

Opens May 20—on sale now!

“Bandwagon” (1995) in foreground, with “Old Volks at Home” (1994) and “Untitled, Noah’s Ark” (1992) in the background, left to right. Courtesy of the Noah Purifoy Foundation

CVIndependent.com


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 19

MAY 2022

ARTS & CULTURE

ART OUTDOORS By MATT KING

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Melissa Morgan Fine Art’s Sculpture Garden combines music, visual arts and community business. They’ll actually get to attend the reception and talk to collectors about their work—and hopefully sell some works. The Idyllwild Arts Academy student band will be playing over at the sculpture garden. Art has always been indoor and outdoor at a community gathering space, so we just wanted to continue that.” You may have noticed Morgan mentioned a bookstore. “We feature a lot of not-for-profit publishers and books, and we sell our books at face value; we’re not marking our books up,” said Morgan. “They’re really about education, and most of our books, if they’re not (by or about) artists we represent or their related artists, they’re relative to other people in our region. I’ve got Jim Isermann’s new book out by a not-forprofit publisher. We don’t show Jim Isermann, but he’s such an important part of our community, and he’s active in the Palm Springs Art Museum.” Morgan said she’s been happy with how the live music events have gone thus far. “It’s been really diverse, from students

usic and the visual arts are quite different—but they’re now being brought together in a beautiful way, right on El Paseo. The new Melissa Morgan Fine Art Sculpture Garden is a place where vibrant 3-D art collides with live music, creating both an auditory and visual experience for appreciators of art at any level. “I fell in love with collecting, trading and selling art,” said Melissa Morgan during a recent phone interview. “My partner, Alec Longmuir, has a fine-arts background from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and he comes from a heavy sculpture program, so between the two of us—with my love of art and his fine-arts education—we sell mid-career to blue-chip art. “I’ve been doing this 20 years; he’s probably said. “Knowing the importance of community been doing it for 25. We do art design as well involvement, and community activation … for commercial and residential applications. We is super important to us. Whether it’s the work with institutions, museums, architects bookstore, or music, we’re activating the space and developers; we help advise on people’s so that people can participate and interact.” collections, or how to grow their collections. The garden will host the Idyllwild Arts … We also do probably six to eight art fairs Academy’s Opening Reception on Friday, May 6. around the country a year. We have a lot of “We’re doing an exhibition in the gallery different facets.” for the Idyllwild Arts Academy students, and Morgan said she wanted more community their artworks will be for sale; we don’t take involvement with her gallery—and that’s any profit out of that,” Morgan said. “For a where the sculpture garden comes in. lot of these students, that will be their very “We did it before the shutdown, and since first sale, and it will help them learn about then, it’s just become super, super popular,” the professional and commercial sides of the Morgan said. “The city has embraced it; the community has embraced it. Early in the morning, sunset, it seems like there are always people down there. We’ve got some interactive programming; we have a wall of chalkboards that we kind of change the themes on, but it allows people to express themselves. … We’ve got a concert series every other week that’s starting to get popular.” The idea for a sculpture garden actually started at the gallery’s previous location, simply as a place to showcase art for sale. “We sell 2-D, 3-D and new media artwork, so we place a lot of large-scale outdoor works, and they show differently,” said Morgan. “Our former space was where Eddie V’s restaurant is, and we had a sculpture garden there, and it was really popular. When we moved to our new building, I think in 2018-2019, we lost the ability to show outdoor works. So we leased a lot, which used to have a bank there that burned down. … A lot of our collectors have big homes with outdoor space, and they’re looking for fine art for their outdoor space. Everything in the sculpture garden is for sale.” Having more community events in the sculpture garden was a natural next step, Morgan said. “We’ve over the years lent our space to just about any not-for-profit that asks; we like to A view from above of the Melissa Morgan Fine Art Sculpture Garden. be able to give back and to participate,” she

and little families, to our snowbirds who live behind gates at the club coming out and really loving the comfortable, casual experience of getting to interact with the art and watch great music,” Morgan said. “We (had) Jesika von Rabbit, high desert musician and performance artist … and we just had a high desert artist who’s pretty accomplished, Brad Byrd, play. We’re really open to musicians who want to play here. … Meeting some of their followers and expanding our audience also is a nice plus.” Morgan said she’s open to hosting any event in the sculpture garden that makes sense. “We have more performance art, not just specific to music or concerts, that we’ve been looking into,” she said. “We’re always looking for ways to engage the community. We will also be doing some book signings and maybe some lectures, and we’re looking at putting up a movie screen.” The Melissa Morgan Sculpture Garden is located at 73785 El Paseo, in Palm Desert. For more information, call 760-341-1056, or visit www. melissamorganfineart.com.

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20 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

MAY 2022

WEDNESDAY MAY 11, 2022

HARVEY MILK COACHELLA VALLEY D I V E R S I T Y B R E A K F A S T 8:3O am | Coffee Welcome & Breakfast 9:3O -11 am | Program PALM SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast Coalition invites you to join us. This event brings together all who support equality and social justice in celebration of this influential civil rights activist.

• TABLE SALES NOW OPEN • TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE: www.HarveyMilk.us • Table and Sponsorship Opportunities by mail:

https://www.bit.ly/Milktix

• Donate tables so Valley GSA Students can attend.

SEE EVENT Details @ www.harveymilk.us ACCESSIBILITY: This event is accessible for persons with hearing, visual and mobility impairments.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY PALM SPRINGS GAY MEN’S CHORUS HARVEY B. MILK LEGACY AWARD HONOREE

HARVEY B. MILK LEADERSHIP AWARD

ANNISE PARKER

ANDY LINSKY

Victory Fund and Victory Institute President & CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organization, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as City Controller, and six years as Mayor of the city.

Recognized for his activism and deeply rooted commitment to philanthropy. Andy served on the Board of Directors for Desert AIDS Project from 1990 to 2014 and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) from 2002 to 2017. He has served on the HRC Emeritus Council since 2019.

Former Mayor of Houston

GOLD SPONSOR: Barton CPA, Harold Matzner, and Grace Helen Spearman Foundation SILVER SPONSORS: CCBC Resort and Runway, Center for Spiritual Living Palm Springs, DAP Health, Desert Care Network, Eisenhower Health BRONZE SPONSORS: Boyd & Lisette Haigler, Bud Light Seltzer, Canyon Pacific Insurance, Capstone Partners Financial and Insurance Services, LLC, Channel Q, City of Cathedral City - for LGBTQ Veterans, City of Palm Springs, Geoff Kors and James Williamson, Inland Empire Community Foundation, Ron deHarte for City Council, The Bianco Group (Boo 2 Bullying), The Gregory-Ornelas Family Trust, LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, The Relationship Group at Morgan Stanley, The Saguaro, VRON - Vacation Rentals Owners and Neighbors TABLE SPONSORS: Bloom in the Desert Ministries, Coachella Valley Independent, Contempo Lending, Desert Business Association, Desert Daily Guide, Desert Stonewall Democrats, Eisenhower Health, Hilton Palm Springs, Human Rights Campaign, Jeffrey Norman, KGAY 106.5 FM & Gay Desert Guide, Mike Swize (PSUSD), Mizell Center, MOD Mansions, Modern Bear, Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, Palm Springs Escrow, Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, Promohomo.tv, Randy Steele & Erin Driscoll, Shann Carr, Visit Palm Springs, Well in the Desert STUDENT TABLE SPONSORS: Al Jones, Candace/Marina/Sassy/Melissa, Carol K and Bella da Ball, Desert Business Association, Grace Helen Spearman Foundation, David Hood, Human Rights Campaign, Dr. Frank C. Figueroa, Streetbar, Brian Eggert, Ray Chance, LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, Henry Munson, Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus, Susan Thronson, The Standard Magazine, Visit Palm Springs

CVIndependent.com


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 21

MAY 2022

FOOD & DRINK

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

FOOD-TRUCK PARTY JASON DAVID

The expanded Yum Fest brings deliciousness and fun to the Palm Desert mall

HAIR STUDIO

T

By MattLOVE king YOUR

HAIR

he Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, aka Coachella. Modernism Week. The Palm Springs International Film Festival. There’s no shortage of festivals in the Coachella Valley—yet creatives are still finding ways to bring in even more events. Yum Fest is a food-truck festival returning to Palm Desert on Saturday, May 7, and Sunday, Country Club and Cook Street May 8, starting at 5 p.m. each day. Located on top of the parking structure at The Shops at Palmof De sert Palm Desert (formerly the Westfield Mall), the second iteration the festival will feature dozens of food, dessert and drink trucks, with tickets starting at $5—unless you’re a first 760-340-5959 responder, veteran or a senior, in which case the valley, if they’re going to go shopping for admission is free. clothes, or shoes, or gifts, most people are “I have a business partner, Justin Finn, and www.jasondavidhairstudio.net going to stop by the Palm Desert mall. We also he approached me about this idea of bringing had it on a Saturday, probably the busiest day a food festival to the valley last July,” said at the mall, so we knew we were going to get a Jesus Calderon, director of marketing for lot of that traffic, and we did.” Yum Fest, during a recent phone interview. No inaugural version of any festival is “We both have backgrounds doing events going to off without a hitch—and the biggest and promoting for nightclubs and bars and problem at the first Yum was caused by its casinos, but neither of us had ever done a success. food festival. He came to me with the idea of “We really didn’t know how many people possibly being his partner in the whole thing, were going to come to this thing,” Calderon and I was waiting for the right opportunity to said. “We pre-sold about 2,200 tickets, so we do something large-scale—with thousands of felt good about that, but we were hoping to get people rather than hundreds of people, which 5,000 people. … That was the goal that we had was what I did for years here in the valley. in our head, and that’s what we were telling From 2015 to 2019, I promoted for Copa our vendors … and we ended up having close to Nightclub, Zelda’s Nightclub, the Village Pub, 7,500 people. Bart Lounge and some of the casinos. I’m “It’s great that we blew past our number that grateful to say I was successful in doing that, we wanted, but at the same time, it caused us and that’s how I got a pretty decent following to need to make improvements. Because of in the valley.” the crazy extra thousands, we had long waits Last July, Finn approached Calderon with in line just to order food, and then obviously the idea of doing a food-truck festival. a pretty long time just to get your food. Some “I loved the idea,” he said. “I really thought waited an hour and a half; it was like trying to it was something that the valley has never get on a ride at Disneyland. Most vendors even really had, so we felt like it would be a great sold out! I felt bad about it … but at the end of opportunity. … Our valley is known for the night, most people told us they had a great Coachella, Stagecoach, Splash House and all time, and that they couldn’t wait for the next these major festivals, but they’re music and one. I would say 99% of people understood this art festivals, and we’re food first. We do have was the first one, and nobody really thought music as well; we have live entertainment—a that many people would show up for this. nice, big stage—and we do invest in having “Another thing that really hurt us was we a nice show for people to watch while they’re had five food vendors cancel on us the week eating, but we’re food first, and that’s the main of the event. Obviously, having five less food difference.” vendors is going to create longer lines and The first Yum took place last October, and longer waits. That, combined with the extra Calderon said they picked the mall’s parking people, is something that we’re now going to structure as the location partially because of be ready for.” beauty—and partially because of strategy. Calderon and his collaborators decided to “They have murals and artwork up there, expand the festival from one day to two. which already makes it a pretty dope scene, on “That’s the first major change we made that top of the scenery with the mountains and the we feel is definitely going to help spread out palm trees,” Calderon said. “We decided to do it the attendance,” Calderon said. “A lot of people at the mall, because we felt like that was pretty were telling us or asking us to do two days, much the heart of the valley. I actually used to so it was really by popular demand that we work at the mall for four years as a manager, decided to do that.” so I already kind of knew that everybody in The second major change: Calderon

The first Yum Fest exceeded expectations by drawing nearly 7,500 people, according to organizers.

said they’re going to have “a lot more of everything,” including staff, seating and cleaning-crew members. “The spacing is going to be a little bit different so that the flow of the traffic is better. I think it’s going to be a lot smoother with shorter wait times for people, which is the most important thing to me, because I want people to feel comfortable and not have to wait an hour just to get their food.” Calderon said he is proud of how far he and his team have come. “We had a few sponsors for the first Yum, but for this one, we have about five sponsors on board that we’re really excited about, including the city of Palm Desert,” Calderon said. “I feel like it’s huge to have the city of Palm Desert supporting us. We can include their logo on our fliers, and it makes it look like a legit public event. “It’s myself, Justin and our third partner,

Esther Power. … It’s three locals who are putting this whole thing together, and we have other people who help us now, which we’re super grateful for. “With this second Yum, we want to prove that the first one wasn’t a fluke. Anybody can have a great first event, so for the second one, we want to do another 7,000 people each day, then come back in October and do 10,000 people each day. We want to make Yum a staple in the valley.” Yum Fest will take place on Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8, at The Shops at Palm Desert, 72840 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. General admission hours are 5 to 11 p.m.; VIP ticket-holders can get in at 4 p.m. Tickets are $5 to $40, with free admission to first responders, veterans, seniors and children 5 and under. For more information, visit yumfoodfest.com/palm-desert. CVIndependent.com


22 \\ COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT

MAY 2022

FOOD & DRINK

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

CAESAR CERVISIA JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO

By brett newton

LOVE YOUR HAIR

A

few months back, my friend Bennett sent an email to a number of friends, myself included, inviting us to come to Los Angeles to enjoy this year’s Los Angeles Beer Festival, which took place April 2. Without checking the festival’s lineup, I bought a VIP ticket. I figured that even if the festival itself wasn’t that great, it would still be a win, because I’d get to hang with old friends I had not Street seen in a while. Still, when I checked the lineup, ICountry started toClub get a and little Cook worried: I saw lots of Palm De sert names with which I was unfamiliar (not necessarily a bad thing) and a lot of non-independentlyowned breweries. There seemed to be some distributor shenanigans at play here. 760-340-5959 Despite my misgivings, I looked forward to where I met his lovely girlfriend, Autumn, and some of the breweries I knew I would enjoy— we decided to go to a nearby brewery (of which www.jasondavidhairstudio.net and Sour Cellars from Rancho Cucamonga there are many in his area, including Monkish, was at the top of that list. Sour Cellars is an Brouwerij West and Yorkshire Square Brewing. authentic brewer of barrel-aged sour ales in the Burning Daylight Brewing was a mile away and Belgian lambic style, and I haven’t had a bad has some tasty pub food, so we went there. drop of beer from them since I discovered Sour I tried their pilsner and their IPA, and both Cellars about three years ago. I also noted that hit the spot, as did the Cali burrito I ordered. St. Bernardus would be there. There are no bad James, another friend, met up with us there. It beers in existence from them, so that would had been way too long since I’d seen the both be a guaranteed booth to hit. The food trucks of them, and the brewery was a nice place to all sounded promising as well—and I was catch up. beginning to look forward to the festival itself. The next morning, we arrived at the festival I arrived at Bennett’s condo in Harbor City, a half-hour before the first session opened,

Patio and indoor dining takeout 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-SUNday 1775 E. Palm Canyon Drive (760) 778-6595 www.533vietfusion.com CVIndependent.com

A trip to the LA Beer Fest leads to many fantastic beer discoveries and surprises

and we made our way into the food-truck area. You need a good food base to work off of when attending any beer festival, and I chose birria. I will usually choose this option if it smells like it’s going to be legit—and the Birrieria El Patron truck had that smell. Soon after, the rest of our group met up with us at a table, and I got to know some of the people I didn’t previously know. (Interestingly, I went to high school with almost half of them, and because they were two years behind me, I didn’t truly meet any of them until years later.) We finished eating just in time for the beer portion to open. I beelined toward the Sour Cellars stand and kicked off the day with Smilence, a barrel-aged sour blond with elderflower, honey and gin botanicals. Looking back, I may have started with my favorite beer of the entire day. I noticed a nearby booth with the name of Dokkaebier. Then I noticed a beer on their list called Kimchi Sour. It’s a kettle sour ale with ginger and Korean gochugaru chili peppers. Apparently, the head brewer’s kimchi culture was used as well. It was a delicious combo of flavors, but it was only very slightly tart. Their pilsner brewed with bamboo tea also looked promising—and luckily, I found some cans of Dokkaebier offerings at our local Total Wine and More recently. I then found the Trumer Pils booth, where, coincidentally, I met some friends from the desert. We chatted over a couple of incredibly fresh and flawlessly made pilsners—until I got a text from Bennett to meet everyone up at the VIP area. They had real 13-ounce glass goblets and a T-shirt waiting for me, along with free bites of food, seemingly dangerous cocktail booths, and random cans from various attending breweries being poured. The group chatted, took pictures, talked about our favorite beers so far, and made plans to hit the booths on the other side of the festival. A few welcome surprises closed out the fest. The first was La Verne Brewing. I chose All Nighter, their dry Irish stout, and it was very well done. By the time I circled back to try their red ale, however, it was gone. Meanwhile, San Fernando Brewing had two fantastic hoppy beers—one an IPA, and the other an English pale ale. Hardly any brewers seem to touch English styles these days, let alone do them well, but San Fernando does both. (Their cans are also available at Total Wine.) Hermosa Brewing had a great IPA that tasted like it had a healthy dose of Nelson Sauvin hops. The final surprise was Temblor Brewing from Bakersfield. I’ve heard there was a good

Brett (left) and friends enjoy the LA Beer Fest.

beer scene in and around Bakersfield, and if Temblor is representative, I need to check out more. Their IPA had a particularly good caramel-malt backbone. With the festival ending, Bennett’s friend told us there was a 13th-floor apartment a mile away where we could continue our fun; we hiked over and enjoyed the beautiful weather with a great view of downtown. As fate had it, there was a small bottle shop next to the apartment building’s entrance. An excellent day had been achieved.

I

t is with a heavy heart that I must pay tribute to my predecessor in these pages. Erin Valance (formerly Erin Peters)— known as The Beer Goddess—has passed away. I met her some years back when Schmidy’s Tavern was still a thing, at a time when the craft-beer scene looked like it might be budding into something incredible. She was a lovely person and had a real knack for networking and drawing people together. It is her pen name that inspired mine via another late friend, Josh Kunkle: Caesar Cervisia is Latin for “The Beer Emperor.” My deepest condolences to her family and friends. Let’s drink to not having to say goodbye to any other people who are dear to us anytime soon. Brett Newton is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier for beer) and homebrewer who has mostly lived in the Coachella Valley since 1988. He can be reached at caesarcervisia@gmail.com.


COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 23

MAY 2022

FOOD & DRINK

ON COCKTAILS I

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

A little technique and a little style can elevate your drinks from OK to OMG!

BY kevin carlow

’m friends with a “cocktail virgin.” No, not that blogger from Boston, but a lady who hasn’t tried the most popular of classics … modern or antique. When you’re trying to walk a person into the world of fine mixed potables, it’s all about the details—and if you’re a regular reader of this column, you know how much I harp on technique and style. It’s literally the difference between an OK drink and a makes-your-evening drink. So let’s get down to brass tacks and start with some basics—and some of my favorite cocktails I’ve created over the years. The first is the “Indigo Child,” a refreshing 1 ounce of herbed simple syrup twist on the Collins I created for the Cole Shake; strain into a tall glass; top with Hotel during the lockdowns. The technique soda water, and garnish with edible flowers. here is mostly in making the herbed simple The next day, you’re probably going to need syrup, so proceed as follows: Get yourself an “eye opener”‫—ؙ‬and boy, oh boy, do I have your favorite vodka or gin, and grab the one for you. This is one I put on the brunch peaflower tea bags you ordered online. Mix menu at the Cole, but I started making it the bottle with three bags of the tea in it until when I was at Truss and Twine. It’s a take on you get a beautiful blue color. Bring two cups an amaro flip, and it has a caffeine kick. Most of water to a simmer; add a handful each of people haven’t ever had a flip, but it’s nothing thyme and rosemary, woody bits and all; and to be scared of, and the yolk gives you an let it steep. When the mixture is sufficiently extra dose of vitamins to get your day going. dark and herbaceous, add two cups of white This drink is called the Mr. Experience: sugar and a splash of cold water to make up 2 ounces of the fernet of your choice for evaporation. Allow the syrup to cool in the 2 ounces of coffee liqueur (I recommend refrigerator. NOLA or Mr. Black) When you have this prepared, it’s easy. 1/2 ounce of brown sugar syrup (equal part Fun detail: The color will turn indigo when Demerara sugar and boiling water) the lemon juice reacts with the peaflower! 1 whole egg This is a cocktail made to tickle the eye The technique here is easier than a proper first, followed by the palate. It’s best served sour: Just crack the egg; there’s no need to alongside one of our purple sunsets. separate the white! Look, it sounds gross. I 2 ounces of peaflower-infused spirit get it, but trust. Shake the mix without ice, 1 ounce of fresh lemon juice and then add ice, and shake it like a Polaroid

The Ludivine. KIMBER FOSTER

picture. Strain into two of your cutest stemmed glasses, and grate an espresso bean into a landing strip across the top. This is best enjoyed to the music of Australian musician Donny Benet, after whose song it was named. OK, so we’ve had citrusy and herbaceous, and we’ve had bitter and smooth, so let’s do savory and smoky next. This is a cocktail that was on the menu at Seymour’s long after my departure, with my blessing. It was called the “El Brujo,” then the “Oaxacan Brunch,” and finally the “Shameless Plug.” The technique here is the same as the last drink: First there’s a dry shake, then a “wet shake” with ice. Really crank it with the wet shake; sound is an important element here. If you’re making a lot of them, I recommend throwing a bunch of sage into two cups of simple syrup and pulsing it lightly in a blender. 2 ounces of mezcal (damiana-infused for extra credit) 1/2 ounce of lemon juice 1/2 ounce of lime juice 1 ounce of simple syrup 1 egg white Dry shake and wet shake, as before; strain over ice in a bucket glass with ice; garnish with fresh sage. Yeah, I know, a sour on the rocks is blasphemous … but it just works. Slap the sage before you garnish; the damiana adds a minty back note … and it’s an aphrodisiac, from what I hear.

So, what am I making for my cocktail virgin? It’s something that requires perhaps the most difficult technique in bartending: restraint. She’s a big fan of crème de violette and gin, so I whipped up a gin sour that fits the bill. The light blue color is also divine, and the perfume from the violette in moderation will definitely leave your friends talking. Ladies and gentlemen, The Ludivine: 2 ounces of gin of preference 1 ounce of lemon juice 1 ounce of simple syrup (equal parts) 1/4 ounce of quality crème de violette 1 egg white Dry shake; shake with ice vigorously; strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. I like to use a quality cherry in syrup and run it over the foam to add a nice red swirl. Whatever cocktail you make for your friends, make sure you do it with thought and care. Make some noise with your shake, but never with your stir; take time to include ingredients that are a feast for the eyes and nose as well as the mouth. Put some flair into your straining, and don’t fear the egg—or cream, for that matter. Mouthfeel isn’t just for wine. More on creamy drinks soon, or at least as soon as I can find a bottle of crème de noyaux for a Pink Squirrel. Kevin Carlow can be reached at inahotdryplace@gmail.com. CVIndependent.com


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FOOD & DRINK

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VINE SOCIAL JASON DAVID

Bringing wine to the party? Here are some can’t miss suggestions

HAIR STUDIO

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By KatieLOVE finn YOUR

HAIR

pring is always the busiest time of year for us desert-dwellers. On top of all the holidays like Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, we are flooded with local festivals and shows. The weather begs for pool parties, patio dinner parties, and any other excuse we can think of to be outside enjoying the company of others. Club and Cook Street Most of the time, I am tasked with bringing theCountry wine to my friends’ get-togethers. (If that gets Palm De sert me out of having to cook something as a contribution, I happily accept my responsibility.) One recent weekend, I put together a mixed case of wine to bring to a friend’s house for 760-340-5959 dinner. She was entertaining 20 of us (!), lots of different palates can be daunting. Not and the menu was as diverse as her guest everyone loves chardonnay. Some people prefer www.jasondavidhairstudio.net list, So, I selected six different wines, two Italian wines. Others only drink California bottles of each, that I’ve found are notorious wines. And staring at a wall of wine in a retail crowd-pleasers. At the party, friends kept shop can be totally overwhelming. commenting on the different wines and how So … you can think of me as your personal much they loved them. “I’ve never had a wine sommelier. Here, I’ve assembled a list of wines from here before,” one person said. “What’s that are party-perfect—and will make you, this wine called? It’s delicious!” another friend either as the host or the guest, look like a wine said. “I would have just grabbed some cab and savant! chard to bring,” someone else said. For white wines, I always suggest something Of course, putting together wines for like a sauvignon blanc, but not as grapefruit-y. entertaining can be challenging—and selecting Something like a chardonnay but not oaky or wines that are food-friendly and will appeal to buttery. A white wine that will be enjoyed by

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fans of both chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. What is this magical white wine, you ask? It’s an albarino from the Rias Baixas region of Spain. One whiff, and your nose is filled with citrus blossoms, passionfruit and fresh Key limes. It has weight without being heavy, and bright acid without being tart. One of my personal favorites is the La Cana albarino, which sells for around $17 and is imported by the godfather of Spanish wine, Jorge Ordonez. If you’re looking for a screaming value to pour, look no further than a torrontes from Argentina. These wines are usually around $10 a bottle and deliver aromas of white peaches, Meyer lemons and jasmine blossoms. The Filus torrontes and Zolo torrontes are two examples that never disappoint. I always include bubbles in my partywine mix. Nothing kicks off a celebration or gathering like sparkling wine—but there’s no need to drop a small fortune on Champagne. There are gorgeous bottles of bubbles from across the globe. I have always found that Spanish cava gives the biggest bang for your buck. Produced in the same way the French make Champagne—the bubbles are created in the bottle—there is no better value on the market. The Paul Cheneau “Lady of Spain” cava is a nonvintage sparkler with a beautifully wrapped bottle that comes in less than $15 a bottle. If you want to splurge a little (and I do mean a little), look for the Raventos Cava. Produced from a single vintage and available in either a blanc de blancs or rose, this will make everyone say, “Champagne who?” and sells for around $25 a bottle. With the weather heating up, it’s always a good idea to have a crisp rose in the mix. I like to grab something from the Mediterranean region of France. There’s just something about the flavors of wild strawberries and fresh herbs—with a touch of salinity—that makes rose such a perfect wine to sip in the afternoon. Or the evening. Or at brunch. You get my drift. I have found a fabulous rose called Le Paradou, and it’s made from the cinsault grape. In addition to the beautiful berry notes, it has a little touch of pepper on the finish and sells for less than $10 dollars a bottle. It’s a steal! For the red wines, I always grab a lighterbodied style like a pinot noir—without the pinot-noir price tag. For this last party, I included a nero d’Avola from Sicily. I just love the bright red fruits married with the subtle earthiness from the volcanic soils. It’s like raspberries, leather and sweet pipe tobacco all

wrapped up together. Messer del Fauno makes a nero d’Avola that goes down way too easy for around $8. For a richer-style red wine, Portugal is my go-to. Made from the same grapes that go into the country’s famed Port production, like touriga nacional, tinta roriz and touriga franca, the reds from the Douro region are velvety and full-bodied. I’ve found one in particular called Silk and Spice that has an inky darkness in the glass with ripe black fruits, warm vanilla spice and rich dark chocolate notes. I know, right? My mouth is watering, too. Best part is it’s around $13! Finally, to round out the selection, I like to throw in a red wine that’s fun and juicy—one of those lip-smacking, thank-you-sir-may-Ihave-another wines that takes the party well into the evening (until you run out of wine, and then everyone leaves). Currently, I’m obsessed with the Alfaro Family Vineyards “Dragon Slayer” red blend. It’s kind of a wacky mix of zinfandel, sangiovese, carignan and syrah, and it positively bursts out of the glass with boysenberries, blueberries, cinnamon and vanilla. I can’t think of another wine in recent memory that is as chuggable as this red. The Alfaro Family Vineyards are located in the Santa Cruz Mountains; after one sip of this heavenly blend, you’ll be wondering why you’ve never been wine-tasting there. For around $15 a bottle, this wine might become your new house staple. And here’s a thought: Even if you don’t have a shindig you’re heading off to, these are ideal wines to have on hand in case the neighbor drops by, or there’s something binge-worthy on Netflix, or you find you’re thirsty. Either way, these beauties are sure to impress! Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with two decades in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@ gmail.com.


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MAY 2022

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FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT On this month’s menu: a shrimp chile relleno, and a mini beef tenderloin By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The chile relleno de camaron WHERE El Patio, 139 E. Andreas Road, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $22 CONTACT 760-832-6332; www. elpatiopalmsprings.com. WHY Creamy pepperiness. During a recent lunch at El Patio with my colleague Kevin, I ordered the chile relleno de camaron. While I was initially a bit disappointed when the plate of food was delivered to the table—the menu promises a “cheese and shrimp-stuffed chile,” and the shrimp was merely placed on top—that disappointment quickly disappeared when I started eating. This food was goooood. Perfectly cooked shrimp plus a delicious creamy chile pasilla sauce equals a whole lot of yum. The food also rang a bell. Later, I’d learn why it seemed familiar: Turns out I’ve had this dish, more or less, before. In fact, I’ve even endorsed it before. Back in 2016, I went to a then-newish restaurant called Felipe’s Fine Mexican Food, and I ordered the chile relleno de camaron. I liked it so much, I wrote, that I was tempted to pick up the plate and lick up every last bit of the sauce. Felipe’s went on to be quite successful … so successful, in fact, that the owners went on to open a second restaurant, called El Patio, in the lovely, patio-dominated space formerly occupied by Greek Islands. (I knew this at one point—we even reported on it—but it apparently slipped my mind.) This El Patio version of the dish is not exactly the same as the version I had at Felipe’s nearly six years ago; the accompaniments are different, and, most notably—in a sign of the times—the portion is smaller, while the price is much higher. However, it is quite similar. For one thing, the El Patio version also had me tempted to pick up the plate to lick up the sauce. Yum.

WHAT The mini beef tenderloin (on the lounge menu) WHERE Willie’s Modern Fare, 69830 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage HOW MUCH $19 CONTACT 760-202-4499; www.williesrm.com WHY It’s an amazing light meal. Have you ever wanted something really, really good to eat … when you weren’t that hungry? If you’re nodding your head, you may want to visit to the lounge side of Willie’s Modern Fare. In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s the lowdown: Restaurateurs Chad Gardner (Roly China Fusion, 533 Viet Fusion) and Willie Rhine (Eight4Nine Restaurant and Lounge), who teamed up in 2020 to open 1501 Uptown Gastropub, announced last year they’d purchased the former Bernie’s space in Rancho Mirage. After some renovations and sprucing up, they opened Willie’s Modern Fare earlier this year. On one side of Willie’s, you’ll find a more upscale vibe, with tablecloths and entrée price points ranging from $25 to $58. On the other side, you’ll find a lounge, with a nice bar and a more-casual menu, featuring things like a burger with steak fries ($17) and a prime rib sandwich with fries ($19). One recent Friday night, some friends and I popped in to the lounge side for a bite and drinks before an event. A steak sounded amazing, so I ordered the mini beef tenderloin, with “chimichurri, chive wild mushroom mashed and roasted garlic puree.” What showed up at the table was not a large plate of food. However, it was a fantastic plate of food. The potatoes, with mushroom pieces mixed in, were splendid. The tender, juicy steak was cooked to medium rare as requested, and the chimichurri added just the right amount of additional umami. If I had been really hungry, and this had been the only thing I’d ordered, I would have been disappointed. However, I’d have also been out of my mind if I were expecting a fullsized tenderloin steak meal for $19. Nope. This was a small, appropriately priced, perfect plate of food.

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Restaurant NEWS BITES By charles drabkin FARMERS’ MARKETS GOING INTO SUMMER MODE; CHAD GARDNER MATCHES CALFRESH BENEFITS The Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market will be transitioning into its usual indoor summer home at the Palm Springs Pavilion (401 S. Pavilion Way, Palm Springs) on June 11 … because the fresh eggs on sale would cook in their shells if left outside in our summer heat. The market takes a week off to rest, which means the final outdoor market of the season will be on May 28. The Indian Wells Farmers’ Market will move inside the old Ralph’s at 74895 Highway 111 after the May 26 market. Warning: Although there will be swamp coolers and fans, the building does not have air conditioning, so go early! The La Quinta, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage and Indio markets all close for the summer after their last markets in May, and are slated to return in October. In other farmers’ market news, local restauranteur Chad Gardner (of Roly China Fusion, 533 Viet Fusion, 1501 Uptown Gastropub, Willie’s Modern Fare and others) is generously helping CalFresh dollars go further. His donation to the Palm Springs Cultural Center—the parent organization of the La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs markets—will enable them to continue to match up to $15 of customers’ CalFresh benefits. Since the beginning of the pandemic, CalFresh enrollment has grown exponentially—and Gardner’s donation will allow the markets to keep their market match going through the end of the year. IN BRIEF The first of celebrity chef Fabio Viviani’s restaurants at the Morongo Casino Resort Spa is open. Pescato, an oyster bar and fish house, started serving diners April 2; the rest of his Marketplace food hall should open soon. Learn more at www.morongocasinoresort.com. … The Coachella Valley’s first cat café will be opening at 4781 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite F, in June. Frisky Business will offer a unique Coachella Valley Coffee Company blend along with merchandise; they’ll also help facilitate cat adoptions via the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. Get a latte, and play with a pussy! Learn more at friskybusinesscatcafe.com. … The former See’s Candy space at 144 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, will soon be home to Acai Oasis. Acai is the fruit of a South American palm that’s purported to be a superfood which promotes health and increases energy. Watch the blank-as-of-this-writing Instagram account @acaioasisusa for updates. … Trio, at 707 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has announced that Phillip Martin has taken over the kitchen as the new chef/partner—and he’s shaking up the menu. Chef Martin promises new ideas while sticking to Trio’s roots and emphasizing farm-to-table sourcing. He’s already launched a new brunch menu with offerings like smoked salmon toast and chorizo chilaquiles. Martin has had stints at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York, as well as LACMA and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, so it will be exciting to see where this new chapter leads Trio; triopalmsprings.com. … New to Cathedral City: Mr. Claws Seafood Boil has opened at 67555 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite F120. They’ll boil you up a bag of crawfish, shrimp, clams, mussels, snow crab legs and colossal king crab legs, with spices, corn, potatoes and sausage. More info at www.instagram.com/mrclaws.seafood. … New to 74225 Highway 111, in Palm Desert: J’s Deli, a Jewish-American deli with a vast menu that includes kosher-style smoked meats and fish. The restauranteurs are honoring their family’s Eastern European roots while highlighting current trends; learn more at www.j-sdeli.com. … Dave’s Hot Chicken, which opened its first valley location in Indio last year, will soon be opening its second, at 72363 Highway 111, in Palm Desert. Dave’s began as a parking-lot pop-up in L.A. and specializes in hot chicken tenders and sliders, with seven spice levels, ranging from “No Spice” to “Reaper.” The chain has more or less doubled its number of locations in a year; visit www.daveshotchicken.com. … The chef behind the much-loved Justin Eat and Drink—a restaurant that closed to make way for the Agua Caliente Cathedral City—has opened Beautiful Day at 50949 Washington St., Suite A, in La Quinta. Like Justin, Beautiful Day is a farm-to-table restaurant, and it’s currently open for breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday; www.itsabeautifulday. love. … In chain news, a new Dairy Queen has opened at 81977 Indio Blvd.; www.dairyqueen.com. … Spotlight 29, at 46200 Harrison Place in Coachella, has opened two new restaurants. Kupi Shop is named after the word for “coffee” among the Chemehuevi people. The shop offers hot and cold brewed espresso drinks using Joshua Tree Coffee, plus breakfast and deli sandwiches, salads and an array of on-premise-baked goods; it’s open 24-7. Malie Asian Kitchen is a fast-casual restaurant featuring pan-Asian cuisine. Offerings currently include poke and ramen; there are plans to later expand the menu to include other noodle dishes and dumplings. Malie is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; spotlight29.com/dining. Got a hot tip? Let me know: foodnews@cvindependent.com.

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BLUES AND BEYOND

The new Desert Blues Revival series brings a mix of local legends and touring greats to the Agua Caliente Palm Springs each Wednesday

By matt king

T

he Agua Caliente Palm Springs has recently become one of the best places for entertainment in the valley. Two weekly series—Jazzville on Thursdays, and Caliente Comedy on Fridays—feature jazzy touring bands and up-and-coming comics, respectively, inside the Cascade Lounge. The organizer of those series is now adding a Wednesday series, too: Desert Blues Revival will feature the great blues musicians in our sold out. Honestly, jazz and blues are kind of area, as well as touring blues and indie-rock distant cousins—but I feel like rock and blues acts—starting on Wednesday, May 4, with the and soul, they’re like siblings.” Woody Mankowski Blues Band. While local acts have been featured in Adam Levy’s Take Five Entertainment, Jazzville, Levy is excited to be including locals the promoter behind Jazzville and Caliente more in the new series. Comedy, is now involved in a deeper “Since day one, we’ve been consulting the collaboration with Agua Caliente Casino for local legends, and that includes Kal David and this new endeavor. Deanna Bogart, Hope Diamond, and Tommy “Before omicron, Jay Bednar, the director of Castro,” said Levy. “These are big players in the nightlife at the casino, reached out to me—and blues genre who live here locally, and they are it was his idea to bring blues to the casino,” all on the books with us. These are folks who Levy said during a recent phone interview. “Jay I feel like are the gatekeepers to blues music wanted to create something like what we’ve in our valley, and it’s just going to be a natural been doing with jazz for Jazzville, with the and authentic fit to have them be a big part of same kind of business model—reach out to Desert Blues Revival. The goal is to get them at touring national blues artists and some local least one day a month during the series. In the legends, and create a series that downtown books already, we have Hope Diamond. She’s a Palm Springs hasn’t seen for many years, since phenomenal musician. She sings a lot of blues the Blue Guitar. and some jazz.” The late, lamented Blue Guitar was Kal Hope Diamond Blues will perform on May David’s blues club above the Plaza Theatre. 18. Hope Diamond, aka Hope Deans, said she’s “Omicron happened, and we kind of took a proud to be the first local to perform in the step back from it,” Levy said. “Now things are series. kind of opening up again. The name Desert “It was really a surprise and an honor,” said Blues Revival came alive in partnership with Deans. “I recently had an album come out; it’s the casino. Unlike Jazzville and Caliente called Awaken. … I’ve been on tour a little bit, Comedy, where it’s been something I’ve been and as an artist in the desert, a lot of people fronting solely, this is the first collaboration don’t know me as a blues artist; they know me with the casino creatively, so I’m pretty excited as a jazz artist. In Awaken, there are elements about that. I’m also excited about some of the that really represent the soul of blues in jazz. … really big blues groups, soul and even indieI deal with a lot of blues artists; many of them rock bands coming through. For example, we are in the band, and they know how to swing it got one of my favorite bands coming, Born that way for me.” Ruffians.” Deans’ musical background serves as a prime Levy was elated to do the blues series— example of how different genres can work because he has a history with the blues. together in harmony. “I grew up in a blues household; my dad is a “I’ve been very blessed in that I come from longtime blues musician, and he’s done several a strong gospel background,” Deans said. “In albums with Big Jay McNeely, who was one of that element with gospel as a young child in the greatest blues saxophone players around, the ’50s and ’60s, a lot of the members in the and he’s played with Taj Mahal,” said Levy. “For choirs also at night play blues, so we are always me, to be able to touch on that genre, which is used to that guitar twanging. Then R&B came dear to my family, is pretty cool—but to marry along, and that was a beautiful product of the that with the genre that I’m familiar with, rock ’60s and ’70s. Transitioning between those ‘n’ roll specifically, is cooler. The whole concept three were always in my midst and ability, so is to really just create peaks and valleys with it was very easy. Jazz became the flow that I the season as seen with Jazzville. We don’t had to really grow into, but I can honestly say just do jazz; we do a lot of swing. We actually that between blues, jazz, gospel and R&B, it’s did our first blues show at Jazzville, and it really not so difficult for me. … I always bring CVIndependent.com

Hope Diamond will become the first local to perform at Desert Blues Revival on May 18.

the best guitar players and bass players so that they can turn it up when we need to.” Deans, who was a partner in the recently closed Frankie’s Back Room, said she’s grateful for the opportunities venues like the Cascade Lounge provide. “It was an Italian bakery in Cathedral City, and we built this room to seat about 70 people,” Deans said about Frankie’s Back Room. “So I was playing there for a while, singing and bringing in acts from all around— and then the pandemic hit. We closed, and I now play with a big band orchestra. It’s a funky, jazzy, 17-piece big band called the Paul McDonald Big Band. … Jazzville is classy, classy, classy. What a great new venue. I call it new still, because people are still discovering it. It is a very cool place to go to hear blues, as well as other genres. “The (Cascade Lounge) sound system’s magnificent; the seating is comfortable, and you take a step outside if you need to go gamble a little bit. It’s got a great appeal, and the audience is attentive. You’re going to be able to hear the band, and that’s kind of different from places where there’s more smoking and drinking … but at the casino’s Cascade Lounge, where Jazzville is home, you get to hear all of the instruments and all of the voices.” Levy said that while he’s happy to be spotlighting locals, he’s also looking forward

to bringing in more out-of-town talent for locals to enjoy—both to the Cascade Lounge and beyond. “I own a company called Take Five Entertainment, and I also run the website eventspalmsprings.com,” said Levy. “That website was born to just house all the different kinds of events that I’ve already done instead of creating individual (pages) for each one, and my company … has also landed a deal with the city of Indio to produce outdoor concerts to the public for all ages. We bring food trucks; we have games for the family; we do some screenings, which is a lot of fun. We do that every second Saturday. Another venture that I’ve been working on is event staffing … and then I am working on a couple of comedy tours, and I’m also hoping to do a couple comedy shows at The Show in Rancho Mirage. “I’m just trying to bring the best quality bigcity entertainment to my hometown, which is honestly still my No. 1 mission. My overall mission is just to keep bringing rad stuff that we don’t have to drive out of town for.” The Desert Blues Revival concert series takes place every Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside the Cascade Lounge at Agua Caliente Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road. Tickets start at $10. For tickets or more information, visit www.eventspalmsprings. com/blues.


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MUSIC

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PSYCH MYSTIQUE By matt king

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ystique surrounds the high desert—which makes it the perfect home for Q.Varo. Local legend Gabriella Evaro and drummer extraordinaire Tyler Saraca conjure up psychedelically haunting jams that are truly out of this world. Their singles “I Just Want to Love You” and “Afraid Of” show the pair venturing far out with effects—while creating a grooving sonic headspace. “I have been playing solo for two years Saraca said he’s always been a fan of now, and during this whole time, I have really “psychedelic stuff.” wanted to play with a drummer,” Evaro said “I’ve never released any music that I make during a recent phone interview. “At that same on my own, but Gab’s heard some stuff I’ve time, though, I was really happy to jump into played in the past, and it’s definitely got a my own solo projects. … Especially last year, I psychedelic aspect,” Saraca said. “I love Jane’s really just was, like, ‘I want my music to grow,’ Addiction, and Jimi Hendrix, and all that kind and I knew the only way it was going to grow of far-out psychedelic stuff. … Gab totally is if I added a drummer to the mix. … I wanted has more of the electronic vibe going on, so that body, that bottom that (the music) was it was really cool to get together with her and really needing.” combine our forces just to see what happens Evaro has played a lot locally, both with her and write some really fun music.” family and as a solo musician, and she’s able to Their love for all things experimental create a full band sound with a sampler known extends into the band’s videos and photos. as a Kaoss pad. Head to YouTube to check out a live “I just want to get more experimental with performance video of the band playing their the music and really push the sound and song “Stung”—as seen through a colorfully boundaries,” Evaro said. “I love all different trippy TV screen. styles of music. This Kaoss pad that I play with “It (psychedelia) is definitely a part of my has been a big influence on me getting more personality and who I am,” Evaro said. “I love experimental. A bunch of friends from up psychedelics; I love psychedelic art; I love north have really helped push me as an artist colors and rainbows, all the more trippy stuff. to keep growing and being more experimental I think it’s really important to embody visually with my music—just pushing the sound and what we are creating musically. It’s like the getting more weird and abstract. There have aesthetic of the sound, which fits both of our been so many things and people who have personalities together really well.” really influenced that into the sound, but Added Saraca: “When we first met, we did having Ty play with me now—who has drums, art together for the Joshua Tree Music festival, an SPD pad, percussion, a synthesizer, and all so I think there’s a lot of art involved. Artistic sorts of stuff—is awesome.” thought goes into the photo shoots we do, video stuff—anything we do. Like Gab said, she’s definitely an artist, and I appreciate art, too. We’re trying to express ourselves through any kind of medium, whether it be the music, or the photos, or fliers, or all that kind of stuff. It’s all fun. It’s all art.” Q.Varo also brings exploration and experimentation into the studio. “The approach to the song is always different,” Evaro said. “Sometimes all the magic happens when we are in the studio together. We definitely become the open channels for letting the songs come through us. Other times, Ty or myself will come into the room with ideas, beats, samples and riffs. … There are no limits, and it is very explorative. We love playing with textures, dubbing and warping the sounds. The Kaoss pad I play has so much free range to trip every channel, so we can do Q.Varo. Penelope Valentine lots of layering, putting tracks in reverse and

Q.Varo mixes creativity and gear to explore the outer realms of music so much more. Between the gear I have and the gear Ty has, we both are pushing the bounds and vibing.” A Q.Varo live show includes a little bit more structure, thanks in part to the connection between the two artists. “For as tripped as our songs can be, we do have a formula,” Evaro said. “What won’t always be the same is what dubs I create on the Kaoss pad, but what will always stay true are the beats and measures in songs. Even when Ty and I are playing this section in one song in particular that actually has no measures, we still manage to end the song around the same time—every time. You get a sense and feeling when it is time to move to the next part, and when enough is enough. It is unspoken—and all feel.” Choosing a name for this new venture proved to be a little tricky, even for the effortlessly creative Evaro. “I have been wanting to change my solo project name for the last few years. It’s literally taken me two years to come up with Q.Varo,” Evaro said. “No joke: All of 2020, I was at home with my brother and my best friend, and I would just be saying things all day, and we would just be like, ‘No, that’s terrible; definitely not; maybe.’ Actually, one of my homies came up with the name, but that was before Ty even joined the band. Q is my middle initial.” Q.Varo plans to soon have an album’s worth of sonic experimentations compiled—perfect for your next trip to the high desert. “We’re definitely building toward an album,” Evaro said. “We’re just writing nonstop. We’ve been playing every day or every other day nonstop, and it’s been a blast. … We want to do some live recordings to release, which will be super fun, but I definitely want to do an album. I’ve always wanted to do one, but I’ve been waiting for the right music, and I finally feel like I’m creating the best music I ever have, and making it with Ty is such a dream. This year for sure, we’ll be recording at some point.” Added Saraca: “We’re in writing mode right now for sure—still getting to know each other, hearing each other out, and all that fun stuff. We’re just making music, and I’m sure at some point, we’ll put it down in the form of an album in some way. We like the idea of live, like releasing live tracks. … That seems really fun, too—so there’s a bunch of cool stuff on the way for sure.” For information, visit www.facebook.com/q. varomusic.

The Venue REPORT May 2022 By matt king

Lady A

Happy May, everyone! May you have an eventful and safe month. (Sorry, not sorry!) Fantasy Springs has two shows on the calendar. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 20, recently rebranded Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) will bring their country jams to town. Tickets range from $79 to $159. A night of puro Mexican music is set for Friday, May 27, at 8 p.m., as Luis R. Conriquez and special guests La Original Banda El Limón will unite. Remaining tickets—and there weren’t many as of our deadline—are $49 to $79. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-342-5000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com. The McCallum Theatre is concluding its 2021-2022 season with one final show in May. From Thursday, May 5, to Sunday, May 8, catch College of the Desert’s production of Cabaret. Tickets range from $23 to $38 to watch COD bring out “full Broadway staging and orchestration.” McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com. Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage is jampacked with entertainment this month, but most of the shows are sold out. At 8 p.m., Thursday, May 5, the uber-hilarious Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is coming to the Coachella Valley. Tickets range from $75 to $95, and are moving fast! At 8 p.m., Saturday, May 7, Wilson Phillips, the pop trio composed of the daughters of both Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys) and John and Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas), will grace The Show stage. Tickets range from $45 to $85 to see the group perform their hits like “Hold On.” Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com. Agua Caliente in Palm Springs is adding a new regular series in May. (Read more about it on Page 26.) Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., continued on next page CVIndependent.com


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The Venue REPORT continued from page 27 Desert Blues Revival features great blues, rock and soul acts like the sax-driven Woody Mankowski Blues Band (May 4), Brazilian guitarist Celso Salim and Californian harmonica player Darryl Carriere (May 11), the local multi-genre great Hope Diamond Blues (May 18), and the surf rockin’ sounds of Spongebob himself, Tom Kenny and the Hi-Seas (May 25). Tickets start at $10, available at eventspalmsprings.com/blues. Jazzville Thursdays bring in the Latin-jazz of the Margo Rey Quintet (May 5), the AfroPeruvian music of the Anibal Seminario Sextet (May 12), a tribute to Heart’s Nancy Wilson with the Sacha Boutros Quintet (May 19) and an evening of movie magic with the Hollywood Film Noirchestra (May 26). Shows take place at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at jazzvillepalmsprings.com. Caliente Comedy Fridays bring the laughs with Ralph Porter (May 6), ISMO (May 13), Orlando Leyba (May 20) and Mike Merrill (May 27). You must be 21 to attend, and tickets start at $19.99, available at www. eventspalmsprings.com/caliente-comedy. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www.sparesortcasino.com. Pappy and Harriet’s must know that summer is coming, ’cause this month’s lineup is HOT! L.A. punk band The Bronx’s mariachi side project, Mariachi El Bronx, is set to perform at 9:30 p.m., Sunday, May 8. Advance tickets are $30. At 8 p.m., Thursday, May 12, legendary Australian post-punkers The Church will perform an intimate show. Tickets are $35. The wildly experimental Son Lux is headed to Pappy’s indoor stage at 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 17. Tickets are $25. Pulling double duty in the dust bowl is the Grateful Dead cover band Grateful Shred, performing at 7 p.m., Friday, May 27, and Saturday, May 28. Tickets start at $30. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-2282222; www.pappyandharriets.com. Oscar’s has some events that are definitely worth your while. At 7 p.m., Friday, May

13, drag star Heklina is presenting her first “one-woman” cabaret show! Tickets are $30 to $40. Local jazz great, actress and songwriter Rose Mallett will perform an evening of music at 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 20. A $10 surcharge will be added to dinners. At 7 p.m., Saturday, May 21, Marieann Meringolo will bring the songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the songwriting duo behind greats like Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Michael Jackson, Johnny Mathis and most notably Barbra Streisand. Tickets are $35 to $45. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-325-1188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events. The Purple Room in Palm Springs is hosting all sorts of fantastic events! At 8 p.m., Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, the drag greats of Kinsey Sicks will bring the wildly entertaining Dragapella to town. Tickets are $40 to $50. At 8 p.m., Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, singer Jane Monheit is set to perform. Tickets are $55 to $65. Drag duo Jackie Beat and Sherry Vine celebrate 30 years of friendship with their “Dirty Thirty” show at 8 p.m., Friday, May 20 and Saturday, May 21. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com. The Alibi is continuing to bring in top-tier acts—and injecting some doses of local talent. At 7 p.m., Thursday, May 12, psychedelic indie rockers Tropa Magica team up with the valley’s own Slipping Into Darkness for a night of spacey jams. Tickets are $15 in advance. Dark pop act Wet is set to perform an intimate show in Palm Springs at 8 p.m., Friday, May 13. Tickets are $20. At 7 p.m., Friday, May 27, take a trip with the experimental guitar duo Hermanos Gutierrez. Advance tickets are $20. Catch the Penrose Records Showcase at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 28 with acts including Thee Sinseers, The Altons and Los Yesterdays. These events are 21+, except Tropa Magica (18+). The Alibi Palm Springs, 369 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-6561525; thealibipalmsprings.com.

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MUSIC

any funny business, an A+ in my book.

the

LUCKY 13

Get to know a bit about the Selexa frontman, and an up-and-coming DJ/producer by matt king What was the first album you owned? It had to have been American Idiot (Green Day) or Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (My Chemical Romance)—chart-toppers at the time, but somehow, we were bullied? I still find that funny. What bands are you listening to right now? Snail Mail, Diet Cig, Girlpool, The Regrettes, and Judy Garland vinyls are always spinning in my apartment.

NAME Oscar Escobar GROUP Selexa MORE INFO Selexa exploded onto the local rock scene in late 2020 with their progressive lyrics and punk stylings. Since then, the band has been through a lineup change and a hiatus—but Selexa is back with a new single, “Tell It So Well.” Guitarist and frontman Oscar Escobar is the only remaining member of the group since our last chat. What was the first concert you attended? It was a festival, actually, the Vans Warped Tour 2016. I’m not even into any screamo bands, so it was a bust, for the most part, until I saw Teenage Bottlerocket and The Story So Far. There’s nothing like listening to a live performance of “Navy Blue” the day after getting dumped at age 15.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? A younger me would have said EDM or country music, but once I began writing my own songs, I realized how much passion goes into it, and now I refuse to criticize anyone’s personal taste. What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Does dead count? Johnny Cash! What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? I’m a Swiftie, OK. … I love Taylor Swift so much, and it’s absolutely empowering to see her re-record her albums as, like, the ultimate middle finger to her corrupt label. What’s your favorite music venue? The Hollywood Palladium is where I worked for a couple of months just as a stagehand. The shows are great, and they don’t tolerate

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? “It’s not that I don’t really love you, it’s just that I don’t really know,” The Strokes, “15 Minutes.” Love is very difficult for me, whether to accept or to give. I’m just not cut out for it. What band or artist changed your life? Bikini Kill taught me that you can have absolutely no clue when it comes to your instrument, but if you have something to say, and a loud enough amp, people will listen, and for once, you won’t be ignored. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? Honestly, I would ask any pop punk singer why they sing with that funny accent. You know what I mean? The way they pronounce their vowels. What song would you like played at your funeral? Judy Garland’s rendition of “Old Man River.” Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? In Utero by Nirvana. Nothing else comes close. What song should everyone listen to right now? Is this where you shamelessly promote your own music? Screw that. NAME Jorge Ruvalcaba, aka Quivero MORE INFO The valley is full of talented DJs and producers—who, in turn, make many of our other local artists sound even better. I’ve known Jorge Ruvalcaba, aka Quivero, since high school, and his creative mind has helped him become one of the top entertainers and producers in the valley. Check out facebook. com/Quivero to learn more. What was the first concert you attended? Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert in Inglewood, Calif. What was the first album you owned? Travis Scott’s Rodeo. What bands are you listening to right now? Martin Garrix, Julian Jordan, Malaa, Travis Scott, 21 Savage and much more!

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What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? One of the genres that is trending that wasn’t my cup of tea is going to be riddim. What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Martin Garrix (he’s my main role model/idol),

and then Joyryde. What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure? “Go Down” by Vluarr and Crime Zcene. What’s your favorite music venue? I haven’t really ventured out to other venues, but one of the craziest/insane music venues is going to be Omnia Nightclub in Las Vegas, and Hakkasan, also in Las Vegas. What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head? “Everything costs something bro / When it’s somewhere somewhere else you just lost something yo / The cost of opportunities is always good to know / But if you know that then you’re good to go / Yeah, no dreams too big / Chase anything you have the passion to do / Only a dream ’til it happen to you,” G Eazy, “Opportunity Cost” What band or artist changed your life? One that really changed my life is Martin Garrix, because in 2017 at Coachella, I saw him perform live, and since then, I have been working toward being able to create a name for “Quivero.” He also is the reason why I began to produce electronic dance music. You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking? I’d like to ask my past self: “What is your definition of success?” What song would you like played at your funeral? “The Nights” by Avicii. Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? The Voice of the Heroes by Lil Durk/Lil Baby. What song should everyone listen to right now? They should listen to “Pyro” by Quivero, and “Famous” by HeyDoc and Quivero.


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OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

“Point of No Return”— they don’t bounce back. By Matt Jones Across 1. “Git ___, little dogies!” 6. Trebuchet trajectory 9. Paper Moon Oscar winner O’Neal 14. Furniture hauler 15. Indigo Girls, for example 16. 32 degrees, maybe 17. Did some aviation, but only with way awesome instruction? 20. Comedian/podcaster Maron 21. Seasoned veteran 22. British medical org. honoured by “Clap For Our Carers” early in the pandemic 23. This mo. 25. Soul, in France 27. Jewelry store, but only for fun? 36. Totality 37. Olympic swimmer Ian or track athlete Jim 38. Wrestler in a mawashi 39. Streams 41. Palindromic holiday

42. Took another shot at 43. Greek salad topper 44. Richards of Starship Troopers 46. Key near Tab 47. Essential Spanish word for “sun”? 50. “___ death do us part” 51. Tailless primate 52. Touch grass (by shortening it) 55. They may be absolute Legends 59. ___-Nomics (1988 reggae album) 63. Completely different Bulgarian currency? 66. Red card 67. “Equal” prefix 68. Much, to a musician 69. Opener 70. Bagpiper’s accessory 71. Boxer Fury

6. Extra, for short 7. Cursed the day 8. Dream ___ LLC (Adult Swim show) 9. Microsoft font named for Mount Rainier 10. Pilot with skills 11. Get on another road? 12. Ogden’s state 13. Pharmacy supply 18. “Come Away With Me” singer Jones 19. “Giant Steps” saxophonist, familiarly 24. They’re hopefully housebroken 26. “Who ___ But Quagmire?” (“Family Guy” bit) 27. “Baby Beluga” singer 28. Pulitzer-winning novelist Glasgow 29. Stops streaming 30. Alaskan carving 31. Bedard who voiced Down Pocahontas 1. Radio options 32. Agree to take part 2. Kinks title woman 33. “Nicely done!” 3. Done 34. Acid in proteins 4. Game show prize with 35. Peak performance? a smell? 40. Bulb power 5. Despicable Me measurement supervillain 42. Swing a scythe

44. The Daily Show correspondent Sloan 45. Hoarder’s secret 48. Venetian shopping district 49. Jenkins of “World of Warcraft”-related memes 52. Doubled, a Hawaiian food fish 53. John Irving’s A Prayer for ___ Meany 54. “Do you need something?” 56. Bushel, byte, or becquerel 57. Brooklyn Nine-Nine character 58. Tiniest bit 60. Pipe bends 61. Low-carb, high-fat diet 62. Shakespeare’s river 64. 1967 NHL Rookie of the Year 65. Rescue squad initials © 2022 Matt Jones Find the answers in the “About” section at CVIndependent.com!

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