Coachella Valley Independent November 2022

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 Editorial intern Kevin Mann

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, Matt King, Keith Knight, Kay Kudukis, 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 All content is ©2022 and may not be published or reprinted in any form without the written permission of the publisher.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.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The latest round of cuts by Gannett, the parent company of The Desert Sun, didn’t surprise Christopher Damien.

But they infuriated him—and his colleagues as well.

“We’re angry,” said Damien, a Desert Sun reporter who serves as the unit chair of the Desert Sun NewsGuild, the newspaper’s newsroom union. “I really can’t sum it up any better way than that. … At a certain point, it’s both exhausting and enraging to just see corporate leadership just driving this thing right into the ground. And we’re pissed—and we’re doing something about it (by unionizing).”

The latest round of cuts, announced by CEO Mike Reed on Oct. 12, is brutal: Five mandated days of unpaid leave in December. Severance for “voluntary resignations.” A suspension of 401(k) matches, and more. All of this came just two months after Gannett laid off 400 employees—about 3 percent of the company’s workforce—and said another 400 open positions would not be filled, after the company announced a second-quarter loss of $54 million on revenues of $749 million.

Damien and his fellow NewsGuild members, however, are protected from these cuts. The union was born in December 2020, when newsroom employees filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board, following in the footsteps of newsroom employees at other newspapers, including The Arizona Republic in Phoenix. The union is still in the process of negotiating a contract with Gannett, and the NLRB shields union members from cuts during negotiations. However, editors and nonnewsroom employees are not union members.

“We were protected from this round of sacrifices, but our editors aren’t,” Damien said. “They’re going to be hit by all this stuff, and we think that’s unacceptable.”

Damien said Gannett has told union members they’ll have a contract by the end of the year, but that won’t change the fact that Gannett is in big trouble. The quarterly losses are bad—but the $1 billion-plus in debt that Gannett took on as the result of a 2019 merger with Gatehouse could be crippling. Gannett reported it had paid down $55 million of that debt since June 30— largely by selling off real estate and other assets, and will be selling $65 million to $75 million in real estate and other assets to pay down more. (Gannett sold The Desert Sun building on Gene Autry Trail in 2021.)

While Gannett is selling off assets, laying off employees, and making life more difficult for its remaining employees, the company is paying its top executives handsomely. CEO Mike Reed earned a whopping $7.74 million in 2021, including a $900,000 salary, a $767,052 bonus, and a little more than $6 million in stock. CFO Doug Horne received more than $1.7 million in salary, bonuses and stock.

“These are the same guys that are getting us on a call—a last minute, less-than 15-minute meeting—a couple days ago and saying, ‘We need to make vast sacrifices for the well-being of this company,’” Damien said.

Damien said the primary goal of his union is to fight for the survival of The Desert Sun. Given Gannett’s bleak situation, I asked Damien what kind of future he saw for the company.

“These guys (Reed and Horne) made this problem; these guys need to fix it,” he said. “You’re asking me what I think they should do to fix it. I don’t know. I’m not a corporate CEO; I’m a local news reporter. All I know is that they need to stop threatening local reporters, local news, and the integrity of our local democracies by driving us further into debt.”

—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com

OPINION HIKING WITH T

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINIONOPINION CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

BY THERESA SAMA

If you spend time out on the trails, you’ll see a coyote or two here and there—especially during the morning hours or at dusk.

I used to see them quite often when I ran the Goat Trails, located behind Vons off Highway 111 and Gene Autry Trail. Not only did I see coyotes; I’ve had a couple of one-on-one encounters while running the trails there.

One time, I was on my morning run and was in the wash when I felt a presence. I looked to my right to find a coyote, as big as a shepherd dog, staring right at me while running alongside, about 6 feet away. We ran together and had a stare off—with a one-way conversation on my part—for what seemed like two minutes before the coyote simply disappeared into the desert and went on

its way. It was cool, but surreal!

I had another coyote encounter on the same trails, but at a different location, while I was out getting a quick run in before dark. I had my friend’s dog with me (on a leash), and we were running up the hilltop when we came to a trail fork. As we approached the fork,

I was unsure whether we should make the full loop, or turn back to beat the darkness.

The hesitation brought me to a stop—and I turned around to find a coyote just a few feet away. I immediately threw my arms up in the air to make myself look big, and yelled to shoo it away. Thankfully, the coyote ran off.

I then picked up the biggest rock I could hold and got us off the trail and back home safely. It was most definitely an adrenaline-rush moment.

I recently attended a very interesting and informative presentation titled “Coexisting With Coyotes” by Project Coyote (projectcoyote.org), hosted by Friends of Pioneertown (friendsofpioneertown.org). I was surprised to learn so much about the coyote’s interesting behavior patterns—which are often misinterpreted.

Coyotes are fascinating creatures. They provide ecological value to urban and rural ecosystems, as they help keep the rodent and rabbit populations under control; that helps control tick-borne diseases as well. This opportunistic predator will eat just

about anything they find—including fruit, vegetation, insects and carrion—which allows them to thrive almost anywhere.

Coyotes are canines, genetically related to wolves and domesticated dogs, and are native to North America. According to the National Park Service, they live in small family groups (not packs) and span from Alaska to Florida, and are also found in parts of Central America.

Western coyotes weigh 25 to 35 pounds, and are significantly smaller than eastern coyotes (by 25 pounds!), which can be a hybrid between a coyote and a wolf. Wolves once helped control the coyote population, but wolves’ extreme population decrease caused an increase in the coyote population, meaning they have become more common throughout North America—including in urban areas, where the coyote has learned to adapt and live. Therefore, it’s important for us to understand their behavior, and modify our own behavior, to have a peaceful co-existence, said Renee Seacor, carnivore conservation advocate with Project Coyote.

In 2021, the number of coyotes living in and around the Coachella Valley was estimated at up to 10,000, according to Dr. James DanoffBurg, director of conservation at The Living Desert.

Did you know that just two or three coyotes can sound like 10 or more? Coyote groups usually consist of three or four, but large groups in rural areas can include seven to nine, and on rare occasions up to 12, Seacor said.

Seacor pointed out that while coyote attacks on humans are rare, they do happen, especially during mating season, which runs December through February. Attacks on pets are common, especially cats left outside to wander, and small dogs in yards with invisible fences. Coyotes will also attack larger dogs they perceive as rivals during mating season.

The best way to coexist with coyotes is to walk dogs on leashes, and to pick up small dogs if a coyote is nearby. If approached, be big and loud. You can also scare the animal by blowing a whistle or throwing objects (toward but not at the coyote). Do not run from a coyote; calmly leave the area.

Although it’s rare, coyotes can carry rabies. Vaccinate pets, and contact your veterinarian if coyotes attack your pet.

Even though coyotes are not something to be afraid of, they are still wild animals and should be treated as such. They can be dangerous and unpredictable, so remember to always give them respect by keeping a healthy distance—and never approach a wild animal.

Coyotes are our neighbors, and we need to coexist and share the trails with them

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OPINION OPINION

THE GIRL CLUB

MAKE THE EASY CHOICE THE #1 CHOICE COMFORT AIR

The name has changed, but the idea’s the same—a column dedicated to illuminating the lives of badass girls of all ages who exhibit exceptional badassery in the field of human-beingness. Formerly called The XX Factor, and back after a hiatus … welcome to The Girl Club.

This story has everything, including romance and a plot twist at the end of the third act. Without further ado, meet badass extraordinaire, Silvia Yeron-Signoret.

there when they weren’t going to school.

Silvia was 18 when she stupidly (her word,

WE'RE #1 FOR A REASON

She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the mid-1950s; Silvia’s taxi-driver father moved the family to New Jersey when Silvia was 10. Mom and Dad eventually found their own space in the garment industry in Culver City, Calif. It was a family of seven, and the kids worked

BY KAY KUDUKIS not mine) married a boy she met in high school. They tried, but it was never going to

ASK US ABOUT OUR 0% FINANCING

work. Silvia divorced, mingled and eventually fell for another fellow. They married, bought a house in Woodland Hills, and had two beautiful children, Michelle and Joshua. That marriage was great … until it wasn’t.

Now a single mom, Silvia opened a lucrative mortgage-loan company. Although she’s not much of a drinker, she purchased a “party house” in Palm Springs for getaways, and in my mind’s eye, I can see her in a sarong by the pool, mocktail in hand, laughing as she tells a story, then suddenly busting a move when her song comes on. She is the party.

That home is where I am now, seated next to Silvia; her husband, Tony Signoret, the Palm Springs Unified School District’s assistant superintendent of human resources, is across from us. They are such a good-looking couple; they could play themselves in a movie.

They met at her kid’s soccer game. Tony was an elementary school teacher, and Silvia had been elected to be a coach, “because I was from Argentina,” she tells me, rolling her eyes. “I mean, I was a soccer fan, but I didn’t know anything about coaching.”

They began dating, and one night on the dance floor, Tony took her hand in his and pressed it to his heart. It was beating so fast that Silvia thought it might burst from his chest. He pulled her closer, his lips to her ear: “This is what you do to me.”

Silvia absolutely fell for teach—but she had zero intentions of marrying again. Nope, no way. Tony had other plans. “One day,” he said, “I will ask you to marry me, and you won’t be able to say no.”

For three years, they shared their lives, lived under the same roof, and did all the stuff except the ring thing. Once, after dinner and before dancing, Tony said he’d forgotten something at home. When they entered, their family and friends were waiting. Tony dropped to one knee.

“That was 24 years ago,” Silvia says, smiling at Tony. “I’ve never been happier.”

They wanted kids, but that didn’t work out biologically, and Silvia had more love to share, so she looked into becoming a CASA—an acronym for court appointed special advocate. Silvia compares it to a big-brother/big-sister program. They bonded with a 10-year old boy named Rudy, and even after all these years, Silvia can’t tell that story without getting emotional. Tony takes the lead.

can’t adopt your CASA child. No good reason was given—just like the rule that you can’t bring them to your home. They fought for him, but Rudy ended up in a group home, and then another, and then it was like he disappeared.

“We were preparing his birthday party when they cut us off,” Silvia says. He was just gone.

In 2001, Silvia founded For the Children, nonprofit focused on housing and happiness for forgotten kids. She mentions so many names of so many kids they’ve helped that I can’t keep track. She describes a well-organized and creative beehive of advocates working tirelessly to find single-family homes that would love and care for these children.

“We’d get calls at one, two, three o’clock in the morning,” she tells me. “They’d drop off a baby or have me go to the (newborn intensive care unit) and pick up a baby. Or they needed something to feed and clothe these kids.”

Only able to foster and adopt so many herself, Silvia canvased, worked every available angle, and found loving homes for otherwise unwanted children. It was a difficult decision to shut down the foundation, but after 17 years, Silvia realized she needed to give more attention to the seven kids she and Tony adopted.

“I’m still in touch with a lot of the families,” she says. “We’ve done a few picnics—like reunions. And these kids are coming up to me, ‘Hi, how are you?’ And I’m like, ‘Who are you?’ I mean, these are men. It’s hard to recognize some of them all grown up.”

At 67, Silvia’s done adopting. At least she thought she was. There has been a tiny baby in a bouncy with us the entire time we’ve chatted. He is their daughter’s sister’s kid, her fourth; the other three were lost to the system. This time, she gave the baby to Silvia while she got clean. He weighed in at 4 1/2 pounds when he went home with the Signorets. He wasn’t much bigger than that when his mom gave up on being sober.

Will they adopt him? There are grown family members who have already fallen for this kid, but until something is decided, he’s going with all of their other kids to visit Tony’s family in Mexico City, just like they do every Christmas.

As for Rudy?

comfortac.com

Rudy was a cheerful boy who had zero reasons to be cheerful. For more than a year, they took him everywhere they went, but when they tried to adopt him, CASA said no, you

“We found him when he was 14,” Silvia says. “We went to the group home for his birthday. He used to love to draw in color, so we brought him a lot of art supplies. But Rudy had already gotten in so much trouble doing drugs, he didn’t want to know anything.”

He was 18 when he was sentenced to 19 years in prison. I did not ask why.

Meet Silvia Yeron-Signoret, a badass woman who’s long been dedicated to finding housing and happiness for forgotten kids

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINIONCVINDEPENDENT.COM/OPINION

Silvia Yeron-Signoret, Tony Signoret and family.

CANDIDATE Q&A

by kevin Fitzgerald

There may be electoral change afoot in Palm Desert, and the city’s registered voters will sort out much of it when they cast their ballots on Nov. 8.

One big change is this year’s transition to a ranked choice voting (RCV) system for its local elections. The transition is a result of the 2019 settlement of the California Voting Rights Act law suit against the city, after which the city created two voting districts—District 1, with one represen tative, and the much-larger District 2, with four representatives.

The new RCV system was originally slated to be introduced in the 2020 elections, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its implementation was postponed until this November. This year’s five-can

didate race for two open City Council seats in Palm Desert’s District 2 should provide a fine test of this new voting method.

Palm Desert’s ballot will also include an advisory measure which, in its conclusion, asks this question: “Should District 2 be divided into four smaller districts, with all voters electing a single person from their smaller district every four years?” This advisory measure represents the City Council’s attempt to address dissension among its residents as to the fairness of the current two-district system. Regardless of the election results, the ultimate decision will be made by the five City Council members holding seats after the election.

According to Ballotpedia.org, four cities in California have already introduced rankedchoice voting—Oakland, Berkeley, San Fran cisco and San Leandro—while Palm Desert, Albany and Eureka will transition to it this year. The city of Palm Desert website explains: “In District 2, voters will elect two (2) members of the City Council by ranking their preferred candidates. To win, a candidate must earn more than 33% of the votes cast. If no candidate has enough votes to win in the first round, then the candidate with the fewest votes would be elimi nated, and voters who picked that candidate as a first choice would have their votes go to their next choice. The process will continue until two candidates earn more than 33%.”

Only one of the five District 2 candidates is an incumbent: current Mayor Jan Harnik, who has served on the council for 12 years, and has lived in Coachella Valley since 1977. With her husband, she has raised five children, which led her to volunteer with the Palm Desert High School Foundation.

The challengers in alphabetical order: Gregg Akkerman is a retired music professor at the University of South Carolina who now runs his small business as an author and musi cian, while devoting much of his time to taking care of his 91-year-old mother. Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, Akkerman has two adult children who attended Palm Desert schools, and his wife teaches currently in the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

Carlos Garcia owns and manages Garcia Research Associates, Inc. which he founded in 1990. His career-focus has been multicultural consumer research and marketing, with a heavy emphasis on the Hispanic market. Garcia, who serves on the Insights Association trade group’s IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) Council, just celebrated his 23rd anniversary with his husband, and is a father and grandfa ther as the result of an earlier marriage to his former wife, who remains a close friend.

Greg Meinhardt is a retired Homeland Securi ty special agent and investigator at Los Angeles International Airport. Among other career pur suits, Meinhardt has been a licensed real-estate broker for 14 years.

Evan Trubee is the owner of Big Wheel Tours, an outdoor adventure company with shops in Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Trubee, whose wife is a teacher in the Desert Sands Unified School District, is father to three children, and also serves as the assistant cross-country coach at Xavier College Preparatory High School. Trubee lost his bid for a seat on the Palm Desert City Council in 2020

The Independent reached out to all five candi dates and asked them the same seven questions. Below, in alphabetical order, you will find their responses to four questions, which have been edited only for clarity and editorial style, with the exception of some answers by Carlos Garcia and Greg Meinhardt, which have been edited for space. Go to CVIndependent.com to read the entire Q&A.

Gregg Akkerman

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I’m the only candidate who grew up in the Palm Desert area, so no one else, I believe, has a deep er appreciation for our history, and how we’ve grown from a city of date groves and vacant lots to become a thriving resort destination. Also, I’m a commissioner on two city committees, the Parks and Recreation (Committee) as well as the newly formed Civic Outreach Committee, so I have quite a bit of experience maneuvering

through City Hall. I’m a small-business owner, so I know what it’s like to balance a budget and plan for the future. I’ve guided children through our pub lic school system. I think all of that experience, brought together, makes me the total package that you won’t find in another candidate.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city overall? My own area of great concern, because of my own experience, is increasing access to senior care for both seniors and their caregivers. I’d like to see the formation of a web-based resource put together by the city to help caregivers and seniors have more access to what’s available out there to keep our loved ones safe and healthy.

My second goal is fixing our two-district mess. The current system of one large district and one little district was agreed to by lawyers. It was never voted on by the residents of Palm Desert, and I don’t think anyone ever envi sioned it as a long-term solution. Since we can’t go back to being one at-large district, I believe the only way to fix the problem is to move for ward to five equally-sized districts.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

Yes, I do support the five-district solution, but I see it more as a fix to the two-district problem that we’ve been left with. Like I said, this was a settlement agreed to by attorneys, and I just don’t think anyone wanted it to be the longterm solution, so I would be happy to be a part of that five-district solution.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

My wife and I have devoted a room of our house to being a piano bar, so I’ll sit at the piano and play old classic rock songs, and old torch songs. It’s really good at keeping you centered, and enjoying the small pleasures of life.

Carlos Garcia

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

Throughout my professional life, I’ve always felt a strong responsibility to give back to my community, and I’ve done so in many different ways. While running my company, I’ve also served on the boards of various organizations. I’ve served on the board of the Vikki Carr

Scholarship Foundation, which is for Latinos. I’ve served on the Pomona College Alumni (Association) Board and have been president of that association for several years. I’m still very involved with them. And I’ve been on the board of Valley Community Healthcare—that’s a (federally qualified health center) that’s in the San Fernando Valley—for 16 years, and served as the board chair for two years. Then when we moved out here, I got involved with the Artists Council, and I’ve been on that board for a couple of years. Also, I’m serving on the Palm Desert city Finance Committee.

So I have a lot of experi ence on nonprofit boards, and I’m the only candidate running in this election who lives north of the wash in Palm Desert. Basically, there’s no rep resentation (on the City Council) whatsoever for anyone living on the north side of town. You could call Magnesia Falls the dividing line. Basically, there’s nobody up in this part of town who’s representing us. The City Council is in this really twisted system of two districts, with District 1 being the majority Latino district, which was the city’s response to the lawsuit and the California Voting Rights Act. The rest of the city is in this bizarre District 2. It’s a very unfair system, and it’s very unreasonable, and it needs to go. That’s something I would certainly do if I’m elected. So, there’s nobody representing this part of town at all. When you study an issue, it’s different from when you live the issue.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city overall?

The first one is to have an equitable voting sys tem. We really need to go to five districts. That is without question. The city needs to be fully represented by every part of town. We can’t have the city being run just by the “old guard,” who all live in the same neighborhood. So that’s a pretty basic issue, and there are a lot of other issues that come out of that, because I thought, “This issue is so unfair and so unreasonable, I wonder what else is (that way).”

People laud this city for being so well-run, but it’s kind of run like a for-profit corporation, rather than as a service organization that serves the community. I want to bring that spirit to the city. Also, because I’ve been a marketing researcher, I’m basically a professional listener.

My job has always been finding out what’s out there—finding out what people think, what they like or don’t like, and responding to that.

Palm Desert voters will use a new voting system to select two District 2 City Council reps among five candidates

So, it’s never really about me. It’s about our community. What do they want? What do they need? And I think the city could do some inter esting studies to talk to residents about issues of concern to them.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

I really feel this is important for many reasons. District 2 includes 40,000 residents. District 1 includes 10,000. The idea is that, in a city of 50,000 people, each district should have 10,000 residents that (each councilmember) is respon sible for representing. Having four represent 40,000 people means (each councilmember) can’t be that responsive. Being responsible for 80% of the city is just too much to take on, but if you have a smaller district, you can actually be much more responsive to your residents, and listen, and show up at events and be there for people in a much more meaningful way. … So, as part of a move to five districts, I think the city needs to impose very strict limits, including the $4,500 donation limit that the state recom mended, and the City Council rejected. I think that was just outrageous.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

My husband and I really love to watch the tele vision together. One of the things that keeps us happy is that we like the same things; we like the same people; we like the same actors, the same movies and TV shows.

Jan Harnik

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

My experience and knowl edge of how government functions, how the region works together, and how we get grants and financial support for the projects in Palm Desert definitely set me apart. Currently, serving as the Southern California Association of Governments president, I have abundant knowledge and understanding of all of those things. We have projects working right now for Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley, such as the train and our broadband initiative, that are well under way, but we have to keep our foot on the accelerator.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city overall?

Please understand that I don’t view it as District 1 and District 2; I view it as the community of Palm Desert. We must continue developing the Cal State University campus that we have. We’ve made tremendous strides with that (and have) been awarded $79 million to build a student center there, which will really bring that campus

alive. That’s really important.

You know, we have such a great history, (and) we have to continue on the path we’re on. I say that, because financially, we’re in such great shape, and we have strong reserves that got us through COVID-19, (and) our businesses are still thriving. Our community members have been able to stay in their homes and keep food on their tables. So we have to continue support ing the values that got us where we are today.

I would add that, every year when we have the State of the City (address), generally, the mayor chooses the theme. So I got to choose the theme for our last State of the City, and it was, “Our values are constant; our vision evolves.”

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

No, because we are always stronger together, understanding each other. Having five represen tatives, I always believe, is best. As a community member, I want all council members account able to me. And to separate communities, and to say they are different, does not bring us togeth er to do our best work. During COVID-19, I think that was illustrated so clearly. We had a program called Unite Palm Desert, and our goal was always to take care of our neighbor and see how we could help each other. And we’re always stronger together. To separate people out and say, “Well, that’s a different neighborhood than this one,” and to try to create different designa tions for different neighborhoods, doesn’t bring us together. It separates us.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

It’s a tie between hiking and gardening. I love them both. Digging in the dirt is good for your soul.

Greg Meinhardt

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I think my wide variety of experience on so many different levels, (including) the munici pal, the state and the federal. I put 200 words together for a qualifying paragraph for the ballot. The other candidates were pitching why they should be voted for, but I can barely get a career like mine into 200 words. It comes down to education and experience. I have a long histo ry of analyzing communities on all levels.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city overall?

In my generation, it was population growth, and a lot of the newer kids are into climate change, and I think they could be related. You know, there’s just an awful lot of people. There’s a change in the demographics, obviously. We’re getting a lot more people from L.A., and a lot more people from Canada are not coming back because of COVID-19. Basically, the root issue is

a lot more people. We just have a lot more people coming, and there are two ways of looking at it. In Los Angeles, they triage crime, because there are so many people. But actually, the more people you have, the more you need to pay attention to the law. I think New York City figured that out when they cleaned up, but now they’ve got a problem on their hands. But you can’t triage crime. They called it “broken windows,” but that’s a little simplified. That’s their policy of handling small er crime so that it doesn’t lead to larger crime. And there’s something to that. So that would be one of the big issues. I worked asset forfeiture, too, on the criminal side of the accumulation of real property and those issues.

So the planning and the development, and how you handle crime, are all going to be related to who comes to town, and how many people. It’s a little scary when you drive to San Diego, and you see they’re filling in about every open piece of land in the state. And that’s going to be the big issue here. They’re getting squeezed from Palm Springs, and they’re getting squeezed from Indio and La Quinta, and I think Palm Desert is a really good location, but you can make some serious mistakes very fast, and it can drag everybody’s lifestyle down. I don’t want to see that happen.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

I do, and I just don’t see why that’s such a prob lem. If the goal is to get better representation, I don’t see the problem with that.

You know, it works two ways. When I went to the public library in Palm Desert and had them pull up the districts, have you seen what they look like? It just doesn’t look right to me. This one district that seems like it’s the College of the Desert is District 1, while District 2 goes all the way to the freeway. It doesn’t look right to me, and I can’t see why they should be threatened by more districts.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

It’s easily my three dogs. They’ve been a great thing for me. I haven’t seen any progress with the animal parks since I’ve gotten here. They’re not bad, but there are a few things that they could do to improve people’s lives with their animals.

Evan Trubee

Why do you think you are best qualified to be one of Palm Desert’s District 2 City Council members?

I think that it’s a blend of my experience of living in Palm Desert for just under 30 years, and I’ve got a real vested interest in the city. I own a commercial property here. I own a home here, and my business is headquartered here.

I’ve had three children go to school here, so I definitely have a lot of experience in a lot of different circles within the city. All that has brought me into contact with a lot of people who travel in a lot of circles here in the city.

I’ve already served on the Public Safety Com mission as well as the Resource Preservation and Enhancement Committee. I’ve been fol lowing the City Council’s affairs for years, and made a lot of connections at City Hall. I’ve come to understand how the city works, and I just believe that it’s a blend of all those things together that make me the most well-suited candidate.

What are the two top issues or goals that the city must address for District 2 residents, as well as the city overall?

My emphasis will be on public safety and fiscal responsibility. I think those are the two facets of city government that have made us, in my opinion, the envy of the Coachella Valley, and maybe of Riverside County, and maybe of California. When you put an emphasis on those two things, I think the quality of life follows. We enjoy a really good quality of life here in the city of Palm Desert, thanks to previous city councils having sound policies with regard to public safety and fiscal responsibility. We’ve got strong reserves. We’ve got safe streets. And as a result, we have a prosperous business community, and really var ied and thriving amenities here. You know, the variety of amenities in Palm Desert is astound ing: The Living Desert, the McCallum Theatre, a four-year university, a junior college, the aquatic center, Civic Center Park. All those things are made possible by good stewardship from pre vious city councils, and I intend to carry those things forward.

Do you support the creation of five electoral districts in Palm Desert?

No, I don’t. I don’t think our city has reached the appropriate population to warrant that. I think that with a population of roughly 53,000 total, that would make just over 40,000 in Dis trict 2. I just don’t think we’ve reached the size that would warrant having five districts. So at this point in the city’s life, I guess we’ll call it, I don’t like the idea of taking away three of the four votes that District 2 residents currently have for the City Council.

What is your favorite “me” time activity? That would be two things. Riding my bike is definitely my biggest hobby. It’s huge, and it gets me out with my friends. But exploring the desert with my family and my doggie, that’s why I got into the business I’m in, because I love, love the open desert. Those two things are my favorite free time activities, by far.

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CANDIDATE Q&A

by KEVIn Fitzgerald

When Col. Henry Washington did the first survey of Colorado Desert land in 1855, accord ing to local folklore, he stood high on the east side of a water wash, gazed at the landscape around him, and commented that the rock formations resembled a European cathedral. The name Cathedral Canyon stuck.

Some 70 years later, four entrepreneurial gentlemen named Glen Plumley, George Allen Jack Grove and M.V. Van Fleet purchased the east half of section 33, township 4 south, range 5 east, from the Southern Pacific Land Company, and subdivided it into small lots. The subdivision was named after the canyon south of the proposed town. The name Cathedral City stuck.

On Nov. 8, the city’s voters will head to the polls to select the city’s treasurer, and City Council representatives in three districts—but only one of those races is contested: Three can didates are running in District 4.

The incumbent is Ernesto Gutierrez, who currently holds the rotating title of mayor as he closes out his first four-year term. Born in Mex ico, Gutierrez came to the United States when he was 14, and attended local schools through his college years, when he earned a degree from College of the Desert. A real estate broker, build er and investor, Gutierrez has operated Tortillas Restaurant in Cathedral City since 1996.

Running against him is David Koslow, who was born in Virginia and educated at Yale Uni versity and the New York University Law School before moving to California. He lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for many years as an entertainment-industry lawyer and as an art-gallery owner. Koslow served as an admin istrator with several HIV and cancer-treatment facilities as well before moving to Cathedral City in 1992, where he has busied himself as an art ist agent and fine-art photographer.

The other challenger is Rick Saldivar, an out reach pastor with the Destiny Church of Indio, and owner of a local childcare business. Born in Mexico, Rick was raised in Southern California as part of a working-class family. He’s been a resident of Cathedral City for more than 30 years. After experiencing his own brush with the legal system, he has established a success ful anti-recidivism program, helping men and women re-enter society after being incarcerat ed. Saldivar has worked with public outreach groups that distribute food and other aid to low-income citizens and vulnerable local popu lations, like seniors and migrant workers. He is married and has three sons, two of whom are currently serving in the United States Air Force. Saldivar is working toward a bachelor’s degree in government with an emphasis in legal studies from Grand Canyon University.

The Independent reached out to the three candidates and asked them the same slate of six questions. Below, in alphabetical order, you will find their responses to three of the questions,

which have been edited for clarity, editorial style and space. Read the complete Q&A at CVIndependent.com.

Ernesto Gutierrez

Why do you think you are the best candidate to be the District 4 City Council member for the next four years?

I think I’m the best qual ified candidate, because I have a broad knowledge of business. From (being) a restaurant owner, to a developer, to being an investor, to mortgage loans, and to having my own business for 34 years, I have a broad busi ness knowledge that truly helps our city and our residents in conducting and running our city like a business. Also, I have a common sense (approach) to helping people. So I’m able to bal ance not just the economic part of our city, but also, I’m able to balance the needs of our resi dents, and be compassionate with the residents when I make my decisions.

Having all my broad knowledge and experi ence has shown that our city, for the first time ever, ended up (this fiscal year) with a $7 mil lion surplus. We have never had a surplus this large, and my knowledge of running a business has definitely benefitted not just our city, but our residents, too, because there are a lot of things that we can do with that surplus money. For instance, I’m a big proponent of fixing, repairing and improving our streets, which are in disrepair, so that’s a big thing. Another thing is that we can make sure that our parks, which are also in disrepair, are kept up, are maintained properly, and are in great shape.

What are the top two issues or goals that the city must address for the benefit and well-being of all the city’s residents?

You know, we lost a lot of our buildings to can nabis. Our city is in desperate need of creating ways to help the local businesses that we’ve lost, or that are about to be evicted from light indus trial buildings. This includes businesses like body

We queried the three candidates for Cathedral City’s District 4 City Council Seat

shops, auto shops, cabinet makers, artists and many different businesses that require buildings with square footage under 3,000 square feet. I was able to get my colleagues to come along, and we changed the zoning in an area to the north of the 7-Eleven off of Golf Club Drive (Crossley Road) and Ramon Road, where we have about 20 acres that have been changed from residential (zoning) to light industrial. That’s a huge, huge victory for our residents and our businesses in our city. That will allow businesses that are light industrial to open up and develop, which is need ed by our residents.

Now the second step that I’ve been working with the city (to achieve) is to create an assess ment district in this area, which the majority of owners of all these properties are in favor of. So currently, I’m working on having the city put out a request for proposals (to find) a company to assist us in getting the assessment district not only started, but also approved and com pleted and breaking ground as well.

The second issue we need to address is home lessness, which is a big issue. I’m trying to work with many of our local organizations, such as Martha’s Village, and we are really close with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission (to whom) we already give money to assist us with any local homeless people who need to be housed.

Also, we have two designated police officers who work directly with the homeless. and what we want to do is make sure that these police officers not only talk to the homeless and try to alleviate this huge problem, but can try to get them help. And secondly, our businesses do have a big problem with homeless causing issues with in their business or around their business. So I’m working really hard with our police department to make sure that we assist our local businesses in making it easier for them to conduct their business by visiting them more frequently to identify what their problems are, and then elimi nate as many of them as we possibly can.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

With the little free time I have, I love to exercise, to go to the gym, and decompress from a lot that goes on in my life, with my business and with the City Council. It helps me refresh and reset, so every single day, I go to the gym. Also, golf is my second big hobby.

David Koslow

Why do you think you are the best candidate to be the District 4 City Council member for the next four years?

I have only one true opponent, Mr. Gutierrez, the incumbent. He’s made a mess of things with

the police department. The Cathedral City Police Officers’ Association has put up a billboard and put posters everywhere they could, urging citizens not to vote for Mr. Gutier rez. The reasons for that dispute are a matter for the media to ascertain from the association itself. I cannot speak for them, but I do know that things have come to an ugly pass between Mr. Gutierrez and the police department, and this cannot stand. He must be removed simply to maintain order and comity with our police officers, who are essen tial to our being a city.

There are two other points. Mr. Gutierrez and four other City Council people voted for Measure K, which is a mockery. Here in this recession, and possibly an upcoming depression, you’re asking citizens to dig into their pockets and pay more taxes, so that they can outsource to the Desert Recreation District (DRD) the management and maintenance of their park, and the selection of their recreation programs. They did this without ever asking the opinion of the five-citizen panel of the commission on parks and recreation. So they just went over their heads, and they passed this, I think, on the recommendation of Charlie McClendon, who’s the city manager. They showed no indepen dence of thought, and no realization that this was the wrong time to be outsourcing this park management. We had a parks department 20 years ago, and then it was disbanded 20 years ago. We need to have that parks and recreation department reinstated.

The third reason why I’m the best candidate (is that) I’m not going to allow the city to out source our government jobs to third parties like Data Ticket, which collects the fines from cita tions for municipal code violations and vehicle citations. The collection of these fines can be done in-house. It’s very, very simple. We don’t need to pay 15% of those fines to Data Ticket to collect them.

Also, we need a complete review of our human-resources plan, because we’re the 84th most-populous city in California, yet the salaries of our city manager, city clerk and the other officers and members of the staff are way out of line.

Lastly, our cannabis sellers are struggling. They’re struggling because they’re losing their business to the Palm Springs cannabis sellers, so we need to give them a tax vacation, and we need to help them promote their businesses as much as possible. Mr. Gutierrez is in favor of

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banning billboards (from our city). That is crazy. We need to have a Las Vegas of billboards really pushing our local cannabis and our local sellers. We need to reduce our sales tax so that we bring more business to our local sellers. I have a pas sion about this.

What are the top two issues or goals that the city must address for the benefit and well-being of all the city’s residents?

I think the city needs to revisit the short-term vacation-rental (STVR) ban. We’ve thrown the baby out with the bath water. The complaints about STVR properties have been that there’s excessive traffic, excessive noise or suspi cious-looking people arriving. These issues can be handled by municipal code citations. They don’t need to eliminate the right of individuals to maintain their properties, and to utilize them as they see fit. This is the unknown factor in Cathedral City. We have a lot of people here who are part-time residents and are registered to vote elsewhere, or they simply own property here and are registered to vote elsewhere. So when the STVR ban was approved, it was done without considering the interests of people who have properties here, in other words are proper ty owners, and may be only part-time residents and may mostly not be registered to vote (here).

So I would add that to my previous list, which is to repair the relationship between the City Council and the police department, and to establish our own parks and recreation depart ment, and to eliminate outsourcing and correct the salary ranges of our city employees.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

I have friends all over this world who I connect with. They’re professors at various universities.

I’m writing a series of plays, screenplays and television series on different historical eras. It’s those interactions with these professors who are so generous with their time and with their knowledge that I treasure the most.

Rick Saldivar

Why do you think you are the best candidate to be the District 4 City Council member for the next four years?

I’m best qualified, because I’m going to strengthen three areas in our city. One is strengthening our local government staffing, our police department and our fire department. I’ve learned the art of writing (applications for) grants, and have gained lots of funding for my organizations, and that’s what I’d like to bring to the table for Cathedral City. There’s a lot of money out there that’s untapped. Obviously, you have to find it, and then you have to write the grants, and you have to do the research. I have run across grants that could help my community, but from a resident’s

NEWSspace or a pastoral space, I cannot tap into them. But if I was an elected official with the backing of the city and the city staff, we could definitely go after some of these grants. If I could do it for my organization and gain hun dreds of thousands of dollars for the work that I do, I’m pretty sure that I could do it for my community and bring in new funding.

I’m the better candidate, because I’m going to strengthen local existing business, and I want to legitimize in-house businesses. Currently, I’m working with 10 in-house businesses, and we hope that by the beginning of the year, they all become legitimate. These are people who sell food out of their houses, or do several business things out of their homes. We work with these businesses to become legitimized, which adds to (the city’s) tax revenue, and it ensures that everybody doing business in Cathedral City is legitimate.

One of the other things that makes me a better candidate is that, as an outreach pastor, I have endless resources with nonprofits and community-based organizations (that can) bet ter our community by dealing with crime safety, and homelessness issues, and by fighting for those who are living paycheck to paycheck.

What are the top two issues or goals that the city must address for the benefit and well-being of all the city’s residents? I’m not running on any issues. I’m running on strengthening. For example, we do have a homeless issue. What city doesn’t? Every city is facing the homeless issue. My approach is more a medical approach. If you look at our homeless population, there are people who live from check to check, and they are one crisis away from being homeless, or they have already experienced that crisis, but there are resources for them. The sec ond and third part of homelessness deals with mental illness and drug addiction. Those are issues that I work with daily, and I have endless resources and connections. If a homeless person is approached, and they desire mental health treatment, or if they desire rehabilitation for drug addiction, I can have them picked up within a few hours. So, if that’s an issue of concern for residents, I have the solutions, because I do this for a living, and I have working relationships, phone numbers that I call. And not only do they give me preference, because my work has been so successful, they allow me to skip some of the bureaucracy in order to get these people help.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

I love law, and I love reading law. I love reading law books. I’m a student right now in my junior year of getting my bachelor’s degree in gov erning with an emphasis in legal studies, and I hope to practice law by the time I’m 55. I’m a late bloomer, but I think if I keep doing what I’m doing, by the time I’m 55, I will be practicing law. So my leisure time is reading law journals and spending time with my 8-year-old boy.

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CANDIDATE Q&A

by KEVIn Fitzgerald

As of November 2021, the city of La Quinta had 1,186 active short-term vacation rental (STVR) permits, according to an article in The Desert Sun. But that number could shrink significantly if, on Nov. 8, voters approve Measure A, a citizen-generated ballot measure that would phase out many short-term rentals in La Quinta.

All five current La Quinta City Council members, it should be noted, oppose Measure A.

The issue of short-term vacation rentals is just one of the topics the Independent recently discussed with each of the three candidates vying to become mayor of La Quinta for the next two years. Those candidates (in alphabetical order) are incumbent Linda Evans, who has held the

office since 2014, and two longtime residents, Robert Sylk and Alan Woodruff.

Evans, who serves as the chief strategy officer for community advocacy of the Desert Care Network, received her bachelor’s degree in communications/public relations from Cal State Fullerton, and holds two master’s degrees, in health administration and gerontology, from the University of La Verne. According to her campaign website, she serves as chair of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) Energy and Environmental Committee, and as chair of CVAG’s Conservation Commission. She is also a board member for Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine. She recently celebrated her 27th wedding anniversary with her husband, Tim, whose attention she shares with their dog, Rufus.

Robert Sylk is a United States Army veteran and, as he told the Independent in our recent interview, the recipient of three appointments made by active or aspiring U.S. presidents: President George H.W. Bush selected him as part of a team negotiating an economic aid package with Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin; President Barack Obama appointed him a director of the Selective Service System for Riverside County; and former President Donald Trump selected him as his 2016 campaign chairman for the Coachella Valley. He’s an accomplished amateur golfer with a 3.8-stroke handicap, and has three children.

Alan Woodruff is a triathlon endurance coach. He advises his athletes on nutrition, training, schedules and “a little bit about what goes on between their ears.” He is a passionate animal advocate who frequently rescues animals, and with his wife, Debbie, he cares for three colonies of cats, as well as their four dogs.

The Independent recently asked each of the candidates the same slate of six questions. Below, in alphabetical order, you will find their responses to three of the questions, which have been edited for clarity, editorial style and space. Read the complete Q&A at CVIndependent.com.

Linda Evans

Why do you think you are the best qualified candidate to be the mayor of La Quinta for the next two years?

I’ve been honored to serve as mayor since 2014, based on the selection by the residents of La Quinta for me to represent them and the community. My goal in continuing for re-election is to keep the momentum that La Quinta has, as we come out of the pandemic, and while we’re still working on financial-recovery efforts, to make sure we are stable going forward. My goal in continuing as mayor (will be) to look at the long-term stability of the city, as well as ensuring that outstanding projects that are in place continue to move forward and get completed, while new opportunities are presented to us and evaluated appropriately for implementation.

What are the top two issues or goals that the city must address for the benefit and well-being of the city’s residents?

Probably the most important issue to residents right now is Measure A, and that is a citizendriven initiative that proposes to eliminate all non-hosted short-term rentals in our community. We have very few locations that even allow short-term rentals, because of the fact that La Quinta has so many country clubs that have CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and regulations) that already forbid them. However, the goal of Measure A is to either continue the program as we have established it—with rules, regulations, fines and reduced complaints based on the management of the program or by voting yes, that eliminates them from the residential areas and impacts the service industry, the local businesses and jobs because of the lack of that revenue. That seems to be a top priority, not only for (the city’s voters, but for) the City Council, which in its entirety is opposed to banning short-term-rentals and supports having a balanced program within the community for options for people wanting to

We asked the three candidates running to become La Quinta’s next mayor about the issues

visit our lovely paradise.

I would say the second one is looking at our infrastructure—road enhancements, controlled growth and development, the visioning of the Highway 111 corridor, and what we’re looking to do with form-based curbs, some beautification, some retail-tainment and affordable housing. We have purchased land to build affordable-housing units. We’ve got over 1,300 in La Quinta right now, and we’ve got goals to have more built so that we can have entry-level housing for residents who want to live here, work here and play here.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

My “me” time activity is hiking on the La Quinta Cove trails, or hiking other trails here in the greater Coachella Valley. I find that dirt under my feet is one of my favorite things. I enjoy hiking with my dog and friends, and sometimes just alone. I typically hike at 5 in the morning during workdays because of my job, and these last few days, under the moonlight, have been fabulous. We haven’t even needed a flashlight. That’s where I count my blessings. I see stars. I get my mind and body set for the day, and I just feel thankful for what our community has, the healthiness of our area, and the prospects of working together with the community for a good, healthy future.

Robert Sylk

Why do you think you are the best qualified candidate to be the mayor of La Quinta for the next two years?

I was thinking about our city of La Quinta, and all the years of delays implementing a reasonable plan, and I do not believe that our future can wait for the future. It all comes down to this: To me, it’s not enough to promise the citizens a future, when you can’t deliver one. You must find it now. And this should be the passion that has driven us since we were formed in 1982, but it’s lacking in our present leaders to discover the crucial answers that do not exist today.

For example, SilverRock Resort by itself should have been the catalyst for a new La Quinta, but the plan has changed. I believe we all have the same goals and ideas, but I was thinking that the city of La Quinta recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, and it’s not moving forward. It’s stuck from a lack of vision, a lack of leadership, and my observations over the past eight years (are that) literally every decision made by our current mayor and council is a reactive position. Rarely do we find the current council leading, or out in front of any issue. They won’t make a decision or

lead without consensus. We should be one of the leading cities in the Coachella Valley, but I feel that we are not there.

I have not lost my faith in our great city. I believe in La Quinta, and that’s not just a campaign slogan, but I am using it on one of our ads in The Desert Sun every Sunday. It’s a deep-seated belief that comes from growing up surrounded by the best that La Quinta has to offer, which is strong families, strong community, strong faith and a strong work ethic. On the campaign trail, I’ve met people who have lost their jobs, homes, savings, businesses and even their way of life. But they have not lost their hope. They truly believe, as I do, that if we restore La Quinta’s promise, then things will get better. And I will run for mayor of the city of La Quinta to do just that: restore La Quinta’s promise. And I promise you that I will do this.

Why do you think you are the best qualified candidate to be the mayor of La Quinta for the next two years?

I think one thing that I would bring is a plan for the next decade. La Quinta should begin attracting technology and other new companies (so it) can retain its position as the “Gem of the Desert.” If the city’s policymakers invest in intellectual capital, then we can proceed in the direction that we need. You know, La Quinta grew from a desert stop to one of the top destination resorts in the United States, and that should be a keynote presentation. We can re-emerge as a dominant player if our leaders see the light, and are successful in attracting technology companies that would support the region.

Eight years ago, I brought up to the council that we should annex Vista Santa Rosa, and they laughed at me. They said, “Why would we do that?” I said that we’ve gotten to where we are by three annexations already, and we can be a 100,000-population city, and we could move toward the boundary of the Jacqueline Cochran Airport. I’ve led an effort to increase that from a regional airport to a national (one), which is not done as yet, because the county has to approve it. But we could buy that land for pennies on the dollar, which would be worth billions in a few years. And last month, the city of Coachella announced they want to claim Vista Santa Rosa for them, and now our council is getting onboard. And I said, “Why didn’t you guys do this eight years ago? Now, only because someone else wants it, you want it.” But I think

our mayor and council are looking at what I call yesterday’s metrics to look at tomorrow’s productivity, and those are statistics that our grandfathers fell in love with, without paying attention to (the fact that) the world has changed. The new generation of consumers and industry employers are well connected with technology. So focusing on them should benefit La Quinta in the future. I brought this up even during the last election time, and (it fell) on deaf ears. We have the land for development. Let’s not fall further behind by not acting now. So I would bring forward a new plan for La Quinta. I know we have a plan that’s been in existence for 10 years already, and nothing’s been done to it. I mean, when I drive our streets, which are in bad shape, I think how we were the golf capital of the United States. Let’s get back to that level. Then they approve plans for like a dozen hamburger places, and we’ll have, like, 17 hamburger places. But now I think we’re the pothole capital. I think we’re the only city in the desert (where) if you drive on the major streets, and you take your hands off the steering wheel, the car moves into the next lane automatically because of the ruts on the roads. So, let’s get the city back on track to being No. 1.

My second issue is that, when you enter the city from Indian Wells, a previous administration wanted from Washington (Street) to Jefferson (Street, along Highway 111) to be a beautiful parkway, continuing the way it is in Indian Wells. That’s why all the buildings were built back from Highway 111. Costco is half a block in, along with many others. But this administration has allowed the car dealerships to put the cars right on the street pavement, so when you enter La Quinta, you think it’s a used car lot. It’s not a beautiful parkway with nice trees in the median. I’m very ashamed of that. So the infrastructure is one thing I’d like to improve as well. There are many issues, but those are two that come to mind.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

I’m a semi-classical pianist, and if you look at my website, you’ll see me playing the piano in front of the 86-piece Westchester orchestra, and the 40 Marina choral singers in Marina del Rey in my tux and tails. Also, I’m a good golfer. In fact, I shoot my age on the course all the time, and I played in the California state amateur. My handicap is a 3.8 on the golf course. Plus, I have three kids, two dogs, and I like spend time with the family. And I love to travel, too. Being in the golf capital of the United States, I’m in the perfect place.

Alan Woodruff

Why do you think you are the best qualified candidate to be the mayor of La Quinta for the next two years?

That’s a very simple question. I’m definitely the better candidate simply because I’m involved with the community. My basis for running

NEWSfor mayor has always been predicated on my involvement for the community. I have made the comment—and I will go into November with this—anything that comes across my desk as your mayor that is based strictly on commission and (is) tax-based will be scrutinized very, very deeply.

I do not need to build on every open space in La Quinta, and I believe that the people of La Quinta who live here, and have lived here for years, do not want us annexed by Los Angeles developers. That’s why I believe, very sincerely, that I am the better candidate, because I believe the opposition has got development on their mind, as far as the Travertine development with the bridges across the berm, and Coral Mountain, which I believe will be revisited again. They’ve made noise that they want to annex Vista Santa Rosa and put the wave park in there in its entirety, with its 60 million gallons of water usage a year. So, that’s why I believe I’m the better candidate, hands down.

Why do you think you are the best qualified candidate to be the mayor of La Quinta for the next two years?

They must complete SilverRock. SilverRock does not even have a roof on it after 10 years of construction. I’m going to let that sink in: 10 years of construction, and there’s not a roof on the project. I’ll compare that to the Sidewinder stadium (in Austin, Texas) that was built in less than a year, as (being a) competent construction development. The second part is debatable. SilverRock is definitely the priority. It is time for fresh leadership to take control of SilverRock and complete it, so that it can be occupied by guests.

I think the short-term vacation rental issue will be decided by the voters. So that’s something that is out of my hands as far as control. But the streets of La Quinta need work.

There are 4-5 inch cracks across the streets all over the neighborhoods. I know this, because I’m on the streets walking my dogs, riding my bike and running. I probably spend considerably more time on the streets, and I’ve noticed that (at the intersection of) Jefferson (Street) and (Highway) 111, it is almost to the dangerous point. So, those are the priorities right off the top of my head.

What is your favorite “me” time activity?

Swim, bike, run—but I’m going to hedge that bet. My favorite time is spent with my animals and my family. It’s just my wife, Debbie, and me, so quality time spent with my wife and the animals (doing) the feedings and just being a part of that is very fulfilling. But, right behind that is swim, bike, run. I love all aspects of that.

And I love the people that I train. Absolutely.

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CIVIC

SOLUTIONS

by Melissa daniels

This fall, the city of Rancho Mirage is putting a new spin on its annual art festival—while aiming to become more favorable to the artists who can participate.

The Rancho Mirage Festival of the Arts, formerly the Rancho Mirage Art Affaire, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6, at the Rancho Mirage Community Park. Not only is it the first time that the festival has been held since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s the first time the festival hasn’t required an entry fee for the 30 or so artists who are participating.

Gabe Codding, the city’s marketing director, said that decision was made to encourage new

and different artists to get involved in the festival, especially those who aren’t typically found at other regional art fairs.

“We’re not looking for people who are normally on the circuit, who’ve got a trailer full of their wares, and they’re just traveling from week to week,” Codding said. “We’re actually inviting artists to come out of their studio who don’t normally exhibit.”

Participating artists include locals from the Coachella Valley and high desert, as well as other parts of Southern California, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. Two Coachella Valley artists, Kim Manfredi and Tim Shockley, are

the 2022 featured artists.

Codding said the festival will hopefully become a launchpad for the artists to find new patrons, without having to invest in the upfront cost of an entrance fee.

“At the end of the day, we’re hoping they’re like, ‘Wow, I went to that show; I enjoyed a great couple days and had a lot of engaging conversations. I got five or six commissions out of it, or I sold pieces of my art, and really got my name out there,’” Codding said.

The re-launch also includes much broader programming. Music performances scheduled throughout the weekend have a jazz theme,

with musicians including Brujeria Jazz, the Barry Baughn Blues Band, the Goodfellas Jazz Band, the Amanda Castro Band and pianist Deanna Bogart. The schedule also includes artistic demonstrations of drawing and glassblowing. Food and drink will be sold in a dining area from local spots including Babe’s Bar-B-Que and Brewery, Haus of Poké, Wally’s Desert Turtle and Dragon Lili Boba Bar.

For attendees, the event is free of charge, and there’s free valet parking.

“The hope is really for our residents and guests to enjoy our beautiful park and amphitheater, enjoy great music—curated music—and curated displays, and engage with the artists in hopes of them being inspired to commission their own art piece,” Codding said.

Plans to put a new spin on the festival started before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pause on public events gave the city more time to reimagine how it would play out. In addition to the changes in the artist lineup and curation, Codding said the city wanted to better incorporate the amphitheater to add a musical element and better reflect the city’s brand.

“We tried to look for opportunities to keep this legacy event alive that people love and are passionate about, and (ask), ‘What’s kind of the next evolution of it?’” he said. “We thought we could upgrade the food and beverage offerings; we can upgrade the overall look and feel, and then we could actually invite artists who wouldn’t normally do this, who don’t normally travel around.”

Codding said it is costing the city about $100,000 to put on the festival. For a city with a $31 million annual operating budget, known for its private enclaves, opulent resorts and concentration of wealth, it seems like a small price to pay to help support the region’s artist economy.

Nationwide, public funding for the arts hasn’t kept pace with inflation—even before the historic hikes we’ve seen this year. Grantmakers in the Arts found in its 2020 report that when adjusting for inflation, total public funding for the arts dropped by 19% over the past 20 years. During 2020, when most public events were shut down, 62% of artists became unemployed, and 92% lost income, according to Americans for the Arts. The estimated total annual income lost per creative worker that year was $27,103.

So when a wealthy city takes the time and effort to find a new way forward to support the creative community, it’s worth noting— and it’s worth encouraging other cities with means to do the same.

“From our city’s perspective, being able to create an event that matches with the Rancho Mirage brand, and gives an event like this a little bit of a lift, is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community,” Codding said.

For more information on the Rancho Mirage Festival of the Arts, visit ranchomirageca.gov and search for Festival of the Arts.

For $100,000, Rancho Mirage is supporting 30 artists and multiple musicians—while building community

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/

Tim Shockley is one of the Rancho Mirage Festival of the Arts’ 2022 featured artists. Jennifer Yount Photography

Grand

Major Civic Presenting

Sponsors as of October 18, 2022. Photo by Taso Papadakis.

SURF’S NOT UP

by CAT MAKINO

After five hours of debate stretching late into the evening of Sept. 21, the La Quinta City Council unanimously rejected the proposal for the Coral Mountain Resort project.

The project would have included a hotel, hundreds of houses and what was touted as the largest artificial wave basin in the world. Such a development would have required a switch in zoning, from “low-density residential” to “tourist commercial.” However, it will not come to be— thanks largely to a grassroots group, La Quinta Residents for Responsible Development (LQRRD).

The rejection came as a welcome surprise to at least one core member of the group, Alena Callimanis.

“I was shocked, and didn’t believe it when the City Council voted against it,” she said. “I was ecstatic and relieved that it was finally over, after a year and a half fighting against it.”

The group formed in response to the city planning staff’s first Zoom meeting regarding the project in March 2021. Since then, LQRRD has grown to 2,500 members, with eight core members who facilitate decision-making. At times, the fight has dominated the lives of the core group members.

“We would wake up in the morning, deciding our next step, researching other wave parks and contacting expert organizations,” Callimanis said. “We were on our computers day and night, putting together our presentations.”

LQRRD members built a website and collected signatures opposing the project on a SurveyMonkey online petition. They raised more than $80,000 in donations, and sent hundreds of letters to the city in opposition to the project based on a variety of issues— traffic, lighting, noise and the fact that an estimated 18 million gallons would be used to fill the wave pool, at a time of drought and residential water restrictions.

They also contacted hundreds of experts, including members of California water boards, wildlife groups, newspapers and environmental organizations to gather facts and build their case against the developer’s 1,400-page draft environmental impact report. As one example of a fact-finding mission, the group visited the Palm Springs Aquatic Center to understand how management handled the pool during the summer heat, algae growth, and what to do when sand got in the pool.

“This type of stuff went on all the time … to counter what the developer was saying,” Callimanis said.

The project eventually would earn media coverage by The Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian. John Oliver even mentioned the folly of surf lagoons in the desert on Last Week Tonight. But it all started when Derek Wong—a core member of LQRRD who lives across from the site—spotted a

KESQ News Channel 3 van.

“I just came out of the gym after working out. I was just about to get in my golf cart and take off, when I saw the TV van,” Wong said. “I walked up to the reporter and asked him if he’d heard about the Coral Mountain project. He said no, then started filming and interviewing me.”

Despite the media attention, the research, and the letters to the City Council and the Planning Commission, Wong said it didn’t seem like city employees were being swayed.

“It fell on death ears,” he said. “They thought we were just NIMBYs.”

Philip Novak, a LQRRD member, agreed.

“In the summer of 2021, the vast majority of the 100 letters written by residents to the city about the draft environmental impact report opposed the methods and/or conclusions of the report,” he says. “It was the job of the consulting planner and her staff to write responses to those letters. … Many of us believed that the criticisms and arguments offered in our letters were unjustifiably waved off by La Quinta’s consulting planner and her staff (CPS) and dismissed as errant or irrelevant. That was my first indication, and I was not alone, that the CPS was deeply in favor of the project and was willing to overlook what, in our opinion, were the DEIR’s serious defects in order to keep the project moving forward toward approval.”

LQRRD members felt they were fighting an uphill battle—a feeling which was confirmed last April, when the La Quinta Planning Com mission voted 4-3 to recommend a zoning change from low-density residential to tourist commercial, and 5-2 to certify the environmen tal impact report to the City Council. However, LQRRD members said public support helped them keep the battle going.

“People would stop us and say, ‘Thank you for fighting for us,’” Callamanis said. “It would re-energize us, and remind us what good we were doing. (The support) was way beyond our group.”

In recent months, the La Quinta City Council held several multi-hour hearings on the proposal, inside packed rooms. In July, the

council delayed making a decision, to give the developer more time to respond to residential concerns.

The developer used this time to send postcards containing “the facts” to La Quinta residents, and an article appeared in the September issue The La Quinta Gem magazine, a publication by the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, titled “Coral Mountain Addresses Community Concerns.”

The developer also tweaked the plans to reduce the lighting, so that the dark skies above the area would not be as affected. The developer also offered to add a .25% transfer tax on the resale of all homes within the project, to be used for local health and social programs. At least 1,000 surf hours annually would be donated for charitable uses, and a contribution of $1.5 million would be made to a turf-reduction program in the La Quinta area.

James Vaughn, an attorney representing the Coral Mountain developers, listed these benefits at the Sept. 21 City Council meeting. “The project protects the environment and enhances water conservation (through the turf rebate program),” he said. “… The project has no impact on the quality of life or the surrounding residents. … When you balance the project’s benefits against any negative effects, it’s not even close. This project is a clear winner for the city and for its residents.”

His arguments failed to convince the council.

“We’ve gotten emails from all over the coun try,” Councilmember John Pena said at the

meeting. “There’ve been articles in the L.A. Times; there’ve been shows on HBO; it’s all over the place. It’s tough to deal with that some times. We do it, and we try to make the best decisions based on the facts presented to us.”

Mayor Linda Evans said: “As I stated Wednesday night (Sept. 21), I agreed with my fellow council members that there were certain things that are sacred. We have not done zoning changes as significant as this. The project is done. Anything else the landowner may want to develop requires him to start over from the beginning and go through the entire process.”

John Gamlin, president of CM Wave Development LLC, wrote in an email message to The Desert Sun: “We’re disappointed with (the) outcome and will evaluate our options in the near future.”

It wasn’t only the developers who disliked the decision. Online surfing publication Beach Grit headlined a story on the project: “Palm Springs Cements Reputation as Place for Old People to Go and Die as ‘Fountain Of Youth’ Coral Mountain Surf Park Concept Killed By City Council!”

Meanwhile, LQRRD members are relieved that their battle is over, at least for now.

“We built our home in La Quinta 17 years ago. We moved from Los Angeles because of the traffic and congestion,” said Carolyn Winnor, a core LQRRD member. “I love it here. It’s beautiful, quiet and peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle. It’s my home, and it was worth fighting for.”

A look behind the scenes at the successful battle against La Quinta’s proposed Coral Mountain Resort

An artist’s rendering of the proposed wave park at the Coral Mountain Resort. Courtesy of Meriwether Companies

CV HISTORY

by Greg Niemann

In the 1970s, Palm Springs was but a façade of its former self. The glitz and glamour of decades of celebrity had all but vanished. Fashionable shops, art galleries and upscale restaurants had vacated downtown Palm Springs, moving to the newer “in” towns of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. Many spaces on Palm Canyon Drive were relegated to being souvenir and T-shirt shops, and inexpensive restaurants catering to less-discriminating tourists.

By this time, “spring break” had invaded Palm Springs in the form of thousands of students, some of them hell-bent on partying with a no-holds-barred mentality—and the town’s image suffered even more. Each year brought progressively more of the young people who cruised Palm

Canyon Drive until traffic was at a standstill. One Palm Springs police officer said it took two hours to go 2 miles.

The crowds eventually got out of control. In 1986, 80 people were arrested for attacking the Palm Springs police and looting during a riot. The spring bacchanal had cast an ugly eye on the village of Palm Springs. It reminded some longtime residents of what had happened in 1969, when the city had to enlist the aid of four other law-enforcement agencies to go into Tahquitz Canyon to rid the canyon of hippies who had encamped there and proceeded to trash the place.

Up until this time, Sonny Bono was known as the “other” half of the popular singing team Sonny and Cher. Divorced from Cher for years, he and his new wife, Mary, ran an Italian restaurant on North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. Bono encountered problems with the city over a proposed sign for the restaurant, as well as permit and inspection problems with their home in the city’s Mesa area.

In his 1991 autobiography And the Beat Goes On, the entertainer revealed, “I began to see City Hall as a tired complex of unfair contradictions. … The town was a sleeper. … Palm Springs relied on tourism, yet, as far as I could tell, the stodgy old guard had driven the once-glittery desert oasis straight into economic torpor.”

Sonny decided to run for mayor. With the election set for April 12, 1988, Sonny went on the attack, stating, “All the city’s growth had gone ‘down valley,’ into neighboring resort communities like Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert; the city was suffering from a $2.8 million deficit, resulting in cuts for city services, including the police and fire departments.”

On Election Day eve, Sonny, apprehensive over the next day’s voting, watched television to see his ex-wife Cher win the Academy Award for Moonstruck. The momentum of the former famous team was on the upswing.

Surprising many who thought his candidacy was a joke, a confident and upbeat

Sonny Bono won by a landslide. To continue his natural high, a few days after the election, Mary delivered their first child, a boy they named Chesare.

As mayor, Sonny’s objective was to make Palm Springs a family-friendly destination. With the help and support of the merchants, Palm Springs effectively closed off Palm Canyon Drive for spring break. The Palm Springs police got strict about enforcing drinking laws, and one of Mayor Bono’s decrees—which brought him perhaps unwanted national attention—was his ban on thong bikinis in public places.

Even though he initially received a lot of criticism—called Mayor Bonehead and worse—Mayor Bono accomplished much of what he set out to do. While small in stature, he had a large presence. He envisioned Palm Springs as getting rid of the cowboy culture of previous decades, and becoming a motionpicture industry showplace. Even though he and his predecessor, Mayor Frank Bogert, were publicly friendly, the two differed greatly. That 1988 changing of the guard between Bogert and Bono signified a dramatic change in direction and created a source of friction.

Bono brought a major film festival to town, the Nortel Networks Film Festival. Headed into its 34th year (after two years off due to the pandemic) in January 2023, what is now called the Palm Springs International Film Festival is a showcase for many eventual Academy Award winners. The success of that prestigious event has brought other festivals to town.

Buoyed by Bono’s enthusiasm, the city began to respond, and soon there was a marathon, a vintage-car race, a grand prix bicycle race and much more.

A lot of things happened during Mayor Bono’s tenure from 1988 to 1992. The Plaza Theatre downtown had been vacant, but in 1990, Riff Markowitz put together the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, which brought in busloads of adult tourists until going dark in 2014. The Desert Sun newspaper once said, “The Palm Springs Fabulous Follies helped the

city discover its glitzy roots.”

Then there is the popular VillageFest. It began in 1991, and VillageFest is now a Thursday night tradition all year long (except for Thanksgiving). Palm Canyon Drive downtown is closed to traffic, and up to 160 venders set up booths selling produce, handicrafts, art, jewelry and food.

Buoyed by his run as mayor, and fired up with a renewed confidence, Sonny Bono successfully ran in 1994 for the U.S. House of Representatives, representing California’s 44th District. He was re-elected in 1996. A centrist Republican, he opposed big government, but supported legislation that benefited the local Indian tribes. He also supported extending tax credits for producing energy from the wind.

While his political career began with people thinking he was a joke, Bono became a respected congressman. He served until Jan. 5, 1998, when he was tragically killed in a skiing accident. The world watched the touching services televised from St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Palm Springs.

Mary Bono, widowed with two children, ran for his congressional seat, won and was re-elected multiple times, serving nearly 15 years before losing the seat to Dr. Raul Ruiz in the 2012 election.

Sonny Bono left a legacy. The terminal at the Palm Springs International Airport was named in his honor. The Salton Sea wildlife sanctuary, which he supported, has been renamed the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. Interstate 10 through the Coachella Valley is now called the Sonny Bono Memorial Highway, and a life-size bronze sculpture of Mayor Bono has been placed at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive at the entrance to Plaza Mercado.

Bono is buried at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City. His tombstone reads: “And the beat goes on.”

Sources for this article include And the Beat Goes On by Sonny Bono, Pocket Books, 1991; Palm Springs Confidential by Howard Johns, Barricade Books, 2004; and Palm Springs Babylon by Ray Mungo, St. Martin’s Press, 1991.

His candidacy was at first considered a joke—but Mayor Sonny Bono helped Palm Springs become the place it is today

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/NEWS

A life-size bronze sculpture of Mayor Bono is at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive at the entrance to Plaza Mercado. CVI file photo

ASTRONOMY

Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight For November, 2022

This month brings a total lunar eclipse, Mars sightings in both mornings and evenings, and more

By Robert Victor

Mars brightens in November to become the No. 1 morning “star.” In the evenings, Mars rises earlier, joining the two other bright outer planets, and ranks No. 2, after only Jupiter Oh, and don’t miss the total lunar eclipse in the predawn hours of Election Day!

Evenings: Brilliant Jupiter, magnitude -2.8 to -2.6, and Saturn, magnitude +0.6 to +0.8, adorn the east-southeast to southern sky at dusk. Saturn is 41° to 39° west of Jupiter this month. The waxing moon appears near Saturn on Nov. 1 and 28, and near Jupiter three nights later, on Nov. 4 and Dec. 1. Use binoculars just before sunset on Nov. 4 and Dec. 1 to try to score a daytime sighting of Jupiter near the moon.

Ranking in brightness next after Jupiter in November’s early-evening sky are golden Arcturus,

sinking in the west to west-northwest; and blue-white Vega, overhead to very high in the west-northwest. Mars far outshines these stars, but at the start of November, it rises, far north of east, not until about 2 1/2 hours after sunset. A waning gibbous moon closes in on Mars from the evening of Nov. 10 until dawn on Nov. 11. Mars rises a few minutes earlier each evening, and by the last days of November, Mars rises before mid-twilight and appears on our evening twilight map.

On Nov. 1, Saturn is within 0.7° to the eastnortheast of the 4.3-magnitude star Iota in Capricornus. Saturn ended retrograde on Oct. 22, and has begun a slow return toward Delta Cap, or Deneb Algedi, the 2.9-magnitude star marking the end of the tail of the Seagoat, 5.3° to Saturn’s east on Nov. 1. Fainter 3.7-magnitude Gamma Cap is 1 3/4° west of Delta. With careful attention over several days near the year’s end, you can detect the slow motion of Saturn against these stars.

Mornings: Mars brightens from magnitude -1.2 to -1.8 in November, in the west to westnorthwest, dropping lower as the month progresses. Mars appears at opposition on the night of Dec. 7, when it’s up all night—low in the east-northeast at dusk, high in the south in the middle of the night, and low in west-northwest at dawn. Thereafter, it can be followed in the early evening sky. Mars retrogrades (moves west) 5.5° in November, passing directly between stars of Taurus— second-magnitude Beta and third-magnitude Zeta—on the morning of Nov. 13. On Nov. 19-23, Mars passes within 4° south of Beta, tip of the northern horn.

The twinkling blue-white Dog Star, Sirius, in the southwest at magnitude -1.4, is the brightest point of light in November’s morning sky until steady, reddish Mars outshines it starting in the second week. Mars’ brightening is caused partly by its decreasing distance, from 57.4 million miles on the morning of Nov. 1, to closest approach at 50.6 million miles on the

evening of the 30th. The other factor increasing the planet’s brightness is the phase effect, or opposition surge, with Mars’ phase changing from 94 percent on Nov. 1 to 100 percent full on Dec. 7, when the red planet will be at opposition, as the Earth passes between Mars and the sun.

After the total lunar eclipse in the predawn hours of Tuesday, Nov. 8 (more about the eclipse below), the waning moon passes through Taurus, Nov. 9-11. Look about an hour before sunrise, before twilight brightens much, to catch the moon 3 to 4° south of the Pleiades cluster on Nov. 9; 7 to 8° north of Aldebaran, eye of the Bull, on Nov. 10; and 2 to 3° north of Mars on Nov. 11. Follow the moon and Mars until sunrise on the latter morning, and you’ll have a good chance to attain a daytime sighting of Mars, with binoculars if not the unaided eye.

Continuing eastward through the zodiac, the moon forms an isosceles triangle with the “twin” stars, Pollux and Castor in Gemini, 6-7° from each, on Nov. 13. The twin stars are 4.5° apart. On Nov. 16 (last quarter moon, half full) and 17 (a fat crescent), the moon appears 7 to 8° from Regulus, heart of Leo the Lion. Spaceship Earth is heading directly toward Regulus on Nov. 22. A thin crescent moon, 8 percent full with earthshine illuminating its dark side, appears 5° to the lower left of Spica on Nov. 21. The last old crescent moon, 3 percent full, can be spotted very low in the eastsoutheast in morning mid-twilight on Nov. 22.

On Oct. 30, Mars commences 74 days of retrograde (westward) motion, ending Jan. 12, 2023. Mars begins retrograde 2.7° northnortheast of Zeta. Mars will peak at magnitude -1.9 between its closest approach to Earth on Nov. 30 and its opposition and all-night visibility on Dec. 7.

Through the telescope: In the evenings, Jupiter’s cloud belts and changing positions of the four bright satellites are fascinating to watch. Saturn’s rings are gradually closing; they’re tipped 15° from edgewise on Nov. 19,

to 14° on Dec. 22, and 13° on Jan. 14—so look soon for your best view until Spring 2028.

In November and December 2022, the bright northern limb of Mars is primarily the NPH, or North Polar Hood (cloud cover overlying the north polar region), and not the North Polar Cap (NPC), consisting of ices of water and carbon dioxide on the Martian surface. Mars’ northern spring equinox will occur on Dec. 26, and in the following weeks, the NPH will dissipate and reveal the NPC. .

There will be a total lunar eclipse in the predawn hours of Tuesday, Election Day, Nov. 8. (Don’t forget to vote!) From the Western U.S., the partial phase gets under way at 1:09 a.m., and the 86-minute total eclipse begins at 2:16 a.m. The deepest and likely the darkest stage of the eclipse, when the moon is closest to the center of Earth’s shadow, occurs at 2:59 a.m. At that time, in clockwise order, starting with

the star Pi in Aries, the eclipsed moon will be closely surrounded by three stars and Uranus: Pi to upper right of the moon, then Omicron, and Sigma in Aries, and Uranus, to the moon’s upper left. The moon starts to emerge from totality at 3:42 a.m., and is completely out of the umbra at 4:49 a.m.

The entire encounter of the moon with the umbra, or dark core of Earth’s shadow, lasts 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Sky Calendar includes illustrations of many of the events described in this article. To subscribe or to view a sample issue, visit www. abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar.

Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968, and still produces issues occasionally, including December 2022. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the wonders of the night sky.

Aldebaran

Capella

Arcturus

Antares

Vega Altair

Deneb

Fomalhaut

November's evening sky chart.

ROBERT D. MILLER

Greater Palm Springs Pride is one of the Coachella Valley’s biggest events—but the celebration’s reach goes far beyond the boundaries of the 760.

I worked at the Independent’s Pride booth last year and in 2019, and I met people from all around the world who came to Palm Springs for the excitement and jubilation that reverberates throughout the entire city.

Greater Palm Springs Pride is back in 2022, with the main events taking place Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6.

“This is the 36th year that Pride has been acknowledged or celebrated in Palm Springs,” said Ron deHarte, president of Greater Palm Springs Pride. “In the early days, the entertainment focused around revue shows, and they took place inside the Riviera hotel, for a year, maybe two years. That type of Pride stopped, and there was a slow evolution to what we know today: a more-engaged community festival. The entertainment would continue to grow to where we are today, being the largest event that occurs in the city of Palm Springs annually, but also the largest gathering of LGBTQ people in the Coachella Valley on an annual basis.

“We’ve grown from a small ballroom setting, maybe 150 people or so, to something that has an impact of closer to 200,000 people over three days in downtown, with the parade and festival, and usually well over two dozen official events.”

Pride has grown, deHarte said, because the organization works to promote the Coachella Valley, in addition to being a human-rights organization.

“We’ve been partners in the tourism realm, and really focused on sharing Palm Springs as this beacon of diversity and embracing of the LGBTQ community,” deHarte said. “We’ve continued to grow, and we typically have folks from just about every state in the union. Nowadays, 8 to 10% of the audience comes in from Canada. We’ve always had a pretty good representation of folks from Great Britain and Germany, and what we’ve seen growing in the last four or five years or so is more folks coming in from Mexico and Australia,

and in the last couple of years, folks coming from Japan and Korea. Palm Springs really has captured people’s attention, and they specifically are traveling to come and be part of the Pride celebration in the city that people just love coming to visit. … It has a different feel than Pride celebrations in other Southern California cities.”

The entertainment aspect of Palm Springs Pride has always been a huge draw, as thousands of attendees have caught performances by big names such as Third Eye Blind and A Flock of Seagulls in the past. This year, headliners include Todrick Hall and Pussy Riot.

“For a good number of years, we have intentionally tried to create that platform for LGBTQ artists, to be able to raise awareness, elevate their voice, and give them the opportunity to share their talent with the rest of the community,” deHarte said. “… We’re very heavy with LGBTQ artists all weekend, and we may only have one or two allies. It adds to the diversity; it adds to creating a platform for each of the communities, the Ls, the Gs, the Bs, the Ts, the Qs. Entertainment plays a big role in elevating each of our individual communities.”

DeHarte and company are excited to build off last year’s big “welcome back” party, following the pandemic-forced in-person hiatus in 2020.

“People were really ready to come out and be outside and celebrate with their friends and just connect with the community again,” deHarte said. “There was a social need that folks had to be together, and we had recordbreaking attendance for sure. Last year, we also had the most positive post-event survey responses in our history, for as long as we’ve been gathering the data. … (This year), we’re going to have a strong year, attendance-wise. We may not hit 200,000 over three days, but it’s still going to be a very good year for the city and for the region.”

One of Pride’s most notable and constant participants is Main Stage host Bella da Ball, aka Brian Wanzek, whose role has evolved over the years.

“I started with Pride around 20 years ago,”

Wanzek said during a recent phone interview. “I started by attending Pride, and then was in floats at Pride when I was with the drag group Delicious Divas, and I just kind of got involved through emceeing and hosting at the various locations. I think the first place that I emceed was when Pride was at the Palm Springs Stadium grounds. It’s grown through the years from there, and of course, through downtown and all different directions downtown. My primary focus and involvement has been with the entertainment—the stage management, coordinating the entertainment in the past, emceeing and hosting, and just being a big mouth and a big face with big hair.”

Wanzek’s involvement has allowed him to witness firsthand the growth of the festival and parade.

“It is just so impressive when you look out during the parade route, whether you’re in the parade or on the sidelines, at the thousands and thousands of people watching and cheering, and the energy and the motion and the movement,” said Wanzek. “When you’re on the stage or in front of the stage, it’s the fun, the energy, the diversity, the camaraderie and the creativity. I just get a tingle thinking about it.

where you can walk down the street, and you end up knowing 20 people, and you’re only taking two steps. You’ve got these big names who are going to be entertaining people, who have been on television and concerts all over the world. People are trying to create some difference in the world, and trying to create some warmth, and hopefully the world sees that. We’re like everybody else, and hopefully we’re all warm and cozy and fabulous and want to work together and love together.”

The diversity of Palm Springs Pride is directly reflected via the range of entertainers, which goes from drag queens to choruses to acoustic singers.

International superstar Todrick Hall will headline Saturday, Nov. 5, on the main stage. Photo courtesy of the artist.

“The entertainment is from all over the world, and all the aspects and all the angles and diversity,” Wanzek said. “There’s just something for everyone—young and old, gay friendly, LGBTQ, families, individuals, singles, couples. There’s something for everybody to enjoy at the festival, at the entertainment stages throughout the area, at the bars and the restaurants with the displays out, the libraries and the museums and the artwork and theater.

“We’re a small little town, but we have a huge impact. We’re like Hollywood meets L.A. meets New York meets San Diego, and all rolled into one. It’s a very small-town feel with a very big-city approach, and a very big-city draw. It’s got the loveliness and the closeness

It’s not one little piece; it’s like millions of pieces put together of a huge puzzle that create this, ‘Say gay’ (this year’s Pride theme), and this, ‘We are Palm Springs and we love you and we welcome you.’”

For more information on Greater Palm Springs Pride, visit pspride.org.

If you’ve never heard of the “flow arts,” head to Ruth Hardy Park on Saturday, Nov. 5—and prepare to be schooled.

That’s where you’ll find Flagging in the Desert, and a community of performers whose purpose is to spread love, joy, rhythm and fun—while raising money for a local charity. If you’re so inclined, you’ll be encouraged to join in.

Just what are the “flow arts,” you ask? David Eckert, of Desert Flaggers, has your answer.

“The flow arts include flagging, fanning and poi (spinning),” said Eckert.

Flagging was born more than 30 years ago in the gay clubs of San Francisco and beyond. Revelers would wave a towel or handkerchief in time with the music, as a spontaneous celebration of joy. From there, it grew. Groups were formed, and performances moved from the clubs into the streets. Today, there are flagging groups all around the world.

At flagging performances, the audience is encouraged to join in. That breaks down the line between performers and the audience— creating only community.

Flags have evolved from towels and handkerchiefs, seen initially in the clubs, into beautifully decorated silks with weights, which let the material drift and fly while maintaining form.

Eckert is a relative newbie to flagging, having gotten involved about five years ago.

“We are patterned after an event that takes place in San Francisco called Flagging in the Park,” said Eckert. “We invite them to come

down and participate in our events as well. … Some of the people in our organization have been doing this for more than 25 years.”

People get into flagging for many reasons. Originally, it was an expression of joy and life embraced by a community who could do nothing as peers died of an incurable disease, HIV/AIDS. For Eckert, it’s about the dance and joy of expression. For some, it can become a meditative and even spiritual experience.

“The music speaks to me,” Eckert said. “I can move and entertain others. I can say to those watching, ‘Enjoy, smile and be with us.’ It’s just a matter of trying to get everyone excited and interested and happy.”

As an organization, Desert Flaggers wants to not only celebrate flagging, but give back to the community. The Desert Flaggers have averaged about three events per year since COVID-19 arrived. Desert Flaggers puts on separate fundraisers to support the events, so all donations from each event go to local charities. Proceeds from the Nov. 5 event will support the Cathedral City Senior Center,

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which will have a tent onsite so people can learn about them and what they do as well.

The Ruth Hardy event is an official Greater Palm Springs Pride celebration, and while the group’s roots are deep within the LGBTQ+ community, everyone is encouraged to come, watch and participate.

“During Pride, people from all over visit Palm Springs. We have flaggers coming in from San Francisco, L.A., Portland, Hawaii and sometimes from the East Coast,” Eckert said.

The goal is to have at least 100 flaggers participating, though the number of people will ebb and flow over the course of the four-hour

event. No matter when people stop by, DJ Russ Rich from San Francisco will keep the party atmosphere going.

The event is pet-friendly as long as furry friends remains leashed, and admission is free, but participants can purchase donated flags. There will be an instructional class for those wishing to learn the art form at 11 a.m., before the event. Ice and water will be provided, and attendees can bring a picnic, a blanket, a chair and a smile. You may even find yourself, flag in hand, spreading the joy.

“We invite the local neighborhood,” Eckert said. “We invite the non-flaggers to come. We’re looking for people to come out and enjoy the park and hopefully raise some money for the Senior Center.”

Flagging in the Desert will take place from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at Ruth Hardy Park, 700 Tamarisk Road, in Palm Springs. An instructional class will take place at 11 a.m. Admission is free, but donations for the Cathedral City Senior Center will be accepted. For more information, visit www.flagginginthedesert.com.

Kevin Mann is the Independent’s editorial intern; his internship is funded by the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation. Kevin can be reached at kmann@cvindependent.com.

Photos courtesy of Desert Flaggers

When many people think of a pride celebration, one of two things comes to mind: a parade, or a bacchanal of dancing, partying and reveling in the joy of being alive in a community that accepts you for who you are.

But what if a more cerebral celebration is your happy place?

To that end, the Palm Springs Public Library is presenting the first Pride on the Page Book Festival Organized by Julie Warren, the library’s public services manager, and Corey Roskin, a literary event planner who recently relocated to Palm Springs, the festival will feature more than 40 LGBTQ+ authors participating in a free panel series celebrating works of LGBTQ+ literature, on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, at

the Welwood Murray Memorial Library in downtown Palm Springs.

Additionally, a special event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Plaza Theatre. Television and film star Sharon Gless will speak with her Queer as Folk co-star Peter Paige about her book, Apparently There Were Complaints. Tickets are $40, and the proceeds will benefit the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation.

“This is an official event of Palm Springs Pride,” Warren said. “It was very important to us to be included in Pride events. So many people come into town for Pride, and those people are always looking for something new or different. There are so many great things to do.”

The hope is that Pride on the Page will become a yearly part of Greater Palm Springs Pride.

PRESENT

“This festival will help people reconnect with their favorite authors while also introducing them to authors of which they may be unaware,” Warren said.

Warren hopes that hearing from authors with different points of view will spark meaningful conversations.

“Everyone we spoke to about the festival is very excited and supportive,” Warren said.

Warren and Roskin have organized varying hour-long panels, five each day, by subject matter The panel “Scintillating Debuts: LGBTQ+ Authors and a Publisher Share Words and Wisdom About Their First Books,” moderated Matthew Lancellotti, will kick things off on Friday.

The Saturday panels start off with “Wondrous Words: New Fiction from LGBTQ+ Voices” at 10 a.m. The panel will be moderated by Alex Espinoza and includes panelists Melissa Chadburn, Rachel M. Harper, Celia Laskey and David Eugene Perry.

Panel participant David Eugene Perry’s debut novel Upon This Rock has won two prestigious awards, and has been hailed by Armistead Maupin and Fenton Johnson, among others.

“I think this event is clearly going to become annual,” Perry said. “Right now is the time that LGBTQ voices need to be heard.”

This year’s Greater Palm Springs Pride theme is “Say Gay,” which references various anti-LGBTQ+ bills being pushed in states around the country, most notably Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

“This festival is not just a ‘nice to have’; it’s a ‘gotta have,’ as the LGBTQ community is under attack,” Perry said. “If we don’t tell our own stories, no one else can be trusted to do it.”

Follett Books will make available copies of each author’s works for purchase, and authors will be in the lobby after their panels for signings.

“Having that interaction with the authors is really what this is all about,” said Warren.

The Pride on the Page Book Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5, at the Welwood Murray Memorial Library, 100 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Admission to all panel discussions is free. Sharon Gless will speak with Peter Paige about her book, Apparently There Were Complaints, at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Plaza Theatre, 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive; tickets are $40, with proceeds benefitting the Palm Springs Public Library Foundation. For more information, please visit the www.palmspringsca.gov/ government/departments/library.

I love this town.

BENEFITING

SPECIAL THANKS TO CRAIG RAMSAY,

The Palm Springs Pride 5K Run & Walk will be in-person AND virtual.

All online registrants get a t-shirt.

All finishers get a commemorative medal. Finisher awards in 5 year age brackets. Online registration is $35 through November 2nd. In-person registration on Friday Nov 4th at packet pickup is $45 ($40 without a t-shirt).

We are not accepting registrations on race day. Please register in advance.

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I love being here to help in a community where people are making a difference every day. Thank you for all you do.

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Jazz, the musical form born from the unique experience of Black Americans, will be celebrated during the 10th anniversary edition of the Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival, taking place Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The Friday and Saturday concerts are packed with big names, including Nnenna Freelon, Cyrille Aimée, Lea DeLaria and Ledisi. On Sunday, some of the Coachella Valley’s best female jazz and R&B musicians will perform “Divas of the Desert” shows. The three-day event is hosted by California Jazz and Blues Museum Hall of Fame inductee Sweet Baby J’ai.

Initially part of Dinah Shore Weekend, the festival branched out on its own a few years ago, and though it’s primarily run by lesbians, the festival welcomes all. One of the few all-female jazz festivals in the country, it has grown by leaps and bounds since its 2013 inception. (Like many festivals, it went dark in 2020 and 2021.) This year, local women artisans have been invited to participate in the newly added daytime art faire, which is free and open to the public.

“We are a small but very mighty music festival,” said Sweet Baby J’ai, who is also a co-founder of the festival. “We have grown exponentially, and this is our biggest year to date.”

Unique to the festival is the Women in Jazz All-Stars, a rotating group of musicians who form the festival’s “house band.” Most singers have their own band, and convincing them to sing with musicians with whom they are unfamiliar can sometimes be a challenge.

“What happens with this setup is so incredible. We’ve had some major artists here such as Diane Schuur, Dee Dee Bridgewater— all these jazz legends,” said J’ai. “What happens is everyone ends up loving this spontaneity. It’s amazing when you just meet someone and say, ‘1, 2, 3, let’s hit it.’”

Each year, festival organizers try to find a singer on the precipice—ready to become the next big thing—and introduce them to a new audience. This year, that singer is Cyrille Aimée, a past winner of the Montreux Jazz

Festival Competition and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition, and a finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.

“I saw her and thought she was absolutely fabulous and that we had to introduce her to our audience,” J’ai said. “She is going to take the world by storm. Anyone who sees her will understand that immediately. … We must keep passing this music along to the younger generation. We have to support these young women who are coming up.”

To find the new generation of jazz and R&B stars, J’ai combs magazines and websites, and relies on word of mouth.

Unlike pop singers who have taken to TikTok and YouTube to kickstart their careers, jazz musicians have to prove themselves in the clubs.

The festival’s

mission statement states: “The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz and Blues Association exists to preserve and foster an appreciation of jazz and blues music and to support female jazz and blues musicians who traditionally struggle for recognition and employment.” Yes, female artists still struggle to get work alongside their male counterparts.

“Although female jazz singers tend to be at the forefront, female musicians are harder to find,” J’ai said. “You could go through a whole season at the Hollywood Bowl and not see a female jazz musician on that stage.”

This has nothing to do with talent; the jazz world tends to be a boy’s club.

“We are a 501(c)(3), so it is our mission to promote and support female musicians, because they are less likely to get those jobs in the jazz world,” J’ai said. “… We want young women to see themselves onstage so they can understand the possibilities for themselves.”

J’ai said that as a child, her musician father brought her to one of his gigs. She sat in the back but could see a woman, dressed in all black, on that stage, playing guitar with her father.

“I thought she was incredible. I saw someone who looked like me,” she said. “Anytime you see a woman in a position of power, little girls all over the country respond.”

Sweet Baby J’ai was inducted into the California Jazz and Blues Museum Hall of Fame in 2018.

“I’ve been singing for over three decades. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am, and I love my career,” she said. “I’m able to share my joy through my music, so to be able to be recognized for that is an honor.”

While J’ai is not a scheduled performer, as the evening’s host, attendees can expect her to sprinkle in her songs here and there.

As the festival grows and expands, J’ai hopes to engage more women jazz legends.

“We mark our lives by musical events,” said J’ai. “What was the first song you danced to at your wedding? What was playing when you kissed your first girlfriend or boyfriend?”

J’ai said the festival is destined to become one of those memory-creating events, in part because of the uniqueness created by the Women in Jazz All-Stars.

“Usually, you go to a festival and get Nnenna Freelon with her band, or Lea DeLaria with her band,” J’ai said. “If you have seen Ledisi perform before, you have never seen her in this scenario, and that goes for all of the artists on our stage. That’s what makes for such a wonderful experience.”

The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival will take place Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, 277 N. Avenida Caballeros, in Palm Springs. Tickets for each show start at $50. For tickets and more information, visit www. palmspringswomensjazzfestival.org.

Kevin Mann is the Independent’s editorial intern; his internship is funded by the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation. Kevin can be reached at kmann@cvindependent.com.

Clockwise from Top: Lea DeLaria, Nnenna Freelon, Ledisi Artist photos courtesey of Palm Springs Women's Jazz Festival

Palm

Vienna Boys

Christine

Photo: Laura Domela

ARTS & CULTURE

By MATT KING

Alittle more than seven years ago, two-time world-champion skateboarder Eddie “El Gato” Elguera, senior pastor at C3 Church in Palm Desert, set out to celebrate an era of skateboarding through the El Gato Classic.

“There’s Lords of Dogtown, about a group of skaters who skated pools in the ’70s,” Elguera said during a recent interview. “… There’s another documentary with Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Lance Mountain and others (about skating in the ’80s) called the Bones Brigade, so there are a lot of people who think that skateboarding went from that era to that era—but there’s the era in between, and that’s the era that I’ve been a part of. In that era, there are a lot of legends

who really revolutionized skateboarding into what it is today, in terms of it being in the Olympics.”

Honoring that late-’70s/early-’80s era of skateboarding, the El Gato Classic has hosted competitions, featured legends of the sport, and celebrated some of the forgotten history of skating. This year’s event, the first since 2018, will take place on Friday, Nov. 11, and Saturday, Nov. 12.

“A lot of tricks that were invented and founded and stuff were in that era, and it’s kind of like they were forgotten,” Elguera said. “I wanted to put the event together and gather all these legends together who didn’t get the recognition, because back in the day, there wasn’t a lot of video; there wasn’t a lot of social media, so the only coverage that you would be able to see was in a skateboard magazine. If somebody invented a trick, the magazine would come out two months later.

“There was no recognition. There wasn’t any money; there wasn’t any corporate sponsorship. It was more of the pioneering of vertical skateboarding. What I wanted to do is just gather and honor these guys, and it was more of a gathering of legends, so I call it the ‘Old Classic Legends Weekend.’ It’s kind of like a high school reunion for them, and we do different things throughout. A lot of them still skate, and a lot of them just come to hang out and be a part.

“We gathered them all together, and then all of a sudden, it just grew, and a lot of the guys were stoked on it. Every year, we’ve tried to do things a little bit different, so we have an art show; we have a concert with bands; and then we have the skating aspect of it. That’s kind of how it separates itself: It’s not just a regular skate event. It’s not just a regular contest—but it’s kind of an experience of legends.”

While the El Gato Classic is rooted in the past, Elguera insisted that the event is playing a role in ushering in the new era of skating.

“It was my purpose to honor the past, the champions, the guys who went before,

who many may not even know their names … but let’s also champion the future,” he said. “What we’ve started doing is doing a generations contest. We have five teams, so five legends will pick out a skater from the pros, girls, amateurs and masters, and they all compete. We’re not only honoring the past, but championing the future, so some of the people who will be here were in the Olympics; some of them weren’t, and so it’s going to be kind of exciting.”

Each year, the event attracts notable skaters like Christian Hosoi, Kevin Staab, Steve Caballero and, of course, Tony Hawk, giving fans an opportunity to get up close and personal with their heroes.

“We do a thing called Legends Talk, at the art show that we do, and the legends get to talk about history; it’s really like a live podcast,” Elguera said. “People get to ask them questions; (the legends) get to talk about their experiences, and people say, ‘Wow, I get to understand history from back in the late ’70s and ’80s, and I got to hear from the person who invented it, and what he was going through and what was going on.’

“Also, people get to see the level of skill that the legends who still skate have. You could still skateboard in your 60s, I’m going to be 60 on Nov. 12. Skateboarding isn’t just for little kids. A lot of people get to meet their heroes who they’ve never met before; they get signatures; they get their boards and have them signed by a legend. It’s a great event all around in terms of that legendary aspect of skateboarding.”

The new location of the El Gato Classic’s skating events, the La Quinta X Park, been dubbed “one of the best parks built” by Tony Hawk. Elguera had a role in designing the park’s bowl.

“It’s kind of a replica, but with some changes, of a legendary skateboard park pool called the Combi Bowl, and the reason it’s called the Combi Bowl is because it has a combination of the square pool and a round pool in the shallow end all together,” Elguera

said. “It makes for a good pool to skate in, because there are so many lines that you could do within it. I helped design that with Lance Mountain and with Spohn Ranch, the builders at the skatepark. The Combi Bowl, in 1979, was used in the finals for the Hester Series, the series that started vertical competition. In 1979, Upland Pipeline skatepark built this new pool for the finals, so it’s kind of cool, because now we’re able to bring it out, and a lot of the guys that skated in those finals will be skating there. We’re also adding pump tracks, which have been

really popular at skate parks, and we’re going to be doing some pump track races. A lot of these legendary skaters will be doing the pump track races, and a lot of them will be skating in the bowl.”

The El Gato Classic will take place Friday, Nov. 11, and Saturday, Nov. 12, at the C3 Church, 75400 Gerald Ford Drive; and La Quinta X Park, 46170 Dune Palms Road, in La Quinta. Events at C3 are free; tickets start at $25 for events at La Quinta X Park. For more information, visit elgatoclassic.com

The El Gato Classic honors skating legends and celebrates new bloodKICKFLIPS AND HISTORY

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Eddie Elguera at the La Quinta X Park. Chris Casas

FOOD & DRINK

BY kevin carlow

Ilove sharing cocktail history, and living vicariously through my guests as they try tipples both modern and classic. Every once in a while, however, it’s incumbent upon me to recognize that alcohol can be a toxin. I’m constantly working on finding that balance of enjoying my craft without it becoming too much of my life.

Fortunately, it’s possible to enjoy delicious alcoholic beverages that aren’t too alcoholic. Here are some of my favorite low-ABV (alcohol by volume) cocktails that won’t make you feel like you’re missing out on a thing.

I’m not sure how I’ve never covered the Aperol Spritz before. Not only is it an absolute favorite; it’s a perfect brunch drink, weekendstarter, and aperitif! It has quickly become one of the signature drinks of millennials, and it’s staking a claim on being the “hot girl” drink of the 2020s. How did this cocktail take over social media and brunch culture so quickly? I suppose the answer lies in the ingredients and their wonderful synergy … but you can’t have an Aperol Spritz without the Aperol, so let’s start there.

Invented by the Barbieri brothers in 1919, when Europe certainly could have used a stiffer drink, Aperol would become the signature spirit of Padua, Italy. Now owned by Campari, it could certainly be considered Campari’s spritely little sister: still bitter and vibrantly colored, but with less alcohol and a lighter taste. Its herbaceous and bubble gum-like flavor, plus the Instagramable electric-orange color, make it the perfect spirit for anyone who is there for the event and not necessarily the buzz, coming in at a modest 11% ABV. Add that Aperol to soda water and some half-decent bubbly (save the Champagne), and you have yourself a party. The standard recipe is 3:2:1, but feel free to eyeball this baby; it’s stress-free.

3 ounces of cava or prosecco 2 ounces of Aperol 1 ounce of soda water

Build in a wine glass over ice; garnish with an orange slice or twist.

I’ve covered the Champagne Cocktail before, but it’s worth another go-around. I’ve heard this drink referred to as “the only good reason to have sugar cubes,” and I would have to agree. This one comes from Jerry “The Professor” Thomas, and if you don’t know who he is, you’re not a regular reader of this column: He’s the “OG” of bartenders. Going back to 1862, this one is barely a cocktail on paper, but it’s both fun and elegant in the glass. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that simple syrup works in this drink; if you must, use a halfteaspoon of white sugar instead of the cube. Do not use prosecco or cheap sparkling wine; it must be Champagne, or at least a crémant, to taste right. This is a simple recipe, but it allows

no compromise.

5 ounces of Champagne

4 dashes of Angostura bitters

1 sugar cube

Using a spoon, douse the sugar cube with the bitters until well-soaked. Place the cube in the glass, and slowly pour in the Champagne, using the back of the spoon. Garnish with a lemon peel.

The Bamboo Cocktail … now that’s something I don’t get a lot of requests for these days; I had one guest years ago who would order them regularly, and that’s about it. It’s a shame this tipple isn’t more popular, but vermouth’s reputation is just mud for people of a certain age. I have hope, however, for the youth here.

Dating from at least the 1890s, according to Difford’s Guide, this once-popular drink didn’t even make it back to prominence during the “sherry renaissance” of the early 2010s. It’s not for everyone; this is a serious blast from the past, and it tastes like it. Serve this one with Marcona almonds, Spanish cheese and Iberico ham for best results. Don’t skimp on the sherry and vermouth; if they’re not around $20 a bottle, don’t bother—and bust out your best vintage glassware. This version is based on William Boothby’s 1908 recipe, and it’s how I make it.

1 1/2 ounces of fino sherry

1 1/2 ounces of dry vermouth

2 dashes of orange bitters

2 dashes of angostura bitters

Stir, up; lemon twist or olive.

You can make this one into an “Adonis” cocktail by substituting the vermouth for a nice Italian sweet, and skipping the orange bitters. You might also want to go heavier on the sherry, maybe at a 2:1 ratio, and use an orange peel instead of lemon, of course. The Bamboo was popularized by legendary barman Louis Eppinger, but despite the name, it was likely not created at his bar in Yokohama, Japan; the timelines just don’t jibe. As with the Adonis, we know when the concoctions gained notoriety, but not who actually created them.

There is a record of this drink being referred to as a Boston Bamboo early on, and I must say I kind of like the sound of that, being a Masshole and all.

Last but not least … what if you don’t want any alcohol at all? Good news: The NA “spirits” category has never been more popular. Manufacturers have really stepped up their game, and it’s possible to drink something without alcohol that checks nearly all of the boxes of a proper cocktail. An NA “spirit” won the Best New Spirit (or Cocktail Ingredient) at the last Tales of the Cocktail conference, which would have been unthinkable in the recent past.

I have been experimenting with faux-tequila, faux-Aperol and other “spirits” lately with great success. My guests have been tickled with the results. Canned RTD (ready to drink) nonalcoholic concoctions have also taken a leap in the last year. There is no reason to feel left out of the party anymore! Just sub them into recipes where you would use standard alcohol; there are even “whiskeys” out there that make decent Old Fashioned, if you can believe it. If you want to skip the “fake hooch,” our archives include several columns from over the years that feature fresh and tasty no-regret recipes for you to try.

So no matter how you chose to unwind, party smart!

Kevin Carlow can be reached at inahotdryplace@ gmail.com.

There are plenty of low-alcohol cocktail options—and even some with no alcohol at all

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK ON COCKTAILS

The Garden Party is a non-alcoholic watermelon “tequila” drink. Kevin Carlow

DRINK

VINE SOCIAL

By Katie finn

wines to pair with your Thanksgiving meal. Wine experts from around the country will be offering up their advice for the perfect wine to go with what must be the weirdest

Green bean casserole? “Sancerre!” Cranberry sauce? “Russian River pinot noir!” Cornbread stuffing? “An unoaked chardonnay!” Candied yams? “An off-dry Riesling!” Your 12-hour-brined

to discover the Gordon Ramsay turkey recipe you’re using is in Celsius, not Fahrenheit, and after three hours in the oven, the turkey is still raw, which means you now have to have dinner

There’s no such thing as a perfect Thanksgiving wine pairing—so celebrate with wines made by companies that give something back

recommendations—from producers and wineries that give a portion, or all, of their proceeds to support wonderful organizations and nonprofits. And on top of that, these wines also happen to be absolutely delicious! Giving just got so much better.

they’re family. Maybe you don’t even really like these people. In any event, you’ve spent the two days leading up to Thanksgiving in traffic, navigating congested parking lots, and crowded grocery stores, and long checkout lines. You woke up at 5 a.m. to put the bird in the oven and start peeling potatoes so you can have dinner ready at 2 in the afternoon, only

The last thing you should be worrying about is wine. Trust me when I tell you: There is no such thing as a perfect pairing when it comes to Thanksgiving.

So, in the spirit of what this holiday is all about, instead of focusing on how to make the dinner (ahem, lunch) perfect, let’s line the table with some wines for which we can be thankful: These are my Thanksgiving wine

One of my favorite everyday-drinking red wines comes from a winery just south of Yountville in Napa Valley called Bell Wine Cellars. They created “Big Guy Red,” which was named after the owners’ soft coated Wheaten terrier named Ty who would lovingly greet all the customers who would come to this small boutique winery. The wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah and zinfandel, with a big, juicy profile, and soft vanilla and mocha on the finish. The fruit for the Big Guy Red comes from the same high-profile vineyards as their namesake small-lot wines, but a portion of the proceeds for Big Guy are allocated to Paws for Purple Hearts—a nonprofit organization that provides therapy service dogs to wounded warriors and veterans.

Staying with our four-legged friends, Bar Dog wines was created by Central California ranch owner Terry Wheatley and her professionalrodeo cowboy husband as a way to give back to shelters across America that give pups a second chance at a new life. They have partnered with the Petfinder Foundation to support rescue shelters across North America, helping to provide food, veterinarian treatment and supplies, and adoption drives. I have tasted their whole lineup of wines, and they are as big, bold and dynamic as the mission they support.

I was recently introduced to One Stone, by Ancient Peaks Winery from Paso Robles. They created One Stone wines for women in the wine industry who “move mountains one stone at a time.” The fruit for their delicious cabernet sauvignon comes from grapes grown on their estate, along with fruit from surrounding vineyards. Every bottle of One Stone supports Dream Big Darling, a nonprofit that supports women in the wine industry and whose mission is to inspire, encourage and engage future women leaders in the wine world.

Lastly, I’m a huge fan of Purple Cowboy wines out of Paso Robles. Their slogan

“tough enough to wear pink” was something I was very familiar with at my hometown rodeo, the Calgary Stampede, where I would see cowboys from around the globe sporting bubble-gum-pink Wrangler shirts in support of breast-cancer awareness. Their Tenacious Red blend is a luscious, rich and full-bodied mix of petite sirah, malbec and merlot, perfect for your next outdoor barbecue. To date, Purple Cowboy has raised more than $1 million for breast cancer research.

Mash the potatoes. Blanche the beans. Brine the bird, and cook the cranberries. But don’t worry about the wine pairing. Focus on family (even if they’re a pain), friends and the beautiful gift of giving.

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.

CAESAR CERVISIA

JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO

By brett newton

YOUR HAIR

for three nights. The owner was there to greet me—and thus completed a two-plus year

governor instituted the lockdown in March 2020. She issued the refund immediately, and I told

Club and Cook Street Palm De sert

I had very little time to settle in, as I’d scheduled an interview with the brewer and co-founder of nearby Pure Project Brewing, Winslow Sawyer. I’ve enjoyed their beers for some time now, and

San Diego’s Pure Project, Burgeon and BattleMage are all beer-lovers’ delights

back patio; a mouth-watering barrel-aged sour ale with cherries (after I showed interest in his sour program); a pale ale that had been put together by his assistant brewer for his upcoming wedding reception; and a style of beer I’d never heard about before: Arctic ale. OK, it may not actually be a “style,” but it’s Pure’s re-creation of a beer brewed for an Arctic expedition: an English strong ale with essentially no hops involved, quite strong, but very tasty, with a surprising lack of any cloying quality. It was poured straight from the barrel in which it resides, which is always a cool way to sample a beer. (There will be much more from this interview in an upcoming column.)

Those familiar with my columns could have possibly predicted my next move: a trip to Burgeon Beer Company, in neighboring Carlsbad. This is a source of liquid gold that I love so much, and I make sure to stop in if I’m anywhere in range. While it was a quick trip, I got to see their private event space a few doors down from their brewery and taproom (called The Greenhouse; they’re very into the conservation of nature). I chatted with the beertenders a little and enjoyed a glass of their gorgeous Nelson-hopped pilsner, Clever Kiwi, before deciding that the Eureka! I saw on the Lyft ride to Burgeon would be a good destination, and that the weather was so beautiful that I should walk the mile between locations. The walk was lovely, but there isn’t much to say about Eureka!, other than to point out the beer selection was way better than the selection at our local Eureka!

Eureka! Indian Wells: Please start caring about the beer you carry, even just a little.

The next evening, I made my way back to Burgeon to talk to Noah Scoville, the taproom manager. I wanted to know what was behind the all the beers that make Burgeon a mustgo while in San Diego. “Beer first,” was his

response. He said they always stay true to what it is they’re doing, at every step along the way, as opposed to growing as much as possible, and then trying to figure out who they are every six months. Again, the three founders (Matthew Zirpolo, Derek van Leeuwen and brewer Anthony Tallman) are big on nature conservation and the outdoors. A recent beer release of theirs, called Reclaim the Sea, was a collaboration with the SeeTrees organization, which is restoring kelp forests along the coast, to pull more carbon out of the air.

What struck me most about Burgeon’s locations is the number of locals and regulars. You see so many people greeting each other. One of Burgeon’s back-of-the house guys remembered me from before the pandemic, when we chatted about the incredible table top he made out of reclaimed wood. If I were ever to move anywhere near there, Burgeon would be the first place where I’d apply for work.

I chatted with Scoville for about an hour. He gave me a quick tour of the new walk-in refrigerator for distribution, and I got to see what beers were going to be canned next. He then gave me a case of beer (full disclosure) and went about his business. (There will be more from this interview in the future as well. I just don’t have enough space here to give Burgeon the love it deserves.)

Scoville mentioned a small brewery near Pure Project that I’d heard of, but never tried: BattleMage Brewing. I stopped in and was delighted by a veritable nerd’s paradise, with Dungeons and Dragons-themed art everywhere—and the beer names following suit. I decided to try a flight of beers, which was handed to me on a wooden paddle in the shape of an ax. I took a seat near a large group of people who were playing one of dozens of card/board games available to everyone, and made my way through the paddle. The Czech pils and BattleMage’s IPA collaboration with Burgeon were on the top half of the four beers I tried. Props to them for having an old ale on tap, even if it was a little on the “hot” side for my taste.

Afterward, I walked the mile or so to Pure

Project to enjoy more of their beers, and grab an incredible banh mi burger and loaded Cajun fries from Copper Kings Burgers (located at Pure Project). Hey, it’s my vacation; why not go nuts? I bought $100 worth of beer to go and said my silent goodbyes to the entire week in San Diego.

To say I am looking forward to my next visit is a real understatement.

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.

BattleMage Brewing is a nerd’s paradise, with Dungeons and Dragons-themed art everywhere. Brett Newton

FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT

This month’s menu: sourdough in Palm Springs, and tacos in Cathedral City

By Jimmy Boegle

WHAT The sourdough “sammie” WHERE Bread and Flours, 2100 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs HOW MUCH $11 per loaf CONTACT 760-880-0950; www.breadandflours.com

WHY It’s packed with flavor. The hubby is a sourdough aficionado, so when he read about Bread and Flours bakery in our Restaurant News Bites column, he had to give it a try. His verdict? “I’d say it’s some of the best I’ve had.”

Bread and Flours got its start at the Certified Farmers’ Market before opening a retail space a little while back. You should know the bread isn’t cheap ($11 for the loaf we got); you can only get it two days per week (from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursdays and Saturdays); there are only a handful of options (three sourdough options, plus a date/sourdough bread, a cornbread, and a focaccia as of this writing); and they could run out of bread any time.

Why all the limitations? The Bread and Flours website explains: “We craft preservativefree fresh loaves without additives, chemicals or dairy products. We mill flour … for freshness, and greater nutrition. We also source organic whole grains with traceability from farmers grown in the USA. We source grain from the Imperial Valley, local wheat, 100 miles south of the Coachella Valley. Each loaf is fermented in a cold environment. We use only sourdough culture to leaven (to raise) our sourdough naturally. Each loaf takes a minimum of 36 hours to craft before baking.”

Translation: A heck of a lot of time and effort goes into each and every loaf sold by Bread and Flours—and you can tell when you take a bite of the oh-so-delicious bread.

We got a loaf of the sourdough “sammie” (the only sliced bread Bread and Flour sells), made using freshly milled organic whole wheat flour, and all-natural sourdough starter. Next time, we’ll try one, or more, of the other sourdoughs. And maybe the cornbread. Perhaps the focaccia. My mouth is watering already.

WHAT The tacos

WHERE Tacos del Valle, 68467 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City HOW MUCH $3 each

CONTACT 760-424-8444; tacosdelvalle.business.site

WHY The meats are delicious.

Facebook a cesspool of misinformation and snivelers these days, but it remains good for several things—including finding out about new restaurants. Therefore, I must tip my hat to Facebook for letting me know about Tacos del Valle (someone recommended it in some group), because I may have never otherwise learned about this fantastic hole in the wall.

The hubby and I trekked to Tacos del Valle for a recent weekday lunch. The space is tiny, with just five or six small tables. The young proprietor greeted us warmly, asked us to take a seat, and offered us chips and salsa. Yes, please.

Here’s how the menu works: First, you “choose your passion.” Want tacos? A burrito? A torta? A quesadilla? Loaded nachos or fries? Or a traditional plate? Second, you pick among a dozen different meats, including standards (carne asada, pollo, carnitas, etc.) and some harder-to-find meats (suadero, buche … yeah, I had to look up what they were). I ordered three tacos (carne asada, al pastor and carnitas; they were out of the pollo), while the hubby got a barbacoa burrito.

Everything was excellent, due to one thing: The meats were across-the-board delicious. I was actually most impressed by the carne asada. It can be difficult to infuse beef with flavor (I say this based on the amount of shockingly bland beef I encounter at restaurants), but they certainly succeeded at Tacos del Valle.

The next time you’re craving tasty Mexican fare, I recommend you head to the little shopping center at the southwestern corner of Highway 111 and Cathedral Canyon Drive, and look for the little restaurant literally tucked into the corner. The service is friendly—and thanks to the delicious meats, the food is splendid.

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/FOOD-DRINK

Restaurant NEWS BITES

By charles drabkin

GET READY FOR THREE FOOD FESTS … ALL IN ONE WEEKEND

This November, the Coachella Valley is hosting three different food and drink festivals—all in one weekend.

The Eighth Annual Cathedral City Hot Air Balloon Festival and Food Truck Fiesta takes place Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, offering family fun, some of the best food trucks in Southern California, and a beer garden; most of the events are in downtown Cathedral City. Admission to the festival is $10 for adults; $5 for children; and free for active military members and residents of Cathedral City. Attendees can purchase food directly from the food trucks. Learn more at www.hotairballoonfest.com.

On Saturday, Nov. 19, the 10th Annual Props and Hops Craft Beer Festival will celebrate a decade of top-flight brews at the Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail. Organizers promise more than 40 breweries and at least four trucks will participate; entertainment and airplane rides (for an extra fee) are also on offer. Tickets for the event, which takes place from 1 to 6 p.m., start at $60 in advance; designated drivers can get in for just $5. Get tickets and details at palmspringspropsandhopsfestival.com.

Also on Saturday, Nov. 19, Palm Springs Stadium is hosting the Palm Springs Wine and Food Experience, presented by USA TODAY. The event, from 1 to 4 p.m., is billed as a gourmet showcase of local chefs and emerging talent, with some of the proceeds benefiting Find Food Bank. Tickets start at $65, available at wineandfood.usatoday.com/events/palmsprings.

While it’s great that all of this is going on, it’s a shame that it’s all on the same weekend—with two events happening at more or less the exact same time.

IN BRIEF

The Reno, Nev.-based Churrasco Brazilian Steakhouse is planning on opening a second location in Palm Springs, at 450 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in the space formally occupied by Woody’s Palm House. (Hmm … our newly acquired sister newspaper is in Reno. Perhaps we started a trend?) For those unfamiliar with a churrascaria, it is a meat lover’s paradise of all-you-can-eat grilled meats sliced off skewers tableside. The Palm Springs location should be open by the end of the year, fingers crossed; learn more at churrascobr.com. … Just down the street, at 333 S. Palm Canyon Drive, the long-awaited Reforma, from the same people who own Chill Bar, is slated to open in mid-November. This nightclub and restaurant next to BevMo! will feature food inspired by Mexican, Chilean and Argentinean cuisines. Watch reformaps.com for updates … In February, we reported that another establishment, Impala, a Mexican sports bar, was set to open in this same building, hopefully in March. Well, that didn’t happen. We haven’t received an update, but they do have some signage up, so hopefully we will see them soon. … Smoke Tree BBQ, at 1775 E Palm Canyon Drive, No. 405, in Palm Springs, has closed. A Mexican restaurant with a modern twist is due to replace it, with a hopeful opening in late November. The new owner has a background in photography and design; that, combined with the space’s beautiful outdoor patio, gives me confidence that this will become a fine hangout. Watch this space for updates. … If you love bread, and who doesn’t, you may know that last spring, Peninsula Pastries, at 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, lost its bread baker. Well, I am ecstatic to report that they have brought in a new baker from France, as well as new bread ovens. Baguettes are on the menu once again! Learn more at www.facebook.com/PeninsulaPastriesPalmSprings. … Sushi Kitto has opened in Indio, at 42250 Jackson St. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday. Indio keeps adding options for hungry residents! Details at sushikitto.com. … The owners of Grill-ABurger in Palm Desert have two new restaurants. Coming soon is Hide Out Kitchen, to 73595 El Paseo, Suite 2208, next door to Tommy Bahama. It will feature American comfort food with a twist. Open now is TQLAS Agave Bar and Grill, at 78015 Main St., Suite 109, in La Quinta, where the new owners are planning on highlighting traditional Mexican dishes with contemporary ingredients. Get details on TQLAS at tqlas.com.

MUSIC

TIME FOR VINYL

By matt king

The Coachella Valley is rich with music—but poor when it comes to the number of record stores.

After Record Alley ended its four-decade run in 2021, the Coachella Valley was left with just a handful of places to get vinyl, including Finders Keepers in La Quinta, and Dale’s Records in Palm Desert—and now, Gré Records and Coffee is upping its vinyl game.

Located in downtown Palm Springs, Gré has been transformed into a music-lovers’ paradise, offering not only a great selection of used records, but also books, art, performances and, of course, coffee.

“It’s obviously evolved from what we started out with—just coffee and a small bin of records when we opened in 2016,” said owner Kelly Segré during a recent phone interview. “Now we have over 4,000 used records in stock, so we’re definitely more of a record store, even though we sell coffee every day.”

Segré explained why she doubled Gré’s space and built a new stage.”

“Pre COVID, we used to do a lot of open mics, so we are going to continue to do that, but we’re going to do it only once a month,” Segré said. “With this new stage that we’ve built, and our new space, and the way it’s set up, we are really trying to focus on kind of living room-style concerts with really good musicians, and really good, smaller, more-

intimate shows, where people come to listen to the music. You have a lot of shows where people go to bars and stuff, and they’re there to have fun and socialize, and that’s great—but a lot of times, the musicians are not really being listened to and appreciated as much as I think they should.

“A couple of weeks ago, we had Grant-Lee Phillips play, who was the town troubadour on the Gilmore Girls, and in the ’90s had the band Grant Lee Buffalo. The feedback that we got from him and the guests was that they loved that it was a super, super intimate environment, because he was able to talk to the audience and speak with the audience as he was playing, and do some storytelling. It’s kind of modeled after the whole idea of the NPR Tiny Desk concerts.”

Long gone are the days of common beatnik gatherings, poetry readings and folk singers in coffee shops, yet Gré has found success in bringing this very idea to the modern era.

Gré Records and Coffee expands to host live music and celebrate art

“When you go to my shop in general, even pre-expansion, it feels very nostalgic,” Segré said. “I feel like most people who come into my shop express nostalgia. I wasn’t alive during the era of the beatnik, but when I was in high school, poetry readings in coffee shops were really big. That’s kind of where this all started from—my experience from when I was young—so a lot of this is based on the nostalgia of even films that are related to music, or the feeling of listening to the vinyl alone. … We’re in this time where everything’s electronic, and of course, we use that, but it’s really going back to, like, putting your phones down and having something tangible that you can have in your hands, or something audible that you can listen to without it being on Spotify or on the internet.”

The venue recently celebrated the expansion with an event featuring local music and a photography exhibit by Segré.

“I’m a music nerd, my husband is a musician, and that’s why I do the open mic, too, because it gives me a way to experience people,” Segré said. “We’re going to do a combination of local and touring acts. … It’s really about them understanding the vibe of wanting to do an intimate show and connect with their audience. It’s really just about finding the right people, whether they’re local or not.”

Segré is into all things art, and she intends to keep her events mostly free or affordable— but she said she will need some help from the community.

“We would get a lot of people who would come for open mics. We’d get a full house, and we wouldn’t have people supporting the business. In other words, they weren’t buying anything,” Segré said. “Employees and those types of things cost money, so as long as

people continue to support and buy a drink, or two, or buy a record when they’re there, I can continue to keep the events free.

“We probably will do some ticketed events if I have touring musicians coming through, but the point is to make it affordable. That’s why I also say it’s about having the right musicians play, because it’s got to be people who want to be in that intimate environment.”

Gré’s expansion doesn’t just mean there’s more space for vinyl and live music; there’s more room for art in general.

“Before we changed the name because of the records, it was Gré Coffee House and Art Gallery, and there’s still a huge component of the art,” Segré said. “That’s something that you have to be there to see. All my photography is on the walls, and my photography really revolves around music, because that’s what I’m familiar with. It’s really a celebration of music, art and anything analog. We will be doing art shows, but not in the traditional sense. We used to host live art shows, where artists actually had to be creating their art during the event. … (The space) was tiny at the time, so now that we have more space, (people) can watch.

“The building (the Henry Frank Arcade) is such a unique space, and it’s a part of Palm Springs history. The building’s been in the Frank family for years… It was a coffee shop in the ’70s. We needed the room, with the records and the performances. Even though we can’t still can’t fit hundreds of people in there, (before), it was way too small. There’s now more room for a few more people to experience.”

Gré Records and Coffee is located at 278 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. For more information, visit gremagazine.com.

Jarrod and Claire of Nashville, Tenn., perform at Gré Records and Coffee.

Kelly Segré

MUSIC

BEYOND COVER BANDS

By matt king

Sometimes, it hosts cover bands playing the greatest hits of rock. Sometimes, it hosts tribute bands. Other times, it hosts music legends performing an intimate set. No matter the performer, The Rock Yard at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino has been a go-to spot for free entertainment for a long time.

“We started it in the summer of 2006, and I started here in February 2006,” said Paul Ryan,

Fantasy Springs’ general manager. “The property had this beautiful courtyard, and it had a small stage in it, and I kept thinking that we really should be taking advantage of that.

“We started with just one small stage, doing classic-rock cover bands, and we were only on Saturday nights. … I was learning about the desert, because we ran it right through the year, and I thought that living in Southern California meant it’s beautiful all year round. Coming out from New Jersey, I didn’t realize how cold it got in the winter, so we used to laugh, because we would have bands onstage wearing fur coats.”

While Ryan and his team believed in the venue, growth, at first, was slow-going.

“We started to put in the tribute bands,” he said. “That was probably around 2007-2008, and then we introduced a Friday night live-band karaoke, and we ran that for a couple of years, but the tribute bands were so successful that we wound up expanding the tribute bands to Friday and Saturday.

“At that point, we decided we needed a second stage, so every year, we would put in a portable stage. By then, we had learned to close at the end of November and reopen in March. The whole idea was we would have a

classic-rock cover band on the small stage, and then the tribute band on the main stage, and there’ll be no interruption in the music. … We stood out there for a couple of years, saying, ‘We know this is going to be a success,’ and then it just really exploded and became an incredible success.”

Fantasy Springs recently replaced those two stages with one, larger stage—complete with a new lighting and sound system.

“We just felt that it’d be better to have one large stage that’s actually big enough to have a band on each side,” Ryan said. “What we do now is stage left is the classic cover band, and on stage right is the tribute band.”

In the last year, the Rock Yard has started to introduce bands that pay tribute to newer groups.

“We’ve been really very lucky with the bands. They play twice a year, early in the season and later in the season,” Ryan said. “Some acts we tried, and they just didn’t go over as well, so we just refined. Lately, we’ve been trying to do more of the younger acts. The demographics are changing, so we’re doing a lot of what would be more Seattle grunge and more recent bands, in addition to the true classic-rock bands. That formula has been working really well for us.”

One of the Rock Yard’s staple bands is Damage Inc., a Metallica tribute band. The band has been performing in Indio for nearly 15 years; you can catch them on Saturday, Nov. 12.

“My favorite thing about it is that the Rock Yard is free, so anyone 18 and over can come up and enjoy the show,” said Kevin Knight, bassist of Damage Inc., during a recent phone interview. “They have a bunch of great, awesome cover bands, and then they bring in tributes from all over the place. It’s just a great, fun concert series.”

The local favorites were elated to return to the Rock Yard stage in 2021 after the pandemic shutdowns.

“We came back to the Rock Yard last year— but this year, it seems like the crowds are back,” Knight said. “We’re getting the same amount of people that were coming out before, which is a lot. Crowd response is really good, and we have a lot of local fans that we now know. After 10 years, you get to see a lot of regulars … plus new

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/MUSIC

The Rock Yard celebrates a new stage and an increasingly diverse lineup

people that arrive. The crowds are good, and everyone’s having a great time.”

The renovated stage has impressed the Rock Yard veterans.

“The new stage is great; the sound is awesome; and it’s a lot better for setup and play,” Knight said. “We do some things sometimes with one of the (cover) bands called Steel Rod. What we like to do is play a song together, so we have both drum kits going, and all the guitars, and both basses, so having that one giant cohesive stage makes that even more epic.”

Damage Inc. performs at venues all over the world, yet the Rock Yard is still one of their favorite places to be.

“Even with the heat, the people will come out and brave the heat and sweat it out onstage with you,” Knight said. “It’s got such a great vibe. We’ve done some outside festival shows before, and they’re OK, but not compared to the Rock Yard. All the fans are right there with you, no matter what’s going on.”

In recent years, some of classic rock’s actual greats have graced the Rock Yard stage for intimate evenings that Fantasy Springs dubs “Rock Yard on Steroids.”

“This year, we had Puddle of Mudd come out,” Ryan said. “They were getting ready to relaunch their careers, and I was really happy to see that they were booked recently at Morongo. They actually came to us and said, ‘The Rock Yard would be a perfect place for us to get our chops back, and we’d like to play there.’ We’ve had bands over the years come to us and say, ‘We hear about the Rock Yard, and we’d love to do it.’”

In April, Coachella and Stagecoach performers came to the Rock Yard when the stage hosted the Coachella Pre-Party, featuring Girl in Red, and the Stagecoach Pre-Party, featuring Ingrid Andress.

“We’ve been doing these in association with Todd Marker, who has most of the radio stations in our market, and he’s really a great partner,” Ryan said. “I think that the Coachella audience tends to be a little bit younger than the traditional classic-rock audience. … It’s good for us, because we expose the Rock Yard to younger people. When we did the Girl in Red show, it was a really young audience, but it was a really good thing to see.”

For more information on the Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs, located at 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, in Indio, visit www.fantasyspringsresort.com/ rock-yard.

The Venue REPORT

NOVEMber 2022

By matt king

The Vienna Boys Choir

Happy November, everyone! Here’s to cooler temps and hotter entertainment! Stay safe!

Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage features a few interesting events this month. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, catch The World’s Ultimate Elvis Starring Justin Shandor, especially if you’re still riding that Elvis high from Baz Luhrmann’s film. Tickets are $20 to $75. Up for another tribute act? Well, you should be dancing to Bee Gees Gold, happening at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12. Tickets are $15 to $35. Top-selling recording artist, songwriter, concert headliner, network television star, motion picture actor, Broadway performer and author Tony Orlando will do some of these aforementioned things at The Show at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 26. Tickets are $25 to $75. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.hotwatercasino.com. The residencies roll on at Agua Caliente in Palm Springs! Desert Blues Revival

Wednesdays offer two-time Best of Coachella Valley winners The Gand Band continuing their Chicago Blues Caravan (Nov. 2), the blues-rock sounds of Rumble King (Nov. 9), a blues-rock-soul-jazz-funk kinda vibe from Sayed Sabrina (Nov. 16), local legend Hope Diamond and her “Blues for the Soul” show (Nov. 23), and the self-explanatory Scott Reynolds and the Orange County Heavy Blues Company (Nov. 30). Shows are every Wednesday at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at eventspalmsprings.com/blues. Jazzville Thursdays continue to excite with the swingin’ Jennifer Keith Sextet with Mando Doreme (Nov. 3), the United Kingdom-born vintage-jazz performer Alex Mendham and his Orchestra (Nov. 10) and the folk sounds of the Jackie Gibson Quintet (Nov. 17). Shows take place at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $10, available at jazzvillepalmsprings.com. Caliente Comedy Fridays bring the chuckles via the

The Rock Yard at Fantasy Springs.

The Venue REPORT

continued from page

likes of Jamie Kennedy (Nov. 4), Jessica Michelle Singleton (Nov. 11) and Justin Rivera (Nov. 25). Shows are every Friday at 8 p.m., and tickets start at $7.99, available at www.eventspalmsprings.com/calientecomedy. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-9991995; www.sparesortcasino.com.

The McCallum Theatre is back in full swing! At 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9, Michael Childers presents this year’s One Night Only show, New York, New York, benefiting the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center. Tickets start at $195. “Celebrating the artists of today, nurturing the artists of tomorrow!” It’s the Palm Desert Choreography Festival, happening 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12, and 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13. Tickets are $20 to $50. At 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 16, catch the ever-famous Vienna Boys Choir. Tickets are $28 to $78. Want to scratch your Beatles itch? Check out Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles, featuring songs from Abbey Road and the band’s famous rooftop concert, at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 25; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 26; and 2 and 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27. Tickets are $55 to $125. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-3402787; www.mccallumtheatre.com.

Spotlight 29 has a night of Grammynominated entertainment for you in November. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, experience music by Mexican singer, songwriter and actress Paquita la del Barrio Tickets are $50 to $80. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.

Outside, Coachella Crossroads is back with a major Veterans Day special. At 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11, catch A Salute to our Heroes with a performance by country and television star Blake Shelton. Tickets start at $50. Coachella Crossroads, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www. coachellacrossroads.com.

Morongo Casino is making the trip up to Cabazon worth it! At 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, get your ’90s R&B fix with the iconic En Vogue. Tickets are $39. At 9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11, experience an evening with “America’s Top Psychic Medium,” Matt Fraser. Tickets are $49 to $69. Need some country jams? Look no further than Jimmie Allen, performing at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18. Tickets are $49 to $69. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.

Pappy and Harriet’s continues to bring the heat to chilly November Pioneertown nights. At 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 2, rock out to the heavy-hitting sounds of the two-piece Death From Above 1979. Tickets are $30 in advance. At 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, indie-rock outfit

Snail Mail heads for the high desert. Tickets are $37.99. Alternative-rock and dream-pop band The Joy Formidable will perform at the palace at 9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11. Tickets are $25. At 8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15, catch a mystifying set by the psychedelic surf rockers known as La Luz. Tickets are $28. At 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 27, catch 91-year-old folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. From working with Guthrie to inspiring Dylan, Elliott’s talent and legacy make this an unmissable show! Tickets are $40.49. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222; www.pappyandharriets.com.

The Purple Room is hosting many two-night stands this month. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5, witness an evening of soulful and inspiring music from Broadway singer Christine Andreas. Tickets are $55-$60. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11, and Saturday, Nov. 12, be there for special performances by Golden Globe winner Amanda McBroom. Tickets are $35 to $45. The multi-talented Tony and Daytime Emmy winner Lillias White is heading for the Purple Room at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19. Tickets are $55 to $60. All ticketed shows include 6 p.m. dinner reservations. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com.

Oscar’s in Palm Springs is hosting some worthwhile shows. The dynamic singing of Hollywood’s Lloyd Coleman and Houston’s Ricky Comeaux come together for their new show “Lloyd and Ricky” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1. Tickets are $35 to $45. At 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10, it’s a song-filled drag-tastic slumber party with Paige Turner. Tickets are $30 to $40. Mid-Century Moderns, a musical set in 1960s Palm Springs, will be performed at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17; Friday, Nov. 18; and Friday, Nov. 25. Tickets are $54.95 to $69.95. Most Oscar’s shows include a dinner reservation with a $20 food/ drink minimum. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-3251188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events.

Amanda McBroom

MUSIC

BACK ON THE MAP

By matt king

The city of Palm Springs left the historic Plaza Theatre vacant and dilapidated for years. The movement to save the theater only began in earnest in 2019 … and then COVID hit. Now it’s late 2022, and the theater is hosting Rock the Plaza, a concert featuring some of rock’s biggest names. Palm Springs residents Spike Edney (tour musical director and keyboardist for Queen), Brian Ray (guitarist with Paul McCartney) and Rock and Roll Hall of

Fame drummer Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, The Cult) are bringing together Alice Cooper, Josh Homme, Paul Rodgers and others for an amazing night of music, at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11.

The Plaza Theatre is arguably Palm Springs’ most historic building. After opening in 1936, it was a movie theater and a popular location for radio shows. In 1992, it became the home of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, a Palm Springs staple. Since the Follies closed in 2014, the theater has rarely been used.

So … how did the Plaza Theatre go from neglected, to being the subject of a movement to save it, to having that movement almost die, to now hosting a star-studded event that could be the venue’s final show before closing for restoration? Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation board president J.R. Roberts told the story during a recent phone interview.

“When I left office in 2019, I had dinner with our former city manager, who was a good friend of mine,” Roberts said. “He challenged me to do a legacy project, since I was leaving office, and my response to him was, ‘Haven’t I done enough? What did you have in mind?’ He said, ‘What about the Plaza Theatre?’”

It seemed like a perfect fit, since Roberts is an architect with a passion for architectural preservation.

“Palm Springs is a city that people come from all over the world to look at, to admire and love its history. That’s our brand,” Roberts said. “Modernism Week is our most successful event—and the most beautiful gem was boarded up. Before I left office, I was sort of appointed or anointed to raise the money to do this, and then the city would support it as an action to support the restoration of the theater, rather than leasing it out to someone. We got on a decent roll; we got about $500,000 committed.

“And then COVID hit, and everything came down.”

The Plaza Theatre project was stuck—“just sort of sitting there idling,” as Roberts put it. “Then one of the early donors contacted me, and he asked me what was going on. This was a guy who is in the film and television

business. His name is David Lee, and he was the guy who wrote TV shows like Frasier and The Jeffersons. He literally just called me and asked what was going on, and he asked me what my involvement was. I said, ‘I don’t know, probably nothing anymore. I don’t know if the city will ever really support this, and I can’t spend my life raising the kind of money that we would need to do it.’ Without missing a beat, he said, ‘What if I gave you $5 million?’ At that time, our goal was about $12 million to restore the theater; we’ve since raised it to $16 million (due to cost increases). My actual answer to him was, ‘I’m a prostitute for my charities; I’ll do nearly anything. You could have had me at a mil.’

“We went to the city with this; they liked it. I decided to commit to it, and we’ve relaunched. On that same phone call, I said, ‘I’ll do it, but you can’t just be the rich guy who writes a check. I’m going to create a foundation, and I want you on it, and you have to continue helping me.’ He agreed, and he has been fantastic. As of right now, we have over $12 million committed to the Plaza Theatre. It’s a remarkable turnaround, and we all live sort of in shock and gratitude about what has happened.”

The Rock the Plaza concept came from Kyle Verwers and her husband, Spike Edney.

“We’re sort of long-term visitors and parttime residents, so we’ve had a property in Palm Springs since 2016, but we came every winter for many years before that, and we used to enjoy going to see the Follies,” Edney said. “When it closed down, I was saddened, but also quite excited to see what was going to happen (to the Plaza), because I thought, ‘There must be a plan; somebody’s going to have an idea, and we’re only going to wait for 18 months or two years.’”

Verwers and Edney eventually realized, before COVID-19, that there was no plan.

“Kyle said to me, ‘Why don’t we think about putting on a gig here?’” Edney said. “I have a band in the UK called Spike’s All Stars; that is basically a multi-artist house-band setup, and we do charity shows and corporate gigs. We were the house band for Nelson Mandela when he used to have concerts on his birthday

Big-name local musicians get help from their friends to put on a show to save the historic Plaza Theatre

in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Putting on an event with many singers is something we’re very comfortable doing, so we thought we’ll just bring that expertise here. We went to J.R. and said, ‘What about this? Our area is rock ’n’ roll; that’s what we know, so why don’t we do something here?’ The only problem with that is that we come here on holiday, not for work, so I don’t have any contacts here.”

Well, it turns out that many rock stars live in the Coachella Valley—and many of them have an interest in the Plaza Theatre.

“The next thing was to talk to local people,” said Edney. “We did have one friend here; that’s Paul Rodgers, iconic singer of Bad Company and Free. He’s been a good friend; he sang with Queen for a couple of years, and he lives down the road from us. I said, ‘Look, if I put this on, will you come on board?’ And he said, ‘Of course; I love the theater, and I want to see it flourish.’ I called people I knew such as Eric Singer from Kiss, and Teddy Andreadis, who’s one of the keyboard players who played with Guns N’ Roses, and they said, ‘Of course,’ which was fantastic to hear. We needed some local people as well, and I was introduced to Brian Ray of McCartney’s band, and he said, ‘Of course.’”

Then came COVID-19.

“So everything’s … shut down for two years—and now we’re back,” Edney said. “I promptly went on tour with Queen for the summer, so I had to sort of vacate the position and allow all those guys to start doing what they do, so they managed to recruit Alice Cooper, Orianthi and Josh Homme through local contacts. There have been tireless hours spent, and many midnight oils burnt, doing much more.”

This will hopefully be the final Rock the Plaza event before the theater is closed for renovations—but Verwers said she hopes it’s just the first of many Rock the Plaza events overall.

“We’ve all kind of talked over time about this vision of putting Palm Springs back on the map, like it was when the Rat Pack was in full swing,” she said. “I think the thing about Rock the Plaza is you have these local residents, who all have international recognition, coming together with this group of world-class musicians to save this smalltown historic theater. I think it’s kind of the romanticism of that, but also the vision of what it could be. We think it’s great that the city has kind of held on to it, and has not just given it to one of these big conglomerates to

run it, because they want it to be available.

… When Spike and I kind of did this, we thought, once we do this launch, and the theater is up and running, we can do a series of shows called Rock the Plaza, and bring in international rock stars to do shows.

… Our little theater has just gone global, basically, and it is going to be the premier entertainment center. Because of its size, the intimacy and location, it’s got a magic about it. Big-name stars are going to love doing intimate concerts there”

Rock the Plaza will take place at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11, at the Plaza Theatre, 128 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Tickets begin at $175, which are sold out, but a waitlist is available. For more information, visit savetheplazatheatreps.com

CVINDEPENDENT.COM/

The Plaza Theatre sign. PSL archives

MUSIC

LUCKY 13the

Get to better know Blue Sun’s vocalist/ guitarist, and a drummer who’s desert music royalty

by matt king

NAME Madison Ebersole GROUP Blue Sun

MORE INFO Blue Sun

has been capturing both the ears and hearts of music-lovers in valley and beyond with their unique sound that is parts alternative, reggae, punk and more. The band is performing at The Hood Bar and Pizza in Palm Desert on Sunday, Nov. 6. For more info, visit instagram. com/bluesuncv. Madison Ebersole is the guitarist and vocalist of the band.

What was the first concert you attended? Avril Lavigne for my 10th birthday.

What was the first album you owned? Dookie by Green Day.

What bands are you listening to right now?

Everyone on Big Crown Records, plus Drugdealer and Natural Child.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?

I don’t know; I guess the super-poppy butchers of old classics on the radio.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

That’s a hard one! Amy Winehouse would have been amazing.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

I’m gonna say Drake and country music, ha ha.

What’s your favorite music venue?

I really dig Pappy and Harriet’s for getting a chance to see bands I love in an intimate setting not far from home.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

“Life moves way too fast, and the good thangs, they don’t last. So cut your bullshit son, and let’s get high,” “Makin’ It” by Natural Child.

What band or artist changed your life?

So many artists have helped save my life and shape me as a person; it’s hard to pick one. I

will say that reggae music really pulled me out of a rut when I needed it most.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine: Would you like to have a glass of wine, and sing and dance with me?

What song would you like played at your funeral?

“Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Toots and the Maytals.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time? Probably The Lonesome Crowded West or This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About by Modest Mouse.

What song should everyone listen to right now? Our new jam, “Candles (High on Halloween)” by Blue Sun.

NAME Tony Tornay

GROUPS Fatso Jetson, All Souls, Dry Heat MORE INFO Tony Tornay is definitely on the list of desert music royalty who have cultivated our local music scene. Starting out in Fatso Jetson, Tornay was a part of the generatorrocker scene that electrified the desert with riffs and hard-hitting jams. Since then, Tornay has contributed to Desert Sessions’ Volumes 3 & 4, the stoner rock outfit All Souls, and more recently, Dry Heat, a group of CV rock legends led by Sean Wheeler and his desert-focused poetry.

What was the first concert you attended?

Billy Idol/Chequered Past, Wright Gymnasium, College of the Desert, March 13, 1984. I still have the ticket stub!

What was the first album you owned? For Christmas in 1977, I got a cassette of the Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever. I think the first album I bought with my own money was AC/ DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap

What bands are you listening to right now? Slint, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Idles, Fugazi, Quicksand, Subhumans, Jimi Hendrix, Sonic Youth, Crass, Miles Davis, and Devo.

What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? Pop-country.

What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Jimi Hendrix or Beethoven.

What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?

I don’t believe in that idea. You shouldn’t feel

guilty for the things you like.

What’s your favorite music venue?

Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. It’s pretty great. During load-in and soundcheck, before they open the doors to the concert, you have the whole space to yourself. If you don’t know what Meow Wolf is, go to Google, and make that happen for yourself.

What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?

“Never Fight a Man With a Perm,” Idles.

What band or artist changed your life?

Black Flag. They were the whole package: the music, the artwork, and they had their own record label (SST) that had, arguably, the best independent music roster ever. They, along with D.O.A. and Dead Kennedys, invented the independent touring network.

You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?

Jimi Hendrix: “Do you really need to take that many pills?”

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Anything that is over 10 minutes long. I figure people would be polite for the first few minutes, but by the five-minute mark, I imagine that people would start looking around and shifting in their seats, and by the 10 minute mark, I bet people would start leaving. I love moments like that.

Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced.

What song should everyone listen to right now?

Bad Brains, “You.”

Tony Tornay.

By Matt Jones

OPINION

JONESIN’ CROSSWORD