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Even with the Biden administration set to take over the White House, many Congress members say President Trump needs to be removed because of last week’s riots at the Capitol see page 11. (Adobe Stock)
US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA PERMIT NO 00005
January 13, 2021 Vol. 16 No. 4
‘Golden State Budget’
Governor Newsom Proposes 2021-22 State Budget By Desert Star Staff SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today submitted his 2021-22 State Budget proposal to the Legislature – a $227.2 billion fiscal blueprint that provides funding for immediate COVID-19 response and relief efforts where Californians
need it most while making investments for an equitable, inclusive and broad-based economic recovery. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic insight, the Governor’s Budget prioritizes critical actions that will urgently help the California families and businesses
impacted most. It proposes $372 million to speed up vaccines’ administration across all of California’s 58 counties, bolstering the state’s all-handson-deck approach to swift and safe vaccine distribution. It also includes a $14 billion investment in our economic recovery and the Californians
who most need relief – those who have lost their jobs or small businesses or are facing eviction – advancing direct cash supports of $600 to millions of Californians through the Golden State Stimulus, extending new protections and funding to help keep people in their homes and investing in relief grants for small businesses. As part of this investment in California’s
future, the Budget intensifies the Governor’s commitment to equity in and for our school communities, reflected by the highest school funding levels – approximately $90 billion total – in California’s history. The commitment includes investments to target the pandemic’s inequitable impacts on schools and
Local Artist Brightens, Enlightens The Desert
By Pamela Price Nicholas Kontaxis, a desert resident with an uncommon flair for vibrant hues accentuated by self-expression, has brought a dimension of ‘high flying’ to the desert that has taken to the sky, literally. This self-taught artist has built a successful career creating large scale paintings utilizing heavy body acrylic paints and a battalion of palette knives. During the last four years, his vast, multicolored canvas creations have triggered
sell-out solo exhibitions from Palm Desert to London. The most recent landing of his larger-than-life oeuvre took the form of a unique installation at Desert Jet, at their private executive terminal known as an FBO (FixedBase Operator) located at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, Calif. According to Chris Little, Chief Marketing Officer at Desert Jet, this remarkable exhibition carries over to a catalog of the artists’ paintings,
which will be positioned aboard their aircraft. The 24-year-old artist, who calls Rancho Mirage home, was diagnosed with an extensive brain tumor at 15 months of age, resulting in his enduring over 50,000 seizures though his life. However, this did not hinder his talent as an artist—as the French might say, tant s’en fact: far from it! Montana Butler of Heather James Fine Art in Palm Desert echoes that sentiment: Continues on Page 2
Photo Courtesy of Nicholas Kontaxis
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