Rancho Mirage City Council Meeting, February 05, 2026

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AI transcript text.

[00:00:10] Good afternoon
[00:00:12] and welcome to the regular meeting of
[00:00:14] the Ranch Mirage City Council and
[00:00:16] Community Services District, Energy
[00:00:18] Authority, Housing Authority, Joint
[00:00:20] Powers Finance Authority, Librarian
[00:00:23] Observatory and Redevelopment Successor
[00:00:26] Agency Board. It is Thursday, February
[00:00:28] 5th, 2026.
[00:00:31] Would you all please stand for the flag
[00:00:33] salute and join me?
[00:00:39] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[00:00:42] United States of America and to the
[00:00:45] republic for which it stands, one nation
[00:00:48] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[00:00:51] justice for all.
[00:00:57] Madame clerk, may we have roll call,
[00:01:00] please?
[00:01:00] >> Council member DS.
[00:01:05] >> Council member DS,
[00:01:06] >> I'm here.
[00:01:08] >> I am here.
[00:01:09] >> Council member Framber Edstein
[00:01:11] >> here.
[00:01:11] >> Council member while
[00:01:12] >> here.
[00:01:12] >> Mayor Proim O'Keefe
[00:01:14] >> here.
[00:01:14] >> Mayor Mulatto,
[00:01:15] >> I am here.
[00:01:18] >> Now to the next item, presentations. And
[00:01:21] we welcome Sunline Transit Agency uh CEO
[00:01:24] General Manager Monabata
[00:01:27] for her presentation on the operation
[00:01:30] analysis overview of Sunline. Welcome.
[00:01:34] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um Mayor Tam
[00:01:36] O'Keefe and council members, thank you
[00:01:38] for your time. And I Yep. And great, I'm
[00:01:42] going to start with this slide. Hey.
[00:01:44] >> Yeah. I and I want to acknowledge our
[00:01:47] the our Sunline board chair um Mulatto
[00:01:50] as well. Yeah. Mayor and chair
[00:01:54] dual role today. Um so just to I'm here
[00:01:58] to talk about Sun I'm Mona Babata again
[00:02:00] CEO general manager for Sunline. I've
[00:02:02] been there about two and a half years.
[00:02:03] So this has been an interesting
[00:02:04] initiative for me. Um I'm going to share
[00:02:07] a little bit more about Sunline Rides
[00:02:09] Reimagined. And it's a very
[00:02:11] comprehensive initiative that
[00:02:13] essentially is going to allow us to
[00:02:14] understand better the mobility needs of
[00:02:16] the Coachella Valley. Um but I'm going
[00:02:19] to start with um some background on
[00:02:21] Sunline. Sunline is your transport your
[00:02:24] public transit provider for the
[00:02:26] Coachella Valley and we have been your
[00:02:28] provider for 40 over 49 years. Next year
[00:02:32] we celebrate our 50th anniversary. Um we
[00:02:35] are a joint powers authority. We are
[00:02:38] made up of the nine cities in the
[00:02:39] Coachella Valley as well as the
[00:02:41] unincorporated
[00:02:42] uh areas um of Riverside County in in
[00:02:46] the valley. Uh our service area covers
[00:02:49] over,00 square miles. When you when you
[00:02:53] look at that land size, it's about the
[00:02:55] same size as the state of Rhode Island.
[00:02:57] And so it's a very large service area.
[00:03:00] It extends all the way from the salt and
[00:03:02] sea in the east to San Bernardino
[00:03:05] actually to the west. So we operate not
[00:03:08] only local service within the valley but
[00:03:10] we also provide regional service that
[00:03:13] allows actually a lot of our citizens to
[00:03:15] go to school at Cal State San Bernardino
[00:03:18] and then we also go to downtown San
[00:03:20] Bernardino where we connect with
[00:03:22] Metroink and other providers in Southern
[00:03:25] California. So we we ensure that we
[00:03:28] provide that regional connection to
[00:03:30] anywhere within Southern California as
[00:03:33] well in partnership with our neighbors.
[00:03:35] We carry about 3 million people every
[00:03:38] single year. That includes ridership on
[00:03:41] our big buses that have the sun bus on
[00:03:43] the side. We also provide complimentary
[00:03:46] paratransit service. So that's service
[00:03:49] that is meant to be provided to those
[00:03:52] who do not have the physical and
[00:03:54] cognitive abilities to take fixed route.
[00:03:56] So, those are folks who physically can't
[00:03:59] do things like walk to a bus stop or
[00:04:01] read a a schedule or understand where to
[00:04:05] get off from a bus. So, and that service
[00:04:09] is provided within 3/4 of a mile of a
[00:04:11] fixed route. So, if you're living in an
[00:04:14] area that doesn't have that big bus,
[00:04:16] chances are you're not going to get
[00:04:18] complimentary paratransit either. So, we
[00:04:21] fill in gaps with other services. So, we
[00:04:23] provide sunrise. That is our version of
[00:04:25] Uber and Lift. So you can call a number,
[00:04:28] schedule a ride. It's $3 and you can
[00:04:30] take a ride within a geo fenced area.
[00:04:34] And um and then we also provide
[00:04:36] subsidized taxi service. So we are the
[00:04:38] the taxi regulator for all of the
[00:04:40] Coachella Valley. Instead of the cities
[00:04:43] managing taxis within each particular
[00:04:45] city, we do that for you. And um we
[00:04:48] provides provide subsidized taxi trips
[00:04:52] up to $150. So essentially someone could
[00:04:55] take $150 worth of taxi rides within a
[00:04:58] month. We will subsidize up to $75. So
[00:05:01] every dollar someone puts into a ride,
[00:05:03] we can subsidize that with another
[00:05:06] dollar. That is for folks who are 60 and
[00:05:09] older or those who meet certain
[00:05:11] qualifying circumstances um like a
[00:05:14] disability and so on. and and that could
[00:05:16] be provided on our website
[00:05:18] www.sonline.org.
[00:05:22] And so I wanted to talk a little bit
[00:05:24] more about Sunline Rights Reimagined. So
[00:05:27] um we are early on in the phase um of
[00:05:30] the or early on in the process. Uh
[00:05:32] basically what we've been doing since
[00:05:34] last fall is looking at performance
[00:05:36] data. So, we're trying to understand
[00:05:38] where riders are getting on the bus,
[00:05:40] where they're getting off, what time of
[00:05:42] day, um what are the key destinations
[00:05:45] for anyone um taking the bus. So, we're
[00:05:47] we're looking at all of that data very
[00:05:49] carefully and uh we're, you know, as as
[00:05:52] well as how long it takes to get from
[00:05:54] point A to point B. So, travel time.
[00:05:57] What we what we're also doing is
[00:05:59] collecting information from the
[00:06:01] community through a survey process. So,
[00:06:03] we have an online survey and it's in
[00:06:05] English and in Spanish. We're also
[00:06:08] providing hard copies of the survey and
[00:06:11] um the the hard copies really are for
[00:06:13] those who are boots on you our boots on
[00:06:15] the ground going out to places like
[00:06:17] senior centers to schools to Rotary
[00:06:20] clubs to other civic centers to actually
[00:06:24] meet people where they are and ensure
[00:06:26] that we understand what their mobility
[00:06:28] needs are. And um and let me move on to
[00:06:33] the next slide. Actually, there's the
[00:06:36] there's the um the QR code up there. So,
[00:06:40] that will take you to your your um to
[00:06:42] the online survey
[00:06:45] and um and if anyone needs a paper
[00:06:48] survey, please again our our website is
[00:06:51] www.sonline.org.
[00:06:53] Um, and you can contact us and we will
[00:06:56] be more than happy to mail a survey or
[00:06:58] we will go out and meet someone and give
[00:07:00] them a survey. Um, because it's very
[00:07:02] important that we get that feedback so
[00:07:04] that we understand what everyone's needs
[00:07:06] are and set us up for the next 50 years
[00:07:08] of service. And so with that, Madame
[00:07:10] Mayor, thank you very much. And council
[00:07:12] members, thank you very much for the
[00:07:13] time today.
[00:07:16] Mona, if I could ask a favor, could you
[00:07:18] uh send a PDF to my email here at the
[00:07:21] city so that we can share that survey
[00:07:24] with our senior housing and then also
[00:07:27] our mobile home parks for starters. We
[00:07:30] can make those copies and and and get
[00:07:32] that distributed because not every
[00:07:33] senior has a computer or understands a
[00:07:37] QR code, that type thing. And that would
[00:07:39] be very helpful because we'll be
[00:07:41] visiting with our seniors as far as
[00:07:43] available resources and what's needed.
[00:07:46] >> Okay. Absolutely.
[00:07:47] >> I appreciate it and I appreciate
[00:07:48] everything that you and the entire
[00:07:50] Sunline team do. This is an ongoing
[00:07:54] discussion
[00:07:55] >> for a long time
[00:07:58] >> as to what is needed in our community
[00:08:01] that's been growing exponentially, how
[00:08:04] we can add roots. But before you can add
[00:08:06] roots, you need to know where the needs
[00:08:08] are. Absolutely. And so that needs
[00:08:10] analysis is ongoing and uh we appreciate
[00:08:13] everyone's efforts. Thank you.
[00:08:14] >> Thank you very much,
[00:08:17] >> Mayor. We do have one speaker card on
[00:08:18] this item,
[00:08:19] >> please.
[00:08:20] >> Michael Harrington.
[00:08:26] >> Thank you. Michael Harrington. I live in
[00:08:28] Rancho Mirage. Uh the reason I wanted to
[00:08:30] speak on this item is um that was a
[00:08:33] great presentation and I find that
[00:08:35] they're very good at um hearing
[00:08:37] feedback. Am I speaking clearly? That
[00:08:39] they're good at taking feedback and want
[00:08:41] feedback and asking for surveys and I
[00:08:44] love what they do and I'm glad they're
[00:08:46] here. But I I did want to point out that
[00:08:48] in Rancho Mirage we don't have Sun Ride
[00:08:51] Sun and they can clarify if they wish or
[00:08:54] maybe their presentation is over or
[00:08:56] maybe you know mayor but last I checked
[00:08:58] Sunide is not in Raptur Mirage. They
[00:09:01] were studying if it should be here but
[00:09:04] Sunride is you know has a lot of great
[00:09:08] uh advantages and it's I think we're the
[00:09:11] only city that doesn't have it last I
[00:09:13] checked. Um it's like $3 I believe as
[00:09:17] she said. Um you can use it to um get
[00:09:22] anywhere. I believe you're confined to
[00:09:23] that to the city. It's geo fenced. So
[00:09:26] Rapture Mirage Sunride I believe is in
[00:09:29] Rapture Mirage, but there's a lot of
[00:09:30] stores seniors can't get to. Anyone can
[00:09:34] take it. It's different than the parah
[00:09:36] uh than the disabled uh I think it's
[00:09:40] called sundial for disabled. Um it's
[00:09:43] different than that. Um so people may
[00:09:45] not qualify for the disabled ride but
[00:09:48] could benefit from the sun ride and
[00:09:51] instead of paying you know $25 for a
[00:09:54] Uber and as well as a lot of the risk we
[00:09:57] have these days with Uber people get in
[00:09:59] the wrong car and it's not an Uber and
[00:10:01] they get robbed. I don't know. Sunride
[00:10:04] for $3 can take you to go shopping and
[00:10:06] get your errands done. On my street I
[00:10:09] see one senior. She's afraid to leave
[00:10:12] because she has a car but doesn't drive
[00:10:13] well and she was driving off the curb
[00:10:15] and I was helping her. When I saw that,
[00:10:17] I went to help direct her. Someone could
[00:10:20] come pick her up and take her where, you
[00:10:22] know, there's a lot of people that could
[00:10:24] very well benefit. A car could be down
[00:10:28] at the shop and you want to go
[00:10:29] somewhere, it will save us money. I
[00:10:32] could tell you being in into cars. I'll
[00:10:34] be quick and not antidote. You know, the
[00:10:36] little short trips are the hardest on
[00:10:38] our cars because we're not all that
[00:10:40] carbon builds up. It doesn't get out and
[00:10:43] you get these big repair bills and if
[00:10:45] you look into it, it's these short
[00:10:47] little stop and goes we do around town
[00:10:50] that are really hard on the cars. So, we
[00:10:52] think we're saving money not having
[00:10:54] sunrise or some other transportation
[00:10:57] system. We're losing money uh out of our
[00:11:00] own pocket. We just aren't connecting
[00:11:02] the dots. Okay. Okay. Well, thank you.
[00:11:04] And maybe they could address that. Thank
[00:11:06] you.
[00:11:06] >> Thank you. Mona, would you like to
[00:11:08] address that topic?
[00:11:12] >> So, I appreciate Mr. Harrington's
[00:11:14] concern. Um, actually effective our
[00:11:16] January service change. In early
[00:11:18] January, we implemented Sunride in
[00:11:20] Rancho Mirage acknowledging that there
[00:11:22] was a gap here. So, um, it we actually
[00:11:25] are in a sunride geoence right now. So,
[00:11:27] if Mr. Harrington wants to take Sunride
[00:11:29] Going back home, you can use the we, my
[00:11:32] staff can help you with the app if you
[00:11:34] want to download the app. Yeah. So, um,
[00:11:36] we could, you know, I I can't promise
[00:11:38] it's going to come any, you know, um, we
[00:11:40] would have to work with you on the
[00:11:41] timing and everything, but, um, we do
[00:11:43] have Sunrise and Rancho Mirage now.
[00:11:45] >> Terrific. Thank you.
[00:11:47] >> And I'm sorry, it was actually in the
[00:11:48] presentation, so if anyone wants to go
[00:11:50] back and look at my presentation,
[00:11:52] there's a map of the geoence in there.
[00:11:54] >> Thank you. Thank you.
[00:11:55] >> Now, that's fast delivery. Absolutely.
[00:11:59] >> Mayor, we did have one other person who
[00:12:01] indicated they'd like to speak.
[00:12:02] >> Absolutely.
[00:12:04] >> Please step up to the podium and state
[00:12:05] your name.
[00:12:14] >> Good afternoon everybody. Um my name is
[00:12:16] Alex Cruz and I am a public transit
[00:12:18] advocate. Um, I actually did not know
[00:12:20] they were going to be here today, but
[00:12:22] um, I just want to mention that although
[00:12:24] Sunride is a good option to have, um, we
[00:12:28] really shouldn't let that replace actual
[00:12:31] public transit and we can't use that as
[00:12:33] public transit because it's not it's a
[00:12:35] ride sharing app. So, let I think we
[00:12:39] really need to have the main routes on
[00:12:42] um, all of our main streets that are
[00:12:44] used. Um, and we have that grid, a nice
[00:12:48] grid in Rancho Mirage, um, where there
[00:12:51] are no gaps with the bus and you could
[00:12:53] just hop on the bus instead of, you
[00:12:56] know, you see it coming and hopefully
[00:12:58] it's no more than 10 or 12 minutes. Um
[00:13:02] but just wanted to say that that it's
[00:13:05] more important to focus on the actual
[00:13:07] fixed routes of um Sunbus and hopefully
[00:13:11] we could have some great public transit
[00:13:14] in this valley because I think that's
[00:13:15] really going to make us uh true paradise
[00:13:18] and um I think we deserve it. So yeah,
[00:13:22] please and thank you.
[00:13:23] >> Thank you, Alex. And actually um and
[00:13:26] I'll speak to this only because I'm I am
[00:13:28] the chair of Sunrise this year. Um I'm
[00:13:30] sorry. Yeah, Sun Sunline uh transit.
[00:13:34] It's a multid-discipline approach.
[00:13:37] Some need Sunide, some need the
[00:13:39] paratransit, some need the fixed routes.
[00:13:42] And that's something that the Sunline
[00:13:43] team is not only seeking input as you
[00:13:47] and I had talked a couple months ago,
[00:13:49] but also so they're taking the survey,
[00:13:52] but they're doing their analysis and
[00:13:53] they do plan to add roots. So, I
[00:13:56] appreciate it because it's been through
[00:13:58] your input that you've shared with us.
[00:14:00] one of many and we appreciate your
[00:14:02] comments. Thank you so much.
[00:14:06] >> Okay. Is there are there any other
[00:14:07] comments to this matter?
[00:14:09] >> I think so. There was no additional
[00:14:10] speaker cards. Would anyone else like to
[00:14:11] speak?
[00:14:13] >> No additional speakers.
[00:14:15] >> Terrific. We'll move on now to council
[00:14:17] member comments and reports. And I'll
[00:14:20] start our I will start with council
[00:14:22] member Ted While.
[00:14:26] >> Thank you, Mayor.
[00:14:29] The um the Rancho Mirage Writers
[00:14:32] Festival
[00:14:34] continues to be one of our city's
[00:14:37] signature cultural events.
[00:14:40] It brings nationally and internationally
[00:14:44] recognized authors and thoughtful
[00:14:46] leaders to our community.
[00:14:50] Last week, over three days, the 2026
[00:14:56] festival once again showcased Rancho
[00:15:00] Mirage as a destination for ideas,
[00:15:04] conversation,
[00:15:06] and lifelong learning with engaging
[00:15:09] sessions spanning literature,
[00:15:13] journalism, history, science, and
[00:15:17] storytelling.
[00:15:19] Tickets sold out quickly due to
[00:15:22] overwhelming demand,
[00:15:24] reflecting the festival's growing
[00:15:26] reputation and strong community support.
[00:15:31] To expand access, most sessions were
[00:15:35] livereamed,
[00:15:37] allowing residents, visitors, and
[00:15:40] audiences from around the world to
[00:15:43] participate.
[00:15:45] In the very short period of time since
[00:15:48] the conclusion of the festival,
[00:15:53] over a million people have turned in,
[00:15:56] tuned into YouTube to watch the event.
[00:16:02] Those sessions are now available on
[00:16:04] demand via the Writersfest YouTube
[00:16:07] channel and showing on RMTV
[00:16:11] Spectrum channel 17,
[00:16:14] extending the festival's reach well
[00:16:17] beyond the weekend.
[00:16:20] The festival also delivers meaningful
[00:16:23] economic benefits
[00:16:26] supporting local hotels,
[00:16:29] restaurants, and businesses
[00:16:32] while enhancing Rancho Mirage's profile
[00:16:37] as a premier cultural tourism
[00:16:41] destination.
[00:16:44] We're grateful to the organizers,
[00:16:46] volunteers, sponsors, partners, and
[00:16:49] authors whose dedication makes this
[00:16:53] event possible.
[00:16:55] We are already looking forward to 2027.
[00:17:01] No matter how successful this event is
[00:17:05] and has been, you'll still get a few
[00:17:08] naysayers
[00:17:09] that nitpick tiny little areas that are
[00:17:14] nonsensical.
[00:17:16] The program is self- sustaining.
[00:17:20] The writer's festival pays for itself
[00:17:23] and reimbures the library for staff
[00:17:27] time.
[00:17:28] We are fortunate, so fortunate to have
[00:17:32] this international event and enure the
[00:17:36] benefit to our incredible city.
[00:17:41] I'll now like to talk about one other
[00:17:44] aspect that is a great
[00:17:47] bonus for living here in Rancho Mirage.
[00:17:52] The city's shop local Rancho Mirage eg
[00:17:54] gift card program
[00:17:57] continues to be a powerful way for
[00:18:00] residents and visitors to support our
[00:18:04] local businesses while keeping dollars
[00:18:07] circulating right here in our community.
[00:18:11] The current buy one get one bonus
[00:18:15] offer ends tomorrow,
[00:18:18] making this the final opportunity to
[00:18:21] take advantage of this limited time
[00:18:24] incentive.
[00:18:26] While the bonus offer ends tomorrow,
[00:18:29] bonus cards remain valid through
[00:18:33] February 17,
[00:18:35] giving card holders time to enjoy
[00:18:38] dining, shopping, and services at
[00:18:42] participating Rancho Mirage businesses.
[00:18:47] This program has proven to be highly
[00:18:50] successful,
[00:18:52] driving foot traffic to local
[00:18:54] restaurants, shops, and giving card
[00:18:58] holders time to enjoy dining, shopping,
[00:19:02] and services at participating Rancho
[00:19:06] Mirage businesses.
[00:19:08] The program has proven to be highly
[00:19:11] successful.
[00:19:13] Shop local gift cards help strengthen
[00:19:15] our local economy by supporting small
[00:19:19] businesses, creating jobs, and
[00:19:22] generating sales tax revenue that
[00:19:25] benefits city services
[00:19:29] and traditionally slower periods of
[00:19:32] time.
[00:19:34] Shop local gift cards help strengthen
[00:19:37] our local economy by supporting small
[00:19:40] businesses, creating jobs, and
[00:19:43] generating sales tax revenue that
[00:19:46] benefits city services and community
[00:19:49] programs.
[00:19:51] We encourage everyone to take advantage
[00:19:53] of this final day of the bonus offer and
[00:19:58] continue supporting the businesses that
[00:20:01] make Rancho Mirage such a vibrant place
[00:20:04] to live, work, and visit.
[00:20:08] Go to shoplorm.com
[00:20:11] to see the 60 participating businesses
[00:20:16] and purchase your card today. Again, a
[00:20:21] wonderful bonus, a great opportunity
[00:20:24] to get a Valentine gift for your loved
[00:20:29] ones.
[00:20:31] And only a short time remains, but
[00:20:34] again, you're eligible for the bonus
[00:20:37] that will not expire. Thank you, Mayor.
[00:20:41] >> Thank you, Councilman.
[00:20:42] >> Thank you, Council Member While. Uh,
[00:20:44] Council Member DS.
[00:20:47] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. And uh welcome
[00:20:49] everyone and thank you to council member
[00:20:52] while for talking about the ranch mirage
[00:20:54] writers festival uh which puts our city
[00:20:57] on a world stage uh and provides
[00:21:00] incalculable value in terms of marketing
[00:21:03] recognition and bringing additional
[00:21:04] economic value and tourism to our city.
[00:21:07] So thank you for mentioning uh the
[00:21:08] writers festival Mr. Mr. Council member.
[00:21:11] Um, also, uh, we might recall that it
[00:21:14] was some months ago that we had the
[00:21:17] Ranch Mrage High School girls softball
[00:21:19] team. They were the CIF winners. So, we
[00:21:21] repres them here in the council chamber
[00:21:23] some months ago. Well, Tuesday night,
[00:21:26] the uh, Ranch Mirage High School boys
[00:21:28] soccer team swed up the DEL title for
[00:21:31] soccer. So, good for them.
[00:21:32] Congratulations to them. They are the
[00:21:34] title winner and they will go to CIF
[00:21:36] competition as well. So, we'll see see
[00:21:38] how far they go. There are two items
[00:21:39] that I wanted to advise council and
[00:21:41] staff and the public about uh today and
[00:21:43] they have to do with recent meetings of
[00:21:44] the Riverside County Transportation
[00:21:46] Commission and the Coachella Valley
[00:21:48] Association of Governments
[00:21:50] Transportation Committee first on RCTC.
[00:21:53] So a goal for RCTC is to build CV rail.
[00:21:57] CV rail is an important economic benefit
[00:22:00] that eventually someday hopefully will
[00:22:02] come to this desert. It will bring uh
[00:22:04] rail traffic from uh LA cities in LA in
[00:22:07] LA County to uh to the desert. Now, an
[00:22:10] expensive and a time-consuming part of
[00:22:13] uh the process of building CV rail has
[00:22:15] to do with the uh California
[00:22:17] Environmental Quality Act and producing
[00:22:19] an environmental impact report. Um a SQA
[00:22:23] and EI SQA complying with SQA and
[00:22:25] producing an EI for a project this size
[00:22:28] is a huge undertaking taking in and of
[00:22:31] itself. it would cost millions of
[00:22:32] dollars and take years simply to comply
[00:22:35] with SQA. Now, there are exemptions to
[00:22:38] SQA for certain uh rail projects. And
[00:22:42] here's the exemption. The exemption
[00:22:44] applies to rail projects that are zero
[00:22:46] emission projects. Zero emission. Here's
[00:22:49] the problem with that. The problem with
[00:22:50] that is that there is one single local
[00:22:54] rail um project in the country, one and
[00:22:57] only one. And there are no regional rail
[00:23:00] projects that are zero emission. Not
[00:23:02] none in the country because the
[00:23:04] technology doesn't ex exist. It doesn't
[00:23:05] work for uh for regional rail
[00:23:07] transportation. So it's a little like
[00:23:09] it's a catch 22. Here's an exemption. Uh
[00:23:12] I often describe catch22s like this as
[00:23:15] um uh you need a token to cross the
[00:23:17] bridge, but all of the tokens are on the
[00:23:19] other side of the bridge. So uh we've
[00:23:21] got this exemption that conceivably
[00:23:23] could work, but we can't build rail that
[00:23:25] is zero emission. So what uh is RCTC
[00:23:29] attempting to do about this? RCTC is
[00:23:32] attempting to find a way to make that
[00:23:35] SQA exemption apply to CV Rail. And
[00:23:39] there are two assembly members who are
[00:23:42] looking at trying to uh uh shepherd this
[00:23:44] bill through the legislature. One of
[00:23:46] them is a local Coachella Valley uh
[00:23:49] assembly member, Jeff Gonzalez. So, um,
[00:23:52] if we are able to get this to the
[00:23:55] legislature and if it passes, it will
[00:23:57] save millions of dollars and countless
[00:23:59] hours, countless, uh, months and years
[00:24:02] of time, uh, by eliminating by giving us
[00:24:05] an exemption to the sequ.
[00:24:08] So I would suggest to all of us when we
[00:24:11] talk to assembly member Greg Wallace or
[00:24:13] our state senator Rosella Oo uh that uh
[00:24:17] we support this idea of an exemption for
[00:24:20] from SQA 4 CV rail. The second thing I
[00:24:22] wanted to talk about today has to do
[00:24:23] with the Cal at the Coachella Valley uh
[00:24:26] association of government's
[00:24:27] transportation committee. We met on
[00:24:29] Monday and uh staff for Seabback
[00:24:31] Transportation presented a uh report uh
[00:24:35] to the committee about funding and cash
[00:24:39] flow uh concerns. Now the issue is that
[00:24:43] cash flow to produce the projects that
[00:24:45] have already been approved and are on
[00:24:48] the books from the transportation
[00:24:50] committee and the executive committee.
[00:24:52] Um they're there. We're trying to build
[00:24:54] them, but staff projects that we'll run
[00:24:56] out of funding to build them by about
[00:24:58] the first quarter of 2028. So, we have
[00:25:00] to find other ways uh to produce funding
[00:25:02] or other ways to prior prioritize the
[00:25:05] important uh transportation issues that
[00:25:08] we need to address along especially the
[00:25:10] I 10 corridor. There are a number of
[00:25:12] interchange projects that must be uh
[00:25:15] updated or rebuilt in the coming years.
[00:25:17] And it's important to do that for our
[00:25:18] economy because um
[00:25:21] I think the statistic is something like
[00:25:22] this. It's something like about 40% of
[00:25:25] all of the goods that are offloaded at
[00:25:27] the ports of LA and Long Beach travel
[00:25:29] across I 10 through this desert. So, in
[00:25:31] order to maintain a a a good economy, we
[00:25:34] must make sure that it's easy and
[00:25:36] convenient for those trucks to travel
[00:25:38] across I 10. It's also the case that
[00:25:41] tourism tourism dollars are the most
[00:25:43] important part of our economy here in
[00:25:44] the desert, certainly in our city, and
[00:25:46] tourists like to go to places where it's
[00:25:48] easy to get around. So it's important
[00:25:49] for us to build and update those uh
[00:25:51] interchanges um so that our tourism
[00:25:55] economy is uh is vital and vigorous. So
[00:25:58] the transportation committee uh uh
[00:26:00] suggested that the um suggested that we
[00:26:03] set up an ad hoc committee uh that the
[00:26:06] executive director Tom Kirk establish an
[00:26:08] ad hoc committee to look into ways uh to
[00:26:11] generate additional revenue. I'm going
[00:26:12] to tell you about just one uh one way to
[00:26:14] generate additional revenue that the ad
[00:26:16] that the U staff suggested that the ad
[00:26:19] hoc look into and I'll talk about uh a
[00:26:21] the TUM fee. TUM is the transportation
[00:26:24] uniform mitigation fee. It's applied to
[00:26:27] new construction either residential or
[00:26:29] commercial new construction and it's
[00:26:31] applied at various levels depending on
[00:26:33] the size of the the building to be
[00:26:35] constructed. The purpose of TUMF is to
[00:26:38] um compensate government for the cost of
[00:26:41] having built roadway infrastructure so
[00:26:44] that people can get to and build those
[00:26:45] buildings and then use that use the
[00:26:47] roadways after those buildings are
[00:26:48] constructed. So, um uh it's a way to to
[00:26:51] even out the cost uh of having having
[00:26:54] built all of the transportation
[00:26:55] infrastructure. Well, the tump fee, as
[00:26:57] an example, in western Riverside County
[00:27:00] for the typical two-bedroom, three bath,
[00:27:02] two bed, two or threebedroom, two or
[00:27:04] three bath single family residence is a
[00:27:07] little over $15,000. The tum fee for a
[00:27:10] similar roughly two-bedroom, two two or
[00:27:12] threebedroom, two or three bath typical
[00:27:14] single family residence here in the
[00:27:16] Coachella Valley is a little under
[00:27:18] $3,000. So that's one way that we might
[00:27:21] be able to increase revenues to solve
[00:27:23] this problem of revenue generation in
[00:27:25] the future for uh transportation
[00:27:27] projects here in the Coachella Valley.
[00:27:28] So those are the two items that I wanted
[00:27:30] you to know about today. The SQA
[00:27:32] exemption for CV Rail. It's important
[00:27:34] for us to work on that and the looming
[00:27:36] cash flow issue for freeway
[00:27:37] infrastructure projects uh in the
[00:27:39] Coachella Valley. Thank you, Madame
[00:27:40] Mayor.
[00:27:42] >> Thank you, Council. Thank you, Council
[00:27:44] Member DS. Um Council Member E from
[00:27:47] Eden. Thank you, mayor. Um, I too wanted
[00:27:51] to quickly talk about the writers
[00:27:52] festival. Um, it was an incredible
[00:27:54] event. I am really happy to hear about
[00:27:57] the million people watching. I had found
[00:27:59] out that during the festival there was
[00:28:02] live broadcasts and there were watch
[00:28:04] parties going on at different houses all
[00:28:06] over Rancho Mirage, which I thought was
[00:28:08] a great way to experience it, which is
[00:28:10] to get together with your friends and
[00:28:11] spend the day on YouTube watching things
[00:28:13] live and feeling the same sense of
[00:28:16] community that I think we all felt on
[00:28:18] those three days in the library. Um, it
[00:28:21] was three days of deep conversation,
[00:28:24] history, lessons, and great advice and
[00:28:25] leadership and community. There were
[00:28:28] opportunities to engage in the peaceful
[00:28:29] exchange of ideas and civil discourse
[00:28:31] which we need now more than ever. But
[00:28:33] most interesting for me was a session on
[00:28:37] the history of sandwiches. Um, there was
[00:28:41] a cookbook sold called Sandwiches of
[00:28:44] History by Barry Enderwick, who also has
[00:28:46] a Sandwiches of History uh, Instagram,
[00:28:50] Tik Tok, YouTube channel, where he makes
[00:28:53] different sandwiches on a daily basis,
[00:28:55] which in and of itself is really
[00:28:56] interesting because he's not a chef.
[00:28:58] That's not his background. His
[00:28:59] background is in digital branding, but
[00:29:01] this has become his his hobby. Uh,
[00:29:04] unfortunately for his waistline, this is
[00:29:06] also his hobby, as he admitted. But he
[00:29:08] did a great hour on sandwiches and their
[00:29:12] history, belief on how they started, how
[00:29:14] they've evolved. Uh it was incredibly
[00:29:17] indepth and there were such topics as
[00:29:19] butter versus mayonnaise.
[00:29:22] um when the world started toasting their
[00:29:24] bread and generally why we love
[00:29:27] sandwiches so much and most importantly
[00:29:30] it was a really engaging Q&A session
[00:29:32] about people talking about their
[00:29:34] regional sandwiches and also the
[00:29:36] sandwiches of their childhood the
[00:29:38] sandwiches most famously that your
[00:29:40] mother or your caregiver may have made
[00:29:41] for you that involved whatever
[00:29:43] ingredients they found in the kitchen
[00:29:44] and they told you that was a recipe. So,
[00:29:46] it was really interesting and no pun
[00:29:48] intended, it was a great pallet cleanser
[00:29:50] for our minds after a day of heavy
[00:29:52] history. Um, in addition, another
[00:29:54] highlight for me personally was there
[00:29:57] were several presentations by Lieutenant
[00:29:59] General Russell Honore who was in
[00:30:01] attendance who had two books that he has
[00:30:03] authored. One was about leadership and
[00:30:05] another one is I believe entitled um
[00:30:08] Stupid Things Not to Do which is a
[00:30:11] really good title for a book. I bought
[00:30:12] both for my son. Um
[00:30:16] he indepth spoke about the evacuation of
[00:30:20] New Orleans in the face of Hurricane
[00:30:22] Katrina
[00:30:23] which was timely in the event that about
[00:30:27] a week later we had a massive well I
[00:30:30] would consider I have a huge fear of
[00:30:32] earthquakes so anything over 4.5 feels
[00:30:35] like 7.8 eight to me a 5.1 earthquake uh
[00:30:38] centered in India and I think it was a
[00:30:40] great reminder that um a lot of
[00:30:43] communities plan for disaster and fail
[00:30:47] or don't plan at all and then fail. Um,
[00:30:51] Lieutenant Honor spoke about taking over
[00:30:53] the evacuation of that city. Uh,
[00:30:56] probably 5 days later than it should
[00:30:58] have happened and saving uh, many
[00:31:02] people, most of whom afflicted were
[00:31:04] those that were lower income and the
[00:31:07] those living on minimum or poor wages.
[00:31:10] and also especially the disabled and
[00:31:13] seniors that were living by themselves
[00:31:15] that did not have an opportunity to
[00:31:16] evacuate because they didn't have the
[00:31:18] means and they had no one to help them
[00:31:20] with their mobility challenges which I
[00:31:23] think um probably aptly describes this
[00:31:26] community as well.
[00:31:28] It was um sobering, it was enlightening
[00:31:31] and it got us thinking. We are really
[00:31:34] lucky in our city that we have an
[00:31:36] earthquake preparedness committee or
[00:31:37] commission. Most of our desert cities do
[00:31:40] not. This commission works very very
[00:31:43] hard on community outreach and community
[00:31:46] education building, especially about
[00:31:49] things like having proper water, having
[00:31:51] go bags. Um,
[00:31:54] and I think that our citizens would be
[00:31:58] um wise to look this up on the city
[00:32:01] website and get more involved to make
[00:32:03] sure you have your home equipped in the
[00:32:05] event of an earthquake. My biggest fear
[00:32:07] is if that earthquake were to happen in
[00:32:08] the summer and we were dealing with
[00:32:11] excessive heat on top of what would be
[00:32:13] an already challenging time. Um, in
[00:32:16] addition to that, published in the
[00:32:17] Desert Sun last week was an article by
[00:32:19] Rancher Mirage resident Eric Cunning
[00:32:21] Cunningham who's very involved in the
[00:32:23] library and it sits on one of our
[00:32:24] library commissions about the first week
[00:32:27] after a massive earthquake were to hit
[00:32:28] our valley and what we could expect. It
[00:32:31] is, I think, real in real time. If you
[00:32:35] don't read it and aren't shook to your
[00:32:36] core, then you read it again because I
[00:32:39] think it is what we all are going to
[00:32:40] face. And I've heard this this record of
[00:32:44] possibility many times in my life. But
[00:32:46] now that I have a home and a child and a
[00:32:48] dog and an electric car and a lot of
[00:32:51] other things that make things different,
[00:32:53] um, I'm reading it even closer,
[00:32:55] especially in regards to water and the
[00:32:57] lack of utilities and the lack of
[00:33:00] resources. we will most likely be cut
[00:33:02] off from the major um um cities of the
[00:33:07] rest of our state that would provide a
[00:33:09] lot of our services and so we may be on
[00:33:10] our own for longer than two weeks as a
[00:33:13] community and we're going to have to
[00:33:14] learn to rely on ourselves and each
[00:33:16] other to get through. So I would suggest
[00:33:18] that everybody read the article, reach
[00:33:20] out to the emergency prepared to the uh
[00:33:22] earthquake preparedness commission for
[00:33:24] more information or assistance. They
[00:33:25] will they give public um
[00:33:29] reports and they will come to your HOA.
[00:33:32] They will come to your community and and
[00:33:34] teach you how to get prepared and they
[00:33:36] make it easy and not uh overwhelming.
[00:33:39] And also there is uh the Coachella
[00:33:40] Valley Disaster Preparedness Network
[00:33:42] CVDPM that also offers it. In fact,
[00:33:46] Mitch Brown, our commissioner chair, is
[00:33:48] involved in both organizations. And
[00:33:50] those resources are free to all of us
[00:33:53] beyond just Rancho Mirage. So, I just
[00:33:56] wanted to mention that. And again, thank
[00:33:58] you for the time. Thank you, Mayor Prom
[00:34:01] O'Keefe.
[00:34:03] >> Um, thank you, Madame Mayor. Good
[00:34:04] afternoon, everyone. Um, I too loved the
[00:34:07] history of sandwiches. Uh, I also
[00:34:10] enjoyed Tina Brown telling us secrets
[00:34:13] about the royal family. So check that
[00:34:15] out on YouTube. Um, all of you know that
[00:34:18] the number one responsibility of our
[00:34:20] city and government is to provide public
[00:34:23] safety and the city of Ranch Mirage is
[00:34:25] committed to providing residents and
[00:34:27] visitors with a safe place to live,
[00:34:29] work, and shop. That includes
[00:34:32] maintaining safe streets. And that
[00:34:35] commitment is carried out each day by
[00:34:38] the dedicated men and women of our law
[00:34:40] enforcement and traffic enforcement
[00:34:42] teams who serve on the front lines of
[00:34:44] public safety throughout our community.
[00:34:47] Um this commitment is supported through
[00:34:49] regular patrols of city streets and
[00:34:52] daily motor traffic enforcement. So in
[00:34:55] addition to these routine efforts, the
[00:34:57] city conducts several targeted
[00:34:59] operations throughout the year to
[00:35:01] enhance traditional traffic safety
[00:35:03] measures. So over this past year, our
[00:35:07] traffic division has carried out focused
[00:35:09] operations to improve roadway safety
[00:35:12] that included two DUI enforcement events
[00:35:16] and two Val Motor Enforcement Team VMET
[00:35:21] operations. Um, through the two DUI
[00:35:25] checkpoints, officers made contact with
[00:35:27] nearly 2,000 drivers in our city. It led
[00:35:30] to five DUI arrests and there were other
[00:35:33] citations for other traffic violations.
[00:35:36] Um, these proactive DUI enforcement
[00:35:40] efforts play a critical role in
[00:35:42] preventing impaired driving, reducing
[00:35:45] serious collisions, and they ultimately
[00:35:47] save lives on our day on our city
[00:35:50] streets.
[00:35:51] In addition to the DUI checkpoints, the
[00:35:54] traffic team also conducts the VMAT
[00:35:56] operations which involve a large number
[00:35:58] of motorcycle officers focusing on
[00:36:01] specific areas within the city. These
[00:36:04] officers come from the cities of Bowmont
[00:36:05] and Banning and Cathedral City, Lintita
[00:36:08] and India. So it is a collaborative
[00:36:10] effort and over the past 2 years these
[00:36:13] operations have resulted in
[00:36:14] approximately 220 citations uh
[00:36:18] reflecting the scale and impact of this
[00:36:20] collaborative enforcement effort in
[00:36:22] maintaining the safety on our streets.
[00:36:25] And some of those citations include
[00:36:28] speeding and red light running and stop
[00:36:31] sign running and cell phone violations.
[00:36:33] And can I add my own? Please turn on
[00:36:35] your blinkers when you turn uh make a
[00:36:37] turn or get in to a different lane. Um
[00:36:40] these are essential components of our
[00:36:43] commitment to traffic safety and they
[00:36:47] help deter impaired and unsafe driving.
[00:36:50] It increases the visibility of law
[00:36:52] enforcement. It addresses traffic
[00:36:54] related concerns before they result in
[00:36:57] serious uh collisions. So, on behalf of
[00:36:59] the city council and our community, I
[00:37:02] would like to sincerely thank our law
[00:37:03] enforcement officers who are here today
[00:37:06] and the regional partners for their
[00:37:08] professionalism and dedication. Um,
[00:37:11] everyone who travels through our city
[00:37:13] knows that we're a great place to be.
[00:37:14] And I also, and it's thanks to efforts
[00:37:17] like this. Uh, I'd also like to give a
[00:37:20] shout out to the citizens on patrol, the
[00:37:23] cops program, who are volunteers and uh,
[00:37:27] they help assist the officers, the eyes
[00:37:29] and ears of our law enforcement. If you
[00:37:32] have interest in time, please consider
[00:37:34] becoming a member of the citizens on
[00:37:37] patrol. They are a great group of folks.
[00:37:40] They provide an invaluable service.
[00:37:43] And there's one more thing I'd like to
[00:37:44] mention. Um,
[00:37:47] we are in the process. I want to be
[00:37:49] careful here. Uh, mi Mr. Coding told me
[00:37:52] to be careful here. Uh, we are
[00:37:55] tentatively working on a new rescue
[00:37:57] rally,
[00:37:59] animal rescue rally for our city. Those
[00:38:02] of you who remember the last time we did
[00:38:04] it, we transformed the Ranch Mirage
[00:38:06] Library into Doggy Wonderland. And it
[00:38:09] was quite an event. We had more than 200
[00:38:12] people show up. We had uh we spayed,
[00:38:15] neutered, microchipped
[00:38:17] uh and adopted out animals. So, we're
[00:38:21] looking at doing this again. I think
[00:38:22] that the library uh personnel is happy
[00:38:25] that we're going to do it somewhere
[00:38:27] else. Um we're going to move it and make
[00:38:30] it larger uh out by the farmers market
[00:38:33] on Friday tentatively uh March uh 13th.
[00:38:38] Uh the farmers market attracts hundreds
[00:38:41] of people each Friday.
[00:38:43] as will this uh rescue rally where we
[00:38:46] will do adoptions and microchipping and
[00:38:48] vaccinations and I hope spay and
[00:38:49] neutering as well. So um keep an eye out
[00:38:53] for it. We'll be um uh advertising this
[00:38:57] as we get closer. And there's also some
[00:39:00] other good news on the animal front is
[00:39:02] that within the next uh couple of
[00:39:04] months. Uh we will have the Rancho
[00:39:08] Mirage pet urgent care which will be a
[00:39:11] 24-hour
[00:39:13] animal emergency care facility which is
[00:39:16] sorely needed in this valley as you know
[00:39:19] and that will be opening uh at Bob Hopen
[00:39:22] 111 sometime within the next few weeks.
[00:39:25] Thank you madame mayor.
[00:39:26] >> Thank you. Um, I I really can't add
[00:39:30] anything with regards to the writers
[00:39:32] festival. It was just spectacular in
[00:39:34] every way and and um it seems to get
[00:39:38] better every year. It's amazing what the
[00:39:40] staff and the writer staff writers
[00:39:44] festival staff accomplish. And just when
[00:39:46] you think they can't top themselves,
[00:39:48] they do. Um, my comments are uh pretty
[00:39:52] brief to this afternoon. Um, as all of
[00:39:55] you know, I'm looking at my notes here,
[00:39:58] um, because I want to make sure I get
[00:40:00] everything right. As most of you are are
[00:40:02] aware, the city's been aggressively
[00:40:04] working on our affordable housing
[00:40:06] projects and we've had some twists and
[00:40:10] turns and funding that disappears and,
[00:40:14] you know, we scratch our heads and try
[00:40:15] to figure out how we get to the next
[00:40:17] step. Um, the city of Rancher Mirage is
[00:40:21] most grateful and appreciative to
[00:40:22] Congressman Ken Calbert, our
[00:40:24] congressional representative, and he put
[00:40:28] in for us through his appropriations
[00:40:31] um, efforts and secured $5 million for
[00:40:37] our Via Vale roadway improvement
[00:40:39] project, which is a vital component uh,
[00:40:42] towards our city's affordable housing
[00:40:44] mandate. in this project is over by our
[00:40:46] dog park and uh this funding was from
[00:40:49] the transportation housing and urban
[00:40:51] appropriations and it ensures continued
[00:40:54] progress and uh in quality affordable
[00:40:58] housing to for our seniors, our veterans
[00:41:00] and for those in our workforce which is
[00:41:03] vital to our continuing efforts to
[00:41:07] improve our economic plan, our strategic
[00:41:10] plans, our highway 111 plans because if
[00:41:12] we can't get our workers ers closer to
[00:41:15] work, we're going to lose we're going to
[00:41:17] lose them. Uh whether they work in the
[00:41:20] um hospitals or retail or through our
[00:41:23] hospitality. So, thank you, Congressman
[00:41:26] Calbertt, for always uh looking out for
[00:41:29] the city of Ranch Mirage. We are most
[00:41:31] grateful.
[00:41:32] Moving on.
[00:41:34] Um next is city manager comments and
[00:41:37] reports.
[00:41:38] >> Uh none. None today, Madame Mayor.
[00:41:41] >> All right. Then we'll move on to the
[00:41:42] consent calendar.
[00:41:44] >> The council has uh six items on the
[00:41:47] consent calendar for consideration.
[00:41:49] Items 5A through 5F. Uh item 5 A is to
[00:41:54] approve the January 15, 2026 regular
[00:41:58] city council meeting minutes. Item 5B is
[00:42:01] to authorize the city manager to enter
[00:42:04] into anou for shared emergency
[00:42:07] management services uh with and uh cove
[00:42:11] classes uh with the cove cities. Item
[00:42:15] number 5C is the adoption of a
[00:42:17] resolution uh that would allow staff to
[00:42:22] perform the necessary steps to submit
[00:42:25] for all Cal recycle grants. Item 5D is
[00:42:30] to receive and file the quarterly
[00:42:32] treasures report for the quarter ending
[00:42:35] December 31st, 2025.
[00:42:38] Uh item 5e are contracts and staff has a
[00:42:42] uh requested amendment. Uh so if when
[00:42:45] the council makes a motion on the
[00:42:47] consent calendar if they would consider
[00:42:49] adding the tableabling of contract
[00:42:51] number three with visit greater Palm
[00:42:54] Springs. So, we would like to remove
[00:42:56] contract number three uh from the
[00:42:59] consent calendar, which is with visit
[00:43:01] greater Palm Springs. Uh item 5, our
[00:43:04] demands. Before we go to the uh council
[00:43:07] for questions or comments, I'll ask the
[00:43:08] city clerk to take public comment on the
[00:43:11] consent calendar.
[00:43:12] >> Thank you. Our first speaker speaker is
[00:43:14] Michael Harrington.
[00:43:23] Well, hello again. Michael Harrington,
[00:43:25] live in Rapture Mirage. So, I did submit
[00:43:27] a written comment, so I'll just keep it
[00:43:29] short, but I did get a little more
[00:43:30] information sense that I wanted to
[00:43:32] supplement in addition to the written
[00:43:34] comment. Um, but first of all, I agree
[00:43:36] with everything that all of you have
[00:43:38] said praising the writers festival. It
[00:43:41] it sounds wonderful to bring all these
[00:43:43] people here to our city and and get
[00:43:45] known as well um internationally at this
[00:43:49] point with all those those great
[00:43:51] speakers. Um but my background maybe
[00:43:55] it's my background and I look at these
[00:43:56] things more than other people. um to
[00:44:01] maintain the future
[00:44:03] uh of the festival that it's doing
[00:44:06] great, but what about compliance issues?
[00:44:10] I saw a lot of red flags and I I don't
[00:44:13] like to be in the role I think one of
[00:44:15] the council members here might know what
[00:44:16] it's like to be in the role of having to
[00:44:18] say to a client, you know, well, we got
[00:44:21] to do something about this or you got to
[00:44:22] listen to me about that. And they don't
[00:44:24] want to, but I kind of have to play that
[00:44:27] role. Um if we want to make sure that
[00:44:30] the spending is in compliance so we
[00:44:34] don't have a problem later. You never
[00:44:36] know when it could come up. Um if there
[00:44:38] there's a new law if there if there's a
[00:44:40] contribution made a political
[00:44:41] contribution.
[00:44:43] Now there's a time frame of which
[00:44:46] recusal is required or rejection is
[00:44:49] required of the contribution. And I'm
[00:44:51] not saying there was or wasn't a
[00:44:53] contribution. I'm I'm not I'm just
[00:44:55] saying if I saw
[00:44:58] questions jump out at me and I don't
[00:45:00] have the answers. Um also um if the
[00:45:05] attorneys representing both the city and
[00:45:07] is stated to represent the nonprofit on
[00:45:10] the nonprofit's website, the the city
[00:45:13] attorney is listed as the the attorney
[00:45:15] for the nonprofit, the writers festival.
[00:45:18] Now, I don't know, maybe they waved out
[00:45:20] of that. I I don't know how you can wave
[00:45:22] out of it, but that was a red flag.
[00:45:24] Maybe there's answers. I'm not
[00:45:27] concluding. I'm just, you know, there
[00:45:29] was no presentation here. There was just
[00:45:32] uh consent calendar, move on. You know,
[00:45:34] no explanation. I saw a lot of money
[00:45:37] that seems to be going to the festival
[00:45:40] and keep it running. When I do nonprofit
[00:45:43] work, no one has ever, if I go to a
[00:45:46] school, I got to pay for the event
[00:45:48] space. I've never had someone unless I
[00:45:50] get a grant. You can give a grant, but
[00:45:53] it seems very It seems like you're
[00:45:55] giving money directly to speakers and to
[00:45:58] uh staff and facilitate the nonprofit,
[00:46:01] but yet it's $500 to go. They It sells
[00:46:05] out in minutes, so we can't go. And it's
[00:46:07] not local. If everyone in the world can
[00:46:10] watch it on YouTube, how is it local to
[00:46:13] us? We're not getting special insurance
[00:46:15] as a resident or anything like that. Um,
[00:46:18] but other than that, I I I do see it as
[00:46:21] a great thing. I'm not trying to throw
[00:46:22] water on it, but thank you.
[00:46:24] >> Thank you, Mr. Harrington.
[00:46:26] >> Are there any other speakers?
[00:46:28] >> Yes, Brad Anderson.
[00:46:35] >> I have the old man walk. Thank you very
[00:46:37] much. Uh, and I recommend all city
[00:46:40] residents take a look at the previous
[00:46:42] speaker's written comments. very very
[00:46:44] good points um about the city's
[00:46:47] operations. Uh I wanted to talk today on
[00:46:50] the consent calendar. I wanted to hit
[00:46:52] all the items except item D, but I'm not
[00:46:55] going to. I'm going to concentrate on
[00:46:56] item E, which is the contracts, and you
[00:46:58] remove contracts for today, which is
[00:47:00] good. I did uh just so everybody knows,
[00:47:03] I everything I'm speaking about or
[00:47:06] everything on the agenda. I did write
[00:47:07] some uh comments and submitted them and
[00:47:10] I believe they're uh on the record now.
[00:47:14] Uh but uh item contract uh item 5e1 is
[00:47:19] what I want to focus on and that's the u
[00:47:22] um amendment to a contract for the flock
[00:47:26] cameras uh that the city has for the
[00:47:28] license plate recognition devices all
[00:47:31] over the city. Uh there's only five
[00:47:33] mentioned in this amendment and uh and
[00:47:39] I guess we're going up in price. My
[00:47:41] understanding is roughly like $5,000 a
[00:47:44] year per item now per device uh for for
[00:47:48] that contract. That's excessive. That's
[00:47:50] excessive. Uh but anyway, that's really
[00:47:53] not my point. My point is that these
[00:47:55] cameras have been stationed on private
[00:47:58] property on public rights away and
[00:48:00] focused on private property. So I would
[00:48:03] I guess I just want to put the city on
[00:48:04] notice that there possibly will be um um
[00:48:09] I don't want to say legal as but uh uh
[00:48:12] interest in this matter uh that I'm
[00:48:14] going to I'm going to address uh later
[00:48:17] on um uh concerning the misuse of public
[00:48:21] funds for these cameras. So, uh, and
[00:48:24] that's so I have I have the minutes to,
[00:48:26] but I did write comments considering how
[00:48:29] the city has more or less, uh,
[00:48:32] eliminated, uh,
[00:48:35] I guess recording Berber comments like
[00:48:37] today, Berber comments. My Berber
[00:48:39] comments would not be recorded into the
[00:48:41] public records, written public record.
[00:48:43] And and that's a shame because it should
[00:48:45] be because the city's always done that
[00:48:46] from day one. That's how Mr. downs got
[00:48:49] all his information concerning the uh
[00:48:51] the first mayor and the first counselor
[00:48:53] and now uh historical facts will be lost
[00:48:58] cuz I look at the minutes because I
[00:48:59] don't have time to review uh all the all
[00:49:03] the public meetings that I review uh
[00:49:06] including the city so on YouTube. So
[00:49:09] that's all I have. Thank you very much.
[00:49:11] >> Thank you Mr. Anderson. Are there any
[00:49:13] other comments?
[00:49:13] >> That was the last speaker card. Is there
[00:49:15] anyone else who would like to speak on
[00:49:17] something on the consent calendar? That
[00:49:19] was the last speaker.
[00:49:22] >> Uh Madame Mayor, if I could just clarify
[00:49:24] one point with the writers festival.
[00:49:25] >> Yes.
[00:49:26] >> Um so, uh that is a separate uh 501c3.
[00:49:31] And so the expenses that are on the
[00:49:32] demands report are paid for out of that
[00:49:35] foundation's account. That's uh not city
[00:49:39] money. That's uh donors to that 501c3
[00:49:43] uh that cover those costs. So, it's not
[00:49:45] a cost to the city.
[00:49:47] >> Thank you for that clarification. With
[00:49:49] that, may I have a motion?
[00:49:52] >> I'll be happy to make the motion, Madame
[00:49:53] Mayor, that we approve the consent
[00:49:55] calendar with the exception of uh
[00:49:58] contracts item 5e, the specific item
[00:50:00] that deals with uh visit Greater Palm
[00:50:02] Springs.
[00:50:03] >> I'll second that.
[00:50:05] >> Please vote.
[00:50:11] >> Motion carries. 5-0.
[00:50:15] Thank you. We're moving on to public
[00:50:16] hearings. This is the annexation of
[00:50:19] number 203 to community facilities
[00:50:22] district number one in connection with
[00:50:24] tenative track map number 38447.
[00:50:27] The location is southwest corner of Via
[00:50:29] Florenzia and Via Hosaphina and Jacob de
[00:50:32] la Cruz our financial analyst will
[00:50:34] report on this item.
[00:50:37] >> Thank you mayor and good afternoon
[00:50:38] council. This item is to hold a public
[00:50:40] hearing for annexation number 203 into
[00:50:42] community facilities district number
[00:50:44] one. This is the second and final step
[00:50:45] of the city's annexation process for
[00:50:47] developments within the city's
[00:50:48] jurisdiction. And the first step was
[00:50:50] considered and approved at the December
[00:50:51] 18th council meeting. The territory
[00:50:53] proposed for annexation is located on
[00:50:54] the southwest corner of Via Florencia
[00:50:56] and Via Hosaphina and is comprised of
[00:50:58] one parcel totaling approximately 5.04
[00:51:01] acres. At the conclusion of today's
[00:51:03] public hearing, provided written
[00:51:04] protests have not been filed, and in the
[00:51:06] absence of a majority protest, the city
[00:51:08] council may consider adoption of the
[00:51:09] attached resolution, calling a special
[00:51:11] election, declaring the results of the
[00:51:13] election, determining the validity of
[00:51:15] prior proceedings, approving the
[00:51:17] annexation of the territory, and
[00:51:18] directing the recording of an amendment
[00:51:20] to the notice of special tax lean. Staff
[00:51:22] recommends approval, and that concludes
[00:51:23] my presentation.
[00:51:25] >> Thank you.
[00:51:28] >> Are there any public comments?
[00:51:30] >> Thank you. I did not receive any speaker
[00:51:31] cards on this item. Is there anyone in
[00:51:33] the audience who would like to provide
[00:51:34] public testimony on this public hearing
[00:51:36] item?
[00:51:38] Seeing none, I can go ahead and read the
[00:51:40] election results.
[00:51:41] >> Please. The
[00:51:42] >> the ballot for the six eligible votes
[00:51:44] was received on February 5th, 2026 and
[00:51:47] was in favor. Therefore, votes cast in
[00:51:49] favor equal 100% of total votes cast.
[00:51:52] >> Very good. Do we have a motion? I'll
[00:51:54] make the motion. Uh, I move to adopt
[00:51:57] resolution number 2026, next in order,
[00:52:00] calling an election on levying a special
[00:52:01] tax within the area proposed to be
[00:52:03] annexed to community facilities district
[00:52:05] number one, annexation number 203
[00:52:07] declaring the election results approving
[00:52:09] the annexation of the territory and
[00:52:11] directing the recordordation of the
[00:52:12] amendment of the notice of special tax
[00:52:14] late.
[00:52:16] And do I have a second?
[00:52:19] >> I'll second.
[00:52:20] >> Please vote.
[00:52:25] Motion carries 5-0.
[00:52:28] >> Thank you. Moving on to the action
[00:52:30] calendar. Item 7A, Intergovernmental
[00:52:34] Memorandum of Understanding by and
[00:52:36] between the Aua Caliente Band of Kawia
[00:52:38] Indians in the city of Ranch Mirage and
[00:52:40] our city manager Isaiah Heggerman will
[00:52:42] report on this item.
[00:52:44] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor, members of the
[00:52:46] council. Uh the item before you today uh
[00:52:50] would be the uh termination of our
[00:52:52] long-standing
[00:52:55] with the Aua Caliente Band of Kuya
[00:52:57] Indians. Uh, so a little bit of history
[00:53:00] here is when the Ranch Mirage based
[00:53:02] casino was first being propo proposed,
[00:53:06] excuse me,
[00:53:11] it uh was actually in the county and the
[00:53:14] city had some concerns uh about a very
[00:53:17] tall building uh especially back in
[00:53:18] those days when uh there wasn't a lot of
[00:53:21] height in the valley. Still today you
[00:53:22] don't see uh buildings of that size and
[00:53:24] magnitude. And uh the tribe is obviously
[00:53:28] a sovereign government, right? They're a
[00:53:31] federally recognized tribal Indian
[00:53:33] nation. And so as a tribal government,
[00:53:36] uh they can set their own rules. And
[00:53:38] just like we as a city government can
[00:53:41] set our own rules. And so, um, obviously
[00:53:45] when it comes to things like, uh, city
[00:53:48] rules, when it comes to height
[00:53:49] limitations and, uh, things like that
[00:53:51] that we govern development, those things
[00:53:53] do not apply on tribal land because the
[00:53:56] tribal government gets to set those
[00:53:58] rules over themselves. And so as a
[00:54:00] sovereign government um when uh you're
[00:54:05] uh on tribal land or a lot land um you
[00:54:09] are in a government-to-government peer
[00:54:12] relationship uh even though they may be
[00:54:14] within your jurisdictional boundaries.
[00:54:16] And so, uh, in those days, uh, tribal
[00:54:21] chairman Milanovich, uh, really
[00:54:23] recognized with Dana Hobart an
[00:54:26] opportunity to come together and, uh,
[00:54:29] settle some of the concerns and
[00:54:31] tensions, uh, that were existing at the
[00:54:34] moment. And so, uh, really those two
[00:54:38] paved a path that we enjoy today, uh,
[00:54:40] which is a great
[00:54:41] government-to-government partnership
[00:54:43] that we have with the tribe. Uh you can
[00:54:45] look across Rancher Mirage in the valley
[00:54:48] uh anywhere uh the tribe has uh their
[00:54:51] land and uh you can see the benefit of
[00:54:54] having the tribe here locally and um
[00:54:58] there's many examples of how we partner
[00:55:00] together on a government-togovernment
[00:55:01] basis. So our Fourth of July fireworks
[00:55:03] show is one. uh but really through the
[00:55:05] history of the city um if they have the
[00:55:08] opportunity to um kind of receive
[00:55:11] revenue, they're always usually very uh
[00:55:14] conscious with what's the impact to the
[00:55:17] uh city and so um you know over time um
[00:55:23] courts rule differently and uh it's
[00:55:26] based on federal court rulings. And so
[00:55:29] what you've seen really um kind of
[00:55:31] expand is it kind of started with gaming
[00:55:34] and uh the ability to do gaming
[00:55:38] and they have an agreement with the
[00:55:40] state that allows that and kind of built
[00:55:42] within that uh compact. That agreement
[00:55:45] was the um kind of requirement uh that
[00:55:49] they um enter into kind of agreements
[00:55:52] like this to mitigate impacts of their
[00:55:55] development. And so, uh, kind of the
[00:55:58] deal that was crafted was, uh, the city
[00:56:01] of Ranch Mirage was going to annex in,
[00:56:04] uh, the casino into our city limits so
[00:56:06] that it would be a Ranch Mirage base and
[00:56:08] get it out of the unincorporated county.
[00:56:10] And in exchange kind of, uh, there were
[00:56:12] several things going on at the time. Uh
[00:56:15] the tribe provided uh a funding source
[00:56:18] for streets and roads that needed to be
[00:56:20] improved in and around the casino and
[00:56:23] there were a few other financial aspects
[00:56:24] that were uh negotiated between the two
[00:56:28] governments uh as part of this
[00:56:29] annexation. So thisou was actually uh
[00:56:32] kind of part of that process and uh it
[00:56:35] was really meant to bridge the gap for
[00:56:37] some of our public safety funding. So
[00:56:39] obviously uh with the casino being there
[00:56:42] uh public safety resources would have to
[00:56:44] respond there. And so how this agreement
[00:56:47] worked is it was really set up like toot
[00:56:50] uh transient occupancy tax. And um so on
[00:56:55] casino hotel room nights just like a
[00:56:57] resort night, right? There's a 10% local
[00:57:00] tax uh that is paid by the guest. And so
[00:57:03] on casino room nights, uh, the tribe,
[00:57:06] uh, agreed through thisou to collect
[00:57:10] that and remit that, uh, to the city of
[00:57:12] Ranch Mirage, uh, for the purpose of
[00:57:15] helping fund public safety. So from a
[00:57:17] city perspective, this was not tot
[00:57:22] public safety fee. And so it was tracked
[00:57:24] separately. So it wasn't co-mingled with
[00:57:27] toot because it's not toot. It was an
[00:57:30] toot is not applicable to the tribal uh
[00:57:33] lands because again they set their own
[00:57:36] rules, right? So even though we have a
[00:57:38] hotel tax, that hotel tax was not
[00:57:40] applicable to the trib's casino hotel.
[00:57:42] Uh because again they're a sovereign
[00:57:44] government and they would set their own
[00:57:46] rules and taxes. Uh just like the sales
[00:57:49] tax today, if if you were to go to the
[00:57:50] casino, the sales tax doesn't come back
[00:57:53] to the city, right? that's their sales
[00:57:55] tax. So they voluntarily agreed to enter
[00:57:58] into thisou to collect this inloo public
[00:58:00] safety fee that worked like toot. Uh and
[00:58:03] so this was approved by the council in
[00:58:06] uh March of 2007 and officially uh after
[00:58:10] the annexation uh there was an
[00:58:12] assignment by the county uh about a year
[00:58:14] later and ever since then the tribe has
[00:58:17] been collecting this inlue public safety
[00:58:19] fee on casino room nights and remitting
[00:58:22] that to the city. The city has been
[00:58:23] splitting this revenue 50% to sheriff,
[00:58:28] 50% to uh fire and medical services. Uh
[00:58:32] and so in the current budget, you know,
[00:58:35] it's approximately uh a a half a million
[00:58:38] dollars per year. Uh obviously through
[00:58:40] time, like any uh you know, uh toot uh
[00:58:45] it goes up and down depending on the
[00:58:48] economy and levels of visitors. And then
[00:58:51] the casino is a little unique in that
[00:58:53] their business model isn't like a
[00:58:54] traditional resort uh because sometimes
[00:58:57] they'll comp rooms uh because of the
[00:58:59] gambling uh the gaming uh nature of it.
[00:59:02] And so toot's always been or the inloop
[00:59:05] public safety fee on the casino has
[00:59:06] always been uh a little variable and
[00:59:09] probably a little lower than what we
[00:59:11] would see with our other resorts because
[00:59:13] of just the dynamics of how it runs. And
[00:59:15] so uh early in uh last year uh the tribe
[00:59:20] started approaching us and saying
[00:59:22] putting a a federal case that was on
[00:59:24] their radar. The exact case is
[00:59:27] referenced in the staff report. Uh but
[00:59:29] essentially what this ruling did is it
[00:59:33] it made the requirement to do this um
[00:59:37] null and void. And so the tribe could
[00:59:41] have gone to the state and basically
[00:59:43] voided this agreement. However, because
[00:59:46] of our, you know, partnership and uh
[00:59:49] relationship, right, they came to us and
[00:59:50] said, "Hey, we're watching this, but
[00:59:52] it's going to impact this if it's going
[00:59:54] the way we all think it's going." And
[00:59:56] sure enough, you know, it did. So, there
[00:59:58] were several meetings at a staff level
[01:00:01] uh with tribal staff. And um
[01:00:06] at the end of the day uh the request
[01:00:08] from uh the tribe was we would really
[01:00:12] like to work with you to end thisou
[01:00:15] instead of going to the state which we
[01:00:18] could um but we'd like to work with you
[01:00:20] to end thisou because really as a
[01:00:22] government right we would like to start
[01:00:25] to collect this toot for our own
[01:00:27] purposes
[01:00:29] obviously you know with the city of
[01:00:31] ranch mirage being a government that
[01:00:33] funds a substantial part of its services
[01:00:35] from toot. We understand the value of
[01:00:38] that. So from a government-to-government
[01:00:40] perspective, obviously we could
[01:00:41] understand why they would want to do
[01:00:43] that. Uh and so uh what this uh action
[01:00:48] would do is it would uh phase out thisou
[01:00:53] agreement as of June 30th, 2026. So that
[01:00:56] will allow us to finish our fiscal year
[01:00:59] so that we're not making any amendments
[01:01:01] to the current fiscal year. However, so
[01:01:04] there's no fiscal impact to this year's
[01:01:06] budget. However, when we budget for next
[01:01:08] year's budget, uh this will not be in
[01:01:10] there. So that will reduce public safety
[01:01:12] funding by about a half a million
[01:01:15] dollars. Uh in reality
[01:01:19] um you know as we look over the long
[01:01:21] term of the city you know this this was
[01:01:25] probably more revenue than the impact of
[01:01:28] public safety for the city of Rancher
[01:01:29] Mirage. You know public safety is not a
[01:01:32] uh cost uh for service model. But when
[01:01:36] you kind of look at responses and things
[01:01:37] of that nature this probably was a
[01:01:39] little on the heavy end compared to the
[01:01:42] impact to our public safety. Um, so the
[01:01:46] tribe's done many other things uh for
[01:01:48] our public safety specifically and so
[01:01:50] there were a few concepts that were
[01:01:52] tossed around between the staff of you
[01:01:54] know what could potentially come you
[01:01:57] know after this and so um but there's
[01:02:01] we're still pretty early on in those
[01:02:04] discussions and we don't have anything
[01:02:06] to present at this point. Um, but really
[01:02:08] looking at, you know, kind of history
[01:02:10] and our relationship with the tribe, you
[01:02:12] know, they've done grants for us in the
[01:02:14] past where we've been able to go with uh
[01:02:17] to the tribe with specific needs for
[01:02:20] public safety uh and they've provided
[01:02:23] grants and uh things of that nature uh
[01:02:26] to support our public safety. So, um at
[01:02:30] this point, we don't have a direct
[01:02:32] offset. you know, this would be just a
[01:02:34] future reduction of a half a million
[01:02:36] dollars within next year's budget. But
[01:02:39] at the end of the day, I do believe at
[01:02:41] some point, right, there will be some
[01:02:42] other public safety funding that is
[01:02:45] worked out, whether that's, you know,
[01:02:47] possibly something with a third fire
[01:02:49] station or some sort of grant process
[01:02:52] that we can go through. It's just
[01:02:53] there's nothing to present today since
[01:02:55] we are still in the works on it. Uh so
[01:02:58] the action today would uh terminate
[01:03:00] thatou as of June 30th 2026. Uh and with
[01:03:04] that that concludes my presentation and
[01:03:07] uh I will uh ask the city clerk to take
[01:03:10] any public comment.
[01:03:12] >> We have one speaker card. Brad Anderson.
[01:03:19] >> Hello. Uh Brad Anderson. I currently
[01:03:21] live within the city. Um thank you for
[01:03:24] the report. I think I I recommend people
[01:03:27] read the staff report to really get a
[01:03:29] grasp on it. Uh uh I'm in first support
[01:03:32] of this. The tribe uh should really
[01:03:35] consider otherus that have that that may
[01:03:37] have with the city or the county and and
[01:03:40] maybe terminate those two. So I'm all in
[01:03:42] support of this. Thank you.
[01:03:45] >> That was the only speaker card. Is there
[01:03:46] anyone else in the audience who would
[01:03:48] like to speak on this item? That was the
[01:03:50] only speaker.
[01:03:53] >> Thank you, Madame Clerk. Council
[01:03:55] comments. Council member Framber
[01:03:57] Edstein.
[01:03:58] >> No comment.
[01:03:59] >> Okay. Council member DS.
[01:04:01] >> I do. Um, so no one likes to see a half
[01:04:04] million dollars in revenue go away, but
[01:04:06] it's also the case that by law it's got
[01:04:08] to go away anyway. So the tribe has has
[01:04:11] come to us to discuss this and figure
[01:04:13] out other ways to uh to handle this
[01:04:15] issue. So I don't have any doubt that at
[01:04:17] some point in the future the tribe will
[01:04:19] uh will work with us to try to uh cover
[01:04:21] this cost. But we don't have any choice
[01:04:23] but to do this since since it is what it
[01:04:25] is. Uh madame mayor, please forgive me.
[01:04:27] I do want to for a moment circle back uh
[01:04:31] to uh item 5 f demands and the um the
[01:04:37] comment. Uh thank you Mr. Harrington for
[01:04:39] bringing up your comment about the
[01:04:41] writer festival. Uh and I think now that
[01:04:44] that you know that it is a separate
[01:04:45] 501c3
[01:04:47] uh it operates on its own revenues and
[01:04:49] expenses. It does not impact the city at
[01:04:51] all. uh but it is certainly the case
[01:04:53] that uh what the city does is provide
[01:04:55] accounting services for for the writers
[01:04:57] festival but it's their money not the
[01:04:59] city's money. Now the other issue that I
[01:05:01] think is important for everyone to be
[01:05:02] aware of with respect to the writers
[01:05:04] festival and financial impact on the
[01:05:06] city the writers festival does
[01:05:08] contribute $25,000 a year to that
[01:05:10] library and uh the board of the writers
[01:05:12] festival is looking at increasing uh
[01:05:14] that number over time. So it's not the
[01:05:17] case that the city ex experience expense
[01:05:20] because of the writers festival. We
[01:05:21] experience a great deal of worldwide
[01:05:24] recognition because of it. And we also
[01:05:26] re we also receive direct financial
[01:05:28] remuneration to uh to operate that
[01:05:30] library as a result of it. So forgive me
[01:05:32] for uh for circling back but I thought
[01:05:34] that was important to talk about. Um, in
[01:05:37] any event, um, I'm prepared to make
[01:05:39] this, uh, um, this, uh, uh, this measure
[01:05:43] if anybody else and unless anybody else
[01:05:45] has any com comments.
[01:05:47] >> Council
[01:05:49] Council member while
[01:05:52] >> uh, as the city manager said,
[01:05:56] uh, I have every confidence that we will
[01:06:00] work out something,
[01:06:02] uh, mutually acceptable with the tribe.
[01:06:06] Uh going back to
[01:06:09] uh the relationship that was referenced
[01:06:13] uh between Dana Hobart and Chairman
[01:06:16] Milanovich
[01:06:18] many years ago
[01:06:20] at that time they really coined the
[01:06:22] expression
[01:06:24] uh sphere of influence
[01:06:27] that the tribes
[01:06:30] hotel and casino were within
[01:06:33] Rancho Mirage's sphere of influence.
[01:06:35] influence and that kind of was the
[01:06:40] uh yard stick
[01:06:42] uh that was then used to formulate a
[01:06:48] mutuality of interest.
[01:06:51] As a result of that and as a result of
[01:06:54] the mutuality of interest and most
[01:06:56] importantly
[01:06:58] the mutual respect
[01:07:00] that the tribe and the city have for
[01:07:03] each other, I have every reason to
[01:07:07] believe that we will work out something
[01:07:10] that is mutually acceptable
[01:07:13] uh both from a practical and economic
[01:07:16] standpoint.
[01:07:19] So, those are my comments and as a
[01:07:21] result, I would uh endorse the
[01:07:25] recommendation. Thank you, Mayor.
[01:07:29] >> City Manager.
[01:07:30] >> Sorry, I failed to mention this and I do
[01:07:31] want to recognize this publicly. Um, the
[01:07:34] tribe does contract with sheriff
[01:07:36] deputies directly and they pay for that
[01:07:39] directly. And so, um,
[01:07:43] that's why I kind of alluded to the
[01:07:45] comment that, um, you know, this fee is
[01:07:49] probably greater than the cost is
[01:07:51] through the recent years, we call it
[01:07:53] green sheet. So, uh, they will green
[01:07:56] sheet their own deputies for their own
[01:07:57] purposes. Obviously, if it's a 911based
[01:08:00] call, then yes, our units are going to
[01:08:02] go. If it's a medical response, yes, our
[01:08:04] units will go. But if you've ever been
[01:08:07] there and and you've seen deputies,
[01:08:09] those are most likely the green sheet uh
[01:08:12] deputies that the tribe's paying for.
[01:08:14] >> Thank you for that clarification, Mayor
[01:08:16] Prom.
[01:08:17] >> No.
[01:08:19] >> Um
[01:08:21] this city as well as the other cities in
[01:08:24] um within the reservation of the Aua
[01:08:27] Caliente uh Band of Kawa Indians have
[01:08:30] enjoyed decades of a phenomenal
[01:08:33] community partnership. Um, even through
[01:08:36] my years, 23 years at the city of
[01:08:37] Cathedral City, um, I had I could I
[01:08:41] don't have enough fingers on my hands
[01:08:44] to, um, describe the the the many
[01:08:48] actions of kindness and contribution to
[01:08:51] uh, communities and certainly here in
[01:08:53] Rancher Mirage, we've experienced the
[01:08:56] same. I appreciate the fact that
[01:08:59] Chairman Milanovich and his council
[01:09:01] reached out to the city to discuss this
[01:09:04] item instead of going to the state. That
[01:09:06] exhibits the relationship that we have
[01:09:10] between the tribe in the city and uh we
[01:09:13] are most grateful and we are most
[01:09:15] appreciative. With that, we have a
[01:09:16] motion from council member DS. Uh I'll
[01:09:20] be happy to make the motion that the
[01:09:22] council approve the amendment to the
[01:09:24] intergovernmental memorandum of
[01:09:26] understanding by and between the AO
[01:09:28] Kayanti Band of Kua Indians and the city
[01:09:30] of Ranch Mirage.
[01:09:31] >> I'll second.
[01:09:32] >> Oh,
[01:09:34] council member E. Fromber Gettlestein.
[01:09:37] >> Second it. Please vote.
[01:09:47] Motion carries 5-0.
[01:09:50] >> Thank you. Next item on the action
[01:09:52] calendar, 7B, adoption of the city of
[01:09:55] Ranch Mirage legislative platform. Tyler
[01:09:58] Folks, our senior management analysts,
[01:10:00] will report on this item.
[01:10:03] >> All right. Good afternoon, mayor and
[01:10:05] members of the city council. The item
[01:10:08] before you There it is. It's up on
[01:10:09] screen. The item before you today is the
[01:10:12] proposed adoption of the city's
[01:10:13] legislative platform, which establishes
[01:10:15] council approved guiding principles and
[01:10:18] policy priorities for the city's
[01:10:20] advocacy at the regional, state, and
[01:10:22] federal levels.
[01:10:24] The purpose of this platform is to give
[01:10:26] staff clear direction on how to engage
[01:10:28] in legislative and regulatory matters as
[01:10:30] they arise while ensuring the city's
[01:10:33] positions remain aligned with council
[01:10:35] priorities and community values. The
[01:10:38] platform establishes advanced direction
[01:10:40] that allows the city to engage early and
[01:10:42] respond quickly and proactively to
[01:10:45] legislative proposals rather than being
[01:10:47] limited to responding at later stages of
[01:10:49] the process.
[01:10:52] At its core, the platform is grounded in
[01:10:54] the council's guiding values, including
[01:10:56] protecting local decision-making
[01:10:58] authority, maintaining fiscal stability,
[01:11:01] supporting public safety and quality of
[01:11:03] life, pursuing fair access to funding,
[01:11:06] and ensuring growth aligns with
[01:11:08] Ranchom's long-term community vision.
[01:11:12] The platform also outlines major policy
[01:11:15] areas that staff will use as a framework
[01:11:17] when evaluating legislation,
[01:11:19] regulations, or budget proposals. These
[01:11:22] areas reflect the city's operational
[01:11:24] responsibilities and issues most likely
[01:11:26] to impact residents, services, and
[01:11:29] long-term community planning.
[01:11:33] Adopting this platform authorizes the
[01:11:35] city manager or their design to advocate
[01:11:37] on the city's behalf when positions are
[01:11:39] clearly consistent with council
[01:11:41] direction. If an issue is unclear,
[01:11:44] significant, sensitive, or the city
[01:11:46] manager deems additional council
[01:11:48] direction is necessary, staff will bring
[01:11:50] it back to the city council for
[01:11:51] guidance.
[01:11:54] I want to thank each of the city's
[01:11:55] directors for taking the time to review
[01:11:57] the platform and ensure alignment with
[01:11:58] their department's operations and needs.
[01:12:00] And with that, staff recommends adoption
[01:12:02] of the legislative platform and staff
[01:12:04] are available to answer questions.
[01:12:07] >> Madame clerk, any comments?
[01:12:09] >> Yes, Brad Anderson.
[01:12:16] >> Thank you again, Brad Anderson. Uh,
[01:12:18] citywise.
[01:12:20] Um, this is item 7B. Um, in theory, it
[01:12:24] sounds great and it probably is a good
[01:12:26] thing to have some type of policy. Um,
[01:12:28] but it does when I read through it, it
[01:12:31] it's kind of a fluffy piece. Uh, uh,
[01:12:34] which is means that maybe most of it
[01:12:36] isn't accurate. Uh, but also my main
[01:12:40] concern would be that the city manager,
[01:12:42] uh, is dictated more authority in this
[01:12:45] process when when the city council needs
[01:12:48] to weigh in on anything like this. Uh,
[01:12:50] so my concern would be dictating that
[01:12:54] authority to the city manager to make on
[01:12:56] his own. Thank you.
[01:12:59] Thank you. Are there any additional
[01:13:01] public comments?
[01:13:02] >> That was the only speaker card. Is there
[01:13:03] anyone else who would like to speak? And
[01:13:05] that was the only speaker.
[01:13:06] >> Thank you. Are there any council
[01:13:08] comments? I'd like to comment. I'd like
[01:13:10] to commend our staff on these
[01:13:11] recommendations and the time you took to
[01:13:13] put this together. I um want to commend
[01:13:17] my fellow council people and members
[01:13:20] that while we were very busy, we all
[01:13:22] took the time to review it, read this,
[01:13:24] and discuss it. And that's why we are
[01:13:26] comfortable advancing this policy. At
[01:13:28] least I am. And um I would uh be happy
[01:13:32] to make this motion when we're so ready.
[01:13:35] >> Council member DS, do you have any
[01:13:37] comments?
[01:13:39] >> Um I um kind of think that um we can
[01:13:42] figure out how to uh manage the city
[01:13:45] manager if he does something we don't
[01:13:46] want him to do with respect uh
[01:13:48] >> with respect to our um
[01:13:50] >> to our legislative platform. So I'm okay
[01:13:52] with this. I'm going to vote yes.
[01:13:54] Thanks. All right, Council Member While.
[01:13:57] >> No, I have no comment. I endorse the
[01:13:59] idea.
[01:14:00] >> Very good. Mayor Prom,
[01:14:02] >> I just would like to thank Tyler for the
[01:14:05] work you did and all the directors for
[01:14:07] this. It's great to have guidepost,
[01:14:09] guiding light with direction that is
[01:14:13] easy to understand. So, I think this is
[01:14:15] a terrific thing.
[01:14:16] >> Terrific.
[01:14:18] And
[01:14:19] >> I'll make a motion to adopt the city of
[01:14:22] Ranch Marrage legislative platform to
[01:14:24] establish city council approved guiding
[01:14:26] principles and policy priorities for
[01:14:28] legislative and regulatory advocacy at
[01:14:31] the regional, state, and federal levels.
[01:14:33] >> I'll second.
[01:14:39] >> Motion carries 5-0.
[01:14:42] >> Moving on to item number eight,
[01:14:44] non-aggenda public comments. Madame
[01:14:45] clerk, I'll turn that over to you. Thank
[01:14:48] you. Uh, first speaker is Carrie Isen.
[01:14:57] Do we have a speaker card from that
[01:14:59] baby?
[01:15:02] >> Oh,
[01:15:03] >> hello.
[01:15:04] My name's Carrie Eisen. I'm resident
[01:15:06] with Indian Wells. Um, I apologize that
[01:15:08] baby Amelia fell asleep with the agenda.
[01:15:11] >> Um, she she wasn't interested.
[01:15:15] >> we're fighting it, too.
[01:15:18] So, in 2025, I birthed um two babies,
[01:15:21] one human and one Desert Rodeo. Um
[01:15:25] Desert Rodeo takes place in April. And
[01:15:27] we had our inaugural year in 2025. And
[01:15:31] we are having our second annual Desert
[01:15:33] Rodeo um this coming April. Um I wanted
[01:15:36] to make sure that I got in front of um
[01:15:38] the city of Rancher Mirage and expressed
[01:15:40] that we want to see more attendance from
[01:15:42] the Rancher Mirage residents. In our
[01:15:44] first year, we had 15,000 in attendance.
[01:15:47] Um, which I think is is really promising
[01:15:49] and speaks to um the interest. We had a
[01:15:53] lot of regional and nationwide press.
[01:15:56] Um, for background, Desert Rodeo is a
[01:15:58] real PRCA sanctioned rodeo. Um, for that
[01:16:01] reason, it draws top competitors from
[01:16:03] around the world. We had number one
[01:16:05] ranked bull rider Stson Wright and
[01:16:08] renowned um barrel racers like Haley
[01:16:10] Kinsel. Um, and Desert Rodeo is also
[01:16:14] featured in the New York Times um,
[01:16:16] year-end capsule for influential
[01:16:18] moments. So, we have that in print um,
[01:16:21] and we have in our archives. Um, so we
[01:16:24] are excited to um, just be another
[01:16:27] avenue to showcase the treasures of the
[01:16:29] desert and we want city of Rancher
[01:16:31] Mirage to be along for the ride from the
[01:16:33] beginning. Um, as a member and with the
[01:16:36] support of the Chamber of Commerce, um,
[01:16:39] I would like to connect with the city
[01:16:40] office to see how Desert Rodeo and the
[01:16:42] city of Ranch Mirage can be mentioned in
[01:16:44] the same breath, um, spread the word to
[01:16:47] the residents and, um, provide some
[01:16:49] special benefits as well for passes um,
[01:16:51] and hospitality. Um, my contact
[01:16:54] information is in the public comments
[01:16:56] um, and you can learn more on our
[01:16:57] website, desertro.com.
[01:17:00] >> Thank you.
[01:17:01] >> Thank you,
[01:17:03] >> Madame Mayor. I wish I could find a way
[01:17:04] to sleep like that baby does.
[01:17:07] >> Next speaker is Chris Christensen. Your
[01:17:09] mother would need a baby carrier.
[01:17:16] >> Uh good afternoon, Mayor uh Mayor Prom
[01:17:19] and rest of the council members and
[01:17:21] staff. Uh I am Chris Christensen. I'm
[01:17:23] the CEO of the Desert Healthcare
[01:17:25] District Foundation and I am here before
[01:17:28] you today to um make a communication
[01:17:31] that uh regarding the Desert Healthcare
[01:17:34] District and um I think a lot of people
[01:17:37] are becoming more and more aware of us
[01:17:39] um some related to the hospital lease. I
[01:17:42] won't go into that topic but um but we
[01:17:46] are at this point um we are a public
[01:17:49] agency that works to provide access to
[01:17:54] health care in our in the desert healthc
[01:17:56] care district which encompasses all of
[01:17:59] the Coachella Valley. And so our board
[01:18:02] of directors is currently in the process
[01:18:04] of working on its new 5-year strategic
[01:18:07] plan which will be from fiscal year 2027
[01:18:11] to 2031.
[01:18:13] And we've done a lot of work around that
[01:18:15] strategic plan already over the last 6
[01:18:17] months. We now are at the point where we
[01:18:20] are taking the show on the road and we
[01:18:23] are doing some uh community listening
[01:18:26] sessions. It's very important for us and
[01:18:29] for our board members to hear from the
[01:18:32] public and to hear the community's voice
[01:18:35] as we continue to develop this strategic
[01:18:37] plan. So, um I have provided some flyers
[01:18:42] and if there's some opportunity for um
[01:18:46] some social media type opportunities to
[01:18:50] uh submit to your residents, etc. We do
[01:18:53] have seven seven separate seven separate
[01:18:58] uh listening sessions that will be going
[01:19:00] on over the course of February. And the
[01:19:04] um the best ones to attend, they're both
[01:19:07] on uh February 19th. uh one is in Palm
[01:19:11] Desert uh at 11:30 a.m. and the other is
[01:19:16] at in Linta uh that evening from 5:30 to
[01:19:19] 7:30 p.m. And they are uh all public as
[01:19:26] welcome. Uh we would appreciate any of
[01:19:30] the council members to be present if
[01:19:32] they would like and give uh hear what is
[01:19:36] happening with the healthcare district
[01:19:38] and also give comments on what you would
[01:19:40] like to see in healthcare access to your
[01:19:44] community. And there will be a $200 gift
[01:19:50] card as a drawing uh for attendance. Uh
[01:19:54] there will be food food served and there
[01:19:56] will be uh Spanish and ASL translation
[01:20:00] and I'm uh available to answer any
[01:20:02] questions if you would like.
[01:20:04] >> Are there any questions?
[01:20:07] >> I don't have any questions. U but I do
[01:20:09] want to tell you that we didn't have any
[01:20:10] problem with the lease. We're glad that
[01:20:12] you you extended the lease. That's fine.
[01:20:13] Don't have a problem with that. The only
[01:20:14] issue we had was with that damn
[01:20:17] non-compete. We don't like that at all.
[01:20:19] >> I hear you. I
[01:20:21] >> uh Chris, we'll definitely uh share that
[01:20:23] through city channels. Uh really
[01:20:25] appreciate everything you do for the
[01:20:27] district. Uh and uh thank you for making
[01:20:30] it through our meeting and uh absolutely
[01:20:34] share that city channel. So
[01:20:36] >> I'd also like to say thank you for the
[01:20:38] announcement of an additional I think $5
[01:20:40] million of new upcoming health funding
[01:20:43] that you approved. You know how much is
[01:20:45] going on right now, how threatened
[01:20:47] healthcare is. you are a critical
[01:20:49] partner for all the health care agencies
[01:20:51] in the valley that take care of our
[01:20:53] constituencies across all cities and
[01:20:56] incorporated. So, thank you for making
[01:20:58] that funding available. It is needed and
[01:21:00] it will be used.
[01:21:02] >> Thank you. And to that point, if I may,
[01:21:04] um, and that's part of the work that
[01:21:06] we're doing with this new strategic plan
[01:21:09] is because traditionally our annual
[01:21:11] budget for grant funding is $5 million a
[01:21:14] year. And so with the uh with the
[01:21:17] resources that we currently have as well
[01:21:20] as the new lease funding that will come,
[01:21:23] which is about $650 million over a
[01:21:27] 30-year period, um you know, that is
[01:21:30] part of our planning is to uh
[01:21:33] potentially increase the grant funding
[01:21:36] program, look at um real estate types of
[01:21:40] opportunities in areas that we are
[01:21:42] allowed to under the non-compete
[01:21:45] language unfortunately um and that's in
[01:21:48] the more um designated underserved areas
[01:21:53] that you know are north of the tan and
[01:21:56] wrapping around to mecca thermal uh
[01:22:00] Coachella areas and that which that's
[01:22:02] where you know we anticipate that the
[01:22:04] population growth will occur and so
[01:22:07] there will be in infrastructure needed
[01:22:09] and so we will be able to uh provide
[01:22:13] resources and build and own uh clinics,
[01:22:17] urgent cares, etc. And I'm speaking
[01:22:19] probably out of turn because um our
[01:22:22] directors will be the ones that will be
[01:22:24] deciding that that type of work. but but
[01:22:26] allows us opportunity to um expand our
[01:22:31] efforts to provide access to health care
[01:22:35] and I I think it's going to be a
[01:22:38] wonderful program going forward but yet
[01:22:40] we also have to be good stewards of
[01:22:42] those resources and manage those into
[01:22:45] perpetuity because at the end of 207
[01:22:48] unfortunately we do lose the hospital.
[01:22:51] So um it it's very this is a very
[01:22:54] critical strategic planning process for
[01:22:57] us very different from our prior
[01:23:00] strategic plans. So we welcome all the
[01:23:03] public to uh participate in that.
[01:23:06] >> Thank you for your efforts in in in
[01:23:09] doing the public outreach because so
[01:23:11] many people don't have access and it's
[01:23:15] it's a critical part. Ted, do you have
[01:23:18] any comments? No,
[01:23:21] I would rather leave it on a positive
[01:23:22] note. Obviously, Councilman DS mentioned
[01:23:26] the
[01:23:27] uh the problem we had with the
[01:23:29] non-compete, which was an issue. U and
[01:23:33] hopefully
[01:23:35] uh in your expansion to these areas in
[01:23:39] need that you've alluded to that that
[01:23:41] won't be an obstacle as far as providing
[01:23:45] service to all entities. That's that's
[01:23:48] what we're hoping for.
[01:23:49] >> Well, there's there's a little bit of
[01:23:51] opening in there that we have some
[01:23:53] opportunity with relation to real
[01:23:56] estate. Um so I I think there's some
[01:23:58] possibilities that could occur there.
[01:24:01] Right now, we need to get through this
[01:24:03] um this uh validation action um so that
[01:24:07] we can get through the legalities and
[01:24:10] hopefully move on um to work on whatever
[01:24:13] partnership that we can. So and um
[01:24:17] anyway again thank you. It it's huge for
[01:24:20] us in this uh healthc care access and
[01:24:23] especially during this time of uh our
[01:24:27] challenges with immigration
[01:24:29] um undocumented
[01:24:31] um residents and such that um we need to
[01:24:36] provide the access to the care uh to
[01:24:39] those residents of the community and
[01:24:41] that's part of the huge component of us
[01:24:44] and I'm sorry I'm taking a little more
[01:24:45] time
[01:24:46] >> that's okay
[01:24:47] >> um but you know one of the programs
[01:24:49] programs that we started, you know, back
[01:24:51] during the pandemic was a mobile clinic
[01:24:55] program that is taking health care to
[01:24:58] residents of the community that don't
[01:25:01] really have the ability, whether it's
[01:25:03] transportation or whatever the social
[01:25:06] determinants of health that might limit
[01:25:08] their access to going to a physical
[01:25:11] location for a medical appointment and
[01:25:14] promoting, you know, teleaalth types of
[01:25:17] of services because is becoming more and
[01:25:19] more of a challenge for our district
[01:25:22] residents that have um immigration
[01:25:26] concerns
[01:25:27] um to be able to get to their health
[01:25:30] care. And so taking medical care to the
[01:25:35] residents that don't have that access is
[01:25:37] critical and that's a program that will
[01:25:40] increase with uh our future work.
[01:25:43] >> Very good.
[01:25:44] >> Thank you so much for being here today.
[01:25:46] >> Thank you. Thank you, council.
[01:25:49] Patrick Lowry.
[01:26:01] >> Good afternoon. Patrick Lori, uh,
[01:26:03] 22-year resident of Rancho Mirage. Uh, a
[01:26:07] couple of things here. Um, nobody
[01:26:10] opposes $2 million to Eisenhower more
[01:26:13] than me.
[01:26:15] Maybe he should turn that $2 million
[01:26:17] over to the housing project for a lower
[01:26:20] income.
[01:26:21] Again, uh the Lord does not reside at
[01:26:24] Eisenhower. Far from it. Next is uh
[01:26:29] I want to give my compliments to Mr.
[01:26:30] Christensen. I had a chance to meet with
[01:26:32] him as I've had a chance to go to
[01:26:34] several of the meetings of the
[01:26:35] healthcare district. Remarkable people.
[01:26:39] remarkable what they do and how careful
[01:26:40] they are about giving and how sincere
[01:26:43] they are in giving. So if you get a
[01:26:46] chance to attend these meetings and
[01:26:48] again Mr. Christians and I can't believe
[01:26:49] his door is wide open to meet with me
[01:26:51] because you and I have a small
[01:26:53] disagreement. I measure aa and I'm going
[01:26:55] to attack that through social media. Not
[01:26:58] terrible. I understand the situation.
[01:27:00] There's a lot more here and it's complex
[01:27:02] and I'm not a quick learner but I'm
[01:27:05] there and I'm trying. Now, next thing is
[01:27:08] Miss Molatto on your uh monthly comment
[01:27:12] uh just to remind you and the district
[01:27:15] here February is Black History Month.
[01:27:18] And maybe we should make some comments
[01:27:19] about that. No big deal because I I like
[01:27:22] your comments. I enjoy you. Uh uh
[01:27:25] finally
[01:27:27] watching TV the other day or or maybe a
[01:27:29] month ago, my wife and I kept seeing
[01:27:31] these things on what the Jewish
[01:27:32] community is going through. I'm not
[01:27:34] Jewish. Matter of fact, I'm kind of
[01:27:36] anti-religious. and do what Oscar Wild
[01:27:38] does, which is religion is, you know, a
[01:27:41] person walking into a blind person
[01:27:44] walking into a black room looking for a
[01:27:46] black cat that isn't there. One of his
[01:27:49] more famous statements, right? But this
[01:27:51] had bothered us and we don't believe in
[01:27:53] being bystanders.
[01:27:55] We believe in fighting the battle as
[01:27:57] best we can for my little micro
[01:27:58] position. So, we decided to go to a
[01:28:01] Shabbat.
[01:28:03] The Shabbat, I don't know. Uh, but we've
[01:28:06] been to a couple. We were welcomed. We
[01:28:09] felt awkward. And so, we're giving as
[01:28:12] best we can. I mean, I can't believe
[01:28:15] that you go to a place for Shabbat and
[01:28:18] there's a big fence around it and on
[01:28:21] there when they have the services, they
[01:28:24] have an arm guard. That's incredible to
[01:28:27] me. I hope the city is paying attention
[01:28:29] to some of this. We have approximately
[01:28:30] between Cathedral City and here about
[01:28:33] 6,000
[01:28:34] Jewish people.
[01:28:37] Rancho Mirage between two and four. It
[01:28:39] depends on how you look at it, I guess.
[01:28:41] Again, let's pay attention to this. This
[01:28:43] is kind of a tragedy. Think of Bondi
[01:28:46] Beach. You know, think about what we
[01:28:49] might have been able to do or to give or
[01:28:51] to think about or comment on when it
[01:28:52] comes to such terrible tragedies. So,
[01:28:54] anyway, that's I don't want to make it I
[01:28:57] let's pay attention to that. It's really
[01:28:59] something to meet with these folks and
[01:29:01] to be brought in by them. Wonderful
[01:29:03] moment for me. Uh, good work to some
[01:29:06] extent. Take care.
[01:29:08] >> Thank you, Wally Melendez.
[01:29:37] Hey, good afternoon to everybody.
[01:29:49] Thanks to to the Brown actor for the our
[01:29:52] three minutes of uh um uh fame.
[01:30:01] Wednesday I'm going to be 81 years old.
[01:30:06] Thank God.
[01:30:08] My mother died at 76 and my father died
[01:30:12] at 74.
[01:30:15] Uh my sister died at 52 from uh di uh
[01:30:20] diabetes.
[01:30:24] Number one, let's uh be more attentive
[01:30:28] to the three minute uh um limit, please.
[01:30:36] Number two.
[01:30:41] Oh, my sister's name was Esther.
[01:30:44] I'm not going to go into a tirade about
[01:30:48] the national government. Things are
[01:30:49] moving along in the courts and in the um
[01:30:54] Congress
[01:30:56] to get rid of the crook.
[01:31:02] And I'm also thankful for uh my captured
[01:31:07] audience right now.
[01:31:15] or the captured audience in this place.
[01:31:18] That's what I mean.
[01:31:30] I do want to thank the uh this group for
[01:31:33] for uh carrying on the um
[01:31:37] uh uh the agenda of this of this town
[01:31:42] in in in an early way,
[01:31:46] you know, in um
[01:31:49] I used to play pool when I was uh
[01:31:51] younger
[01:31:53] and Now,
[01:31:57] I went to this pool hall, you know,
[01:31:58] where everybody spoke Spanish. And this
[01:32:02] is to let you know how much I appreciate
[01:32:04] English.
[01:32:06] So, somebody would be playing pool and
[01:32:09] they hit the ball with a stick and it uh
[01:32:14] and it didn't uh and it didn't do what
[01:32:17] it what it was uh what it was supposed
[01:32:19] to do.
[01:32:21] And uh so some people they will say and
[01:32:27] I'm going to tell you in Spanish would
[01:32:29] say
[01:32:31] English put some English on it
[01:32:36] because with English you can say things
[01:32:43] you can say in Spanish too but in
[01:32:45] English it's easier. So when you hit the
[01:32:49] ball with a stick and you put the the
[01:32:52] right English on it, it does what you
[01:32:55] want to do.
[01:32:56] >> Thank you, Molly.
[01:33:00] >> Alex Cruz.
[01:33:15] Good afternoon. Um, today I want to talk
[01:33:17] about the lack of bike lanes on the 111
[01:33:20] going through this city. But first I
[01:33:23] want to talk about the comment of um,
[01:33:25] Council Member Michael O'Keefe who
[01:33:26] believes the law enforcement is the
[01:33:28] answer to our dangerous street problem.
[01:33:31] Why would the most expensive solution
[01:33:32] that isn't even a permanent solution be
[01:33:35] efficient? It's not. It's more expensive
[01:33:38] than redesigning our roads and giving
[01:33:40] them road diets. And it still doesn't
[01:33:42] solve the issue because they are just a
[01:33:43] temporary band-aid. If we just redesign
[01:33:46] our roads to be more human scaled, the
[01:33:48] problem would be solved forever more and
[01:33:50] actually save lives. You said the police
[01:33:53] prevent accidents, but then in that
[01:33:55] case, why are people still dying?
[01:33:57] Because it's not a solution.
[01:34:00] Why are there no bike lanes on the 111?
[01:34:03] And why is there six lanes for personal
[01:34:06] vehicles when the road is mostly empty
[01:34:08] and has never had sustained traffic? It
[01:34:11] is long overdue for an installation of a
[01:34:12] bike lane there. Where are we supposed
[01:34:14] to ride? On the sidewalk? That's fine.
[01:34:17] If you want the sidewalk to function as
[01:34:18] a shared path between pedestrians and
[01:34:20] cyclists, then all that is required is
[01:34:22] to formally designate it as such. Put up
[01:34:25] signage that says shared path. This has
[01:34:28] nothing to do with the CV link. You
[01:34:30] don't have to call it that or make it
[01:34:32] any part of that project, but what you
[01:34:34] are supposed to do is complete this
[01:34:36] street. And right now, it is an
[01:34:38] incomplete street.
[01:34:40] Brian Stendelle is refusing to fix the
[01:34:42] most deadly parts of our city because he
[01:34:44] accepts these deaths as collateral
[01:34:46] damage in favor of maintaining autoor
[01:34:48] oriented design simply because it's
[01:34:51] because it's not profitable to fix
[01:34:53] simply because the real solutions may
[01:34:55] piss off the auto industry. Putting
[01:34:57] money over lives, it's unconscionable.
[01:35:00] Traffic engineers like Ryan's uh traffic
[01:35:03] engineering departments like Ryan's have
[01:35:05] blood all over their hands. Knowing that
[01:35:07] your design choices kill people, yet
[01:35:09] continuing to make those same design
[01:35:11] choices is 100% criminal. They do their
[01:35:15] work not based on science, but instead
[01:35:18] based off a rule of thumb that makes
[01:35:20] sure cars are prioritized.
[01:35:22] Will Cample, John Hanbri, and Peter
[01:35:25] Harvey are all bicyclists that lost
[01:35:27] their lives partly because of your
[01:35:29] design choices and because you don't
[01:35:31] want to do anything about it. How many
[01:35:33] more have to die for you to take action?
[01:35:36] And then he has the nerve to say, "I
[01:35:37] ride my bike sometimes and I don't see a
[01:35:39] problem." You say, "I don't see a
[01:35:41] problem with the super thin bike lane in
[01:35:43] front of the high school where Cample
[01:35:45] was killed." When that happened in 2018,
[01:35:47] nobody has ever dared to ride in that
[01:35:49] bike lane again. Would you ride your
[01:35:51] bike there? If we didn't live in a pro
[01:35:54] state ran by pedophiles, you would be
[01:35:56] held accountable for your crimes. If you
[01:35:58] don't want to build the CV link, okay,
[01:36:00] then don't. But put the bike lane on the
[01:36:01] 111 where they belong. Your city is
[01:36:04] incomplete without it and resembles the
[01:36:06] type of infrastructure that is worse
[01:36:08] than a third world country.
[01:36:10] >> Please and thank you.
[01:36:13] >> Brad Anderson.
[01:36:21] >> Thank you. Brad Anderson, City Mrage.
[01:36:23] Outstanding speakers today. Everybody
[01:36:25] has an excellent excellent point. Um I
[01:36:28] have no comps about uh anybody speaking
[01:36:31] today. uh public speakers only. Uh
[01:36:35] anyway, I wanted to circle back to item
[01:36:37] 7B. Um I know the only city council
[01:36:42] member that's agenda public agenda
[01:36:44] nonend I'm not talking about the item.
[01:36:46] I'm talking about the item discussion
[01:36:49] >> and and I want to say I understood her
[01:36:52] to say that she had the discussion and
[01:36:55] and was informed. Now, was that a group
[01:36:58] discussion? Was that with other city
[01:37:00] council members? Maybe you can do maybe
[01:37:02] you can explain that later. And then the
[01:37:04] city manager hopefully you won't
[01:37:06] interrupt me again. And uh
[01:37:08] >> I will if you don't uh speak on
[01:37:10] non-aggenda.
[01:37:12] >> Wow. Get serious. Okay. I'm going to
[01:37:14] circle back to 7B. What was talked about
[01:37:17] by Mr. DS and his confidence in the city
[01:37:20] manager which I doubt is uh sincere.
[01:37:23] >> He's not following.
[01:37:24] >> But uh
[01:37:24] >> Brad, I need you to please stick with
[01:37:27] non.
[01:37:27] >> This is non-aggenda public comment. I'm
[01:37:29] not talking about referring to the
[01:37:31] agenda items
[01:37:33] that are here in the agenda.
[01:37:35] >> I understand how this is going and uh so
[01:37:38] I think we're happy to receive your
[01:37:40] comments as
[01:37:41] >> I will continue. Thank you. Um I would
[01:37:44] hope that the mayor would maybe resend
[01:37:46] her her current assignment to the Palm
[01:37:50] Springs Cemetery District Board along
[01:37:52] with the city attorney. It's a total
[01:37:55] conflict of interest to hold that
[01:37:57] position for that long. So, uh, and I
[01:38:00] understand you were appointed how many
[01:38:02] years ago? And I believe the meetings
[01:38:04] are roughly $300 per meeting now is it
[01:38:08] something like that. So, I'm just saying
[01:38:10] that maybe you should maybe concentrate
[01:38:12] on the city government versus your other
[01:38:15] appointments that has total conflicts of
[01:38:18] interest. And so again, I wanted I
[01:38:22] wanted to state that uh see you got me
[01:38:25] all flustered from syncing trans and I
[01:38:28] just well
[01:38:32] I'm sorry that you had to feel that you
[01:38:34] had to do that. Uh, so I'm going to go
[01:38:37] ahead. All all my comments were
[01:38:39] submitted in writing today, so hopefully
[01:38:41] people can look at them and um and in
[01:38:44] the future I will start speaking on um
[01:38:48] council comments when they come
[01:38:49] available and uh and then hopefully you
[01:38:53] won't uh abuse uh public speakers in the
[01:38:56] future. Thank you.
[01:38:59] >> Thank you, Michael Harrington.
[01:39:08] uh Michael Harrington Retro Mirage. So I
[01:39:10] don't know this might be uh similar to
[01:39:12] what Brad Anderson was uh encountered
[01:39:15] because I kind of see that there are um
[01:39:18] issues regarding the city and it's not
[01:39:23] necessarily an agenda item. So let me
[01:39:25] know you know if I if I got that wrong
[01:39:28] but I would like to see the um reports
[01:39:31] um the treasury reports
[01:39:34] clear it seemed it's very muddled and
[01:39:37] the whole point of the report is to have
[01:39:39] transparency because it's city it's
[01:39:42] government money right it's not like
[01:39:45] your money I don't mean it but I mean I
[01:39:48] don't have to give a report well maybe
[01:39:50] to my wife I do but but you know if if I
[01:39:53] don't report to anyone or I don't tell
[01:39:56] my wife I bought something today. It's
[01:39:59] not a public matter, but you have public
[01:40:02] money and you're the stewards and
[01:40:04] guardians of that money. And I know you
[01:40:07] you take that seriously and I hear it
[01:40:09] when I see you talk. Um, but I don't I
[01:40:13] don't know if it's showing up when I
[01:40:15] read very confu sorry very confusing
[01:40:19] reports. I mean I don't I don't want to
[01:40:21] get into it and be shut down but I I
[01:40:23] thought it was not clear. The whole
[01:40:25] point of accounting I used to to work in
[01:40:27] that field. It has to be clear. That's
[01:40:30] the point otherwise it's not an
[01:40:33] accounting. So I don't that accounting
[01:40:36] raises a lot of questions. There's a lot
[01:40:38] a lot of issues too. The nonprofit gives
[01:40:40] this as their address here and that's
[01:40:44] very confusing muddling it all together.
[01:40:47] Now, I'm not saying it's wrong, but I'm
[01:40:49] just saying I would suggest you take
[01:40:51] that report and have it reviewed by
[01:40:53] legal compliance and independent
[01:40:55] counsel, the quarterly report. But also
[01:40:59] another topic totally different. I did
[01:41:01] get a chance to meet that that great CEO
[01:41:03] and I am on a citizens advisory council
[01:41:05] with um Sunline, which is really great
[01:41:08] to give feedback. And all year I've been
[01:41:11] bringing up every few months throughout
[01:41:13] the year about getting that sunrise
[01:41:16] here. And I'm glad it's it's finally
[01:41:18] here. Our next meeting is isn't for a
[01:41:20] few months. So I wasn't updated yet, but
[01:41:22] I've been all last year I've been
[01:41:23] arguing for that. Um, you know, in a
[01:41:27] polite way. And I wrote a letter to
[01:41:29] Desert Sun and I believe to you also and
[01:41:31] now they have it. It's really great. I
[01:41:33] feel my advocacy contributed. Last
[01:41:36] thing, if if youth are up here and they
[01:41:38] want and I'm just saying that's great.
[01:41:41] Why don't you get a youth council,
[01:41:43] consider a youth council, you know, it's
[01:41:45] great to get kids. Not kids, he's I'm
[01:41:47] just old. You half of you are kids to
[01:41:49] me. Okay. So, but it's great to get them
[01:41:52] involved. I grew up in a town where if
[01:41:54] you didn't want to be in a gang, you go
[01:41:55] to the library and but you got to fight
[01:41:58] when you leave the library. It was a
[01:41:59] tough town. Get them involved. Get get a
[01:42:02] youth council. did have the youth
[01:42:04] advisory council set them up here. Have
[01:42:06] a time fill the seats. That would be
[01:42:09] great. Thank you.
[01:42:10] >> Thank you, Mr. Harrington. That was the
[01:42:12] last speaker card. Is there anyone in
[01:42:14] the audience who would like to speak on
[01:42:15] something that is not on today's agenda?
[01:42:18] That was the last speaker.
[01:42:20] >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. We'll now recess
[01:42:22] to close session. Thank you for being
[01:42:25] here today.
[01:42:30] I'll summarize the items before you
[01:42:32] listed as 9A on the close session
[01:42:34] agenda. Conference with legal counsel
[01:42:36] potential initiation of litigation
[01:42:38] pursuant to government code section
[01:42:40] 54956.9D4.
[01:42:43] One potential case.
[01:42:55] We've returned from close session. And I
[01:42:57] will ask the city attorney to report.
[01:43:00] >> Thank you, mayor. No reportable action
[01:43:02] taken today.
[01:43:04] >> Thank you. And we will now agend um
[01:43:08] adjourn the meeting at uh 3:42 p.m.