Regular City Council Meeting, April 16, 2026

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[00:00:12] Speaker A: Good afternoon. It's Thursday, April 16th, 2026, 1:00 PM, Rancho Mirage City Council Chambers. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Rancho Mirage City Council and Community Services District Energy Authority. Housing Authority, Joint Powers Finance Authority, Library and Observatory, and Redevelopment Successor Agency boards. Madam Clerk— I'm sorry, we're going to do the flag salute first. Thank you.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: We stand.
[00:00:48] Speaker E: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: Now, Madam Clerk, I'm sorry, I was trying to jump the agenda. Roll call, please.
[00:01:12] Speaker F: Council Member Downs. Council Member Fromberg-Edelstein.
[00:01:16] Speaker G: Present.
[00:01:16] Speaker F: Council Member Weil.
[00:01:18] Speaker D: Here.
[00:01:18] Speaker F: Mayor Pro Tem O'Keefe.
[00:01:19] Speaker E: Here.
[00:01:20] Speaker F: And Mayor Mulatto.
[00:01:21] Speaker A: Here. And may I have a motion to excuse Council Member Downs?
[00:01:26] Speaker D: I'll make a motion to excuse Council Member Downs.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: And a second?
[00:01:30] Speaker G: I'll second.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: Please vote.
[00:01:42] Speaker F: Motion carries 4-0.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: Thank you so much. Next item on the agenda is presentations, and we'd like to welcome Lieutenant Christopher Ternes with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department with an update. Hello, sir, how are you today? I guess I should ask that question once you get out to— up to the podium so you don't have to yell.
[00:02:04] Speaker C: I'm very good.
[00:02:05] Speaker D: Welcome.
[00:02:05] Speaker C: Thank you. I'm very good. Thank you. Good afternoon, mayors, mayor, members of city council, and staff. Today I'll be presenting an overview of our services, a crime update, and a couple case examples involving Flock safety cameras. You can go to the next slide, please. The next one after that.
[00:02:33] Speaker H: There we go.
[00:02:34] Speaker C: This slide provides an overview of our department. As you can see, we have 33 full-time deputies. Our patrol deputies work 12-hour shifts, which provides around-the-clock coverage. We also have several specialized teams. 2 deputies assigned to our Robbery/Burglary Suppression Team. It's a highly effective unit that focuses on violent crime. The team leader is here with me today. At the conclusion of my presentation, I would like to invite him to come forward and share a few words about the team. Additionally, we have 2 deputies assigned to our Special Enforcement Team, which is called SET, which focuses on proactive enforcement aimed at reducing in-progress crimes. Our problem-oriented policing, our POP team, also consists of 2 deputies who have built strong relationships with local businesses and serve as a direct connection between the community and law enforcement. The Traffic Bureau is made up of 1 sergeant and 3 motorcycle enforcement deputies. Their primary goal is to reduce traffic collisions, enhance roadway safety throughout the city. Altogether, these resources equate to approximately 2 deputies per 1,000 residents here. In addition to our dedicated city staff, we have access to a wide range of county resources. This slide highlights just a few examples, including our K-9 teams, the Coroner's Bureau, and specialized units such as our Human Trafficking Team. Here are some more additional resources we have access to, including our dive team, dedicated volunteers such as the Mountain Enforcement Detail, and our search and rescue teams. These teams are invaluable, and we frequently rely on them for operations in our local mountains and trail, and trail areas. Air support is an invaluable asset and one we rely on every day. Our fleet includes several different aircraft, all of which are available to respond quickly, even if they're not already in the immediate area. These are our new mobile command centers. They essentially bring a fully functional small-scale station to remote locations. They are utilized for both pre-planned events and critical incidents, allowing us to maintain command, coordination, and communication wherever needed. Now that I've shared an overview of our city's team composition and the resources the city has access to, I want to share the progress we have made in recent years. This slide highlights property crime stats over the past several years through the end of 2025. As you can see, crime has steadily declined through 2025 across all categories, which can be attributed to our team's proactive policing methods and Flock safety cameras. Notably, vehicle theft drops, dropped significantly from 105 in 2021 to 17 last year, showing the city's public safety investments are making our community safer. As mentioned in the previous slide, FLOCK license plate cameras are a critically important tool in modern law enforcement, and I would like to take a moment to highlight its impact. To do so, I'll provide a couple of examples in which FLOCK cameras have directly contributed to the identification and arrest of criminal suspects. December of last year, deputies investigated a case involving Tesla charging units. These wall-mounted chargers were stolen from local businesses, one here in the city, the other in Palm Desert. Deputies only had a vehicle description associated with the suspect. No license plate was available. The FLOCK system matched the described vehicle, leading to identification of the correct suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was identified near multiple crime scenes using FLOCK data. The suspect vehicle presence was confirmed at theft locations on key dates in December. FLOCK data led to the vehicle stop and the suspect arrest. The use of FLOCK strengthened our case, which was sent to the DA for prosecution. It contributed to the recovery of stolen property and evidence. It reduced investigative time and manpower needed and it demonstrated effectiveness in solving multi-location property crimes. Without FLOCK public safety cameras, this case would have been an unsolved case. Another example I want to share with you. Last February, deputies responded to a reported burglary at one of our new city developments. The victim reported that a large Conex box had been forcefully opened and numerous electrical and construction material valued at over $7,000 was stolen. The only suspect information was provided by a witness who observed a black vehicle partial license plate in the area at the time of the burglary. There is no surveillance footage available at the location. FLOCK was utilized by entering the partial vehicle information. The vehicle was identified and data showed it had been in the vicinity of the burglary as well as other nearby construction sites prior to the incident. FLOCK camera data further led investigators to a nearby casino where 2 suspect vehicles and 2 suspects were identified. This information led to the service of two residential search warrants outside our jurisdiction, resulting in the recovery of some stolen property and the arrest of two suspects. As noted, there was no video surveillance at the construction site. Without FLOCK, this case might have not been solved. FLOCK has proven to be an invaluable tool in helping us locate suspects involved in a wide range of crimes throughout our city. The days of a stolen vehicle being gone for several days, they're largely behind us. With the city's investment in FLOCK, we are often able to locate and recover stolen vehicles quickly and take suspects into custody without delay. And this effect is represented in our year-over-year decrease in stolen vehicles. In addition, FLOCK frequently assists us in non-criminal situations. For example, when a family member with dementia takes a vehicle without notice, we can quickly enter the license plate into the system and locate them safely. This helps us reconnect at-risk individuals with their families as quickly as possible. Another example: when one of our neighbors is experiencing a mental health crisis and is in need of serious medical attention and decides to leave in a vehicle, after entering the vehicle into FLOCK, we can locate the person in distress and coordinate medical assistance as needed. These are not hypothetical scenarios. These are real situations occurring in our city every day. FLOCK has become an essential tool in both public safety and community care. Thank you for the opportunity for me to speak today. I'm able to answer any questions you might have for me.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: Are there any questions?
[00:09:05] Speaker D: No, I just want to say, Lieutenant, that we couldn't be more pleased with the service that we get as far as the Sheriff's Department is concerned. The example this past week of the stolen vehicle from the casino, that not only did you recover the vehicle, but then you got a search warrant for the residence of the perpetrator that stole the car, and, and you were able to recover additional stolen property at that residence. I mean, that was terrific and done just in such a short period of time. So again, I want to thank you and your entire department for the outstanding job you do.
[00:09:59] Speaker C: Well, thank you very much. They work hard for the city. So if there's no other questions, I'd like to invite Investigator Smith up here. Next to me, Investigator Smith. He's our team leader for our Robbery/Burglary Suppression Team. I'd like him to say a few things about his team.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: Thank you. Welcome.
[00:10:17] Speaker J: Hi, good afternoon, Mayor, City Council, and staff. My name is Josh Smith. I am an investigator with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. A little bit about me— titles are important as investigator, but my most important title is dad. I am currently with the Sheriff's Department for the last 13 years. I have done a wide array of assignments from gangs to narcotics to undercover operations. And I found myself back at home here in the wonderful city of Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. I am on our, what we call our Robbery/Burglary Suppression Team. This is a team that is comprised of very highly trained and experienced investigators and deputies focused on suppressing and investigating sophisticated criminal acts. We focus mainly on very, very violent crime, whether it be shootings or robberies or residential burglaries when the people are home, all the way to commercial burglaries. As Mr. Ted Weil, spoke earlier, the case of the stolen car from the casino, that was our case. That is some of our day-to-day projects as they come up. So for day-to-day, as our team, it kind of depends on what is going on in the cities. So for example, that particular case, when we come into work and then we see a certain report, we're able to quickly follow up on it without having to get approval, without having to call anybody higher up. We're able to go out of county. We're able to work undercover and make these arrests. And like you said, get the stolen property back within a timely manner. We use informant-based policing, where it's confidential informants that we cultivate in the field, undercover operations. I work undercover all the time. I buy guns and drugs more often than you would possibly imagine. Apprehensions. Our team for our station is the team for apprehensions. So anyone that is going to be expected to be armed or flee or run or fight, our team is the team that handles that. We are, we have our hands in surveillance operations countywide basically. So any team that needs our assistance, we're able to plug into any city within this county, within the state. We've done surveillance all the way up in Barstow, LA for weeks on end, basically living in our cars to make to make these cases come together. The expectations of my team, it's a privilege to be here, and it's through hard work and experience and a high level of commitment that you're on this team. The partners that I have chosen to be on this team have obviously been handpicked, but we are here for the community. We are here to make this community safe and to stop these problems from happening before they happen. I'm happy to answer any other questions that you may have about our team or what it is that we do. I know I look like a parolee, all tatted down. I tried to dress up a little nice. This is not how I normally dress, so I apologize if I seem awkward in this button-up. But if you see me on the streets, just give me a wave or a smile. Any questions?
[00:13:46] Speaker A: Are you, are you finding that a certain percentage of crime are by individuals from outside the area?
[00:13:54] Speaker J: Absolutely. So speaking specifically to robberies, we're seeing a big influx from LA County area because they're coming out here and they're seeing all these jewelry stores, all these high-end casinos, especially with Coachella events. This is prime, prime targeting. But the more that we're able to work and get our feet beneath us and get out there, we're taking care of business.
[00:14:18] Speaker F: Very good.
[00:14:19] Speaker J: Any other questions? Thank you for having me.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: Thank you so much.
[00:14:23] Speaker D: Thank you for being here.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: We appreciate all that you do, the entire team. Thank you. Next presentation on the agenda, we're going to invite Jess Higgins, our program coordinator in our sustainability department. Oh, there you are. How are you, Jess? Welcome. We're going to be— in a moment, we'll be presenting a proclamation, and Jess is going to speak about community gardens.
[00:15:02] Speaker H: Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I'm here to just share a brief overview of our Grow Together Rancho Mirage program. It's a community garden program. And it was created to support the development of community gardens throughout the city, bringing residents together while promoting sustainability, environmental stewardship, and expanding access to fresh, locally grown food. The program is open to HOAs, nonprofits, schools within Rancho Mirage. Through the program, the city helps remove the barriers to starting a garden. By funding up to $2,000 of garden infrastructure such as raised beds and irrigation, along with free compost and starter materials. We also provide ongoing support and guidance throughout the process to help ensure that each garden is successful and sustainable. Community gardens offer a wide range of benefits. They create meaningful opportunities for neighbors. To connect, encourage healthier lifestyles through access to fresh food, and support sustainable practices such as composting and water efficiency. They also transform underutilized spaces into vibrant shared environments that contribute to the overall well-being of the community. As part of the program, participating, participating communities are recognized as certified Green Communities, reflecting their commitment to sustainability and environmental leadership. Rancho Mirage Country Club is our first community to participate in the program, and they have done an outstanding job. Their team of volunteers has created a beautiful and productive garden space in a very short amount of time, and their dedication and collaboration have truly brought this project to life. So at this time, I'm going to show just a short video highlighting the early, early stages of the RMCC community garden.
[00:17:03] Speaker I: Standing in the Rancho Mirage Community Club. This actual space we're in has been just a wasteland for dumping trash, and we are going to transform it. So one of the things that we got today, thanks to the City of Rancho Mirage, we got the best AAA organic compost that anybody could possibly get. We got it from a company called SA Recycling. I've been to their operation. They have an incredibly sophisticated compost production, and the value of this compost is immeasurable. So to the City of Ranch Mirage, thank you.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: This is fantastic, absolutely wonderful. Um, Mr. Rabinowitz, would you like to come up and share any comments for us? You're welcome to come up here to the podium. Please let us know how your, your, uh, uh, Rancho Mirage Country Club, uh, residents are taking all of this in.
[00:18:26] Speaker I: I will do. I will do. Firstly, good afternoon and thank you, Mayor and City Council staff members, for having us here today. I want to start off by thanking the city of Rancho Mirage for embracing the Grow Together program. This is truly an outstanding program. You have a phenomenal manager here in Jess, who spent a lot of time with us working through this. And it's a true gift to the residents of the City of Rancho Mirage. I also want to thank the RMCC HOA for their unwavering support for our participation in this program. Without the support of the City and RMCC, none of this would have been possible. This space is more than soil and ceilings. It's a place where we grow food. Yes, it is food, but it's also connection, pride, and possibility. The garden reminds us that small actions matter. A single seed with a little care becomes something nourishing. And the same is true for a community. When each of us contributes an hour of our time, a shared idea, a helping hand, we create something bigger than any one person could do. The garden is also a commitment to sustainability. By growing food locally, we reduce waste, we cut down on transportation emissions, and we reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. Composting, water conservation, pollinator-friendly plants—these aren't just practices, they're promises. Promises that we will care for the land that cares for us, and that we leave something healthier for the next generation. The garden will offer fresh produce, a place to learn, a place to gather and a place to breathe. But most importantly, it will thrive because of the people who make it happen, the City of Rancho Mirage and the volunteers who worked so diligently to create it. So I really do thank you as a City Council and the Mayor for introducing this program. As I said earlier, it is a true gift, and I just hope that We act as the catalyst to have more communities set up these gardens.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: We've had several communities that have reached out to us respectively asking for community gardens, and thank you for taking the lead on this. I wish we could take the credit. It's our sustainability department that does all the work and coordinates with our residents. Have you started planting yet? And what have you planted? Well, we just—
[00:21:28] Speaker I: we actually will be starting to plant this weekend. Great. You know, this is not the prime growing season in our area. There are some things we can plant in the, you know, for the heat of the summer, but our true planting and growing season will start in about September, and it'll go through till about May of the following year. Wonderful. And, uh, Yeah, once we have it all going, we invite council members, obviously our, our mentor here, to maybe come and enjoy a farm-to-table meal that's come right out of the ground here in the city of Rancho Mirage.
[00:22:08] Speaker A: This is exciting. We have a proclamation we would like to share with you. I'm going to ask that my colleagues join me here in front and we'll present this proclamation to you. Thank you for making your community a stakeholder and a community leader in community gardens. This is wonderful.
[00:22:28] Speaker I: Thank you to all of you.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: This is a proclamation recognizing Rancho Mirage Country Club as a green community. This is it. This is you. You're the leader. Thank you. And here you are.
[00:23:05] Speaker I: Thank you.
[00:23:05] Speaker A: Please take this back to your community and enjoy and celebrate.
[00:23:15] Speaker K: Thank you, Matthew.
[00:23:32] Speaker A: Congratulations.
[00:23:33] Speaker F: Thank you for all your hard work on this. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:23:39] Speaker I: Welcome.
[00:23:39] Speaker K: Thanks, appreciate it.
[00:24:01] Speaker A: We love it when projects like this and, and keep our community engaged. Next item on the agenda, council member comments and reports, and I'll start with Councilmember E. Fromberg Edelstein.
[00:24:14] Speaker G: I don't know how you top undercover investigations and community gardens. It's a wide swath today. That's right. And what's going on in the city, um, I would like to speak today about my experience as principal for the day at Rancho Mirage High School on March 26th. Of this year. Um, Mr. Hendra, Brian Hendra, who's the principal of the school, was stuck in training today, but he made the experience really, um, amazing. And it, again, for the— I think this is the third or fourth time I've, I've toured that campus. It is a premium high school campus. It is a, a treasure and a gift from that district to our city. There is so much to cover, but looking at the pictures, so we— first of all, the interesting thing is internet went down in the district, the whole district that day of Principal for the Day, which is a blessing because you really get to see how much technology runs a school in the educational part of it besides the admin part of it. Especially because their yearbook was due in a week. And the yearbook is completely run now by a computer lab, no longer the drafting tables with photographs like the yearbooks that were done when I was in high school, 'cause I'm of a certain age. But it was all technology-based, so there was a very frazzled yearbook faculty member and freaking out, and 30 students just, you know, hanging out. So it was very cool. Um, it was— it's, it's a huge campus. It, it's a little under 1,500 students, but it's a big enough campus for 2,500 students. And that's an important factor to hear because if Palm Springs Unified is an open district, so if you— if the size of your high school and what you can have access to is something you think about as a student or a parent, look at other high schools in our valley beyond the one in your city because a campus like Ponte Ranch Mirage High School that's state-of-the-art and underutilized right now for what it was built for. That means there's a lot of potential and possibility for students to do different things and participate in different levels of that high school they may not have an opportunity to do at a different high school. So from a child that was raised here with 3 high schools at that time, and now there's 9 high schools or 12 high schools across our valley, it's really impressive. and Rancho Mirage is the newest, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Um, in addition, I toured the Race Academy, which is their career pathway for, um, automotive repair. And then I had a very special moment there. So first of all, there are cars there to be worked on by students that are donated by Jessup Auto Plaza. Um, so that's really interesting. And the kids were down That day they were in classroom doing something else that day, in a study day, not in an actual physical repair moment that day. But I watched 3 kids walk around tidying up the facility and wiping down the auto lifts, which I would, if you had told me that that was part of what they would engage in in their high school programming, that their, of their stewardship of their facility, I would not have guessed that. And that was really impressive to me, which shows how much pride they take in what they're getting with hands-on training for careers. They, by the way, interestingly enough, they do not do EV vehicles there, but they are interested in possibly expanding into electronic vehicle— electric vehicle repair, which is 100% different, obviously, from a combustible motor. So that was really interesting. I went into the academic— the athletic office, and their athletic director is also their facilities director. So even though that man has an office, I don't think he's ever in it because I think all he does is run around Rancho Mirage High School all day looking at facilities. And then the most impressive was as well was the culinary track. And if for any of you that have ever eaten great food put out, catering put out by the culinary department at Rancho Mirage High School, of which our lunch that day was from them, it is remarkable. The commercial-grade kitchen Those kids made our lunch in that kitchen. That was also cookie day, so there was the smell of fresh-baked cookies wafting through the entire place, which was very nice. And I met their instructor, who is a professional chef who works with them every day. And, you know, for those people— we were having this moment the other day at something— that talk about old home ec classes, well, this is home ec today. And it's commercial-level kitchen cooking, which is unreal. But for a lot of those kids, even if they do not end up deciding to pursue culinary arts, they all learn how to cook for themselves. And they said most of those students that go on and go to college, they— what most appreciate is that they can cook for themselves when they leave home. So you just never know where the— where you plant the seeds and how the flowers are going to grow. But I saw it with those students. I also saw incredible camaraderie between the staff, Mr. Hendra, the administrative staff, and the students. They are a family, and you felt a community there, and I really enjoyed myself, including going to gym class, which was always my dreaded part of my day, but they were all having a great time in gym and the weight room and all those things. The most interesting part when you do principal for the day is you spend about 2 or 3 hours on the campus And this is something else interesting about Rancho Mirage High School. When they built the high school, it had no murals. It was a blank canvas. And they said to me repeatedly, we wanna thank the city for helping us design our mural system because it changes our school from just a set of buildings that felt rather dry and institutional into a high school campus. And the murals of the Rattlers and Palm Springs High, I'm sorry, that was a, Freudian slip from my high school days. Rancho Mirage High School, they really appreciated the city's support in getting those murals up and helping them get those designed in the right spots. And you can see a lot of them as you drive up to the school, so they're not just for the kids, they identify the campus as you drive up. Um, so it was great. Um, they did request that they would like us to figure out some way to do a homecoming moment for them. So we got to put our thinking caps on because they don't get it, they don't have a homecoming parade because We don't have a downtown Palm Canyon Street like Palm Springs High School does, and I think it's, it's a point of contention between Palm Springs High School and Rancho Mirage High School, so we need to figure that out. Uh, but that— so they asked for that, and they didn't like any of my ideas for let's have margaritas for the day, let's cancel school. None of my agenda items passed muster. Mr. Henderson said no to everything. So I'm glad they only hired me for a day because it doesn't fit my model of leadership. But most importantly, we went to lunch afterwards at the district building where everyone who was a principal for the day at all of the schools at Palm Springs Unified got together. And this is what I thought was the most interesting takeaway. Number one, the lunch that was created by the culinary program was absolutely unbelievable. But the teachers, the principals sit together according to like their grade and where they, what they teach in the same way Their kids do. So the elementary school principals all flock together and they all sit at the front of the room closest to the superintendent where they're the most impressive. And all the high school principals— I sat at a table and the high school principals came over and said, no, we're not sitting here, we sit at the back table. And so I sat with the principal of Palm Springs High, Cathedral City High, Rancho Mirage High, and Desert Hot Springs High School where we were the cool kids. And we just sat in the back. You know, it was like an episode of Grease and we were the greasers in the back and they were— and I said, is this how we do it? And they go, yeah, we're high schoolers. We can't sit with the elementary school kids. We're older than that. And I thought that that was the most interesting takeaway. But I will tell you, everyone that participated in that program came away with a deeper appreciation for how much our school district does, the challenges that our school district is facing. It's not an easy time to be a kid, and it's certainly not an easy time to teach a kid. And our district does a really, really incredible job at what is a heavy lift. And so I would recommend to anyone who ever gets an invitation to be a principal for the day to do it. This is my second time through. I, I would volunteer again. Um, they had police chiefs, fire chiefs, newscasters, council people, all sorts of people, and we all walked— had real takeaway moments with how much our school district does for all of these children and how much more we can be doing as community partners. So I would just say I really appreciate how much our council does for Rancho Mirage Elementary and Rancho Mirage High School, and I'm, uh, completely committed to doing as much as we can to continue to ensure the success of that school. It is a treasure to have it in our city. So thank you.
[00:33:33] Speaker A: There— if, if there's, uh anything to be said. There is tremendous school pride with those students. I traveled through as principal of the, of the day, not only at Rancho Mirage High School but also Rancho Mirage Elementary. And I did get a crown. Well, you know, what can I say?
[00:33:56] Speaker G: High school, we're too cool for crowns.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: Okay, well, there you go. But I think what's, what was so impressive to me was The interaction— teachers are the unsung heroes. They really are. Just like all those that are in public service, whether it is in law enforcement, fire, medicine, but certainly teachers. And they're role models, they're mentors, they're educators. They are the individual that has a very compassionate ear when a student needs it. And that's certainly present in both Rancho Mirage Elementary and Rancho Mirage High School. We are very, very proud of the students that attend those schools. We thank their parents for putting them in those schools with the additional capacity that is available currently at Rancho Mirage High School. That's gonna come in handy when our affordable housing is completed.
[00:34:51] Speaker G: Yes, and the last thing is they have a new pathway they're working on, which is for aviation. And so they are currently— the district and Rancho Mirage High School are in a partnership with the Palm Springs Air Museum, and they are getting high school students trained on their pilot's license because they're looking at the careers of tomorrow and where there are shortages. And obviously pilots and aviation is a big one, and so they're trying to start to direct these kids at the high school level into aviation careers, which are not only vital and important infrastructure for the United States and our travel system, but well-paying jobs with long-term prospects as a career. So the idea that they're taking high school kids and teaching them how to fly planes using the Air Museum is really remarkable, and I'm going to have them come back and do a presentation on some of these pathways because they are really creating— carving futures out for the students of this valley that are most likely going to stay here and work here, and what they can do to thrive if they stay in this community and find careers instead of jobs. And I think that that is a huge difference in what we do at our school districts. Absolutely.
[00:36:07] Speaker A: Councilmember Ted Weill.
[00:36:11] Speaker D: Thank you, Mayor. Uh, I want to take a minute to update everyone on where we are with our Economic Development Strategic Plan. This is important work, but it is also very practical. We are making sure Rancho Mirage stays economically strong, not just today, but over the long term. And we are doing it the right way by building on the regional work already completed across Riverside County and the Coachella Valley, and then focusing in on what makes Rancho Mirage unique. The goal is straightforward: continue supporting our local businesses, position the city to welcome appropriate new investment over time, and keep improving key areas like our highway 111 corridor while protecting the quality of life our residents expect. We have done a significant amount of groundwork. The analysis is largely complete, and now we were working through the next phase, refining strat— strategies and identifying a set of potential game, game changer initiatives that will guide future decisions. You will be seeing more of this as it comes forward for public discussion in the months ahead, with adoption anticipated later this year. At the end of the day, this is about being thoughtful, staying disciplined, and making sure we are taking the right steps today to support Rancho Mirage over the long term. I'd like to mention, for example, in the direction that we're going, we opened a new facility in the Rancho Las Palmas Shopping Center last week called Back Nine. Back Nine is an indoor golf facility with 4 active golfing bays, 3 for people to come in and hit the balls and 1 for lessons. I mean, what a great facility this is. You can go in there at any time and play various courses, whether you wanted to play Pebble Beach or any of the other fabulous courses that we hear about, they're available at Back Nine. It's a new facility. It is open now. It's available to the public, and I would encourage you to stop by and take a look at it. It makes us all very, very proud. Now, I don't know whether we have a video in addition to this slide or not, I saw a video earlier, I don't know whether that's— That's me. Great. So Back Nine is a franchise.
[00:39:31] Speaker L: We're the second one in the state of California. When I signed, there were 150. Now, under contract, there's 450 locations. One of the fastest growing indoor golf facilities in the country. We're really excited about being the second one in the state of California, but we are the first one in the country to have 4 18-foot simulators. Most simulators are 15, 16 feet. When you're playing Pebble Beach or any course on an 18-footer, the panoramic view is, is just unbelievable. It's as close as you're going to get to the real thing. Full Swing Simulator is is one of the top simulators in the country. It gives you all the analytics that you could possibly want as a golfer. I mean, it's, it's, it's absolutely top technology for indoor golf.
[00:40:27] Speaker D: Well, that was great. And as I say, it fits in beautifully with our economic development strategic plan. Again, it's a new business. In Rancho Mirage, and, uh, we anticipate that it will thrive as we look for other opportunities. So again, Mayor, uh, the development strategic plan marches on loud and clear. Thank you. Thank you.
[00:40:57] Speaker A: Mayor Pro Tem. Thank you, Madam Mayor.
[00:41:01] Speaker E: Good afternoon, everyone. It's mid-April. So you know that means it's springtime and summer's just around the corner. So if you have children or grandchildren or friends and relatives who have children, you might want to consider what they're gonna do when they come to visit in addition to hanging out at the pool or playing games at Dave Buster's. There's a lot of options, but there are 3 that caught my eye that you might not otherwise see. So first, if you have younger children, like up to age 8, please check out the Children's Discovery Museum. They have weekly camps featuring art and nature learning, experiential experiences, and much more. They have yoga classes for kids and special birthday packages, and you can check out their information at cdmod.org. Also, at the world-famous Rancho Mirage Library and Observatory, there are programs for teenagers to get involved. This includes one called the Chapters Through Time. Uh, these are volunteers that help with the summer reading program. Uh, they help with the crafts program, which is a big deal at the library. They work with library materials, and they have a unique opportunity to learn about library programs. And I have to say, we are the only city in the country whose city library has its own observatory. So if you have teens that are interested in this, this is a great opportunity. You do have to apply and be interviewed. The applications are due by Friday, April 24th. You can check it out at ranchomiragelibrary.org. And then to piggyback on Councilmember Fromberg-Edelstein, the Palm Springs Air Museum has officially opened the Ronald M. Allen Learning Center, which is something that our city supports. This new facility is designed to access— expand access to STEM education. They offer students hands-on opportunities to explore science and technology. Engineering, and as Eve said, aviation careers. Um, the center will play a key role in inspiring the next generation of pilots and engineers and innovators, and after the news last week, possibly astronauts, by providing interactive learning experiences in a real-world aviation setting. Uh, they have summer camps. They're called the Science of Aviation and Rocketry, or SOAR, summer camps. They give students between the ages of 11 to 14 an introduction to physics, engineering, aviation, and rocket science. So each week-long camp allows campers to explore the fundamentals of flight, rocketry, and it's through hands-on activities in a real environment. You can check out these programs at palmspringsairmuseum.org. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you.
[00:44:16] Speaker A: Well, this past week on Saturday, April 10th, uh, Councilmember, uh, Fromberg, Edelstein, and I did a community update at Mission Shores, and, uh, we were invited by their HOA, uh, to come in and provide that city update. And I think we gave them a little bit more than what they were anticipating, but it was a marvelous opportunity to meet and interact with the residents. It is a gorgeous community. There's tremendous pride in that community, and we thank them for asking us to, to come over and share with them what's going on in the city of Rancho Mirage. There's a lot of questions in a Q&A, and really terrific, really terrific questions that came from the residents. They're very supportive. They love our public safety. That's always good. And we have a community update scheduled on Wednesday, April 22nd at Lake Mirage. And we have another one scheduled on Monday, May 4th at Del Webb Rancho Mirage. So we're thrilled to be able to go out and meet with our constituency one-on-one. I'd also like to congratulate the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce They kicked off their signature speaker series yesterday at Mission Hills Country Club. This will go on through the summer, and if you have the opportunity to participate at those luncheons, whether you're a business member or not, very, very informative. Akershire Arena was yesterday's presenter. That's all I have today, and we'll move on to the city manager comments.
[00:46:04] Speaker M: None today, Madam Mayor.
[00:46:06] Speaker A: With that said, um, I'll ask you to take over the consent calendar.
[00:46:11] Speaker M: The City Council has 5 items on the consent calendar for considerations, items 5A through 5E. Item 5A are the April 2nd, 2026 regular City Council meeting minutes. Item 5B is the receive and file of the 2025 General Plan Annual progress report. Item 5C is the adoption of a resolution approving compliance with Senate Bill 1 eligibility requirements by approving the road maintenance and rehabilitation account project list. Item 5D are contracts, and 5E are demands. Before we go to council comments or questions, I'll ask the city clerk to take any public comment on the consent calendar.
[00:46:54] Speaker F: Thank you. I did not receive any speaker cards. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak on something on the consent calendar? No speakers.
[00:47:03] Speaker A: Are there any questions of the council members?
[00:47:05] Speaker D: I'll move to approve the consent calendar. I'll second.
[00:47:10] Speaker A: Please vote. Motion carries 4-0. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is public hearings. We'll have Jacob de la Cruz, financial analyst, report on this. Number 6A, annexation number 205 to Community Facilities District number 1 in connection with tentative parcel map number 38978. Jacob.
[00:47:46] Speaker N: Thank you, Mary. Good afternoon, Council. This item is to hold a public hearing for annexation 205 in the Community Facilities District number 1. This is the second and final step in the city's annexation process for developments within the city's jurisdiction. The first step was considered and approved at the March 5th council meeting. The territory proposed for annexation is located approximately 1,450 feet north of Country Club Drive on the east side of Vista del Sol and is comprised of two parcels totaling approximately 5.06 acres. At the conclusion of today's public hearing, provided written protests have not been filed and in the absence of majority protest, The City Council may consider adoption of the attached resolution calling a special election, declaring the results of the election, determining the validity of prior proceedings, approving the annexation of the territory, and directing the recording of an amendment to the notice of special tax lien. Staff recommends approval, and that concludes my presentation.
[00:48:36] Speaker A: Thank you. Are there any public comments?
[00:48:40] Speaker F: Thank you. I did not receive any speaker cards. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to provide public testimony on public hearing item 6A. There are no speakers, and if you'd like, I can go ahead and, uh, read the results of the election.
[00:48:53] Speaker A: Thank you very much.
[00:48:54] Speaker F: The ballot for the 6 eligible votes was received on April 1st, 2026, and was in favor. Therefore, votes cast in favor equal 100% of total votes cast.
[00:49:04] Speaker A: Very good. May I have a motion for adoption?
[00:49:08] Speaker G: I'll make the motion. Uh, I move to adopt Resolution Number 2026, next in order, calling an election on levying a special tax within the area proposed to be annexed to Community Facilities District Number 1. Annexation Number 205, declaring the election results approving the annexation of the territory and directing the recordation of the amendment of the notice of special tax lien.
[00:49:32] Speaker A: I'll second that. Very good. Please vote. Motion carries 4-0. Next item on the agenda, 6B, annexation number 206 to Community Facilities District number 1 in connection with tentative parcel map number 39233.
[00:49:55] Speaker N: Jacob. Thank you again, Mayor. This item is to hold a public hearing for annexation 206 into CFD number 1 and is the second and final step of the city's annexation process for developments within the city's jurisdiction. The first step was considered and approved at the March 5th council meeting, and the territory proposed for annexation is located at 72111 Clancy Lane and is comprised of one parcel totaling approximately 5.06 acres. At the conclusion of today's public hearing, provided written protests have not been filed and in the absence of majority protest, the City Council may consider adoption of the attached resolution calling a special election, declaring the results of the election, determining the validity of prior proceedings, approving the annexation of the territory, and directing the recording of an amendment to the notice of special tax lien. Staff recommends approval. That concludes my presentation. Thank you, Madam Clerk.
[00:50:43] Speaker F: Yes, so again, I did not receive any speaker cards. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to provide public testimony on public hearing item 6B? There are no speakers, so I'll go ahead and read the election results. The ballot for the 6 eligible votes was received on April 16th, 2026, and was in favor. Therefore, votes cast in favor equal 100% of total votes cast. Thank you.
[00:51:06] Speaker A: Is there any further discussion? With that, may I have a motion?
[00:51:09] Speaker D: I'll make a motion, Mayor, that the City Council adopt Resolution Number 2026, next in order, calling an election on levying a special tax within the area proposed to be annexed to Community Facilities District Number 1, Annexation Number 206. Declaring the election results, approving the annexation of the territory, and directing the recordation of the amendment of the notice of special tax lien.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: I'll second. Please vote.
[00:51:51] Speaker F: Motion carries 4-0. Thank you, Jacob.
[00:51:55] Speaker A: Next item on the agenda, agenda Annual appointments to boards and commissions. Madam Clerk, this is your wheelhouse.
[00:52:03] Speaker F: Thank you and good afternoon, honorable Mayor and council members. As you know, the city annually seeks volunteers to serve on boards and commissions. Beginning in February, the city clerk's office issued a notice inviting applications. The notice was published twice in the Desert Sun newspaper and included in several city e-blasts. It was also posted at City Hall, at the library, and on the city website. Applications received are on file in my office. Copies of all applications were promptly provided to the City Council for review and consideration. Each council member provided me with their nominations, which shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the council. In a moment, I will read all nominations. One motion may be made to confirm the entire slate of appointments. Any nomination requiring further consideration may be pulled from the slate for separate action. The nominations are as follows. Community Cultural Commission nominees are Kayla Pressman, Sherry Davis, Sally Trademan, Eileen Stern, and Frank Farino. Community Urgency— Emergency Preparedness Commission nominees are Mitch Brown, Al Parcel York, Ron Stillman, Tonya Hyams, Gary Jones, Technical Advisor Katie Slimco, Technical Advisor Walter Dandridge, Community Parks and Trails Commission nominees are Leslie Malloy, Joshua Oransky, Warren Schneider, Eric Wright, Jonathan Jucruel. Historic Preservation Commission nominees are Carol Liebowitz, Frank Lopez, Christian Braun, Craig Trepain, and Curt Penn. Housing Commission nominees are Jennifer Caridi, Isaiah Harris, Scott Newton, Lee Jennison and Jack Malreeder. Library and Observatory Advisory Commission nominees are Ron Treat, Donald Stein, Douglas Karolos, Guido Portante, and Technical Advisor Patrick Lambright. Library and Observatory Foundation Board nominees are Robert Moon, Lucy Tagmeyer, Christine Hughes, Leslie Uso, Michael Meyer, Peter Samuels, James Soa, Eric Cunningham and Mary Willis Yoshioka. Mobile Home Fair Practices Commission nominees are Marlene Katseda, Mike Renner, Stuart Clyde, Wallace Hill, Barbara Jacobson, and Stan Markowitz. Planning Commission nominees are Murray Bryant, David Gray, Austin Beal, Jean Reniker, and Jason Agostini. Traffic Safety Commission nominees are Gary Farrell, Ken Ringgold, Stephen Shui, Mark Jacobs, Peter Javier, Sheriff Sergeant Robert Wiggs, and COPs Captain Alfonso Carpenter. The mayor's nominee for city representative on the Jocelyn Center board is Hugo Awas. And that completes the list of nominations. Any vacancies remaining may be considered at a future meeting. And I can go ahead and open up to public comments if you'd like. Please. I did not receive any speaker cards. Is there anyone who would like to speak on item 7A? Thank you. Mike Harrington.
[00:55:11] Speaker B: Good afternoon, Mr. Harrington. Good afternoon. I'll be brief. I'm not opposed to anything in 7A except I do question waiving term limits. And I don't know why there wouldn't be term limits in general. Sounds like a lifetime appointment. It's good to have it. And if I'm wrong, I'll sit down right now.
[00:55:36] Speaker A: You don't need to sit down, but these commission appointments come up annually, right? So a commissioner serves for one year, has the opportunity for reappointment or to step back from the commission and let others to come forward to volunteer, right?
[00:55:55] Speaker B: Well, why would it be waiving applicable term limits if— why do you have to waive that if it's already that way? Why are we waiving the limit?
[00:56:04] Speaker A: Just a matter of policy and protocol. Oh, okay.
[00:56:07] Speaker B: Well, I didn't want to get into it. That's all right. I don't know if you're allowed. We thank you. I saw the city manager give you a look, um, so, um, but I did want to point out that I don't like the language waiving term limits. That's all. Maybe if it's already that way that every year we relook at it, then every year to just relook at it and let them apply, um, and you don't— it's not necessary to put waiving term limits. It seems like it could cause problems or ambiguities, um, especially the way you described it. I mean, they have the option to reapply, but if they have the option to just stay if they choose without reapplying, that's what I have a problem with.
[00:56:49] Speaker A: That's what you mean? I would understand that. Yeah, but it's clear on the application Yeah, that it is a 1-year term. Okay, okay.
[00:56:58] Speaker B: I don't think it's necessary to say waive. That's, that's all I want to say. I question saying waive term limits, and I would just strike that. Then we have what you have. It's a 1-year term, and the end of the year you just do it again, you know. How— that's unless there's, you know, much more to the agreement. But I mean, this, this is what you're voting on. This is what we see as a public right here. So That's all we have to go on. All right, well, thank you. Thank you.
[00:57:25] Speaker A: Are there any comments from the council?
[00:57:29] Speaker E: Yes, I'd like to go ahead.
[00:57:31] Speaker M: Michael, can we, uh, see if there's any other speakers before we close?
[00:57:35] Speaker F: Anyone else who would like to speak on this item? That was the only speaker. Thank you.
[00:57:41] Speaker E: Thank you, Mayor. I would just like to say thank you to all the ones who did apply. Serving on the commissions is important, and it shows that you care about your community. And for those who have served for multiple years, thank you. And for those who are new, thank you. Sometimes you apply and there's not an opening, but thank you for applying because we keep it on file, and when there is an opening, you'll be considered. So I just want to give a special thank you to the people who apply to be and serve on this important role.
[00:58:15] Speaker A: Thank you. Thank you.
[00:58:18] Speaker G: And I would like to thank those that have served that have now decided not to reapply for their service. They've all done, um, put a lot of energy into their jobs, and the commissions do a great job. And now that I'm attending those meetings, so much work is done there that supports the programming and, um, the policies and the actions that are taken by the city. So their involvement is really important. So I thank everyone that gives us their time.
[00:58:45] Speaker A: Thank you. No, community engagement is paramount, and no entity, uh, runs well without it. So we are most grateful to all those that have served, um, past and currently, those that applied, and that as the mayor pro tem had said, that are new to commissions or that have served on other commissions. We're most grateful, so thank you. With that, may I make— may I ask for a motion?
[00:59:14] Speaker E: I'll move that we ratify the nominations of members to serve on various boards and commissions as presented and waive any applicable term limits. I'll second that. Please vote.
[00:59:29] Speaker F: Motion carries. 4-0.
[00:59:33] Speaker A: Thank you. Next item on the agenda is property tax reduction phase-out agreement with our city manager Isaiah Hagerman.
[00:59:45] Speaker M: Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the council. Uh, I have the fun topic for the day, so, uh, please forgive me. Um, so nothing in this agreement— just to clarify, nothing in this agreement changes, uh, The amount of property taxes collected is just the agencies that are receiving, so the distribution of the property taxes. So back in the early '90s, the City of Rancho Mirage was receiving a bookmobile twice a week, and a percentage of the property taxes paid by our community go to support those services that were being provided by the county. So at that time, the city thought that it could, totaled up the amount of money from those property taxes from Rancho Mirage that were for library services. And they said, hey, if we do a city-run library, we feel like we can do a better job and provide more services than a bookmobile twice a week. And so the city went through the process in the early '90s of backing out of the county-wide library system, which redirected those library property tax dollars to the city's library, and which is how it is funded. Did today. Um, with that decision, uh, the city also around this time, uh, in the '90s backed out of the county structural fire tax for some of the same reason. Uh, they wanted more control over the fire services, and they redirected those existing property taxes. Now, uh, back in those days, uh, the city had a redevelopment agency which I will call an RDA. And RDAs took a portion of property taxes that normally went to other taxing agencies. And so RDAs started to enter into pass-through agreements so that when they took that property tax dollar, these pass-through agreements allowed them to still pass through the associated revenue for things like the library or fire or other, uh, jurisdictions. Uh, and so this was a very common practice with redevelopment agencies. And, uh, our redevelopment agency had two, um, plan areas, and it encompassed nearly 80% of our city. So they were very sizable. So, uh, that RDA kind of would do these pass-through agreements with various taxing agencies to make them whole on their property tax dollar. Well, our library and fire services were one of the— or two of those agencies, and about 60% of the funding for our library services was coming via the pass-through agreement from the RDA. Around the mid-'90s, The county figured out, so after several years of operating normally and making these pass-through payments, the county did a review of the pass-through agreements and found that the city did not have the appropriate pass-through agreement for its library and fire dollars. And during this period where we were operating normally before this was discovered, a new assembly bill came through, a new law came through that said you can't create new pass-through agreements. And so the city faced, uh, losing 60% of its fire and library money as a result of this because we were kind of in this catch-22 where we couldn't create a new pass-through agreement. That was exactly what we had been following since we had left, uh, the countywide system because of this law, and there was no mechanism legally to get this revenue through for library and fire services. And so the city during the '90s started to try to make various attempts to fix this issue, kind of ran into several roadblocks. Ultimately, what ended up happening is The city worked with the County of Riverside to get named specifically in state law. So the state law that we were named specifically in is the tax equity allocation, which was a property tax law that was meant to help cities like Rancho Mirage. So if you're considered a low/no property tax city, it doesn't mean that your property taxes are any lower. It just means very little of that property tax dollar flows through to your actual city. And so Rancho Mirage is a low/no property tax city because we had no pre-existing property tax add-on prior to Prop 13. And so what happens is, uh, that 1% general levy on your property tax bill is split between many different agencies. So in the city's original incorporated boundaries, uh, those tax rate, uh, areas— and there are many of them in the city, um, there's probably about 200 of them within our city as a whole, uh, within the original city boundaries, all these tax rate areas had 0% going to the city. And it was all going to the county instead, even after the city incorporated. And so the purpose of this TEA allocation was to say, hey, if you're a city like us, a low, no property tax city, you shouldn't be left with such a small share of your property tax dollar. You should get a minimum of 7%. And so this law required county auditor controllers to go through a calculation at the end of the year to say, what was the actual tax provided via what was paid in these tax rate areas and the percentage you got, and what's the 7% minimum. And if you got less than 7%, the county's required to backfill you up to that 7% minimum. So that was happening within Rancho Mirage since we are a low-no property tax city. If a city happens to collect more, then hey, you know, they don't— they get to keep whatever they collect. But it was meant to kind of provide a little equity uh, for a city that is incorporated and provides services now instead of a county to at least get 7% of your property tax dollar. So Rancho Mirage was subject to that calculation. So the agreement that was struck at the time, um, was that we would get named in that law specifically that would allow the County of Riverside to, uh, reduce this TEA calculation by the amount of property tax dollars that we were trying to reestablish for library and fire services. And so, uh, at the time when we had an RDA, a Redevelopment Agency, they were receiving a substantial percentage of the property tax dollar. So it really didn't matter that this TEA formula was, uh, being reduced because we were receiving a much greater percentage of the property tax dollar via the RDA, uh, which was us. Years later, right, RDAs were dissolved by the state, and so now all those property tax dollars are gone, yet we were left with the reduced TEA calculation. Um, during this period, right, the city created the Community Services District to act as the flow-through for these pass-through agreements. But in essence, that is how the city resolved this unable to create a new pass-through, naming the CSD, allowing these pass-through payments to go to the Community Services District in exchange for reducing this TEA calculation, which again, when you factored in the RDA at the time, you know, it really didn't matter all that much because the RDA was receiving such a substantial substantial portion of the property tax dollar. So now that we're post-redevelopment, uh, what we're left with is no property tax dollars within an RDA that all got reallocated elsewhere, and then a reduced TEA calculation where we are the only low/no qualifying city that doesn't receive the 7% minimum. And it's again because we were named specifically within state law that allowed this. The TEA calculation normally does not allow for the reduction of this calculation for things like backing out of countywide services and doing it your own and redirecting those tax dollars. So the law protected a city— use the library as the example— if any other low/no qualifying city decides, like Palm Desert just did it recently, uh, they decide to, uh, back out of the countywide library system and redirect those property tax dollars to their own city-based library, the auditor controller is not allowed to reduce this TEA calculation. However, because we are named specifically in state law, they get to do that for us. Uh, so, uh, in working with the county in bringing this issue to light, uh, we worked with Assemblymember Greg Wallace, who, um, uh, introduced Assembly Bill 1112. Which would be the fix to just simply delete the code section where Rancho Mirage is named specifically that allows this reduction of our TEA formula. And then if this law becomes bill— or if this bill becomes a law, then we would be treated like every other low/no property tax city in our TEA calculation. So kind of bringing us back up to where we should be where every other, uh, city is. Obviously extremely unique, doesn't apply to any other jurisdiction within Riverside County because again, this law specifically names Rancho Mirage, and it has to do with something that doesn't even exist anymore, that isn't even around. Uh, and I think it's just one of those unintended consequences of RDA dissolution. Uh, at the end of the day, this is just trying to get back our minimum 7 percent. And so the purpose of this agreement that you're being asked to approve is to work with the county to phase this in over time. And so what's stipulated in the agreement is if AB 1112 becomes law, then we will follow this agreement for the next 7 years. At the expiration of that 7 years, this agreement's done, and it would just be the normal calculation regulation. Obviously, the purpose of the agreement and the 7-year phase-in period is just to buffer both sides, right? Instead of changing it overnight, we are going to change it over a 7-year period so that both agencies have time to adjust and react to this. The county is set to, uh, review this agreement at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting. With that, so there's no fiscal impact in the current year Uh, there is a calculation, uh, that is attached to the agreement that shows on historical data how this would work. Uh, obviously when we get into those future years, actual data will be used. Uh, the purpose of the calculations within the agreement, uh, was just to show how the calculation is done now and what the reduction will be, um, using future actual amounts. Uh, with that I'll conclude my presentation and I'll ask the city clerk to take any public comment.
[01:11:39] Speaker F: Thank you. I did not receive any speaker cards on this item. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to speak? No speakers. Thank you.
[01:11:47] Speaker A: Is— are there any council comments?
[01:11:49] Speaker D: Yes, uh, Mayor, this is an extremely important change, uh, and as the city, city manager just explained, with the elimination of the RDA. It is a new ballgame entirely, and it will make a significant difference for us. It will take 7 years for us to basically start to receive remuneration, and after that there will be a normal calculation. But, um, kudos to the city manager who frankly investigated this situation and found out, uh, through his study, uh, that we were not receiving, uh, what we would classify as our fair share. I also want to thank, uh, the Assemblymember Greg Wallace for his work in Sacramento in expressing our position. And I think that had a lot to do influencing the county to go along with the change that we feel was so incredibly important. So with that, I want to, uh, compliment those people that were involved, and I look forward to approving this, uh, property, uh, tax reduction phase-out agreement. Thank you, Mayor.
[01:13:34] Speaker A: Welcome. May I have a motion, please?
[01:13:39] Speaker G: I'll move to approve the tax measure reduction phase-out agreement and authorize the city manager or designee to execute the agreement, subject to revisions approved by the county and the city manager in consultation with the city attorney. And I'll second that.
[01:13:55] Speaker A: Please vote.
[01:14:09] Speaker F: Motion carries 4-0. Thank you.
[01:14:14] Speaker A: Next item on the agenda, non-agenda public comments. Madam Clerk.
[01:14:20] Speaker F: Thank you. This is opportunity for anyone in the public to speak on something that is not on the agenda for 3 minutes per speaker. Our first speaker is Patrick Lowry.
[01:14:43] Speaker A: Good afternoon.
[01:14:44] Speaker O: Good afternoon. I was here today to speak directly to Councilperson Downes. Unlike Councilperson Downes, I'm not going to talk about him when he's not here, the joy he takes when I'm not here. I play the game fair, so we'll wait a week or two to talk to him. I want to mention something about the Sheriff's Department. Amazing people. And they have a program that wasn't mentioned, and that's the Blue Envelope program. I think I brought it to your attention. Remarkable thing. Now, being— having a godson who's autistic and our foundation supporting autism, this envelope is amazing. Put it on the dashboard, police person knows right away, you know, this is a different circumstance here and a different person I'm talking to. A wonderful person, but different. So that's one of the more remarkable programs that come out of our Sheriff's Office. The other thing is the term limit mentioned by the gentleman. I don't believe term limits— I believe term limits should be on everything we do as a practice, as a principle, as a predicate. Absolutely. And you know that I want term limits here for you, and I want a 2-year mayor. So those are the only comments I have. Missing Mr. Downs, but I play the game fair. Can't wait to see him. Thank you very much.
[01:16:03] Speaker A: Thank you, Mr.
[01:16:04] Speaker F: Lowry. Wally Meléndez.
[01:16:32] Speaker K: I want to thank everybody for taking their civic duties seriously, and I was trying to come up with a fill up my 3 minutes, but I couldn't even think of a word for today. So I tried to draw a picture, and the only thing that came to my mind was a Chinese The dragon, a Chinese dragon, reminds me or brings to my mind, not that I know a lot of history about China, but China is represented by a dragon, or you see a dragon when you think about China and their parades and so on. And what I gather from that is that the government of China all the time for thousands of years controlled the people. And what I gather is that people just look at the government of China as a dragon, a dragon. What I see here is a dragon. I see a rich town. As the dragon. They're serious, they're honest people, they want to do the right thing, but they don't understand anything. Right now, there are concentration camps in America. They call them detention camps, but they're concentration camps. And the people at the top, Trump and his gang, they put people in there that they don't like. When I'm sitting at home, sometimes I'm thinking, I don't want to go out on the street. Somebody might profile me. So thank you anyway for your good intentions.
[01:19:34] Speaker F: Thank you, Mr. Meléndez. Michael Harrington.
[01:19:45] Speaker B: Okay, well, thank you again for, for listening. My concern about the non-agenda public comment is broader And I'm concerned about transparency. For example, all of you go to assigned meetings, and I did recently attend a meeting at CVAG about the Mountain Conservancy and the endangered species. But I noticed— I'm not just focusing on that, I'm looking at in general— often the members don't use their comment time, your comment time, to talk about recent meetings you went to. Um, it's more, um, it's something else. Maybe feelings of life, one we got, and that's okay, but, but I'm not getting what happened at the meeting that you went to. Um, like the, the about the dogs. Well, uh, Michael O'Keefe is always reporting what's going on. That's what I would like to hear. And then whatever else he has to say, it's his free speech. Please go ahead. I'm not, I don't, you know, but at least get the core job done. Um, uh, the Conservancy issue, again, I wanted to be broader than just that. Well, I don't know who's on Transportation. I don't— sometimes I hear about Transportation, sometimes I don't. Um, I couldn't connect with anyone about that, but I did go through a different committee and got a change, an important change here at an outside committee. Where I got the $3 rides you can get in Rancho Mirage. We were the only city not getting it, but I didn't see the engagement here from whoever does transportation. Why weren't they talking about that? I joined another committee, a county committee, and affected change in Rancho Mirage by going around Rancho Mirage, by going around you basically. So why don't you come and talk about it? Or listen when we have something to say. Um, with, with the, um, Conservancy issue, um, there was something really important that when I went to the CVAG meeting, there was a letter saying that from the state and federal government that we're— you're breaking the law regarding endangered species. And that was never brought up. So when you come back to the meeting here, you should share the letter I was told it was not shared with anyone here. I have that in writing from the clerk, and you should discuss it. I was at a meeting at, you know, and say this is what happened so we all know. Otherwise, literally what I'm getting is nobody here, you didn't even know. That's what I got in writing. But that's your time to share what you're doing that we're paying you to do, to go to a meeting and come and report back. So, okay, my time is up, so I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for listening to me.
[01:22:36] Speaker A: Thank you, Mr. Harrington.
[01:22:38] Speaker F: Is there anyone else who would like to speak on something that is not on today's agenda?
[01:22:42] Speaker A: That was the last speaker. Thank you, Madam Clerk. It's now time for closed session, and I'll refer to our City Attorney, Colin Kirkpatrick.
[01:22:51] Speaker E: Thank you, Mayor. We'll be convening in a closed session for the item listed before you as 9A, conference with legal counsel, potential initiation of litigation pursuant to Government Code Section 5 4.956.9, one potential case.
[01:23:09] Speaker A: Thank you. Meeting is recessed. We've returned from closed session. I'll ask the city attorney to report any reportable actions.
[01:23:27] Speaker E: Thank you, Mayor. No reportable action taken today.
[01:23:31] Speaker A: We are now adjourned at 3:12 PM.