Inspector Kelly's Winner And Losers Local Politics 2014

With a nod of the hat to my old partner Bud Furillo who called me Inspector Kelly here are my some of my local political winners and losers for 2014.

Dr, Raul Ruiz: Winner He bucked a national trend and in the end easily outdistanced his opponent. Barring something unforeseen, he should be in the office a long time.

Brian Nestande: Winner. Yeah he lost to Dr. Ruiz but he received a 170k a year job as a result from the GOP Board Of Supervisors.

Bonnie Garcia: Loser. Lost the 24th Senate Race to Jeff Stone in just an ugly race.

Linda Evans; Winner. She knocked off long time Mayor Don Adolph in La Quinta and appears to be a possible GOP Assembly or Congressional candidate.

Stan Henry: Winner. Elected mayor of Cathedral City by acclaim. Now if the City Council led by Greg Pettis acts maturely, he may have a good reign.

Gary Jeandron: Loser. The former PS PD Chief lost his 3rd attempt at elective office in 6 years. He also resigned from the PSUSD School Board.

Joe McKee: Winner First term DHS council member showed patience and restraint in an enviroment that really needed it.

Palm Springs: Winner. There can be no doubt that Palm Springs is back. The city needs to be careful though as the actions of special interests are starting to cast a shadow over some of the issues involving the city. And city leaders must be a little more open to criticism and not to use Measure J funds speciously.

Eduardo Garcia: Winner. This man has a bright future in the State Assembly

Mike Hestrin: Winner. In a bizarre election, knocked off incumbent DA Paul Zellerbach. If he can keep the police unions and Rod Pacheco from influencing his office too much, he will be okay.

Redistricting: Loser. The city of Palm Springs a liberal bastion and LBGT stronghold now has 2 of the most right wing Assembly people in the whole state legislature. Despite some mutterings from EQ California types, don't look for much from Jeff Stone and Chad Mayes.

Happy New Year

Steve Kelly can be heard weekdays from 4p to 6p on 1450 KPTR and www 1450kptr.com

For Local GOP And Allies Christmas Comes Early

It has always intrigued me how a political party that always seems to talk about the inefficiencies of government can dole out political patronage. Once again the Riverside County Republican Party has not failed to delight in giving out some pre-holiday patronage.

Former Assemblyman Brian Nestande got a Christmas gift this morning when he was appointed to a management job in Riverside County. Now I personally like Brian but he gets 170 grand a year to work on lobbying. All 4 of the current supervisors supported him in his losing Congressional bid last month.

Then newly minted Senator Jeff Stone gave some love to 2 new Valley council people, Glenn Miller and Greg Pettis. Both played roles, sometimes bizarrely in the recent election of Stone. Miller was an opponent in the primary and Pettis was using the umbrella of Equality California to help drum up votes first for Miller then Stone. They were both rewarded with staff positions here in the Coachella Valley.

Glenn Miller who sits on the Indio City Council will take a pay cut from the 100 grand a year he was pulling in running a golf program for the recreation district.

Mr. Pettis, who sits on the Cathedral City Council, will I presume be Mr. Miller's liaison to the LBGT community. Already on social media, some EQ types are trumpeting this. It is doubtful to me how much support Mr. Stone would need in the gay community anyway in order to stay in office. I tend to think Messrs Miller and Pettis will spend the vast majority of their time giving out plaques at local city council and CVAG meetings.

Mr. Pettis, who now works for the one of the most conservative Republicans in Sacramento is also angling to be a delegate to the 2015 state Democratic convention in March. Yikes!!

Steve Kelly can be heard weekdays 4 to 6P PT on 1450 KPTR or 1450kptr.com

Time To Wise Up For The Palm Springs Police Officers Association

As the fallout from both the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases continues, passions are running high. People are out in the streets demonstrating their view that the system needs change. Many police officers and police unions are upset with what they feel are the public's lack of knowledge in the cases and police procedure. And among those unions is our local Palm Springs Police Officers Associatrion.

Of course, for the record the PSPOA as individuals or as a group have the right to express their viewpoints in the public arena. Equally as true is the right of any individual, to accept, refute or ignore those viewpoints. Wearing a badge may give one insight into some issues but certainly not all. Nor does it make any of the union's policy or political views sacrosanct or render them immune from criticism.

Now for the record, I like the PSPD. For the most part they are hard working investigators and do a lot to help the city. Many in the LBGT community rave about the relations between them and the police. But that does not give a pass to the PSPOA on a few recent disturbing events.

1.) The PSPOA is involved in a lawsuit against the Desert Sun about officer involved shootings and the release of the names of the officers involved. If the CHP can do this, why not the PSPOA? They will lose this suit but it is disturbing and the legal arguments expressed by PSPOA seem ludicrous.

2.) A recent posting was on the PSPOA Facebook page for at least 5 weeks. The "news" story was from toprightnews.com, a right wing conspiracy themed website. We learned that a crazy man killed by the NYPD after a gruesome hatchet incident may have been linked to ISIS. After I complained to the PSPOA President that the post was a joke from a tin foil site, he did look into it and after 3 more weeks it is gone. Still for a group that routinely calls the local paper "tabloid" when it dislikes unfavorable coverage, this was pretty stupid.

3.) The same PSPOA President recently posted on the Palm Springs Politics Facebook page. "What Ferguson Means For America's Cops." He claimed it was written by "Family and Friends Of Law Enforcement". That of course could not be further from the truth. The piece was authored by Bob Lonsberry, a far right talk show host in upstate NY. A Tea Party radical, Lonsberry is a real class act who sells a line of FUBO clothing wear. Barack Obama is the last part of the acronym. You can guess the first. I have to say or at least I hope to think  that this was posted due to the laziness of the PSPOA President which resulted in his failure to vet the post properly.

Opposing views and discourse are part and parcel in our society. But it is very hard to hold a civil or frank discussion about issues with a group  who either by ignorance or accident have chosen to align themselves with a foul mouthed buffoon and a conspiracy website. Their input has zero credibility.

Many a police officer has counseled a youth by saying that they need to stop hanging out with the "Wrong crowd". My advice to the PSPOA and it's leadership is similar. Wise up and stop hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Now I may be attacked for not supporting the police. So be it. There are some things that just have to be said.

Steve Kelly is on KPTR 1450 Weekdays from 4 to 6p.

Buzzing Around About The Buzz

We are T minus 15 days from the launch of The Buzz "trolley" service in Palm Springs. There will be many speeches and of course enough patting on the back among local officials to induce bursitis but there remain a few unanswered questions, at least in my mind.

The city has contracted out for almost a million dollars to have this service. It was scheduled to start December 7th but with the new launch date, will the city receive somewhat of a discount or are they just going to extend the time period of the run ending by 2 weeks?

Is the "Driving Optional" slogan, one that did not sit well with some city council members, still be used?

And finally the elephant in the room, will it work? Are monitors in place to see that it really delivers on the hype or will it go the way of it's earlier predecessor?

The fact that the city has changed the route in order to keep the trolleys on time is encouraging. Also the fact that the city is allowing all people, not just hotel guests on again behooves well.

Anything that encourages use of public transit and cutting down on impaired driving is good in my book. So the bus. er trolley er The Buzz, good luck.

Steve Kelly can be heard weekdays on 1450 KPTR Palm Springs at 4 PDT

I Need A Vacation Rental

Tonight the Palm Springs City Council will debate whether or not to have new ordinances imposed on vacation rentals. As Palm Springs has grown more vibrant in the last few years, there has been a subsequent greater demand for weekend rentals.

Now in the dinosaur era before 1991, if you wanted to rent your house for a time, you went to a rental agency and they would help you. They would place classified ads in travel magazines and big city papers. They also would screen prospective renters. It seemed to work out pretty well. I am sure there were problems with some rowdy tenants but not on scale there is today.

But now in this era of Airbnb, Craig's list and Pay Pal, many homeowners cut out the middleman and use the internet on their own to connect with renters. I once was 25 and renting a house for 2 grand, then inviting 10 people to help split the cost would have seemed very reasonable at that time in my life. And like many 25 year olds, I was not the most mature person. Neither were my friends.

In today's local paper 2 viewpoints on vacation rentals appear. Both make good points but again I am not sure if the genie is out if the bottle on this one. Technology has changed the whole ballgame forever.

In order for any program to be effective, code enforcement people must work on weekends to immediately ticket violators. Also the internet must be constantly monitored. I was astounded to see how many PS Rentals are online. Surely if Measure J money can be used for a bus route, it can also be used to help try and alleviate some of the issues raised by vacation rentals.

Steve Kelly can be heard weekdays on 1450 KPTR Palm Springs

Shedding Light On Palm Springs Silliness

In the great movie, the Caine Mutiny, the magnificent Humphrey Bogart breaks down on the witness stand over strawberries. His attempts to explain a missing key gets so convoluted he winds up not even believing his own sanity.

It now appears that a case of Caaptain Queegism has struck the lovely town of Palm Springs. The Agua Caliente band of Indians has put 2 searchlights on top of their casino. Oh the horrors. The lights are due to come down on the 15^th.

For some reason this single act has caused certain segments of Facebook to become filled with conspiracy theories and reality detached speculation. Some poor citizen even had to buy “black out” curtains to protect his home from the light of beam shot into the sky. The only time I have ever seen “black out” curtains is in an episode of Foyles War.

Our local paper is reporting that people allied with the modernist community are also upset about the beams. So let me shed some light on the matter.

In my opinion, the so-called light pollution gate is not at all about the spotlights. You will not hear a peep out of the complainants when spotlights are used for the White Party for 3 days or for the Film Festival.

What this really is about is the tribe's decision to tear down the Spa Hotel. People who are not used to hearing no heard it then.

This sniping at the tribe is counterproductive being based on the deadly combination of ignorance and arrogance. The Agua Caliente tribe has been here for a lot longer than the Palm Springs pseudo-hipster crowd. And probably will be for a long time. And that is something you can spotlight.

More Departures From The Desert Sun

As more and more traditional media move to catch up, restructure and re-brand in this digital age, there have been a lot of shakeups. Many have occurred at our  local paper, The Desert Sun. This is disheartening because as a 23 year resident of the Valley, I can say that the paper and it's on line reporting has improved dramatically in the last 10 years.

The days of routine factual errors and subservience to the likes of Tim Blixseth are gone. The Desert Sun has done outstanding investigative work and has fought for things to improve our Valley.

While I find the Opinion page supercilious and self congratulatory at times, that does not lessen my respect for the departing journalists or those that still labor on courageously.

Among those who have left the paper on either their own accord or involuntarily are Michael Felci, Leighton Ginn, Patty Meyers, James Folmer and Liz Kelly Nelson. Some are moving up, others moving out.

Leighton and Patty are pals from our annual BNP Indian Wells tennis days. Michael, James and Liz are all talented people who have had great impacts in our Valley.

Local media is not doing well in the early part of the 21st century. Here  is hoping that will change soon. Good luck to all.

Steve Kelly can be heard weekdays 4 to 6p on 1450 KPTR

Benghazi Blues

In our modern age of communications, nothing is more sacred than the old fashioned document dump. A Washington staple, it has been used by both the executive and legislative branch to release voluminous information on a Friday afternoon at 5pm in order to lessen media scrutiny. The House Intelligence Committee headed by Mike Rogers R-Michigan did so Friday.

The subject of this dump was the 9-11-12 attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi. The far right, aided and abetted by Fox News has been carping on this for the last 2 years. First brought up in the Presidential debates by Mitt Romney, it has now been used by GOP operatives as an attack on Hilary Clinton in an attempt to derail her 2016 assumed Presidential run.

The House Committee basically debunked all of the conspiracy theories that have been floated around about Benghazi. Basically it was a very fluid and confused situation. Tragic as well of course, because 4 Americans including Ambassador Christopher Stevens and 3 others were killed in the attacks.

Of of the most egregious lies that was spread was that there was a "Stand down" order issued to military personnel who could have aided the Benghazi compound. And of course this order supposedly emanated from the very top. Why President Obama would have done so has never been articulated.Of course in Cuckooville, an explanation is not always offered readily. As long as it involves the Muslim, Kenyan, Socialist, Nazi, Racist, President, all appears to be fair game.

The other big form of controversy is what sparked the attacks. At first Administration spokespeople including UN Ambassador Susan Rice said that attack was launched in reaction to an anti-Islamic video. Soon she was attacked from all sides. Again the House Committee found that while there was more involved than just the film, it was demmed a contributing factor.

Benghazi has become a cottage industry for far right conspiracy theorists and Senators such as Lindsay Graham and John McCain. Graham has already denounced the report as "full of crap." Interesting. This GOP on GOP violence is very disturbing.And amusing. Fox News has run as fast as way from this story as they can.

But all is not lost for you Benghazi buffs. The House has yet another committee investigating the attacks. Of course they will find nothing either as this tragedy will become as farcical search for Ahab.

Steve Kelly is a broadcast journalist based in Palm Springs. He can be heard Monday through Friday on 1450 KPTR or 1450kptr.com from 4 to 6P time.

Cat Got Their Tongue In Cathedral City

With the 2014 election  finally certified and now in the books, speculation must now turn to who will be the 5th council person in Cathedral City. That seat will open up in just a few weeks when councilman Stan Henry is promoted to Mayor. The city council can then call a new election or appoint someone though, all we hear is deafening silence from the powers that be. The term will be for 2 years.

The logical choice would be to appoint the 3rd place finisher but in this place, it appears doubtful that will happen. Despite being endorsed by Stan Henry, Theresa Hooks has a huge hurdle to overcome. That would be her comments about gay conversion therapy and the Focus On The Family. 2 members of the council, Greg Pettis and newcomer Shelly Kaplan are gay. I can see no way they could support Ms. Hooks. Especially Mr. Pettis who has built up a little political power machine in the Cathedral City gay community.

I also see no way that a city teetering on bankruptcy can afford the cost of a new election. So there is going to be a lot of wheeling and dealing in the next few weeks between Mr. Pettis and Stan Henry. A compromise candidate from the sorely under represented Hispanic Community may be floated. The 2 new council members, Mr. Kaplan and Mark Carnevale will be more like spectators in this process.

No matter what happens, in the next few months it would behoove the council to codify the 3rd place finisher like Palm Springs did over a decade ago. That would put a stop to political shenanigans that are likely to be coming in Cathedral City in the future.

New Leaders Stiff LGBT Event

I recently had the pleasure of being a representative of my company Saturday at Palm Springs Pride. There was a great atmosphere as thousands of people went downtown to take advantage of beautiful weather and it was a lovely day in Palm Springs.

While I was there, I looked for and could not find both State Senator Elect Jeff Stone and Assemblyman-Elect Chad Mayes at the event. I can confirm that both newly elected officials were invited to the event and both no showed both Pride Saturday and the parade on Sunday. 

Because of re-districting Palm Springs. a stronghold of liberal Democrats and LBGT friendly groups, is now located in GOP leaning Assembly and State Senate districts. One would think however, that both Mayes and Stone would make at least a pro forma effort to reach out to an important city in their districts. But alas that was not to be.

The election of 2 very conservative legislators from a minority party in Sacramento does not bode well for state funding for projects in Palm Springs. Local leaders will have to use contacts in local Democratic clubs or perhaps reach out to the new Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia from the East Valley for help with the Brown administration.

All this comes in a week when the local paper wrote an editorial about the triumph of "moderates" in recent California elections. By definition a moderate is a tolerant person. Perhaps someone needs to tell Jeff Stone and Chad Mayes that.

War On Thanksgiving

As one grows older, there is a natural tendency to look back in the past with affection for times gone by. With the month of November rapidly advancing, my thoughts turn to the wonderful Thanksgivings I had as a youth with my family in New Jersey. It was very important that we sit down and give thanks for all we had. I think it was very special to my father who grew up in dire poverty to see that, he like millions of others, had survived the War and the Depression. To have his family sit around that noisy table meant something. My story was repeated in countless homes across America.

But now the holiday and traditions of Thanksgiving are under assault. Unlike the dubious so-called War On Christmas, there is a full frontal assault on Thanksgiving. And we are the attackers. Retail stores will now open on Thanksgiving as mobs rush to save 20 bucks on a flat screen tv. People who work in those stores will have either little or no time to spend with their families on this holiday. There will be no shared meal for hundreds of workers, some in our Valley as people ironically enough rush to buy gifts to express love and affection at Christmas time.

Yes people have worked on previous Thanksgivings. Restaurant have always had one of their busiest days on Thanksgiving. Plus our emergency workers and first responders are always on duty. But in attempt to revive a changing retail sector, almost all the big chain stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. Local outlet malls will be open all day. Most Millennials with no “Traditions App” on their I Phones or Droid devices will flock to these stores. In the long run it is dubious whether or not opening on Thanksgiving is economically viable.

3 states, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts ban shopping on Thanksgiving. Thank God for some common sense in this era of all for me. Many pay lip service to “Family Values”, yet what could be of more value to a family than having a real family meal at Thanksgiving? Will our future generations memories of this day include missing Grandma or Grandpa's last Thanksgiving because they had to work as a stock boy or counter girl at some long dormant retail chain? Or how they had dinner at 11am so Mom could rush off to work?

It has amazed me how easily our society has surrendered in this War On Thanksgiving. There has been little or no reportage on the encroachment of the forces of greed and avarice and most of all, instant gratification as they have converged to perhaps permanently destroy Thanksgiving. A sad commentary on modern times indeed.

Steve Kelly is on 1450 KPTR weekdays from 4 to 6PM. He can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com.

Carnac Kelly Predicts Elections

All right kids, it is time to put on the old Wizard's hat and Carnac Kelly will predict the local elections:

US Congress

A long night awaits but Dr. Raul Ruiz squeaks by Brian Nestande.

State Senate

Bonnie Garcia buoyed by Latino support beats Jeff Stone

Assembly

Eduardo Garcia easily. Chad Mayes but Mayes has a caveat.

Local Council Winners:

Cathedral City- Shelly Kaplan and Mark Carvenale

Coachella: Mayor Steve Hernandez Council: Manny Perez and Margie Zepeda

Indian Wells: Dana Reed and Richard Balocco

La Quinta: Mayor Don Adolph Council: John Pena Bob Wright

Palm Desert Sabby Jonathan

Indio: Mike Wilson, Sam Torres and Elaine Holmes

What to watch:

La Quinta is very intriguing as John Pena a former mayor mounts a comeback and Linda Evans is a candidate being pushed by East Valley Republican Clubs. Can Don Adolph fend her off?

Cathedral City: Who will finish 3^rd and will that person be appointed to the council after Stan Henry steps up to mayor.

Palm Springs School Board:Will James Williamson beat Vanessa Sheldon? James has been feted by the LBGT community and it will be interesting to see if that translates into votes.

Upset Of The Night

No candidate has worked harder than Kara Lee Hargrove. None. If there is a huge upset tonight, this is it.

Steve Kelly Weekday Afternoons At 4p on 1450 KPTR

All In The Family

For pure entertainment value, the 28^th State Senate Race is one that just can't be beat. The battle between Supervisor Jeff Stone and Bonnie Garcia is an all GOP affair with attack ads and sewer politics galore. Not to be outdone are the contributions from family members. Now normally I would leave family members alone but in this case you have so much crazy stuff, it is hard to do.

Bonnie Garcia's ex-husband Javier is a Riverside County DA Investigator who just happened to videotape DA Paul Zellerbach tearing down his opponents campaign signs. His current wife, Gina Garcia just got out of jail after hitting and killing 18 year old Danica Denton with her car, in Cathedral City in 2009.

Bonnie's son Javier Jr., currently a corrections officer in Nevada, is considered a witness of some importance in the Pinyon Pines murder investigation which has been splashed al over the press recently.

On the other hand, comes news today of the indictment of Vincent Cusamno, the 23 year old stepson of Jeff Stone. Cusamano works as a bail bondsman and it is alleged that he went all, “Dog The Bounty Hunter” including waving a gun while looking for a fugitive.

Maybe the apples or step apples as the case may be don't fall far from the tree.

How The Better Half Really Lives, I'll Be Damned

While the world battles Isis and the Ebola outbreak, it is always good to see what the real problems are affecting our local area. It appears that some citizens in Indian Wells are rude and aggressive and sometimes use foul language. Now the city is looking to reign that in.

It will debate Thursday whether or not to give power to city manager Wade McKinney to take away residents perks and cards that allow them dining, golf and other perks for patterns of rude and abusive behavior.

Now this being Indian Wells, the reaction to being told to not act like jerks has spawned, of course, said reactions. City Councilman Doug Hanson has compared the first proposal to a police state. Hanson of course, allegedly told a chef at the IW Club that he would, “Shove a hamburger up the Chef's a#$” if not cooked to his satisfaction a few years ago.

What I of course find amusing is the fact that Indian Wells one of the wealthiest enclaves in the United States, feels it has to codify codes of behavior. It just goes to show that as always, money can't buy class.

This ordinance has no way of passing any proposed constitutional test but it certainly provides us all with a clear definition of First World Problems.

Gay Democrats Stage Replay Of The Out-Of-Towners

Well local gay Democrats are at it again. For the 2^nd time in less than 2 months, they are staging a fundraiser for Congressman Mark Takano who hails from Riverside. The invite list for the bash for cash, taking place this Sunday at Lulu's Bistro read like a Who's Who of local Gay Democratic officials.

I personally like Mark Takano who is an openly gay man, first elected to Congress in 2012 in the 41^st district. He faces opposition this year in Riverside councilman Steve Adams who is considered to be no real threat . This fundraiser is obviously a gay pride issue and while there is a lot to be said about that, it must be troubling for local Democrats to see that local resources are being spent on out of district candidates.

This is not just problem for local Democrats. National GOPers use the Coachella Valley as a political ATM machine during the Presidential years as well. Plus we have also seen some fundraisers for out of state GOPers take place here.

While all this is legal and in many cases understandable, I wonder what the reaction of Riverside Democrats would be if Raul Ruiz threw a fundraiser there?

Palm Springs specifically, the gay mecca of the Valley is on the verge due to redistricting of being represented by ultra conservative GOPers in both the Assembly and State Senate. Perhaps funds should be diverted to building up a local bench rather than given to an out of district Congressman assured of winning.

Steve Kelly is heard weekdays from 4 to 6 PM on 1450 KPTR Palm Springs.

36th Debate

First of all I want to thank the Democrats Of The Desert for hosting me at last night's debate. They were very nice to me and the 2 pizzas I bought were not a factor at least I hope. Now on to the grades.

Raul Ruiz

I thought Dr Ruiz started out slow. He made a classy move by opening up with a handshake. As the debate went on he got better and better. He should have pointed out more about the connection from Brian Nestande to the Paul Ryan budget. The 700 billion dollar figure Nestande quoted was actually 70 billion a year for 10 years and would be used from over charges from insurance companies. I think the Doctor should have pointed out that Medicare is government health insurance. Dr Ruiz did well in pinning Nestande on gay marriage, despite the attempt of Kris Long to save him. So much so that Nestande had to issue a statement this morning saying his position had evolved. B-

Brian Nestande

He started out well but then started to hit every right wing checkpoint he could including Benghazi. The Salton Sea license plate was beyond absurdity. Plus his use of the term Democrat instead of Democratic was childish. His ending seemed to be a rerun of Mary Bono Mack 2 years ago. B-

The Moderators

Always tough and in full disclosure I know all 3 of these people and have on panels with them. I felt they let Nestande come back to questions that were asked and answered.

Karen Devine I thought she did very well. She had to herd cats including her co-panelist Kris Long. I will give her an A minus.

Erica Felci

Erica did well up until the end with her, “What bill that your opponent sponsored would you vote for?” question, A bizarre moment B-

Kris Long

Kris, Kris, Kris. The debate is not about you. The question about a Democratic mailer was a cheap shot and the legalized marijuana question silly. Throw in the fact he seemed to be mugging for the camera, and he gets a D.

All in all I rate this a tie and since Dr. Ruiz is the front runner, tie goes to him

Will The Gay Stay

With early voting starting next week, the fate of some Democrats in the Valley may very well rest in the hands of the LGBT community. Now one would think that it would be a cinch that Democrats would get their vote. Groups like Equality California and Stonewall Democrats will try but their efforts seem disjointed and confused at times.

Palm Springs, that bastion of gay, liberal progressive Democrats is on the verge of being represented by Chad Mayes, a graduate of Liberty University in the Assembly and either Jeff Stone or Bonnie Garcia in the State Senate. In fact Palm Springs gay political groups seem more concerned about James Williamson and his Palm Springs Unified School Board candidacy then that of Kara Lee Hargove, the Democratic candidate for Assembly.

Locally gay Democratic leaders are also sending mixed messages to the LGBT community with some hard to explain endorsements in local non-partisan elections. Palm Springs Council woman Ginny Foat has endorsed the pride of the East Valley Republican Club, Linda Evans for mayor of La Quinta!! A few years back, Evans said the biggest problem facing the Coachella Valley was President Obama and the Affordable Care Act!! Greg Pettis, Cathedral City Councilman, has endorsed perennial right wing candidate Steve Grasha for a Water Board slot.

Despite some backbiting and petty jealousy, local gay leaders have joined behind Congressman Raul Ruiz in his bid for re-election. But it remains to be seen if they will actively campaign to see him re-elected. They did hold a fundraiser for him,

Many members of the local gay community are recent arrivals and while they tend to be strongly Democratic, it remains to be seen if local Coachella Valley Democrats will be able to attract enough of their vote in an off election season to make an impact. 

Rancid In Riverside County

I have lived here in Riverside County for almost a quarter century. It stil amazes me when the conservative power structure gets challenged and how they react.

5 years ago, I went to Tea Party rallies in Palm Desert. The crowd about a thousand people was met with 4 police officers who were very polite as they displayed Obama monkey plus Joker and Hitler signs. There were no helicopters or riot squads at the anti-government demonstration.

Fast forward a few months and the Koch brothers come to Rancho Mirage. Progressive demonstrators are met with riot squads and also helicopter surveillance. A phony excuse is later made up that they were protecting federal judges who no one knew were there.

In early July, intellectual descendants of the Know Nothing Party and George Wallaceites protested against young kids and minors seeking asylum being sent to Murrietta. After embarrassing themselves and Riverside County, the following days they were met with counter protesters.

Of course the counter protesters made the crime of standing up for dignity and freedom. 4 of them were arrested and get this, 3 were charged with violating anti-lynching statutes!!! The statutes were put in place in the 30's to keep people from raiding jails and hanging African-Americans,

In a stretch that defies all logical sense, Riverside County Sheriffs Department and the DA said 3 of the protesters tried to free a woman held in custody. Absurd. Video evidence seems to contradict this.

The fact that in 2014, this nonsense can still go on is just mind numbing. What a disgrace,

Mayor's Race In La Quinta

The race for the mayor's job in La Quinta seems to be shaping up as an interesting one. Council member Linda Evans is taking on long time mayor Don Adolph for the 2 year term. Adolph got off the line of the year so far in local politics. When asked by the Desert Sun why he was running again, Adolph said he was waiting for a “credible” candidate to emerge and none had.

This could be a tough race for the incumbent. Don Adolph will have to rely heavily on PGA West which has been a power base for him in previous elections. Meanwhile, Linda Evan brings a touch of youthful ambition plus the support of the East Valley Republican Club.

The city was hard hit by the loss of 41 million dollars in redevelopment monies and most elected officials can't stop carping about that. Of course the fact they had 41 million dollars in such a fund may have been one of the reasons the state needed to step in.

La Quinta will face quite a few challenges in the upcoming years. Expansion, redevelopment and what to do to finally complete the Silver Rock Golf Course loom large. Many decisions upcoming in the next few years will have a major impact on the city.

The smart crowd says Evans wlll win but I think in the end experience trumps ambition and despite not being endorsed by the Desert Sun, Don Adolph wins with a small margin.

Cat Have Their Tongues In Cathedral City

As we get closer and closer to the election time in Cathedral City, an interesting wrinkle is in the works. It is certain the council will have 3 new people on it in the next few months How that 3^rd one will be selected appears to be so sensitive, some people do not want to address it. In fact for just raising the question, I was apparently kicked out of the Cathedral City Neighborhoods Group on Facebook. Oh well, I have been thrown out of better places than that.

Right now, the council has 3 people on it. Enough for a quorum, but not much else. In a few months 2 of the open seats will be filled. Also, councilman Stan Henry will be elevated to mayor. That will leave his two year term vacant. The city council will then have the opportunity to either schedule a new election in the spring or appoint someone to fill the vacancy.

What I propose is that all agree the 3^rd place finisher in the upcoming election, (If former councilman Chuck Vasquez wins it would be the 4^th.) be appointed to the council. That is how it is done in Palm Springs and how Ginny Foat got her seat originally.

Now Cathedral City has no such statue and I believe that neither Mr. Pettis nor Mr. Henry really want to limit their power to appoint a new member. Some have cited a few earlier council appointments as precedent but since the city is only 33 years old, that argument is supercilious. In any case, I will donate a $100 bucks to St. Louis Church if the new council does schedule an election. I am so sure that Messers Henry and Petttis do not want to allow the 3rd place finisher on the ballot.

Even if this time the council, appoints a member, an initiative should be put on the ballot next year in Cat City to allow for 3^rd place finishers to be appointed.

By the way if you are member of the Cathedral City Neighborhoods Group feel free to post.

Cooking With Gas

Tonight the Palm Springs City Council will debate whether or not food trucks will be allowed in Palm Springs and where they will be placed. Local rumblings in the press seem to indicate that they will be allowed to operate on Palm Canyon Drive up till 9pm.

A one who is a food truck kind of guy, I am wondering how food trucks will be handled by a town that loves to boast how hip and cool it is. I have a tendency to believe that the food trucks that I am used to from the East Coast may not be the same as out here. I can't see Joe's Hot Dogs or Mike's Tacos being allowed. This is Palm Springs.

Taking in mind that equation, I bet the city council passes the following restrictions on food trucks:

1. Only trendy meals from the Food Network be served.
2. All truck names must be chic. Example Le Dog de Hot.
3. A red carpet and VIP standing room is mandatory.
4. Like never visiting PS Walmart, no elected officials will lower themselves by eating at a truck.
5. The local paper must have a headline “Not Your Dad's Food Truck.” At least twice a year.
6. All cooks must be referred as Chef de Mobile, have tattoos and like the Arctic Monkeys.

I think that will do for starters. What really brings me indigestion is the fact a vast majority of people in Palm Springs would actually find my tongue-in-cheek points actually attractive.

I need a Rolaids.

Local Fallout From Ferguson

Like many of the residents of the Coachella Valley, I have been riveted by the sights that have been coming out of Ferguson, Missouri recently. The images of local police, dressed in fatigues, using tear gas and stun grenades to deal with protestors seem more like the dying days of the Nicholae Ceausescu regime than that of a modern American city. The taping over of badges so officers can not be identified looks like Chicago almost 50 years ago. Reporters being tear gassed and roughed up conjure up dark images of bygone time.

I was stunned by the amount of fire power deployed by the St. Louis County Police Department. Still pictures of cops using an armored vehicle with sniper rifles and dressed like they were ready to ride into Baghdad is not what should be expected out of a local police department.

The result of all this sadness and craziness should be a discussion on the militarization of local police which has been ongoing since the late 90's. Critics on both the right and the left, including Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), have called for the scaling down of a Pentagon program which has distributed about 4 billion dollars of surplus military stockpiles to local police.

Part of the problem is that there appears to be little if any local oversight of the procurement of these weapons. Most are “paid” for with government grants so the local taxpayer thinks of them as a gift.

According to the New York Times website, Riverside County has received hardware from this program.

Has anyone asked Sheriff Stan Sniff Jr. why the county needed 2 armored vehicles as well as an MRAP? An MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicle is like the ones our troops used in Iraq.

Did the Board of Supervisors know about this? I think the Sheriff Department should answer why and how this military equipment was procured and in what instances could they see it being deployed?

Also did the department receive tear gas and stun grenades from the Pentagon?

Many will say we need to keep the officers safe. Exactly. But not only the officers but equally the general public as well. And the use of military equipment in civilian police operations is guaranteed to do neither.

Steve Kelly hosts Kelly's Corner on 1450 KPTR Daily From 4 to 6P He can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com

Question In Cathedral City

Will Cathedral City, which has a large LGBT community, elect a mayor who doesn't believe in marriage equality and should that matter?

Last year the Cathedral Council scheduled a vote on a resolution asking the US Supreme Court to strike

down Proposition 8. The vote was 3 in favor with Mayor Kathy DeRosa abstaining. City councilman and next town mayor Stan Henry was absent.

At the time I wrote an Op Ed for the local paper criticizing local councils getting involved in state and federal matters. I suggested that the vote in Cathedral City had more to do with councilman Greg Pettis's animosity towards the mayor than anything else. The scheduling was curious because the council knew Henry would not be there. I heard from several people that Stan Henry would have likely either abstained or voted against the resolution.

Earlier this year, I did see Stan Henry with Greg Pettis at the Equality California Awards ceremony. Maybe he has, like President Obama evolved on the issue.

While I still maintain that councils should stay on track for local issues, it will interesting to see if Stan Henry has to answer this question.

Perez Putting It In Park

Interesting story about how termed out Assemblyman Manny Perez is now going to run for the City Council in Coachella. I view this as more a placeholder for Perez, who recently lost pretty badly in his Supervisor's race against John Benoit. He could be waiting to see how events in other races unfold.

If Raul Ruiz knocks off Brian Nestande and retains his seat, he would immediately vault to the short list of Democrats who could succeed Barbara Boxer in 2016 if she chooses not to run. Now this of course is speculation on my part but the Senator is going to be 75 if she chooses to run again. Even if Boxer does run, it is highly doubtful her colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein will run for re-election in 2018. Ruiz would be on the short list in that race as well.

On the off chance Ruiz loses his seat this year, Manny would be perfectly poised for a run as well.

Now all of the above may not occur but by running for council Manny Perez keeps his options open. And in politics, that is a good thing.

15 Yards For Vulgarity.

As our Valley grows from a sleepy part time community to full year round one, the need for new schools has mushroomed. In my 23 years here in the desert, I have seen 4 new high schools open. I have also seen a disturbing trend of trying to inculcate the worst of private business practices within the public education system.

We live in an area where for better or worse, some are always trying to be “special” or “fabulous”. I often think the local Burger King will someday have a red carpet. However one of our local high schools is already vying for the most vulgar display in self importance in this calendar year.

Rancho Mirage High is going into it's 2^nd year. This year it will field a football team. The Rattlers have a brand new stadium. And now thanks to AD Chris Calderwood, they are now going to sell a luxury box complete with air conditioning and possibly catering at a local high school football field.

The school and the AD are saying they can use this as a fundraising vehicle. I say it is absolutely appalling.

First of all it sends the wrong message to young student athletes. It tells them your Mom and Dad can sit in the heat but my grandpa is rich so he sits in the box. It also exploits young athletes by selling their performance as form of entertainment. This is not about Friday Night lights but more about Friday Night frights.

What surprises me is that no one in the Palm Springs Unified School Board has flagged this idea for the stinker it is.

Heat Wave

With the temperature rising in Palm Springs are city officials maybe losing their cool?

In the last few weeks, there have been questions raised about the design of downtown Palm Springs and later questions raised about the ethics of developer John Wessman applying for a million dollar tax rebate from Riverside County and the city as the result of lawsuit brought by the Agua Caliente Tribe. Wessman later withdrew his request when it was made public by the local newspaper.

Now as I have spoken about before, one of the great things about living in the Coachella Valley is the “small” town feel. But one of the detriments is the small town hyper sensitivity seen in local officials.

Look no further than just a few weeks ago when some members of the public complained about the design of some downtown buildings. In response, Mayor Steve Pougnet sprung into action by denouncing those who had raised questions. I think his actions surprised many.

Myself, I was more disappointed than surprised. I have known Pougnet for over a decade and felt he was above this type of behavior. For far too often in the past, Palm Springs has been led by people who were hyper sensitive to anyone questioning their decisions.

My message to city officials is as follows: If you want to be perceived as being hip and trendy, you have to be cool. If you want to be cool, learn to keep yours.

Buzz Kill

Last week it was officially announced that the Palm Springs Trolley was coming!!It has a new, survey approved name, The Buzz. According to the official agenda the new name and trolley implementation were decided by an “Ad Hoc Stakeholders Committee”. Forgetting that assault on the English language, it remains to be seen how the Trolley will work in reality.

It will run 4 days a week from Vista Chino to Genn Autry on Palm Canyon and then back on Indian. It will be free. Starts at 11a and ends around closing time Thursday thru Sunday. Costs almost a million dollars a year to run.

Now there are quite a few unanswered questions regarding the Buzz.

1. Will locals be able to ride it?
2. Will the disabled be able to ride it?
3. Will the Buzz have security because believe it or not, some people may

have been drinking before they board?

This will be an interesting experiment. The city has already activated it's, “How cool are we!!” PR machine to get the word out.

As always, the devil is in the details and for a cost of a million dollars, these details should be released as soon as possible.

Sticking With Goats

It has been almost 20 years since more than 55 million dollars was spent on the downtown redevelopment of Cathedral City.

One of the major problems with the project has been the complete eyesore of 2 empty lots right smack front and center on Highway 111. There have been many proposals in the past and now a new one has come down the pike.

Somehow out of thin air, city officials hope to conjure up over 3 million dollars using a variety of sources to turn a 2 block area, yes a 2 block area into a virtual smorgasbord of items.

Somehow it will feature a festival walk, with 2 amphitheaters, plus wellness and energy parks. All within an area a little bigger than a football field. No new home for an NFL expansion franchise?

Now color me skeptical but a project of this magnitude does not seem to be based in any sort of reality.

The city doesn't own the all the land in question and plans to possibly use kick starter or crowd funding to also help offset cost. A recipe for complete disaster.

The local paper quotes some expert that more 1,224 crowd funded projects raised 10.74 million dollars in 4 calendar years. An average donation of 25 bucks per year. Yikes.

This is one of those silly ideas that seem to float up from time to time but have no basis in reality.

Years ago, I proposed the city grow grass and provide goats on the lawn to deal with the problem of growing grass. It still sounds better than this proposal.

Palm Springs Gets A Reality Check

I have had the great fortune of getting to know Hank Plante.. Hank relocated to Palm Springs a few years back after a tremendous career in journalism winning numerous awards. He has always been very kind to me and it is appreciated.

Hank has a column coming out tomorrow in the Desert Sun and it could be a defining moment in the downtown redevelopment of Palm Springs. I am not going to steal any of Hank's thunder so you are going to have to read the article but it is critical of the designs submitted by developer John Wessman for the the retail phase of the development.

It is going to be interesting to see how the political elites in Palm Springs act upon reading Hank's article. So far one councilman, Paul Lewin has sided with those who want perhaps a different design.

I have been covering politics in this area for almost 15 years and one thing I have learned is that the some of our local politicians can be hyper sensitive to any criticism real or perceived to their grand plans. While Palm Springs tries to portray this cool, hip image to the rest of the world, many times its political leadership is strictly Mayberry RFD. Hank has gravitas that the Palm Springs leadership will find hard to shunt aside.

It is ironic that I find myself not as concerned about the downtown renderings submitted by Mr. Wessman as I am by the obvious lack of tenants that are to fill the new buildings. We have been promised now for a few years that “National and prominent” tenants are lining up. If so who and where? 

The next few days around here are going to be interesting and I for one can't wait.

Murrietta Madness

It has been nearly a week since a buses carrying undocumented immigrants from Central America were turned away by protestors at a Murrietta check point. In a moment reminiscent of Bull Connor and the embarrassing George Wallace movement, the worst of America turned out to demonstrate.

Conspiracy theories, Islamic terrorists, and of course fear and ignorance gave our county a bad name. In fact even the mayor, who at first was a chief cheerleader and the town's city manager later said these idiotic protests were not the image the town wanted to project.

Jeff Stone, a Riverside County Supervisor and candidate for the State Senate addressed a town hall meeting and demanded that the border be made more secure. Stone who never met a PR opportunity he didn't like even drafted a letter to President Obama saying “He was willing to meet with him” to discuss all the issue.” Well I am sure the President will get on it right away.

The amount of ignorance in this matter is startling. The people were shipped to Murrietta to be screened and in most cases deported. Throw in some racism and you get the rest of the picture. Thank goodness for the citizens of Coachella who are collecting items for these refugees.

Also what was interesting to me was the amount of people who came out to support the undocumented immigrants. I think the Tea Party types were stunned that even in Murrietta, there were demonstrators who were willing to stand up to them in 90 degree heat.

The “Crisis At The Border” will soon be handled like all such in the past. However the stench out of Murrietta may take some time to dissipate.          

Judge Kelly Rules On Failed Strategy In The 28th State Senate Race

Oh well the votes are tallied and it is time for Judge Kelly to render his verdict on the quixotic attempt by some LBGT Democrats to gain influence in the 28^th State Senate Race. Using Equality California as their umbrella, they endorsed GOP candidate Glenn Miller. Miller was the lesser of 3 evils by this line of thought. The other 2 were social conservatives current County Supervisor Jeff Stone and former Assemblyman Bonnie Garcia. A fringe candidate Bill Carrns was also in the race on the GOP side.

The Democratic duo in the open primary were state party endorsed Phil Drucker and perennial candidate Anna Nevenic

Now the strategy of Equality California appears to have been spearheaded by Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis. Using some of his supporters, he accompanied Mr. Miller to various events in the Valley. A lot of local Democrats could not understand this strategy. While many conceded that Mr. Drucker was not the most charismatic of candidates, the idea of a cross party endorsement struck some as bizarre and somewhat disloyal. The Democrats for Miller countered that this was a GOP district and a Republican was going to win anyway, so why not one they could work with?

On election night, the 4 Republicans garnered 62,960 votes while the 2 Democrats received 32,079. Mr. Stone finished first and will face Ms. Garcia who finished 2^nd beating Mr. Miller by 449 votes. She beat Mr. Drucker by about 1500 votes. This of course is the worst case scenario for both Equality California and local Democrats.

If Mr. Drucker had finished 2^nd, he most likely would have been easily defeated by Mr. Stone. And that would have been that.

But because of the game playing, local Democrats are in a bit of a pickle. In the fall there will be a huge get out the Latino vote effort for Congressman Raul Ruiz and Assembly candidate Eduardo Garcia. And who will also benefit from this? No doubt Bonnie Garcia. How do like them apples Equality California?

For not thinking things through and winding up with the worst case scenario, Judge Kelly sentences Equality California and Greg Pettis to read Man Of The House by Tip O'Neil and learn about how local politics should work and expand their horizons.

By the way, Glenn Miller has already endorsed Jeff Stone. How about that?

Election Predictions

Okay kids, here where I put my neck on the chopping block trying to predict the results of tomorrow's primary elections. You can check back Wednesday to see if I am right or feel free to call in my radio show on 1450 KPTR Palm Springs from 4 to 6p Pacific Monday-Friday.

Cal Governor: Jerry Brown for D's of course. The Republican race much more interesting. If Tea Party loon Tim Donnelly beats Neil Kashkari the GOP will be crushed in November.

State Senate 28th District: Jeff Stone and Glenn Miller. Bonnie Garcia needs a big Latino turnout. If she gets that from the Manny Perez campaign, she might sneak by.

Supervisor: John Benoit. There will be a lot of recriminations as the Democrats blow a golden opportunity.

Assembly: Chad Mayes  and Gary Jeandron in the 42nd. Keep your eye on Kara Lee Hargrove. Heavy GOP District but I believe a rising star in Democratic circles. Eduardo Garcia and  Charles Bennett in the 56th.

DA; Wackiest race of all. I predict Mike Hestrin will win. If he defeats incumbent Paul Zellerbach, he will not take office till December because of a quirk in the law.

Both tax measures, B in Cathedral City and F in DHS pass. Although F will be harder because it requires a 2/3 vote.

Only one day.

Election Thoughts

Well we are one week away from our local elections here in Riverside County. Today we will talk about the local State Senate Race

28th Senate

This race started off in the sewer and has sunk even lower. The 3 main Republicans in the race, Jeff Stone, Bonnie Garcia, and Glenn Miller have all acted atrociously. Juvenile behavior and crazy antics. The latest bombshell in this race is the release of a road rage incident involving Jeff Stone back in December. .http://www.pe.com/sections/news/politics/.

Jeff Stone according to the above article pulls out an honorary badge and flashes it at another driver. This happens in December. No action is taken against Stone and the real cops, the Riverside Sheriff's Association endorses him in February. Wow. So the group that is so exercised over campaign signs being torn down has no problem with a fake badge?

Meanwhile Bonnie Garcia has not seemed to catch traction with the voters. Press stunts and an outside committee that has spent several hundred thousand dollars on her campaign seem to have little traction.

Then you have Glenn Miller who through the work of longtime Democrat Greg Pettis has received the endorsement of  Equality California which in this valley is primarily Stone Wall Democrats. Mr. Miller who hopes his Coachella Valley base will help him in the primary, has been widely attacked in GOP circles for accepting this endorsement. Also many local Democrats are mad at Mr. Pettis for going off the reservation.

Even though he is given little if no chance, Democrat Phil Drucker is probably thrilled probably thrilled to be below the radar in this mess.

League 3 Send Them Here To USA

One of the many benefits of the communications revolution in the past quarter century has been the ability of football fans in the US to watch the greatest league in the world, the Barclays EPL. The pace, the drama and the excitement has spawned millions of fans across the pond. BT's Ian Darke is now a cult hero in the US and is considered the voice of football here. (Let's skip Piers Morgan doing analysis for an Arsenal FA quarterfinal on Fox. Yikes)

I try to keep up with all aspects of the game and recently read the proposal by Greg Dyke about the creation of a League 3. Basically a farm system of younger players. It got me to thinking. Instead of tinkering with and destroying traditions that go back generations, why not look across the pond and try to do an affiliation deal with MLS?

There are already a few dual ownerships between the leagues. Each Premiere league club could send out 3 players each and have them subject to recall. That would be 60, young English players getting match time. They would guaranteed playing time and their wages should be supplied by the parent teams.

While MLS may at first be hesitant, the influx of talent and a visiting summer friendly by the parent club would go along way to making this possible. It would also go about increasing the visibility of the BPL in the largest sports media market in the world.

I certainly don't mean to impose my views on anyone but one of the reasons I love English football is the history of the clubs both big and small. Plus the fact that small clubs have their most die hard supporters. Leave them alone.

Order In Judge Kelly's Court 2014 RivCo DA Election.

With only a few weeks to go, it is getting close to the wire in the important Riverside County DA Race. Incumbent Paul Zellerbach has stumbled badly with sign gate. His energetic opponent Mike Hestrin has played it cool and continues to hammer Judge Z with attacks on office morale and crime statistics. Zellerbach has tried hard to link Hestrin with former DA Rod Pacheco, a Colonel Flagg from MASH like character. Hestrin is endorsed by the Desert Sun and Zellerbach by the Press Enterprise.

Where We Stand Now: Right now I think the challenger has a lead. One wild card may be  how the public feels about the funding for Hestrin's campaign. Hovering over the campaign like Banquo"s ghost,are huge donantions from the Deputy DA's union, Riverside Sheriff's Association and local police unions. Most of the police groups have achieved some form of infamy over the last few years with the funding of sleazy attack ads against opponents both real and imaginary. The DA's association of course has a very vested interest in who their boss is.

I interviewed Mr. Hestrin and was impressed with his manner and decorum. He came across as calm and dself-assured. I am awaiting a response from Judge Zellerbach. Mr. Hestrin has denied he is linked at all to Rod Pacheco and also says he will be a capable administrator. He has also been endorsed by former DA Grover "BBK Rainmaker" Trask. Trask literally lives next door to Zellerbach. Awkward.

Another wild card in the race is how much the sign gate aspect of the story has penetrated Western Riverside County. The media market for them is LA and I doubt the Great Indio Blvd Sign Massacre has gotten as much notice there. Out here in the desert we have been inundated with a ton of sign reportage. (One station in fact is using it as TV promo material!! Bad form.) 

This election should prove fascinating.

Steve Kelly can be heard everyday on 1450 KPTR Palm Springs or on 1450kptr.com from 4p to 6p Pacific

Local Democrats Playing Games

As the Coachella Valley continues it's shift from red to purple, much of the credit has to be given to the local Democratic Clubs who have united to build a candidate base. Using their 6 year old headquarters in Cathedral City, Dems came together and helped elect a local congressman in 2012.

All this makes some recent moves by local Democrats in the area's State Senate race and the local Supervisor's race strange to say the least. In the 28th State Senate race, some local Democrats and a labor council have endorsed Glenn Miller a Republican Indio councilman who is running  in the June primary. Spearheading this effort is Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis. Local Democratic leaders Ginny Foat and Rick Hutchinson have also endorsed Miller. There is a Democratic candidate in the race Phil Drucker who is given little chance of advancing to the November run off but has been endorsed by the state party.

Apparently Drucker bombed in his interview with the Stonewall Democrats but it puzzles me as to why local Dems are putting any effort into this race. Even if Miller were to win, he would a freshmen Senator in a minority party in Sacramento. He will have to move quickly to re-establish his conservative bonafides and also will have little if any influence in state policy.

Meanwhile, you  would think that Democrats would be flocking behind Manny Perez's bid for Supervisor in his race against John Benoit. Even though the race has the fig leaf of being non-partisan, it really a straight GOP vs Dem race. Owing to his personal dislike of Manny Perez, Greg Pettis has endorsed Benoit in the race. Many local Democratic leaders are scratching their heads at this. Remember Benoit spent 2 grand of taxpayers money to hear George W Bush speak at a closed meeting.

You have to wonder whether or not there is any benefit in this for local Democrats in the long or short run. And come primary night, will they have blown a real chance to elect a Supervisor by getting sidetracked in a minor Senate contest.

Double Dealing In the 28th

What is going on with some local Democrats in the upcoming 28th State Senate primary election in June? It appears that some local pols are potentially going off the reservation in order to try and have more influence in the election.

The 28th district is a GOP leaning district that came out of the recent California redistricting after the 2010 census. It stretches from the Coachella Valley into parts of Southwestern Riverside County. There are 3 GOP candidates running: Former Valley Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, Indio Councilman Glenn Miller and Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone. The lone Democrat is La Quinta attorney Phillip Drucker.

Local Democrats seemed have to written off Drucker and are flocking to other candidates in the race. Assemblyman Manny Perez has hired Stone's sister as a fundraising adviser in his race for Supervisor. And not to be outdone, Greg Pettis Cathedral City Councilman, is running a not so secret campaign to aid in Glenn Miller's campaign. He has held private meet and greets and also appears to be trying to use his contacts in the gay community in his behalf.

None of this can be very appealing to local Democrats who are trying to establish a local base as well. I expect those groans of frustration you here may be coming from the local party headquarters in Palm Springs.

A Voice Stilled

I was at work in the studio when my phone started to buzz. First once, then again and finally a 3rd time. A blogger reported the death of Rancho Mirage's Ralph Kiner at 91. I didn't know how I would feel. You see Ralph Kiner was a Valley resident, a Baseball Hall of Famer and also a voice of my youth.

I grew up in Northern New Jersey on the outskirts of New York City. Many a night was spent watching the New York Mets on WOR Channel 9. Ralph Kiner with Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson recounted both the highs and lows of each Met season.From the worst team in baseball in 1962 to the Miracle Mets in 1969, this golden trio was a constant.They became like Oxford Dons tutoring a kid with horrible eyesight and terrible coordination who eat slept and breathed Mets baseball. My mother, who hated baseball, was always kind to me about watching the games.

Every night my Dad's carpool would drop him off from the New York FBI office.He would catch up on the days comings and going before heading to the "playroom". My brother Chris and I would lie on the floor and he would sit in his easy chair. There was the break about inning 5 to unload the dishwasher but I was pretty much set for the night. Ralph would talk about Wayne Garrett and Jerry Grote but he would also regale with tales of all of the baseball greats. Ralph had either played against them or had a connection.

Years later when I worked with radio legend Bud Furillo, he would be amazed as I would rattle off stories of the PCL league or other such trivia. I never confessed but these were Ralph Kiner stories. Ralph Kiner taught me baseball..

I got to interview Ralph once and I wish I could say it was memorable. I was very nervous but I did get him to talk about Ty Cobb who used to write letters to him. Amazing.

Ralph Kiner was a legend on the field and off. I can not help but smile as I think back to all those warm summer nights with the crickets chirping through the screen windows as the Met get set to battle another evil foe.

 I lost a hero today but heaven not only got a Hall of Famer but a great teacher as well.

Twittering Around

It is true if you are going to work in the media today, you are going to have to do social media. And I guess there are social norms one must get used to.

I have been on Twitter now for a few years and enjoyed it very much. To me it has been a great way for instantaneous information flow and communication. I have made friends and also lost a few along the way. The way you are you are kicked off someone's Twitter feed is when they block you. You may notice you have heard nothing from that person in a while. You go to their feed and it pops up, You have been blocked form this account at the request of the user.

At that point, you may feel a range of emotions ranging from hurt to anger. Then you think in your mind. at least if you are me, "What did I do to cause this? Or are they having a bad day?" In 3 years, I have been banned 3 times. Following over 330 people, that is less than the statistical margin of error.

The first one was an aviation buff. I sent him a link to the Palm Springs Air Museum. He blocked me. An idiot.

Second one was a good guy who was an announcer. He had some personal issues and I think I was not the only one blocked. But I felt bad for him and hope he works out his demons.

The third one I have no idea why and after this blog, am done with it. Wish this guy well but have no understanding what went on and really could care less.

You may want to know if I have blocked anyone on Twitter. Only 3. You want to guess who?

Davis Cup Come Through With A Home Run

When the fall rolled around, I underlined on my calender the last week in January. I really wanted to go and cover an outdoor sporting event unique to a stadium. I had heard these were all fun and I felt that I belonged. I was all set for a unique adventure.

Then the rejection came. I was disappointed and embarrassed. How could I be turned down? It was my dream to cover this sport in a baseball stadium. Yet the NHL said I was not high enough on the media food chain to go to the Kings-Ducks game in LA. I probably could have called some contacts to get the situation reversed. But I am glad I didn't.

Instead this freed me up to go to tennis's Davis Cup. The event is also being held at an MLB Stadium, Petco Park here in San Diego. The venue is fantastic. Left field has been transformed into a clay court. The US team is taking on Great Britain in tennis. The competition has been great and the media room has been friendly and full of great fun. Where else can you here someone saying that their next stop is Paducah Kentucky?

Tomorrow American Sam Querry takes on Andy Murray. David must slay Goliath if the US is to have a chance. I have to say that even though I was iced by the NHL, landing here among friends in San Diego at a great event has been more than adequate compensation. I am lucky.

One Of Those Days

I had a nice weekend. Worked on both days but when work is fun, it is not work. Had a blast watching sports and actually got caught up on stuff. All in all, I also realized that I had a relatively light workload on Monday, one of my duties including writing this blog.

Well things started to change. First I was needed to take my friend Dean to school on Monday morning about a 10 mile drive. That request came from his mother. I was then going to pick him up. Dutifully I set the alarm for 5:30A and got up. At 6:30a, I received a text stating I was no longer needed. Yikes!!

I went into work early and of course spent an hour fixing my computer. Despite invoking the Wrath Of The Gods, the damn thing is not working. Fortunately I brought my laptop to work with me

Then I got caught up in a 20 minute discussion. You know the work kind. This never ending discussion was one I was trying to bail out of every 30 seconds. But since I had initiated it, I felt I had to stay to the bitter end.

Throw in one or 2 minor crises and I have spent nearly 3 hours accomplishing nothing. Except for writing this literary masterpiece. Oh well.

Diminished Expectations How I Went From Number 1 To Number 338 At The Rose Bowl

One of the greatest times in my life was when I worked for the late, great Bud Furillo. The most generous, fascinating and mercurial person I have ever known. Bud was a fantastic writer, and broadcaster. I truly loved the guy and loved all his stories. And he and I collaborated on one story I still laugh at.

Bud picked me up and I drove us to the 1997 Rose Bowl. Jake Plummer and the Arizona State Sun Devils were taking on The Ohio State University. We parked as usual about 15 minutes from the Stadium and Bud was having health problems so we were a little late getting our media passes. We hurriedly put them on and then up to the press box.

Before the elevator took off, a couple of surprises occurred. First Mike Tirico of ESPN got in. Then none other than John Glenn, and I for one realized the former astronaut still had the "Right Stuff." All during our ride up I felt an cold glance from Mr. Tirico. After getting off the elevator, we proceeded to do what sports journalist do all around the world before covering a big event. Bud and I dropped our gear off and headed to the food line.

While waiting in line we again were joined by Mike Tirico. He gave the once over and finally said," May I ask you a question?" I replied yes and he then said, "Can you tell me why your press badge is numbered 001. How did you get that?" I looked down at the pass and this being the days before ESPN radio said, " If I tell you can I get an interview?" He agreed and then I had to explain that the number 001 belonged to Bud Furillo who was covering his 47th Rose Bowl. It seems we had put the tags on without checking them and made a mistake. Tirico roared as Bud and I exchanged passes. I dropped 337 places to 338.

And yes Mike Tirico did give us that interview. Quite a Rose Bowl!!

New Head Of Riverside County Board Of Supes Wants Out

I have always had a few laughs at the expense of the august Riverside County Board Of Supervisors. What once was a serious legislative body has degenerated into a pompous, supercilious caricature of itself. Now all this would of course be harmless except for the fact they are responsible for many vital public services in the county.

Well today, keeping in tune with its comic opera theme the Board Of Supervisors appointed Jeff Stone as the head of the Board for one year succeeding John Benoit.. Stone certainly is a colorful character. A few years ago he tried to call a secession conference for counties to leave California.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/south-california-secession-jeff-stone_n_896433.html

After that idea bombed, Jefferson Davis Stone hit upon a new plan. He is now running for the State Senate.

Senate.http://www.pe.com/local-news/politics/jim-miller-headlines/20130725-state-senate-stone-to-run-for-28th-district.ece

So if Mr. Stone wins his election he will effectively have seceded from the Board Of Supervisors. They have chosen as their head, a man who wants to leave!! Figures.

How I Got Banned For Life From Palm Springs Film Festival

It is a good time here in the Coachella Valley. The weather has been tremendous. (Sorry to all those who have been affected by weather back in the East or Midwest. Or the extreme heat in Australia or rain in the UK and Ireland.) Also in town is the Palm Springs International Film Festival!! This is the 25th anniversary and it is going gangbusters. Major stars from around the world have graced our Valley with their presence. The Festival has always had a friendly vibe despite the fact a director once banned me from attending.

It all happened a few years ago when I disputed some of the obvious ridiculous financial projections the Festival made. They were counting internet mentions like dollars. I knew I had ruffled some feathers but someone had to. I just waited for the response and it came that afternoon on a rival station. Festival honcho Earl Greenburg who has since passed away went on the air in a rage. Who was I and how dare I make such comments? One of the hosts, who has since been fired twice said I had no talent and was a nobody. Perhaps right on the former but definitely not the latter. Earl then banned me for life.

I started to laugh because the next night, through the good graces of a local listener Nate Israelson, I had already been invited to the Canadian Film party at the Festival. I went to the party awaiting to be thrown onto the street. Alas no such thing happened! The movie screening after some swank eats was based on hockey legend Rocket Richard. It was rather long. After the showing I felt like I had spent 2 hours in the penalty box.

At the after party, while chatting to the director who did I see but an exhausted Earl Greenburg sitting down!! Here was my chance to flaunt my revenge. I could walk up and be a wiseguy. But discretion was the better part of valor that day. I quietly slipped out.

Earl has since passed and curiously has been whitewashed from the Film Festival history. Only one mention of him in the paper's 25 year review that I could get on line. I have not been to a screening since either. I wonder if that ban is still in effect.