Ginny Foat Running For Steve Pougnets 3rd Term

The announcement today that PS Councilman Paul Lewin will fight to keep his council seat and not run for mayor in Palm Springs is a real coup for fellow council member and mayoral candidate Ginny Foat.

Ms. Foat, who has pledged to run for only one term, held a fundraiser last night at Spencer's restaurant. This is significant because a number of Palm Springs heavy hitters were in attendance. Harold Matzner a man of huge influence introduced her to the crowd. (On a side note, despite what the Mayor says, I believe he decided not to run in part because Mr. Matzner in his capacity as head of the Film Festival threatened to sue the city over the Aberdeen project. It was a message.) The local big shots who supported Pougnet are now in Ms. Foats's camp.

With the tourist industry on board, Ms. Foat has checked all the boxes except the public safety unions who have yet to weigh in. Those unions tend to have a disproportionate level of influence in election matters. Ms Foat's current crop of opponents Robert Moon, Bob Weinstein and Michael Bimberg are facing an uphill battle

Since Mr. Lewin has now decided to run for  re-election to the council, he now may have an even more difficult time than if  he ran for mayor. Geoff Kors is checking all the right boxes and appears to be a shoo-in. JR Roberts, a former Sausalito mayor and current planning commissioner is close with Ms. Foat. Paul Lewin isin the fight of his young political life to hang onto his seat as only 2 city council seats are at stake.

All may not be peaches and cream for Ms. Foat though. She has made a few statements that have angered the Agua Caliente tribe and if they weigh in against her, it could pack a great counter-punch.

Steve Kelly is on from 4 to 6p Monday through Friday on 1450 KPTR and also IHeart radio

Crunch Time Coming In Palm Springs

The city of Palm Springs has experienced a remarkable renaissance in the past 4 years. Attributable to both city government polices and the end of the Great Recession, there is no doubt a boom has been going on. The good times appeared to be rolling. But similar to an impolite guest at a dinner party, questions about the city and embattled mayor Steve Pounet and his ties to developer Richard Meaney will continue to be dominant in the near future. Supporters of the mayor will claim all of this is "old" news and "Let's move on." To paraphrase the mayor from the last council meeting, "Ain't gonna happen. No way."

Council member and potential mayoral candidate Paul Lewin is pushing for an independent outside audit of the city's business incentive program. Palm Springs big shot Film Festival head Harold Matzner is threatening to sue the city over the proposed Nexus inspired Aberdeen project which modernists have vowed to stop. Then word came early today that the Riverside County Grand jury may start it's own city investigation into Palm Springs. (This may sound more ominous than it is in reality because any person can fill out a form and send it in to the grand jury and request an investigation.)

What is interesting is the cracking of the political elite in Palm Springs.4 members of the council have been together for 8 years. It has acted more like a convivial club at times with their being little dissent. Those days are coming to an end with the retirement of the mayor and  council member Rick Hutchinson Also for may years now, the council has relied heavily on the advice of city attorney Doug Holland and city manager David Ready. They too are caught up in some of the doings at City Hall and Mr. Ready was as quiet as church mouse at the last council meeting.

The next few weeks are going to be interesting as the script which has been adhered to pretty successfully over the last 4 years is going to be subject to being re-written on the fly down at City Hall.

Steve Kelly can be heard on 1450 KPTR from 4 to 6 daily.

CV Link Getting Real

Yesterday was a monumental day in the CV Link project. It appears that it finally is getting more realistic and concrete in its planning. In my opinion, that is thanks in no small part to the continued questioning of the project and the funding of it after it was built. Spear heading the charge was Rancho Mirage's Mayor Dana Hobart. There were 3 major points that came out of yesterday's meeting.

1.) Each of the 9 Valley cities will now come up with their way to make budgetary contributions to the project. It will give a clearer message to residents as to their cities cost in the project.

2.) The potential involvement of Goldenvoice in the long term operation and maintenance of the project. While it is curious that it took CVAG director Tom Kirk a year to make this offer public, it is a positive development.

3.) The allowing of alternative routes in Rancho Mirage. This gives the proposal a better chance of being built. Next up is Palm Desert where Monterey Country Club has balked at the Link going through it.

CV Link is starting to take shape with less nonsense and ridiculous hype. And that is a good thing.

Steve Kelly is on 1450 KPTR Monday Thru Friday From 4 to 6P. PDT and on I Heart Radio.

A New Day Dawning In Palm Springs

The fallout from the recent newspaper articles detailing the ties between Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and developer Rich Meaney continues. It is the buzz on local social media as well as talk all over the local political landscape. The Desert Sun even did an article on the effect it will have on the local power structure. All very illuminating.

The next few months will be fascinating as we see cracks develop in the once monolithic power structure that has ruled Palm Springs for the last 4 years. This current city council reminds me of the Palm Desert City Council in the late 90's. Watching last Wednesday night was edifying and seeing the council members out of their comfort zone was interesting.

For the record the road to city council seats in Palm Springs has usually flowed through the city's boards and commissions over the past 25 years. I think it would be very hard for "outsider" to get elected. Now throw in One-PS and their function as a input mechanism for the city and you may see more candidates coming from that field.

2 other items of interest

The LGBT community possesses huge political clout in Palm Springs. For the most part they have stood pretty much in lock step with the current council. That may change in the future although council candidate Geoff Kors can be expected to gather a lot of their support.

There is no campaign finance limits in place in Palm Springs. So look for the usual "Kingmakers", namely the hotel associations and public safety unions to spend big. It is a very fluid and I would say an exciting couple of months.

Steve Kelly can be heard daily fromm 4 to 6p Pacific Time on 1450 KPTR

The Mayor Strikes Back

It was an angry Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet on the offensive about a series of articles in the local newspaper referencing his former ties to a local developer, Richard Meaney,  who paid him over 200 grand for 2 years of  consultant work. He was joined in his outrage by a few of his other council members. As per usual these council meetings are part governance, part informative and part theater of the absurd.

The Good

For the most part the citizens who spoke at the dais were respectful and made some salient inquiries. Council members Paul Lewin and Rick Hutcheson were measured and temperate in their remarks. While I personally feel that Mr. Lewin's call for an outside auditor was not enough, he stated his position eloquently. Mr. Hutchesoon was very calm in his statements. I also think the Mayor did an admirable job for the most part in keep his temper in check.

The Bad

Steve Pougnet calling out audience members who had complained about him from the dais. May have felt good but not smart. Also his remarks to Orlando Gotay about releasing his schedule were not correct. Originally Doug Holland, city attorney, refused to release his schedule.

The Absurd

Councilman Chris Mills categorized his remarks as "rambling." No truer words perhaps have ever been spoken at a city council meeting. . Councilperson Ginny Foat explanation of why a pizza company did not get grant money while a business across the street and owned by Mr. Meaney got 10 times the amount the pizza owner requested was bizarre.

Finally the Mayor had a laundry list of who to blame for his woes. His attack on the newspaper predictable. But saying the investigative pieces were triggered by political opponents not accurate. And implying that questioning his actions is an attack on the city is the height of hubris.

These allegations and the questions they raise are not going away anytime soon so stay tuned.

Steve Kelly can heard daily 4p to 6p on 1450 KPTR

Re Election Or Not DA Needs To Investigate Pougnet Ties

Update Despite his dropping out of the race, DA Mike Hestrin needs to investigate Steve Pougnet and his ties.

First of all, congratulations to the Desert Sun and reporters Barrett Newkirk and Skip Descant for their recent investigative series on Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and his ties to developer Richard Meaney and the companies controlled by Meaney.

I first met Steve Pougnet a dozen years ago when he was a candidate for the Palm Springs City Council. I have gotten to know the mayor well over the years and have a tremendous amount of respect for him as an individual. He actually cares about his city and not just downtown. Of the 4 mayors who have been in charge since I have covered the area, he has easily been the best.

But personal feelings aside, his relationship with Richard Meaney and Meaney's Union Abbey Development needs to be explored for possible instances of influence peddling. That is why I believe Riverside DA Mike Hestrin needs to take action. While I am not saying that Mr. Pougnet is guilty of anything, this does not look good.

There have also been questions raised of possible conflict of interest votes by Pougnet while dealing with matters relating to Meaney. The mayor was employed for 2 years at a rate of a 100 grand a year by Union Abbey.  Union lost its business license over nonpayment of taxes a few years back. The mayor has severed his ties with the company. But that is not enough.

The above paragraph highlights some interesting but  I believe, ultimately inconsequential issues.

The reason I am calling for the DA to investigate is that is has been no adequate explanation as to what the mayor did for that 200 grand. He claims he was briefing Mr. Meaney on downtown development matters and Measure J funds. But isn't that the job of the city's Economic Development Department? And I believe they do that for free.

The citizens of Palm Springs need to be clear on what the mayor did for Union Abbey. Did he participate in any meetings with potential investors? Can his employment activities in any manner be construed as influence peddling?  These are questions that need to be explored and answered. Only the DA can do so!!

It gives me no pleasure in making this request. And the usual, "We will neither confirm or deny," is not what the DA should be saying in regards to this. For the record, I am aware that his office has already stated this to one local media outlet.

I have invited the mayor to appear on my show to discuss this matter. He says he will at a later date. I hope so. But now is the time for these questions to be answered.

Steve Kelly can beard on 1450 KPTR from 4p to 6p PDT daily and on Eye Heart Radio.

Except For Shelly Kaplan Common Sense Goes Boom In Cathedral City Fireworks Fight

It is very easy to develop a cynical attitude towards local politics. Most of our local leaders here in the Valley are honorable people. Now politics tends to excite some and bore others. I have been watching and reporting on the political scene here for almost 2 decades. And last night, the whole Coachella Valley saw a shining example of courage and political cowardice.

Back in the fall, I interviewed political candidates who were running for Cathedral City Council. All of the candidates said they wanted to end the practice of non-profits selling fireworks in the desert for July 4th. That included the 2 winning candidates, Shelly Kaplan and Mark Carnevale.

In the ensuing months since November, Mr. Kaplan kept his promise and pushed the issue. He was aided in the effort by local citizens who were not only concerned about a potential public safety threat but also the problem pets face with fireworks.

In the other corner was the fireworks company, the non-profits involved, the Desert Sun editorial board and former councilman Chuck Vasquez. A divergent group to be sure. The editorial the Desert Sun wrote was ludicrous. It basically failed to address the common sense issue of fire prevention and the facts that these fireworks pop up all over the Valley after being sold in Cathedral City. A simple call to Palm Springs Fire Chief Blake Goetz asking his opinion would have been enlightening. Also, for some reason the Desert Sun seems to think that fireworks have a special meaning to veterans. No proof of that is offered and while unlike the Desert Sun,I  do not purport to speak for veterans, I have never heard one say, "The only thing that got me through Danang or Kandahar was the the thought of getting home to light a sparkler on Cathedral Canyon Drive."

Also not to be mean but Mr. Vasquez has lost any credibility as far as public matters are concerned for his plea agreement regarding misuse of city funds. He agreed to resign his seat on the council. If you read local press coverage on the fireworks story, there was no mention of that despite it occurring only 8 months ago.Yet he appears to still have influence among his former council members Greg Pettis, Stan Henry and John Aguilar.

So last night when Mr. Kaplan kept his word and proposed doing away with the fireworks, I was not surprised when no one would second his motion. What did surprise me is that Mr. Carnevale stated that he had changed his tune after doing research. Seriously? He has owned a business in Cathedral City since before the city was incorporated. How much "research" was necessary to figure allowing the sale of fireworks in a desert was not a good thing?

In an overt act of political cowardice 4 members of the Cathedral City Council shirked their public duty last night. One member, Shelly Kaplan did not. And for that, I thank him.

Steve Kelly can be heard on 1450 KPTR Daily from 4 to 6pm Pacific Daylight time.