Habemus Papem (We have a Pope) is the cry heard at Vatican before the introduction of a new Pontiff. Today Governor Brown, a former seminarian, shouted Habemus Perez as after 4 months, the Valley has a new Supervisor after the death of John Benoit.
The appointment of Coachella council member and former Assemblyman Manny Perez to the position of Riverside County Supervisor by Governor Jerry Brown is a victory for the Valley's local Democratic party who openly campaigned for him over Elizabeth Romero. While technically non-partisan, (with the exception of Chuck Washington from Temecula.) 3 members of the BOS (Board of Supervisors) lean far right GOP. In fact one of them, Marion Ashley was a Trump delegate in 2016.
What makes this more remarkable is the fact that the city of Coachella now can boast of being home to a Congressman, an Assemblyman, and now a Supervisor. All within the last 10 years. When I first started covering local politics, Coachella was as dysfunctional as it got with one councilmember arrested for selling meth and another one for trying to take a swing at a Congressman from LA. Now it stands as the ground zero of political power in the Valley
The road ahead for Mr. Perez may be rocky. He will be up for election for a full 4 year term in June 2018. He will not only have to motivate his base but also reach out to the West Valley and try and tap into the LGTBQ community in Palm Springs which sometimes forgets it is part of Riverside County.
Already, Palm Desert council member Jan Harnik, a local Republican, is raising money to challenge Perez. She is very well thought of in the Valley and has 60 grand in the bank. Also a challenge from fellow Democrat Greg Pettis can not be ruled. Pettis is the de facto political strongman of Cathedral City and applied for the job of Supervisor himself. While not a serious candidate for appointment, he could cause Perez a lot of trouble.
20 year ago, local Democrats struggled to even find a place to meet. They had to meet at the Swiss Donut Shop in Palm Desert. Today they have grown to the point where they got one of their own selected as Supervisor.
Steve Kelly can be followed on twitter @skellynj or sverickerr12@gmail.com.T
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Jim Casey Another To Fall
It was a shock to many in the Valley when news came of the death of Integrated Wealth Management founder Jim Casey on Monday. Casey was well known for his philanthropic efforts in our community. Palm Springs Mayor Rob Moon even called him a Palm Springs institution. This was of course before news broke of 2 pending lawsuits against Casey involving serious allegations of fraud involving millions of dollars.
Let me make this clear, allegations are just that, allegations. I met Jim Casey on a few occasions and found him to a very nice man. He was polite and charming. It will be interesting to see if his company remains viable or if it will be shut down after his death. Local media has not shied away from the story so far, despite the prominent social circles Casey traveled in.. Having zero tolerance for white collar crime, let us see where this story goes.
Upon arrival here in 1991, it didn't take me long to find out that not all was everything it appeared to be. The Valley abounded with frauds and con artists. Fake Dukes, Counts and phony band members appeared from every corner. Hell, even Cheetah The Chimp who has a star in Palm Springs is of dubious heritage. The late Mel Haber used to delight in telling stories about these folks. Mel had me laughing to the point of tears on a few occasions.With the advent of the internet, these characters could be debunked rather easily so that out an end to them. But why would someone crave that attention?
The answer for that lies in the fact that for better or worse, our Valley is one of the few places left in the United States where the society pages and being in them seems to matter. While most of the country views this as antiquated as a VCR tape, not so some denizens of the Valley. And Mr. Casey, who it appears was experiencing huge financial problems, graced theses pages regularly.
I now know of 4 "philanthropists" in the last 10 years who had worse personal finances than me. I know of a political activist here who drove an expensive car while bouncing a 30 dollar check. I know of one charity type who couldn't even afford a ticket to his own event while tooling around in a leased Mercedes. All of the above to perpetuate nothing more than a grandiose illusion.
If this whole sorry episode turns continues on the path where it is headed once again the age-old lesson that the truly rich person is happy with who they are, not who they are perceived to be, will be proven correct. Something to think about.
Steve Kelly can be followed on Twitter @skellynj or reached at svericker12@gmail.com
Let me make this clear, allegations are just that, allegations. I met Jim Casey on a few occasions and found him to a very nice man. He was polite and charming. It will be interesting to see if his company remains viable or if it will be shut down after his death. Local media has not shied away from the story so far, despite the prominent social circles Casey traveled in.. Having zero tolerance for white collar crime, let us see where this story goes.
Upon arrival here in 1991, it didn't take me long to find out that not all was everything it appeared to be. The Valley abounded with frauds and con artists. Fake Dukes, Counts and phony band members appeared from every corner. Hell, even Cheetah The Chimp who has a star in Palm Springs is of dubious heritage. The late Mel Haber used to delight in telling stories about these folks. Mel had me laughing to the point of tears on a few occasions.With the advent of the internet, these characters could be debunked rather easily so that out an end to them. But why would someone crave that attention?
The answer for that lies in the fact that for better or worse, our Valley is one of the few places left in the United States where the society pages and being in them seems to matter. While most of the country views this as antiquated as a VCR tape, not so some denizens of the Valley. And Mr. Casey, who it appears was experiencing huge financial problems, graced theses pages regularly.
I now know of 4 "philanthropists" in the last 10 years who had worse personal finances than me. I know of a political activist here who drove an expensive car while bouncing a 30 dollar check. I know of one charity type who couldn't even afford a ticket to his own event while tooling around in a leased Mercedes. All of the above to perpetuate nothing more than a grandiose illusion.
If this whole sorry episode turns continues on the path where it is headed once again the age-old lesson that the truly rich person is happy with who they are, not who they are perceived to be, will be proven correct. Something to think about.
Steve Kelly can be followed on Twitter @skellynj or reached at svericker12@gmail.com
Monday, May 1, 2017
Your News My View May Day
Your News: We still have no Supervisor for the Coachella Valley.
My Views: Gov. Brown is really dragging his feet on this one. The election is only 13 months away. I am hearing the Governor wants to appoint a candidate who would be strong for re-election in 2018 and will hold the seat against Palm Desert Councilperson Jan Harnik which will be a challenge. I think Brown would like to appoint Elizabeth Romero as he thinks she will be a better candidate than Manny Perez. Problem is that most local Democrats want Perez. And the wait goes on.
Your News: Some local pols now taking part in the anti-Trump protests in the Valley.
My Views: As long as they are kept away from the microphone it is okay. These protests are much more effective when they are organic and not used by a council member or candidate as a vessel for self-promotion.
Your News: May is local TV sweeps month. That means the local news will try to boost viewership for the setting of ad rates. We will be subjected to sensationalistic promos; we will learn who is there first and who cares for us.
My Views: Most of these reports tend to be embarrassing and it 2017, not 1977. There must be a better way to set ad rates then resort to this nonsense to try and draw viewers: Tonight our 18 part special report on whether breathing air is necessary.
Your News: Cathedral City explores re-districting for council elections. Allegedly one proposal would split the Cove into 2 districts for the benefit of 2 incumbent council members.
My Views: If true and that is a big if, even I would have to tip my hat at the blatant cynicism behind such a move.
Your News: A rumor is making the rounds that Palm Springs is going to install rotaries or traffic circles.
My Views: No, No, a 1000 x no. I grew up with them back east and they are a pain in the rotary. The funniest thing about this was some of the responses on social media. As with everything involving Palm Springs, things quickly got pretentious For some reason, those who had driven in Europe felt the need to praise them all while mentioning their overseas jaunts. Those of us who learned stateside not so much.
Your News: Survived both Coachella and Stagecoach
My Views: The words cool and vibe died for this.
Steve Kelly can be followed on twitter 2skellynj or email at svericker12@gmail.com
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My Views: Gov. Brown is really dragging his feet on this one. The election is only 13 months away. I am hearing the Governor wants to appoint a candidate who would be strong for re-election in 2018 and will hold the seat against Palm Desert Councilperson Jan Harnik which will be a challenge. I think Brown would like to appoint Elizabeth Romero as he thinks she will be a better candidate than Manny Perez. Problem is that most local Democrats want Perez. And the wait goes on.
Your News: Some local pols now taking part in the anti-Trump protests in the Valley.
My Views: As long as they are kept away from the microphone it is okay. These protests are much more effective when they are organic and not used by a council member or candidate as a vessel for self-promotion.
Your News: May is local TV sweeps month. That means the local news will try to boost viewership for the setting of ad rates. We will be subjected to sensationalistic promos; we will learn who is there first and who cares for us.
My Views: Most of these reports tend to be embarrassing and it 2017, not 1977. There must be a better way to set ad rates then resort to this nonsense to try and draw viewers: Tonight our 18 part special report on whether breathing air is necessary.
Your News: Cathedral City explores re-districting for council elections. Allegedly one proposal would split the Cove into 2 districts for the benefit of 2 incumbent council members.
My Views: If true and that is a big if, even I would have to tip my hat at the blatant cynicism behind such a move.
Your News: A rumor is making the rounds that Palm Springs is going to install rotaries or traffic circles.
My Views: No, No, a 1000 x no. I grew up with them back east and they are a pain in the rotary. The funniest thing about this was some of the responses on social media. As with everything involving Palm Springs, things quickly got pretentious For some reason, those who had driven in Europe felt the need to praise them all while mentioning their overseas jaunts. Those of us who learned stateside not so much.
Your News: Survived both Coachella and Stagecoach
My Views: The words cool and vibe died for this.
Steve Kelly can be followed on twitter 2skellynj or email at svericker12@gmail.com
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Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Taking The Initiative In Palm Springs
A Desert Sun editorial today took umbrage at 2 ballot initiatives that will take place in Palm Springs this fall citing as a reason, their objection to governance by the initiative process. I totally agree with this stance. Not on the ballot propositions per say but on the initiative process. Rife with hypocrisy in the Coachella Valley, this process has been overused by all parties whether they be citizens business or municipal governments.
For their part, municipal governments almost always oppose any citizen or business initiatives on the ballot. The first thing they cite is the cost of placing measures on the ballot. Of course when they place an item, the cost of ballot printing disappears. Plus when municipalities put issues on the ballot, they also usually start a "neutral" public information campaign. Mostly complete propaganda, these rival only the Pyonygang Times in terms of believability. The "educational" materials I saw from Palm Springs on Measure J a few years back were not exactly overwhelming in the credibility department.
The citizens initiatives usually fall into 2 categories.
1.) Those that are pushed by single issue commercial interests such as developers or the vacation rental agency. Essentially, they are seeking a veto of an unfavorable council action.
2.) Those that are pushed by good government groups when faced with a recalcitrant city council. A good of example of this is the 3rd place finisher rule in Palm Springs. There had been a lot of nonsense and games in the late 90's regarding the city council. This cleared up a lot of that. As a matter of fact Ginny Foat got her start on the Palm Springs city council via a citizen initiative passed back in 2001 which elevated her to the city council in 2003 as a 3rd place finisher.
While decrying governance by initiative, it is important to realize that the real villain is not the individual proposal but the process itself, It needs reform. It probable never happen.
Steve Kelly can be reached at sveicker12@gmail.com
For their part, municipal governments almost always oppose any citizen or business initiatives on the ballot. The first thing they cite is the cost of placing measures on the ballot. Of course when they place an item, the cost of ballot printing disappears. Plus when municipalities put issues on the ballot, they also usually start a "neutral" public information campaign. Mostly complete propaganda, these rival only the Pyonygang Times in terms of believability. The "educational" materials I saw from Palm Springs on Measure J a few years back were not exactly overwhelming in the credibility department.
The citizens initiatives usually fall into 2 categories.
1.) Those that are pushed by single issue commercial interests such as developers or the vacation rental agency. Essentially, they are seeking a veto of an unfavorable council action.
2.) Those that are pushed by good government groups when faced with a recalcitrant city council. A good of example of this is the 3rd place finisher rule in Palm Springs. There had been a lot of nonsense and games in the late 90's regarding the city council. This cleared up a lot of that. As a matter of fact Ginny Foat got her start on the Palm Springs city council via a citizen initiative passed back in 2001 which elevated her to the city council in 2003 as a 3rd place finisher.
While decrying governance by initiative, it is important to realize that the real villain is not the individual proposal but the process itself, It needs reform. It probable never happen.
Steve Kelly can be reached at sveicker12@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Musings On Our Next Supervisor
It has been very interesting to see the jockeying for position in the race to succeed the late John Benoit in the role of 4th District Supervisor. Despite the alleged non-partisan nature of the office, the reaction among some local Coachella Valley politicos has been not exactly been something ot of the Kennedy School Of Government.
One of those seeking the appointment of Governor Jerry Brown to the office, Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis told the Press Enterprise, "He anticipated running for supervisor when Benoit retired. He said his time in elected office and ability to deliver strong constituent services made him a good pick for the job,"
Interesting because John Benoit had never talked about retiring and stayed in office till he passed away. Also Greg Pettis has run for the California Assembly twice losing badly in Democratic primaries . Once to Coachella Councilman and former Assembly member Manny Perez who is being backed by a majority of local Democrats for the supervisor job. While the LGBTQ block to which Pettis belongs is important in Riverside County for Democrats, it is dwarfed in size and scope by the Latino population. As I said the other day, if Brown is strictly looking at identity politics, he will pick Perez.
I am amused to hear that local Republicans suddenly are interested in gender equality and would like to see a woman appointed. What they mean by that is they want Jan Harnik a current Palm Desert Councilwoman and a Republican. Her husband managed Brian Nestande's unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2014 against Raul Ruiz. I asked a member of the East Valley RFW (Federation of California Republican Women) if she would support a Democratic woman in the interest of the sisterhood. Her answer of course was a resounding," No!!"
As I have stated, I look for Jerry Brown to do the pragmatic thing and appoint Manny Perez. An appointment of either Pettis or any Republican would cause a multitude of problems that I believe Brown wants no part of.
Steve Kelly can be reached at svericker12@gmail.com
One of those seeking the appointment of Governor Jerry Brown to the office, Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis told the Press Enterprise, "He anticipated running for supervisor when Benoit retired. He said his time in elected office and ability to deliver strong constituent services made him a good pick for the job,"
Interesting because John Benoit had never talked about retiring and stayed in office till he passed away. Also Greg Pettis has run for the California Assembly twice losing badly in Democratic primaries . Once to Coachella Councilman and former Assembly member Manny Perez who is being backed by a majority of local Democrats for the supervisor job. While the LGBTQ block to which Pettis belongs is important in Riverside County for Democrats, it is dwarfed in size and scope by the Latino population. As I said the other day, if Brown is strictly looking at identity politics, he will pick Perez.
I am amused to hear that local Republicans suddenly are interested in gender equality and would like to see a woman appointed. What they mean by that is they want Jan Harnik a current Palm Desert Councilwoman and a Republican. Her husband managed Brian Nestande's unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2014 against Raul Ruiz. I asked a member of the East Valley RFW (Federation of California Republican Women) if she would support a Democratic woman in the interest of the sisterhood. Her answer of course was a resounding," No!!"
As I have stated, I look for Jerry Brown to do the pragmatic thing and appoint Manny Perez. An appointment of either Pettis or any Republican would cause a multitude of problems that I believe Brown wants no part of.
Steve Kelly can be reached at svericker12@gmail.com
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Palm Springs Meaney Lawsuit A Joke
News came today that Palm Springs can now proceed with a lawsuit against Rich Meaney, the embattled Palm Springs developer over a $160,000 debt the city is claimed it is owed. The city claims it is owed the funds because it had granted a $250,000 grant to Meaney and his Hacienda Cantina project for a 3 year period of operations. The placed closed closed after 1 year.
Meaney is a central figure in the ongoing corruption investigation into the former shall we say, questionable business practises at Palm Springs City Hall. I have been told by sources close to the investigation that he has been cooperating with the feds as they do their work.
It is fairly obvious that Meaney has no money. You can't get blood from a stone. This will only pad an already expensive city legal bill.
An argument can be made that by filing the lawsuit, the city is merely protecting it's rights. Also that the city is preventing a moral hazard. I get that. But the real way you prevent this from happening again is to make sure the city never repeats such a corporate welfare type program. So why is the city still persisting with this Don Quixote-like litigation?
Knowing the current political climate in Palm Springs, I fear the answer as to why the city is pursuing this course is a matter of tacit obfuscation. City Hall big shots like City Manager David Ready and Council persons Chris Mills and Ginny Foat can claim that they too were "victims" of the dastardly Rich Meaney. Of course that is all nonsense but such a course of action will go over in certain sectors of Palm Springs.
The main question involving this grant question remains as to whether or not the program was used specifically to reward friends and supporters of former mayor Steve Pougnet. Anything else is just an entertaining sideshow.
Steve Kelly can be reached at svericker12@gmail.com or followed on Twitter@skellynj
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Meaney is a central figure in the ongoing corruption investigation into the former shall we say, questionable business practises at Palm Springs City Hall. I have been told by sources close to the investigation that he has been cooperating with the feds as they do their work.
It is fairly obvious that Meaney has no money. You can't get blood from a stone. This will only pad an already expensive city legal bill.
An argument can be made that by filing the lawsuit, the city is merely protecting it's rights. Also that the city is preventing a moral hazard. I get that. But the real way you prevent this from happening again is to make sure the city never repeats such a corporate welfare type program. So why is the city still persisting with this Don Quixote-like litigation?
Knowing the current political climate in Palm Springs, I fear the answer as to why the city is pursuing this course is a matter of tacit obfuscation. City Hall big shots like City Manager David Ready and Council persons Chris Mills and Ginny Foat can claim that they too were "victims" of the dastardly Rich Meaney. Of course that is all nonsense but such a course of action will go over in certain sectors of Palm Springs.
The main question involving this grant question remains as to whether or not the program was used specifically to reward friends and supporters of former mayor Steve Pougnet. Anything else is just an entertaining sideshow.
Steve Kelly can be reached at svericker12@gmail.com or followed on Twitter
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Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Potential Huge Political Shakeup In The Coachella Valley
With so many other political stories flying around, a potentially huge story has gone underneath the radar. That being the illness of 4th District Supervisor John Benoit. It could dramatically affect the local political scene.
To begin with, like all Valley residents, I wish Mr. Benoit well as he undergoes chemotherapy. Although a Republican, he is more of a moderate. He was elected to the Assembly in 2002, despite being opposed by the far right fringe of the local GOP led by then State Senator Jim Battin. In 2010, as Supervisor, he survived a far right challenge from former PSPD Police Chief Gary Jeandron who his run bankrolled by the Riverside Sheriffs Association. The election was nasty. In 2014, he easily beat Manny Perez.
What many in the Valley do not understand is that the position of Supervisor is a hugely powerful one. The county has a budget of over 5 billion dollars. The job controls a ton of patronage as well. And the Board only has 5 members. For the 25 years, I have lived here, it has been run by the Riverside County GOP with a figleaf of non-partisanship.
If due to illness, Mr. Benoit is forced to step down, Governor Brown will have the option of filling the seat till elections take place in 2018. Mr. Benoit himself was originally appointed in such a manner by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, succeeding the late Roy Wilson.
Brown will no doubt appoint a Democrat. If that were to occur, that would be sea change locally. There would be a change in staff. Despite the office allegedly being non-partisan, in reality it is not.
Talking with some local Democrats today, the name I hear over and over again is that of former Assemblyman Manny Perez. As previously mentioned, he ran and lost against Benoit. Perez was term limited after 6 years in the Assembly and currently sits on the Coachella City Council. Coachella is the East Valley hub of Democratic power; home to US Rep Dr. Raul Ruiz, and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia.
A Perez appointment could rankle some LGBTQ Democrats in the West Valley. They may put forth a candidate like Palm Springs Councilman Geoff Kors or even Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis. However the Valley has a huge Hispanic population which has historically been under served by the county. This fact could and should be a major factor in any appointment. It may be a very interesting few months.
Steve Kelly is a Blogger/Broadcaster based in the Coachella Valley. He can be e mailed at svericker12@gmail.com or followed on Twitter at 2skellynj
To begin with, like all Valley residents, I wish Mr. Benoit well as he undergoes chemotherapy. Although a Republican, he is more of a moderate. He was elected to the Assembly in 2002, despite being opposed by the far right fringe of the local GOP led by then State Senator Jim Battin. In 2010, as Supervisor, he survived a far right challenge from former PSPD Police Chief Gary Jeandron who his run bankrolled by the Riverside Sheriffs Association. The election was nasty. In 2014, he easily beat Manny Perez.
What many in the Valley do not understand is that the position of Supervisor is a hugely powerful one. The county has a budget of over 5 billion dollars. The job controls a ton of patronage as well. And the Board only has 5 members. For the 25 years, I have lived here, it has been run by the Riverside County GOP with a figleaf of non-partisanship.
If due to illness, Mr. Benoit is forced to step down, Governor Brown will have the option of filling the seat till elections take place in 2018. Mr. Benoit himself was originally appointed in such a manner by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, succeeding the late Roy Wilson.
Brown will no doubt appoint a Democrat. If that were to occur, that would be sea change locally. There would be a change in staff. Despite the office allegedly being non-partisan, in reality it is not.
Talking with some local Democrats today, the name I hear over and over again is that of former Assemblyman Manny Perez. As previously mentioned, he ran and lost against Benoit. Perez was term limited after 6 years in the Assembly and currently sits on the Coachella City Council. Coachella is the East Valley hub of Democratic power; home to US Rep Dr. Raul Ruiz, and Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia.
A Perez appointment could rankle some LGBTQ Democrats in the West Valley. They may put forth a candidate like Palm Springs Councilman Geoff Kors or even Cathedral City Councilman Greg Pettis. However the Valley has a huge Hispanic population which has historically been under served by the county. This fact could and should be a major factor in any appointment. It may be a very interesting few months.
Steve Kelly is a Blogger/Broadcaster based in the Coachella Valley. He can be e mailed at svericker12@gmail.com or followed on Twitter at 2skellynj
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