Month: November 2025

Jesus Reyes

CORONA, Calif. (KESQ) – Local Congressman Ken Calvert confirmed he will be running for the new 40th District, one day after Prop 50 passed.

Calvert released a statement Wednesday:

“Californians in the newly drawn 40th District deserve a proven conservative they can trust and a fighter who has delivered results for Riverside and Orange County for decades,” said Congressman Ken Calvert. “No one else comes close to my record of service to the new 40th. I’ve lived here my entire life and already represent the majority of this district in Congress. I look forward to helping President Trump to deliver lower taxes, to bring down housing costs, secure our borders, make our streets safe and bring real results for the families of this district for years to come. Together, we will Make America Great Again.”

The new 40th District would move Calvert away from the Coachella Valley; however, according to his office, he currently represents 51% of the new district.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – One day after California voters approved Proposition 50, redrawing the state’s congressional district lines to boost Democratic representation in Washington, state Republicans filed a federal lawsuit in Los Angeles today challenging the constitutionality of the measure.

Assemblyman David Tangipa, R-Fresno, the California Republican Party, and 18 district voters brought the lawsuit, which asks a judge to block the new district lines at least temporarily so California’s original map stays in effect for the 2026 midterm elections.

The suit, which also names California Secretary of State Shirley Weber as a defendant, argues that the new Proposition 50 maps are unconstitutional because they improperly use voters’ race as a factor in drawing districts and asks the court to block them from taking effect.   

“Proposition 50 represents a mid-decade redistricting, precisely the kind of legislative interference that the California Constitution was designed to prevent,” the 26-page complaint contends. “It attempts to substitute a legislative map for the one lawfully adopted by the (state redistricting) commission, without any intervening census or constitutional authorization. It attempts to create a third option way for legislators to interpose themselves on a process in which they otherwise were barred from participating in.”   

The plaintiffs are represented by the Dhillon Law Group, founded by Harmeet Dhillon, who is now the assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.   

“I’m appalled by what has happened — what the Legislature really pushed through, what the governor has done to violate and break the Constitution,” Tangipa said at a news conference Wednesday announcing the lawsuit. “And when I said that the fight for California has just begun, I hope everybody knows I meant that.”  

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, which supporters dubbed “The Election Rigging Response Act.” As of Wednesday morning’s latest vote tally, the measure was leading 63.8%-36.2%, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who conceived of what would become Proposition 50 after Texas adopted a mid decade congressional redistricting plan favorable to Republicans, on Tuesday night called its passage “not just a victory tonight for the Democratic Party, it was a victory for the United States of America,for the people of this country and the principles that our Founding Fathers lived and died for.”  

Proposition 50 establishes new congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections that will also be used for the 2028 and 2030 elections. An analysis by the election news website Ballotpedia said it would shift five Republican-held congressional districts toward Democrats.

Democrats hold a 43-9 advantage in the state’s House delegation.   

The measure came in response to an effort in Texas for a mid-decade congressional redistricting that analysts said would give Republicans five additional seats. Other Republican-controlled states such as Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nebraska and South Carolina are also considering efforts to approve mid-decade redistricting.   

Backers of Prop 50 said it “draws fair maps that represent California’s diverse communities and ensure our voices aren’t silenced by Republican gerrymandering in other states.”

Opponents say Proposition 50 “creates one of the most extreme partisan gerrymanders in modern American history” and is a “threat to democracy and fair elections in California,” according to the campaign against the measure.

“With the passage of Prop. 50, Californians were sold a bill of goods, allowing Gavin Newsom and his radical allies in Sacramento an unprecedented power grab to redraw the congressional map and silence those who disagree with his extreme policies,” Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said in a statement. “Gerrymandering districts because you don’t like the results of an election is politics at its absolute worst. Governor Newsom pouring millions into this ballot initiative while crime goes unchecked, housing costs skyrocket, and taxes as well as gas prices remain among the highest in the nation shows he’s more interested in protecting his party’s stranglehold on the state than delivering on the issues families face. ”  

Proposition 50 would increase Democratic registration in the 41st Congressional District Calvert represents by adding Downey, Norwalk, Whittier and Lakewood in Los Angeles County.

Calvert is “strongly considering” running in the redrawn 40th Congressional District, where he would face fellow Republican Rep. Young Kim, Blake Jones of Politico reported Monday night, citing information from “a person close to” Calvert he did not name.

There was no immediate response to an email sent to Calvert’s press contact before the customary start of business hours Wednesday.   

Mike Columbo, a plaintiffs’ attorney in the federal lawsuit filed Wednesday, said the proposition will be found unconstitutional, because the Legislature had no legal basis to move forward with a redistricting effort.   

“The record we have establishes that … before the maps were voted upon and after, analyses were conducted that concluded that there was no voting rights problem in California’s prior maps for the Legislature to remedy,” he said. “Further, there is no evidence whatsoever that the California Legislature in fact circulated any such analysis to the legislators for them to consider when they cast their votes to launch Proposition 50.”

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Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission is reaching out to the community for help as they say the government shutdown and the Administration’s decision to suspend the SNAP food stamp program has heavily impacted their programs. 

The SNAP suspension went into effect Nov. 1 amid CVRM saying it’s receiving an increase in demand from local “food insecure” families, according to a release.

The SNAP suspension means families debit cards for grocery stores provided by the federal government are no longer receiving funds. This is driving families to free distribution centers like CVRM, but with already low supplies from the the government shutdown, supplies are low.

CVRM said their food pantry is already “severely depleted” according to a release, and they had to turn away 20 people wanting food boxes last week, before the suspension went into effect. 

CVRM distributes around 175 boxes of food to local families every Wednesday and say they are in “serious need” of food donations.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from CVRM officials about the increasing food demand and their next steps.

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – As Pride events bring thousands of visitors to the Coachella Valley this upcoming weekend, Riverside County health officials are urging the community to stay mindful of public health and safety. With an uptick in mpox cases and other health concerns during large gatherings, Riverside University Health System is reminding residents that prevention and vaccination remain key to keeping celebrations safe.

Riverside County has reported 24 mpox cases so far in 2025 — more than half in the last two months — with two virus types circulating locally. While numbers remain below 2024 levels, officials say the rise is a reminder that the virus has not gone away.

Health leaders also continue to address stigma and misinformation around mpox, emphasizing that the disease can affect anyone through close, prolonged contact. RUHS says awareness and open conversations are essential to keeping communities safe. Free mpox vaccinations and HIV/STI testing will be offered Nov. 8–9 at Greater Palm Springs Pride.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Gavin Nguyen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The return of the Coachella Valley Filipino Festival, or CVFF, is coming at the right time for many Filipino-American residents in the Coachella Valley.

Organizers with the festival said residents are having a tougher time traveling to the Philippines amid inflation and other troubles. They said events like these help bridge the gap and create a community environment where they can celebrate their culture thousands of miles from their homeland.

The festival announced it will return on November 15th at Downtown Park in Palm Springs. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and offers free admission. It was last held in 2023.

For Filipino-Americans in the Coachella Valley, the return of the festival is important.

Bert Ticman is a regular at Fil-Am Oriental Market, one of few Filipino stores around the Coachella Valley. After eating lunch, he described the importance of cultural celebrations like these.

“I’ve been here almost 40 years or something, but it’s been a long time. So every now and then, you know, we want to go home and see… see our country,” he explained.

“You miss a lot of things. You miss a lot of food, you miss talking about when you were young and you went to college, riding the jeepneys and things like that.”

For some, visiting friends and family in the Philippines is a simple plane ticket away. But for others, finding the money to do so is a more difficult task.

Michael Milan, who is part of the event organizing team for the CV Filipino Festival, said some Filipinos in the valley find tariffs and travel expenses to be a barrier, keeping them from returning back home.

“Our older generation who were were immigrants here are not able to to travel into the Philippines as easily just due to those costs,” he explained. “We want to make sure that they have access to the to have that experience here in in so far as what we can bring to them through this festival.”

The celebration will feature over 50 vendors selling tastes from the Philippines, like lumpia, adobo, lechon, and much more. Bayanihan Desert will also be tabling at the event to provide more information and gather community feedback about a mural project in Palm Springs over five years in the making.

Christine Soto, a member of Bayanihan Desert, said the mural will celebrate the diversity of the Coachella Valley.

“Well, representation matters. I know that that phrase gets thrown out a lot, but, you know, I think people want to see themselves reflected in the community that they live in. And art is a wonderful way to do that.”

The demand for Filipino representation is also growing in the region. As other Asian restaurants and markets begin making their way into the desert, the Filipino community continues to ask for favorites only found outside of valley, like Seafood City, a popular Filipino supermarket chain, and Jollibee, a Filipino fast food staple.

Milan remembered during the last festival in 2023, vendors that took weeks of convincing to venture into the desert ended up selling out within hours.

“That’s our long term hope, is that is that the the vendors who are presenting at the festival will understand that there’s a demand here.”

To learn more about the Coachella Valley Filipino Festival, you can visit their website by clicking here. Organizers also encourage you to find them on social media, like their Instagram (@cvfilipinofest).

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