Month: July 2026

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Riverside County Board of Supervisors took up three items Tuesday that hit the Coachella Valley: new vacation rental rules, results from this year’s fireworks crackdown, and $325,000 for a Mecca sports park.

Supervisors today tentatively approved a series of adjustments to the Riverside County ordinance regulating short-term rentals in unincorporated communities, as well as formally ending a roughly 16-month moratorium on the issuance of STR certificates in B-Bar H Ranch and Thousand Palms.

The board on Tuesday held the first of two public hearings on amendments sought by the Transportation & Land Management Agency to Ordinance

After taking public testimony over a nearly two-hour span, the supervisors voted 5-0 to accept most of the modifications — and directed TLMA to make several other revisions that they wanted regarding citations after listening to speakers.

“This has taken too long. I’m really just out of patience,” Supervisor Chuck Washington said before casting his vote. “Here we are still trying to find the recipe for the magic sauce. People have trusted us to get them the peace and quiet they deserve in their communities. Now we’re tweaking this ordinance more. We’ve got to be results-oriented.”

Until Tuesday, the STR ordinance hadn’t undergone significant changes since it was formally implemented in 2022.

On his and Perez’s motion, the board voted to revise the numbers to three citations leading to suspension, and five citations triggering revocation proceedings. They also directed TLMA to model the publicly accessible electronic complaint platform to match what San Bernardino County has, enablingpeople to view locations of STR complaints and read what, if any, actions have been taken by officers.

The approved change to officers’ hours of service and deployment to handle STR complaints will ensure two code representatives are on duty at the agency’s Palm Desert and San Jacinto offices 7 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Sunday, when complaint volume is highest. Previously, officers were off the clock by 10 p.m.

Another change eliminates the current “60-minute self-correction window” that has, up to now, permitted STR owners to address complaints themselves within an hour. Instead, TLMA now will have enforcement officers go directly to locations where complaints have been lodged and attempt “knock and talk” tactics that immediately make parties aware of noise, obstruction and related problems.

Notices, or administrative citations, will be issued where complaints are documented under the new changes. This will establish a gradual process for ticketing violators. However, under an “urgent circumstance,” where there’s a public health or similar issue, the noticing will be dispensed with inpreference to immediate suspension of an STR certificate and a cease-and-desist order mandating that actions be taken to correct the offense forthwith.

The last part of Tuesday’s hearing involved termination of a temporary moratorium on STR issuances within the eastern Coachella Valley communities of B-Bar H Ranch and Thousand Palms. The moratorium was declared in April 2025, after a surge in boisterous parties at vacation rental properties throughout the areas, where there are a combined total of 59 STR properties.

However, during the Coachella Valley’s most popular fests — Coachella Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach Music Festival, both in April — and in the two months following, less than a dozen complaints were fielded, and only one citation was issued, TLMA said, adding that the data supported a proposal to end the moratorium. The board agreed.

A vote to formally adopt the revisions is slated for Aug. 25.

Officers issued 212 citations over the Fourth of July weekend, up 22% from last year, and seized more than 2,000 pounds of illegal fireworks, according to City News Service, which reviewed the county’s after-action report.

In an unanimous vote without comment, the board filed the Executive Office’s “After-Action Report,” which showed that, compared to the same period last year, there was a 22% jump in the number of citations issued — 212 this past July 4 weekend, as opposed to 172 in 2025.

Those figures combine the aggregate citations handled by the county Sheriff’s, Fire and Code Enforcement departments.

The number of 911 fireworks-related calls for service and complaints also rose — 3,776 during the holiday weekend this year, compared to 3,696 last year, according to the narrative.

Authorities confiscated 2,105 pounds of alleged illegal pyrotechnics during operations earlier this month, a drop from last year, when 2,194 pounds were seized over the same period, the report stated.

County fire personnel were sent to 69 fireworks-related blazes during the most recent holiday weekend, a one-third drop from 2025, when they responded to 102 fires, officials said.

Fines in unincorporated areas run $1,000 to $5,000.

The county signed off on a $325,000 allocation to support a project at the Mecca Sports Park, enabling the addition of amenities intended to enhance the space.

In a 5-0 vote without comment Tuesday, the board authorized the Riverside County Executive Office to make the appropriation from the Unincorporated Communities Initiative Fund. An agreement between the county and Desert Recreation District, stipulating how the money can be used, was additionally approved by the board.

Under the new funding agreement, if contractors hired by the Desert Recreation District are unable to complete the project by June 30, 2027, the district must return any unspent county funds.

The park opened in October 2023, built for about $6.7 million most of it a $5.8 million state grant.

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – With summer heat on full blast, many valley residents are looking to the pool to cool off.

But as the desert sun heats up pool water – and hot overnight lows keep that water from cooling down when the sun has set – a refreshing dip can feel more like a sauna.

The water temperature in your pool can easily climb well past 90°F during peak heat.

According to pool experts, excessively warm pool water, generally above 86°F, can accelerate bacteria and algae growth in the water. Swimming in water that’s too warm can lead to health impacts, like hyperthermia and heat stroke.

David Keyes, Aquatic Manager at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center, agreed. He urged anyone swimming in hot water to never do so alone.

“Do not enter a body of water, especially a warm body of water alone, because that could that could lead to fainting,” he warned. “There’s no one there to to help you to call 911 or to pull you out of the water.”

And for those exercising in warm water, he said swimmers’ bodies can take them by surprise. “A lot of people assume, ‘Oh, I don’t – I’m not sweating while I’m in the water,’ but that’s still happening.”

At the Aquatic Center, they’re forced to close the pools if the water temperature exceeds 104°F. Even then, they generally start placing warning signs around lap pools and other areas where swimmers exercise if the water begins pushing up into the 90s.

“People go in and have strenuous activities, like lap swimming or even water exercise. Depending on how hard you’re going in the class, you could end up potentially having a level of heat stroke,” he warned.

The Aquatic Center maintains their pool’s water temperature by using three large chillers. It drastically cools water, then pumps it back into the system, in an effort to keep water temperatures regulated. With the chillers on, Keyes said the water temperature is usually kept, on average, near 85°F. They work like swamp coolers, so in the dry heat, they work effectively, but with extra humidity, they start to be less effective. When that happens, water temperatures can push into the 90s.

The pool’s carefully balance mix of chlorine levels, pH, and alkalinity, though, prevent any bacteria and algae from growing at the center, despite the hot temperatures.

Mike Marshall, the Facilities Operations Manager at PDAC, has had more than three decades of experience with pools. He said homeowners in the desert often make these mistakes: “Everyone’s always looking to save a few bucks when it comes to at home operations. ‘Maybe I can run my pool a little bit less and save a few dollars, or maybe I cannot put as much chlorine in the water to save a few dollars.’ Those two X factors alone are the death of a swimming pool. Circulation is key.”

He also said testing your pool regularly can also prevent large algae blooms in the water. He also said purchasing a residential-sized chiller, like the ones used at PDAC, can be a good investment that will help regulate your pool’s temperature.

At the end of the day, he pointed to regular use and maintenance as the key.

“A pool that swam in is going to be much more easy to maintain and manage, as opposed to a pool that’s in a yard as a water feature,” he said.