Author: KESQ

Peter Daut

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – What has 17 stars, 16 Tony Awards, and 3 comedies, the brand new series “Replay,” benefiting the newly reopened Plaza Theatre.

Tony Award winner and Palm Springs resident David Zippel is bringing his celebrated expertise to the project, which begins at the theater next month.

News Channel 3’s Peter Daut spoke in depth with Zippel about “Replay” as the plaza continues to become a performing arts destination.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A search was underway today for a 78-year-old Indio woman who vanished weeks ago, but may be somewhere in Riverside or San Diego counties.

Laura Ann Brown was last seen in November in the vicinity of Avenue 48 and Jefferson Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.   

The agency issued a Silver Alert after receiving the missing person notification from the Indio Police Department. Silver Alerts focus on finding missing seniors, who are often suffering from health complications or otherwise considered at-risk, throughout the state.

Authorities were uncertain where Brown may have gone, though the alert is focused on Riverside and San Diego counties. The last verified sighting of her was on the afternoon of Nov. 20, when she walked away from her residence. It was unclear Wednesday why she wasn’t reported missing earlier.

The senior is 5-feet-6 inches tall and 178 pounds, with short hair and brown eyes. The type of clothing she may have been wearing was unconfirmed, and there was no word on what she may have taken with her.   

Anyone with information about her whereabouts was asked to immediately contact their local law enforcement agency, or dial 911.

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City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – A 35-year-old Moreno Valley man suspected of stealing more than $20,000 in landscaping and construction equipment in Palm Springs was arrested, authorities said today.

The suspect was booked into Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of grand theft and an enhanced penalty, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

Bail information was not immediately available.   

On Dec. 5, around 4:30 p.m., the department’s Detective Bureau received information stemming from a social media post regarding equipment stolen from a work truck. Authorities identified a suspect through law-enforcement databases, the Flock camera system and private surveillance footage that captured the alleged theft.   

Although the suspect repeatedly changed license plates on his vehicle and traveled through multiple cities throughout the Coachella Valley, a suspect vehicle was found around 9 p.m. the same day at a residence in Moreno Valley, police said.

He left the residence in a vehicle before police could execute a search warrant. Authorities conducted a traffic stop and confirmed that the driver was the same person seen in the surveillance footage, the department said.

Police said the suspect consented to searches of his vehicle and residence and guided authorities to the stolen property he hid in a desert area in Desert Hot Springs. In addition, detectives found “a large quantity of suspected stolen landscaping and construction equipment, consisting of 50 high-value tools worth more than $20,000, in the garage of his residence,” the agency said.

Authorities were continuing to identify additional alleged victims based on the recovered property.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A Riverside County Sheriff’s deputy and a pedestrian were hospitalized after a crash stemming from a pursuit Wednesday morning in Palm Desert.

The crash was reported just after 8:30 a.m. near Frank Sinatra Drive and Drexell Drive.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the incident started as a pursuit in the area of Monterey Avenue and Frank Sinatra Drive. The suspect collided with a pedestrian working in the center median. The Riverside Sheriff’s Motor Unit also collided with an uninvolved motorist.

The motor deputy and pedestrian were transported to a local hospital in stable condition.

The suspect, whose identity was not released, was taken into custody without incident. The investigation remains ongoing. Stay with News Channel 3 for any new developments.

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Garrett Hottle

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) Silvercrest CEO William Frank Rodriguez appeared in court Wednesday in connection with a 2024 deadly hit-and-run crash in Cathedral City.

Rodriguez faces a felony hit-and-run charge tied to a crash that killed 60-year-old Christina Barrington. Prosecutors allege Rodriguez fled the scene without stopping to render aid.

The hearing was continued until March 25 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 3R. According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, Rodriguez is not required to return to court until that date.

However, defense counsel and prosecutors will be back in court February 4 for a hearing tied to subpoenaed documents from Acrisure Arena.

Stick with News Channel 3 for updates as we continue to track this story.

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Gavin Nguyen

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Recent rainfall has pushed the entire state out of drought conditions for the first time in a quarter century. 

The Coachella Valley has long been known to rely on its own aquifer, managed by water authorities like the Coachella Valley Water District. The underground source of water is finite; natural annual rainfall and melting snow is usually not enough to sustain the basin’s supply alone based on the demands from those who need it in the valley.

With recent rains pushing California out of drought conditions, we’re asking CVWD how that’s helping them keep the basin sustainable for future generations.

Stay with us for the latest.

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Garrett Hottle

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KESQ) News Channel 3 has confirmed that Jake Mitchell Haro, convicted in the 2025 killing of his 7-month-old son Emmanuel, is currently housed at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. Haro was transferred from Wasco State Prison, where he was first sent following his sentencing last fall.

Haro pleaded guilty in October 2025 to charges related to Emmanuel’s death and was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison.

His wife and co-defendant, Rebecca Renee Haro, continues to fight the charges. She remains in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside and is scheduled to appear in court on January 21, 2026, for a felony settlement conference.

The remains of baby Emmanuel have still not been found.

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Daniella Lake

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Last week, the federal government announced it would freeze funding for childcare assistance funds in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York following alleged fraud concerns at day care centers in Minnesota.

On Friday, a judge blocked the funding freeze for now, but local day care centers are expressing concerns about how the funding freeze could affect parents and the daycare itself.

“How do we keep the doors open to make sure that the parents are able to go to work?” says Salina. She runs an in-home daycare in Palm Springs and says 90% of families she services receive childcare assistance funding.

Siouxsie Hart, a local parent, says that her childcare is fully funded by the government.

“I need this. If I didn’t have daycare, I wouldn’t have a way to make money,” she says.

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KESQ News Team

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) — The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation announced leadership changes that reinforce continuity, long-term stewardship, and its commitment to philanthropy across the Coachella Valley and beyond.

The non-profit announced that through the process of a thoughtful succession plan, Michael B. Rover is now President and CEO of the Berger Foundation. Christopher M. McGuire remains Chairman of the Board.

Michael B. Rover

The Foundation’s executive committee consists of McGuire, Rover, Vice President of Charitable Programs Catharine N. Reed and Vice President of Finance Joseph K. Glassett.

Nor Berger and his wife Fran, established the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation as a private family foundation in 1961. Through the vision of successive presidents, McGuire and Ronald M. Auen, the Foundation has grown multiple times over with a diverse portfolio of investments, enabling sustained charitable impact throughout Southern California, the United States and internationally. The Foundation does not procure contributions from individuals and businesses and does not accept unsolicited grant requests. About 80 percent of the Foundation’s giving is concentrated in the Coachella Valley, where the Foundation has been based since 1996.

Upon Mr. Berger’s death, Auen served as President and Chairman of the Board from 1988 to 2019. Auen became responsible for the formation, guidance, and measured expansion of the Foundation. He handpicked members of the Foundation leadership, including McGuire and Rover. 

An entrepreneur with an MBA from the University of Southern California, McGuire was appointed to the board of directors and accepted the position of Vice President of Programs in 1991. He took the helm as President and Chairman of the Board in 2019. Throughout his tenure, McGuire has provided executive leadership and oversight for a range of programs and services and has initiated new philanthropic endeavors. As Chairman of the Board, he will continue to serve on the executive committee, providing continuity and strategic guidance.

“It has been an honor to carry on the legacy of Ron Auen and Mr. Berger,” said McGuire. “Mike Rover has the experience, perspective, and values needed to guide the Berger Foundation forward. I’m proud to hand leadership to someone so deeply committed to the Foundation’s mission and our community.”

Born and raised in the Coachella Valley, Rover has served on the Foundation’s Board since 2005 and began providing legal counsel for its business and real estate interests in 2012 before joining the Foundation full-time in 2020. A key contributor to strategic planning, he brings deep expertise in large, complex real estate transactions, negotiations, and asset management in support of long-term charitable impact.

Prior to joining the Foundation’s executive team, Rover founded and led Rover Armstrong, a private law practice focused on real estate, business, and construction law. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego and a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. Rover is licensed in California as an attorney, contractor and real estate broker.

“It’s a privilege to step into this role. The Foundation’s mission remains the same as when Mr. and Mrs. Berger founded the charitable organization: to help people help themselves,” said Rover, President and CEO of the Berger Foundation. “With the resources entrusted to the Foundation, our board of directors, the executive team, and our staff are committed to thoughtful stewardship that will maximize our charitable impact and strengthen our community for generations.”

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as an independent charitable organization that operates for the purposes of philanthropic endeavors and grantmaking to nonprofit organizations. For more information about the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, visit www.hnberger.org.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – The Board of Supervisors today authorized the Riverside County Department of Human Resources to potentially increase the salaries of multiple sheriff’s administrators on the basis that not doing so would leave them at salary rates equal to or less than underlings.

In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board signed off on the agency’s proposal to modify the salary ranges of the correctional chief deputy, the chief deputy sheriff, the chief deputy sheriff designated “A” or “B” under the salary ordinance, the assistant sheriff and the assistant sheriff designated “A” or “B.”

No one was named specifically in the human resources document posted to the board’s agenda Tuesday.

“With the implementation of the adjustments, costs will be incurred only to bring incumbents below the new minimum salary up to the new minimum salary,” according to an agency statement. “Approval of the recommended adjustments will ensure adequate spacing and appropriate salary progression for the executive management level classifications. This will aid in retention and ensure that the sheriff’s department is able to provide growth opportunities into these positions as opportunities arise.”

According to officials, the board’s approval in July of a new three- year contract with the Law Enforcement Management Unit, representing upper-level sheriff’s personnel, as well as District Attorney’s Office investigators and other county peace officers, created the likelihood of “compaction,” which defines circumstances where a subordinate is making as much as or more than a superior.

It’s commonly cited as the rationale for hiking the annual salaries of elected officials, too.

The collective bargaining agreement with the LEMU — which establishes across-the-board auto pay hikes totaling 19% over the next three years — placed sheriff’s captains at pay rates in competition with their bosses, officials said.

The new range for an assistant sheriff will be $261,000 to $313,323 per year, compared to $163,099 to $221,326 previously. For an assistant sheriff “A,” the new range will be $279,000 to $335,256, compared to $172,883 to $278,479 before now. For an assistant sheriff “B,” the revised range will be $292,435 to $350,922, instead of $220,791 to $299,326 previously.   

The chief correctional deputy range will go from $161,560 to $230,613, to $191,635 to $251,516 per year. The chief deputy sheriff’s range is now $239,544 to $287,453, compared to $150,545 to $209,827 previously. The chief deputy “A” range will be $256,312 to $307,574, compared to $159,577 to $222,416 previously, and the “B” category will be $268,289 to $321,947, compared to $203,796 to $284,048 in the past.   

The new rates are retroactive to Dec. 11.   

The Department of Human Resources said there are no anticipated immediate impacts to the sheriff’s budget as a result of the changes. It was unclear how many of the positions are actually filled.

Officials said a “market survey” was conducted to determine the pay rates in neighboring counties and how best to bring the county in line with other jurisdictions.

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