Author: KESQ

John White

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released a statement with limited information on immigration enforcement operations conducted in Cathedral City on Friday.

Operations were carried out on Date Palm Drive in one case and on Ramon Road near Cathedral Canyon in another case.

ICE Statement (6/9/25):

“To ensure the safety of our personnel, ICE does not confirm or discuss the existence or status of operations. The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate. As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.” — ICE Spokesperson

Local Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz said he has requested more information from ICE.

“I formally requested more information from ICE regarding the raid by masked agents in unmarked vehicles in Cathedral City. I’m actively monitoring the situation and following reports,” Ruiz wrote on Friday.

Details on the operation on Friday in Cathedral City remain limited. Video from viewers showed agents chasing at least one person. Advocates confirmed on Friday that they were in contact with the family of at least one person who was detained as well.

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City News Service

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Public Library launched its six-week summer reading program today, aimed at inspiring and entertaining children while helping to prevent seasonal learning loss.   

The free “Level Up” program runs through July 18 at the library’s location at 300 S. Sunrise Way, at the corner of Sunrise Way and Baristo Road.

“The purpose of summer reading is to help combat reading loss sometimes experienced over the summer, however, studies indicate that students who read recreationally outperform those who do not, and summer reading makes it fun for them to do just that,” Director of Library Services Jeannie Kays said in a statement.   

The program includes in-person events, lectures, interactive games and free book selections provided by Friends of the Palm Springs Library.   

Participants who log their reading time or books weekly are entered into prize drawings that include a Nintendo Switch, a PlayStation 5, a $100 Amazon gift card and a pickleball match with Police Chief Andy Mills.   

Registration can be completed in person at the library.   

For more information about the program, residents can call the library at 760-322-7323.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A hiring freeze is needed for Riverside County government, with a few exceptions, in the coming fiscal year to keep a lid on spending in the face of an anticipated budget gap totaling almost $100 million, the county’s chief executive officer told the Board of Supervisors today.

“We’re recommending a hiring freeze for all departments that receive discretionary fund revenue,” CEO Jeff Van Wagenen said Monday at the outset of hearings on the proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget.

He then qualified the statement by noting a few agencies, most notably the Department of Public Social Services and Department of Animal Services, should be exempt from the freeze due to pressing needs.

“The freeze on the other departments … will require them to shrink by attrition,” he said. “Revenue is not decreasing across the system, but we are seeing it flatten and go down in certain areas.”

The last hiring freeze to rein in spending occurred in 2016-17, and Van Wagenen said that action succeeded in saving the equivalent of $40 million to $50 million in today’s dollars.

Unavoidable excess costs will necessitate the use of $73 million in reserves during 2025-26. The imbalance, or budget deficit, stems from “inflationary pressures, growing labor costs, unpredictable state and federal funding and necessary investments in aging infrastructure (that) strain our financial capacity,” the CEO said in the 500-plus-page budget proposal submitted to the board.

By law, a tentative spending blueprint must be in place by the start of the new fiscal year, July 1, though formal approval of appropriations can be deferred until September.

The proposed aggregate budget for 2025-26 is $9.98 billion, compared to $9.58 billion in 2024-25.

The Executive Office is forecasting a reserve pool of $655 million for 2025-26. It had been projected at $728 million, but the total will have to be trimmed due to the estimated budget gap.

Payrolls continue to consume almost half of outlays under the budget plan. The county employs 25,632 people on a regular or rotating temporary basis, figures showed.

Public safety agencies started off Monday’s budget hearing, though the county’s top law enforcement officer, Sheriff Chad Bianco, did not appear in person, offering a videotaped statement with the explanation that he was attending a ceremony in Sacramento.

Bianco said the Executive Office’s proposed appropriation for sheriff’s operations “falls woefully short” of what’s needed. The sheriff’s department will end the current fiscal year $10 million in the red, and the proposed “flatline” spending plan for 2025-26 would put the agency $76 million in the hole, according to Bianco.   

Unlike in previous budget hearings, the sheriff on Monday pointedly emphasized the need to make the Benoit Detention Center in Indio fully operational. Only one-third of the facility, which was completed in the previous decade, is functional. Undersheriff Don Sharp said about $32 million would be required to complete a two-phase activation of the jail in the coming fiscal year, though the dollar amounts may vary.

Other costs weighing on the department include ballooning labor and pension expenses stemming from the county’s agreement with the Riverside Sheriffs’ Association, the collective bargaining unit representing deputies, as well as court security expenses, the anticipated agreement with the Law Enforcement Management Unit, and internal service obligations, such as for maintenance of facilities.

District Attorney Mike Hestrin acknowledged that his office continues to contend with heavy caseloads, but the agency has remained within spending limits, and he expected to end the current fiscal year in the black, possibly even returning a little money to the county General Fund.

“Everything is more expensive, and that hits us as well,” Hestrin told the board.

He asked for an additional $1.4 million over what the Executive Office recommended in the office’s 2025-26 spending plan, mainly to pay for additional victims’ services specialists and “senior” paralegals to handle more administrative work that might otherwise require the attention of higher-cost attorneys.  

Fire Department Chief Bill Weiser gave the briefest presentation, requesting an “augmentation” of $6 million in the agency’s 2025-26 appropriations plan outlined by the Executive Office. The funding would be roughly split between equipment outlays and new staffing expenses.

The EO is recommending an aggregate budget of $219.2 million for the D.A.’s office, $1.17 billion for the sheriff’s department and $577 million for the fire department.

More than two-thirds of the county budget is composed of programmed spending, including federal and state earmarks for specific uses, along with grants and related external source revenue. The board has little control over those dollars.

Direct property taxes remains the county’s largest source of discretionary income. It rose to $574 million in 2024-25, compared to $542.6 million in 2023-24, according to figures. The projection is for a $54 million, or 10%, jump in the next fiscal year.

The Department of Public Social Services consistently requires the highest level of appropriations of any one agency. For 2025-26, DPSS, which is an umbrella for a range of programs, including dependent children, foster care, adult protection and welfare benefits, is seeking $1.63 billion, while the EO has said the ceiling should be $1.59 billion.  

Following the next public budget hearing on Tuesday, the board is slated to hold a final one to consider last-minute requests and adjustments at the end of the month.

Residents are encouraged to attend in person or watch the proceedings live at rivcotv.org.

The full recommended budget is available here.

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Garrett Hottle

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) Just when it felt like the COVID conversation had finally quieted down, new guidance from federal health agencies is putting it right back in the spotlight.

The FDA is preparing for another round of COVID-19 vaccines this fall, targeting the JN.1 strain, now the dominant variant in roughly 70% of cases across the U.S. and Europe. While it’s not a brand-new strain, it’s the one vaccine makers are now zeroing in on.

“We’re going to target that to make sure everybody is immune to that strain with the vaccine,” said Dr. Lindsey Valenzuela with Desert Oasis Healthcare.

But here’s the twist: for the first time, the CDC is not recommending COVID shots for healthy kids or pregnant women. That sudden shift has caused confusion and led to some guidelines being walked back just days after release.

“This information changes with the science behind it… and I feel like that’s been the story with COVID the entire time,” Valenzuela added.

Bottom line? If you’re under 65 and in good health, talk with your doctor before rolling up your sleeve for another dose. The science is evolving and so is the advice.

For more tools to live a healthier life, scan the QR code below to visit our Living Healthy site.Desert Oasis Healthcare and News Channel 3 are proud to bring you ongoing health updates that matter to you and your family.

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CNN

Originally Published: 09 JUN 25 15:53 ETUpdated: 09 JUN 25 22:55 ETBy Natasha Bertrand and Haley Britzky, CNN   

(CNN) — More than 700 Marines based out of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California were being mobilized on Monday to respond to the protests in Los Angeles, and the troops will join the thousands of National Guard members who were activated by President Donald Trump over the weekend without the consent of California’s governor or LA’s mayor.

Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, who were placed in an alert status over the weekend to support #USNORTHCOM mission, prepare to depart for the greater Los Angeles area June 9. pic.twitter.com/xUDw0byvqd

— U.S. Northern Command (@USNorthernCmd) June 9, 2025

The deployment of the full Marine battalion marks a significant escalation in Trump’s use of the military as a show of force against protesters, but it is still unclear what their specific task will be once in LA, sources told CNN. Like the National Guard troops, they are prohibited from conducting law enforcement activity such as making arrests unless Trump invokes the Insurrection Act, which permits the president to use the military to end an insurrection or rebellion of federal power.

The Marines being activated are with 2nd battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine division, according to US Northern Command. The activation is “intended to provide Task Force 51 with adequate numbers of forces to provide continuous coverage of the area in support of the lead federal agency,” NORTHCOM said in statement, referring to US Army north’s contingency command post.

One of the people familiar with the Marine mobilization said they will be augmenting the guard presence on the ground in LA.

Approximately 1,700 National Guard members are now operating in the greater Los Angeles area, two days after Trump’s Saturday memorandum deploying 2,000 service members, according to a statement from NORTHCOM. On Monday evening, the Pentagon announced that Trump ordered the deployment of an additional batch of 2,000 more National Guard members. It is unclear when the rest of the initial group, or the new troops announced Monday, would arrive in Los Angeles.

The Marines are expected to bolster some of the guard members who have been deployed to LA in the last two days, this person said.

And while the person familiar stressed that the Marines were being deployed only to augment the forces already there, the image of US Marines mobilizing inside the United States will stand in contrast to National Guardsmen who more routinely respond to domestic issues. While some Marines have been assisting in border security at the southern border, one US official said Marines have not been mobilized within the US like they are in California now since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles.

While the Marines’ tasks have not been specified publicly, they could include assignments like crowd control or establishing perimeter security. Lawyers within the Defense Department are also still finalizing language around the use-of-force guidelines for the troops being mobilized, but the person familiar said it will likely mirror the military’s standing rules of the use of force.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom described the involvement of Marines as “unwarranted” and “unprecedented.”

“The level of escalation is completely unwarranted, uncalled for, and unprecedented — mobilizing the best in class branch of the U.S. military against its own citizens,” Newsom said in a statement linking to a news story about the Marines mobilizing.

Newsom disputed the characterization as a “deployment,” which the governor described as different from mobilization. US Northern Command said in their statement, however, that the Marines will “seamlessly integrate” with National Guard forces “protecting federal personnel and federal property in the greater Los Angeles area.”

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell called for “open and continuous lines of communication” between all agencies responding to protests in the city ahead of the deployment of US Marines.

McDonell said in a statement that his agency and other partner agencies have experience dealing with large-scale demonstrations and safety remains a top priority for them.

That communication will “prevent confusion, avoid escalation, and ensure a coordinated, lawful, and orderly response during this critical time,” McDonnell stressed.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow and Danya Gainor contributed to this report.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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Jesus Reyes

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – An 82-year-old man convicted of killing a 75-year-old woman in Palm Springs six years ago was sentenced to 15 years to life on Monday.

Last month, Stephen Roy McKernan was found guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Claire Carsman at her Palm Springs home in 2019. The jury also found true a sentence-enhancing charge of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

The jury deliberated for three days before convicting McKernan.

During his closing statement, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Steven Sorensen acknowledged, “We don’t know why Mr. McKernan did it.”

But the prosecutor said testimony in the two-week trial had revealed there were political differences between the defendant and victim — she a Democrat, he a Republican.

“She was watching one of her TV shows, and they bickered,” Sorensen said. “He had a sadistic reason.”  

According to testimony, McKernan had known Carsman and her husband, whose identity was not disclosed, for years, and the couple invited him to stay with them in April 2019.

In the early afternoon of April 22, the victim’s spouse headed to an area casino to gamble, as was his habit, leaving his wife and McKernan alone at the single-story residence at 360 W. Pico Road, near Zanjero Road.

Sorensen said nothing was amiss until 5:53 p.m., when the man received a rapid succession of four calls from McKernan in under 10 minutes, all of which he missed.

One of the voicemail messages was replayed for the jury, during which McKernan was heard saying, “It’s a nightmare you’ve never been in your life. I need you to stay away so you’re not in any danger. We got attacked. We need your attorney. Jesus Christ.”

McKernan then called 911, telling the dispatcher, “We had a break-in. I think someone is dead.”   Carsman’s husband and the police arrived to find a grisly scene.

“She was bludgeoned,” Sorensen said, adding that blood spatter covering the defendant’s clothes indicated he “had to hold the barstool facing Mrs. Carsman.”

The defense countered during closing arguments last week that investigators could never determine whathad transpired, or whether Carsman and McKernan were the only ones in the house at the time of the crime.   

Selyem pointed to reports three vehicles were parked near the residence when McKernan called police on the afternoon of April 22, 2019, but none of them were checked.

The attorney emphasized that his client was wearing a cast while healing from a broken arm, leaving him unable to lift heavy objects, like the bar stool that investigators confirmed had been used in the deadly assault.   

“He drank wine, a quantity not known even to him, and he was taking Ativan,” Selyem told the jury. 

Ativan is used to treat anxiety disorders and can lead to drowsiness.   

The defense criticized detectives’ crime log from the scene, calling it a “disaster.”

“There are questions that have not been answered,” he said, referring particularly to “questionable” DNA evidence suggesting another person was in the victim’s residence, corresponding to McKernan’s initial statement that somebody had broken into the property.

Selyem said his client suffered cognitive impairment from a stroke, and he had an affinity for alcoholic beverages, but he was known as a “happy drunk.”

“He was safe around Mrs. Carsman,” the attorney said, dismissing the prosecution’s allegation that a disagreement over a news program may have ignited a conflict that turned fatal.  

“He was not capable of forming intent,” Selyem said.

McKernan has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

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City News Service

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Waymo has temporarily suspended its ride-hailing service in downtown Los Angeles after several of its self-driving cars were set on fire during weekend protests over immigration enforcement actions, the company confirmed today.

The protests, which erupted following a series of federal immigration raids, escalated Sunday when demonstrators vandalized and torched multiple autonomous vehicles. Footage showed several Waymo driverless taxis engulfed in flames and others spray-painted with anti-Trump and anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement messages.   

“Waymo is still operating in Los Angeles,” a company representative said Monday, “however, out of an abundance of caution given the recent activity, we removed vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and will not be serving that specific area of L.A. at the moment.”

The company added it is working in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Black smoke poured from about six Waymo driverless cars Sunday that were summoned to Los Angeles Street, then destroyed and set on fire. Authorities initially let the vehicles burn out on their own, choosing not to send in firefighters.

“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” officials stated.

By 7 p.m. Sunday, the car fires were extinguished by the Los Angeles Fire Department.  

It’s unclear why protesters targeted Waymo vehicles, which are operated by Alphabet, Google’s parent company.   

The company has long operated in San Francisco, where its white autonomous taxis are a common sight. It began offering driverless rides in Los Angeles in November 2024, following months of testing, according to its website.

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Tori King

COACHELLA, California (KESQ) — As protests over recent ICE Operations continue, some California cities say they will not aid federal agents in any way regarding matters over immigration enforcement. Many of these cities are known as “Sanctuary cities”, and there are several right here in the Coachella Valley. Here, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, and Coachella, are all designated as sanctuary cities. These cities prioritize local public safety and limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, offering a degree of protection for undocumented residents. 

“For the city of Coachella, the “Sanctuary city” status essentially says that we will not use any of our resources in the city of Coachella to assist federal immigration enforcement,” said Mayor Steven Hernandez. “We don’t ask the questions, “are you a citizen or not”, in any of our paperwork that’s required to get services in the city. So we don’t even have that information.”

Nancy Ross, the Mayor for Cathedral City also had a similar comment.

“Our police department, our city, we don’t ask our citizens where they’re from,” said Ross. “It doesn’t matter to us, but it matters a lot to the federal government.”

According to Global Refuge, a “sanctuary city” refers to a policy that limits or defines the extent to which a local or state government will share information with federal immigration law officers. But how is this allowed?

The California Values Act, otherwise known as SB 54, is a law that was passed in the state of California that significantly allows for the limitation of the cooperation between state and local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration enforcement agencies like ICE. 

It restricts the use of state and local resources for immigration enforcement, aiming to protect the safety and well-being of all Californians, says a source on ICE Out of California. 

However, Sanctuary cities have their limits, according to Ross and Claudio Koren, a Legal Center Staff Attorney with TODEC.

“We had border patrol cars and big vans in our city day after day, scooping people up,” said the Cathedral City Mayor. “We cannot defend them because it’s the national government that’s doing it.”

“Sanctuary doesn’t mean that city police or law enforcement will help protect people from immigration enforcement, for an arrest, or for a detention,” said Koren.”They will not do it. Nobody can interfere or stop immigration authorities from doing their job. Especially people with criminal history or detentions, those kind of things, the law in California is very, very explicit in deciding and telling the authorities you have to help immigration authorities in those situations. But this is why so so important that people individually know their rights and what they can do.”

Hernandez agrees.

“I think my message to folks that are undocumented or a family member, is to have a plan,” said Hernandez. “Really understand your rights. If you have folks that go to your door without a warrant, you don’t have to let them in. This is a country where you got to have warrants to enter into your property, you know you don’t have to let them in. You know, have a plan where your children or your family knows what to do.”

Despite having a sanctuary city status, Mayor Ross says there is only so much the city can do to protect non-citizens during ICE operations. And now, she has questions that she wants answers to regarding some of her constituents that were taken away in operations in her city last week. She says she has reached out to officials as well as the embassy to find information.

“Unfortunately, I think this is only the beginning. This will happen again, said Ross. “Where are our people. Where did they take them? Where are they getting any kind of protection? Is there going to be any right to a trial? Are they ever going to come back? Are they gone forever? Have our people been taken away forever. Where are our people?”

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Gavin Nguyen

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KESQ) – A rally is being planned in San Bernardino amid ongoing pushback to immigration enforcement in Southern California.

A group called “IE Rise Up” is organizing the rally, dubbed “ICE Out of SB County.” The rally will be held at 2:00 p.m. in front of the San Bernardino County ICE Field Office.

News Channel 3 crews will have live coverage starting at 4:00 p.m. Stay with us for the latest.

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Anti-ICE protests continue across Southern California, protests that at times have turned violent.

Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills says when the situation escalates, that’s when local law enforcement comes in.

“If somebody calls for emergency help, other law enforcement or the community, we are going to respond in order to do our job to make sure that people are safe. What we won’t do, again, is do any kind of immigration enforcement.”

Chief Andy Mills, PSPD

Mills says there are policies in place that prohibit local law enforcement from engaging in immigration enforcement.

Local police cannot stop federal agents like ICE, who operate independently and has full authority.

“We don’t have the ability to push back on that at all… ICE has the absolute authority to enforce immigration throughout the U.S. They have special duties within 100 miles from the border, that they have special privileges… Do it justly, do it professionally, and do it in a way that doesn’t inflame the situation to get worse, and I think that what adult responsible police leadership looks like.”

Chief Andy Mills, PSPD

He says violent actions will only justify a stronger crackdown.

As protests are expected to continue, both police and organizers urge everyone to partake peacefully.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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