Author: KESQ

Raymond Kalra

INDIO, CA (KESQ) – A new electronic dance music festival is set to take over the Empire Polo Club in Indio October 10th and 11th, bringing HEAD TRIP to the Coachella Valley ahead of the region’s traditionally busy April festival season.

Head Trip is expected to draw about 70,000 people to the city, according to Indio Community Services Manager Jim Curtis.

While the festival itself is new, managing large crowds around the Empire Polo Club is familiar territory for Indio.

Curtis has worked with the city and Goldenvoice on festival impacts for more than two decades. He said the city has continued to adjust its approach over the years based on lessons learned from Coachella, Stagecoach and other major events.

This weekend, Indio will test a street closure the city has not previously used during its major festival weekends.

Monroe Street will be closed between Avenue 50 and Avenue 52 on Saturday and Sunday.

“We are actually going to try something new for this event,” Curtis said. “And it’s kind of a test to see how it might go for April.”

Curtis said the closure is being implemented in part for safety and security around the festival grounds.

The city will also be watching how the change impacts nearby residents, commuters and businesses. Curtis said the results could help determine whether a similar traffic plan is used when Coachella and Stagecoach return in the spring.

“We’re going to test it and see how that is and maybe do that in April as well,” Curtis said.

The festival is expected to be smaller than Coachella, which Curtis said typically draws about 125,000 people, but he said 70,000 visitors will still have a noticeable impact on roads surrounding the venue.

“Our main thing is to make sure our businesses and residents can get to their homes,” Curtis said. “We’re going to have 70,000 people come in for this event.”

Indio Police are also preparing for increased traffic throughout the weekend.

Sgt. Abraham Plata said residents should expect major delays near the festival grounds and should consider alternate routes.

Police staffing will increase around the area, with additional traffic officers and patrol officers working alongside other law enforcement agencies.

Plata said drivers coming to the festival should prepare before getting into traffic.

He recommended arriving with enough gas and keeping water and snacks inside the vehicle in case of long delays.

Police are also reminding festivalgoers to stay hydrated as temperatures remain warm.

For some businesses near the festival grounds, the crowds are also bringing an opportunity.

Saguaro Coffee co-owner Janet Rocha said the shop is already seeing familiar faces from previous festival seasons, including workers preparing for the weekend.

The business is increasing its preparation ahead of Head Trip, including making additional pastries, syrups and other products in-house.

Rocha said festival weekends can be especially important after the slower summer months.

“It has a big significance,” Rocha said. “We have a little slower season in the summer. So we’re really excited to see what Head Trip brings for us, just as it’s a new festival.”

Rocha said she hopes the event introduces the shop to customers who may return even after the festival ends.

For Curtis, balancing those economic benefits with the impact on residents remains one of the city’s biggest responsibilities during festival weekends.

He said the city works closely with Goldenvoice, Indio Police and communities surrounding the festival grounds to discuss traffic, noise and other concerns.

Curtis said the city communicates with more than 30 nearby homes and communities as part of its festival planning.

Indio will also operate a 24-hour festival hotline throughout the weekend.

Curtis said the hotline is answered by a real person rather than voicemail so residents and festivalgoers can get immediate help with traffic, access, noise or other concerns.

The festival hotline is 760-391-4112.

Curtis said patience will be key as thousands of people move through the area this weekend.

“We want everybody to be safe,” Curtis said. “We want everybody to have a good time. That’s our number one goal.”

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City News Service

INDIO (CNS) – The Indio City Council unanimously approved a final one-year extension of its moratorium on new data center development applications.

The moratorium will remain in effect through Oct. 16, 2027.

The City Council unanimously approved an urgency ordinance June 3 imposing a 45-day citywide moratorium on data center development applications.

City staff subsequently identified concerns involving data centers’ water consumption, electrical demand, greenhouse gas emissions, noise and air quality.

Council members extended the moratorium for 90 days in July, and it is set to expire Oct. 16.

The second and final extension would apply to the “establishment, expansion or intensification of data centers and other similar high-intensity computing uses,” according to city officials.

The additional time would allow city staff to draft permanent amendments to the city’s general plan, unified development code, zoning regulations, development standards and other applicable regulations, according to a staff report.

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Kiera McKinney

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) —Artificial intelligence is becoming more common in workplaces, including among small businesses in the Coachella Valley.

More than half of U.S. workers now say they use AI on the job, according to Gallup. Census data also shows about one in five U.S. businesses are using AI, with sales and marketing among the most common uses.

At Cheers Coffee in Palm Desert, Co-Founder Hakob Jibilyan uses AI to help with social media, including figuring out when and what to post.

“With AI, you do have everything in front of you and you get the answer right away, instantly, which makes your job way easier,” Jibilyan said.

At Starlight Parking, AI is used even more broadly.

CTO and Co-Founder Cruz Hernandez said the company uses the technology across several parts of its business, including marketing, sales, technology management and operations.

“It saves you time, so much time,” Hernandez said. “And it also allows smaller businesses to scale up and almost operate like an enterprise-level company.”

But the growing use of AI is also raising concerns about jobs. U.S. employers have cited AI in more than 120,000 announced job cuts so far in 2026, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

A McKinsey survey also found 39% of respondents expect AI to reduce their company’s workforce in the next year.

For Luis Fernando, who uses AI himself, there are still parts of an experience he wants to remain human.“I would like it to be like a human response or experience,” Fernando said. “And I don’t think AI has that.”

That is also a line both local businesses say they are thinking about.

Hernandez said Starlight does not allow AI to manage direct customer communication because the company wants those interactions to remain authentic.

Jibilyan said AI can help make parts of the job faster, but the connection between employees and customers is something technology cannot replace.

“Customers always come back just because of certain employee that we have, because they had sort of a bonding where they just chat for two minutes and it changes someone’s day,” Jibilyan said.

Both businesses say they are open to using AI in more ways, while still keeping the human connection with customers.

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Dakota Makinen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Students at Raymond Cree Middle School joined school staff and local law enforcement officials for a group walk to campus, bypassing standard vehicle drop-off zones and carpool lanes.

This year marked a record for Palm Springs Unified, with 15 schools participating.

The collective commute aims to teach students secure pedestrian navigation while providing morning physical activity.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, youth and adolescents should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-intense exercise daily, a requirement met in part by traveling on foot.

Safety concerns along the busy roadways surrounding the campus prompted the involvement of local law enforcement.

Matt Steed, a patrol sergeant with the Palm Springs Police Department, highlighted the traffic risks in the immediate area.

“We have a lot of traffic collisions,” Steed said. “And right here where this school is located right off the street, you know, is a particularly busy street.”

Students participating in the walk also noted reckless drivers along the route, while expressing appreciation for the law enforcement guidance.

“Seeing the police officers. Like guiding us,” one student said, while another pupil noted receiving free stickers during the walk.

School staff emphasized that the exercise provided a positive break from the daily demands of the classroom. Zuri Lowe, a school counselor at Raymond Cree Middle School, highlighted the importance of supporting students through physical activity.

“The academic workload is so rigorous,” Lowe said. “So it’s definitely good for them to be able to get out and exercise. We want our kids to see that we’re here. We’re with them. We’re walking with them.”

School administrators noted that traveling together as a group offered benefits beyond physical exercise.

Jody Diaz, assistant principal at Raymond Cree Middle School, pointed to the social aspect of the commute.

“It’s not just for your body,” Diaz said. “It’s also for your social-emotional well-being. And it’s community building.”

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Jesus Reyes

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – We’re less than a month away from Election Day! Ballots are on their way to voters; below are some important dates to remember.

October 5th: All eligible registered voters will begin receiving their ballot in the mail on this day; Vote-by-Mail Drop-Off Locations open throughout Riverside County

Click Here to Track Your Ballot

October 19th: Registration deadline

Click Here for Information to Register to Vote

October 24th: 11-Day Vote Centers open for in-person voting throughout Riverside County October 31st: 4-Day Vote Centers open for in-person voting throughout Riverside County

Ballot Drop-Off Locations in Riverside County

November 3rd: Election Day!

For more information visit www.voteinfo.net or call (951) 486-7200 or (800) 773-VOTE (8683)

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City News Service

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A 2025 impact report released Tuesday revealed Friends of the Desert Mountains, a nonprofit organization dedicated to land conservation, offered hundreds of free public hikes and talks, generated more than a $1 million in revenue and returned 1,073 acres of land to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians among other factors.

“Our work is ultimately about connection,” Tammy Martin, executive director of the nonprofit, said in a statement. “When people spend time on the land, learn from it, care for it and see themselves as part of its future, conservation becomes something we do together.”

The report highlighted a few key accomplishments, including offering 502 free public hikes and talks, volunteers contributed 5,800 hours, and the organization, with assistance from Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, returned thousands of acres to the local tribe, which included two parcels consisting of 936 acres and 137 acres purchased by the tribe from Friends.

“Preservation of our homelands is essential to maintaining our cultural heritage,” Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians said in the report.

“Who better to care for these lands than the original stewards who have been doing so since time immemorial,” Martin said.

Friends_2025_AnnualReport-tmDownload

Additionally, more than 500 students participated in Friends’ education programs and the organization generated $1,119,058 in revenue last year through fundraising efforts, programs and grants and admin fees.

“Every person who connects to the land becomes part of its future,” the report concludes.

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Gavin Nguyen

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Top law enforcement officials are speaking out about safety after a deadly pursuit crash Monday night.

The person who died was identified as a 42-year-old Cherry Valley man. Police say he was running from police when he turned onto Interstate 10, heading the wrong direction, and triggered a head-on crash. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Two women from Indio were also injured in the crash.

Video shared with News Channel 3 from a Tesla following the two women who were struck showed them make an evasive turn to the right in an effort to avoid the oncoming car. The vehicle being pursued turned in the same direction — then, the two collided.

California Highway Patrol officer David Torres said the women did everything right in that situation.

“We ask you to make an evasive movement and pay attention,” he said. “It looks like they were paying attention. Unfortunately, the other vehicle was traveling really fast. He was going the wrong way and there was nothing they could do.”

In the aftermath of that crash, we asked the top law enforcement officials at Indio Police Department’s National Night Out on Tuesday night.

While the pursuit did not involve his officers, we asked Indio Police Chief Brian Tully, “How can you assure the public that they’re safe from these types of pursuit crashes?”

“What we’re doing and what you and I are doing right now is educating the public,” he said, gesturing to the gathering around him. “We’re constantly educating how to prevent or or be aware of certain things that could occur or could put you in danger. The most important thing is we’re trying to keep people from being victims.”

Officers from Indio PD and CHP had similar answers when it came to pursuit policy. Chief Tully outlined how they only pursue for serious crimes, and if officers assess a situation is becoming too dangerous to the public, his officers back off. He said they employ technology, like drones and automatic license plate readers (ALPR cameras) to track suspects, rather than put the public at risk.

He added, though, “We have to keep in mind – and the community is concerned – we always have to balance public safety and privacy rights.”

Chief Tully pointed out that events that educate and engage the public, like National Night Out, were critical in helping bridge that gap.

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KESQ News Team

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) Ballots for the Nov. 3 election began arriving in Coachella Valley mailboxes this week, and polling shows many voters plan to use them against a candidate rather than for one.

A national NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted Sept. 14-15 found 45% of registered voters say their vote for Congress is a vote against President Donald Trump. About a quarter said their vote is in support of the president. The survey of 1,280 adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

In California, a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll conducted Sept. 15-20 found 37% of likely voters list fighting Trump administration policies as a top issue, second only to the cost of living at 44%. Among supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, it was the top issue, at 59%. Supporters of Republican Steve Hilton most often cited reducing taxes, at 62%. The poll of 4,512 likely voters, funded in part by the Los Angeles Times, has a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.

Elle Kurpiewski of the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert said she is not surprised, pointing to gas prices, grocery prices and the war with Iran.

“I think people are voting against a party, and they’re voting against the Republican Party, because the leadership of the Republican Party has let the American people down,” Kurpiewski said.

Joy Miedecke of the East Valley Republican Women Patriots said the election should be about process, not vengeance.

“You hate Trump and so you’re going to slit your own throat. That’s what’s happening,” Miedecke said. She said Republicans are voting for their candidates, including Hilton for governor and Herb Morgan for state controller.

Not everyone is voting against. A woman who stopped by Democratic headquarters for a Raul Ruiz yard sign said she supports the congressman because of his record.

“I think he’s very sensible. He knows a lot about health. He knows a lot about the environment,” she said. “And I think he is far from corrupt.”

Ruiz, a Democrat, represents the 25th Congressional District and faces Republican Joe Males in November.

The president added to the debate Monday at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, where he argued high gas prices are the cost of the war with Iran.

“It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They can take out a city. … Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay, and it’s going to be over very soon,” Trump said.

The White House said the president was misunderstood and was making the case for stopping Iran from ever being able to attack U.S. cities with a nuclear weapon.

Republican Jim Desmond and Democrat Marni von Wilpert, the candidates in the 48th Congressional District, which now includes Palm Springs, both criticized the remark. Desmond, a Navy veteran, said on social media he served to protect Americans, not to write off cities as a cost of war.

Kurpiewski also urged voters to skip the mail.

“The post office is a wonderful place. But with this election, we’re asking, urging, pleading. Go to a drop box,” she said.

Under a U.S. Postal Service rule that took effect Dec. 24, a postmark does not necessarily reflect the day mail was dropped off. California counts a mailed ballot if it is postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10. The secretary of state advises anyone mailing a ballot on Election Day to get a hand-stamped postmark from a clerk inside a post office.

Riverside County’s ballot drop-off sites opened Oct. 5 at city halls, libraries and community centers across the valley. City hall sites are open during regular business hours. Most others are open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All sites are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

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Jesus Reyes

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday morning in Joshua Tree.

The crash was reported just after 4:35 a.m. on State Route 62 near Rice Avenue.

CHP officers responded and began life-saving measures until emergency medical arrived on scene, however, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

His identity is withheld pending notification to next of kin.

The driver of the vehicle was uninjured.

The investigation remains ongoing. If you have any additional information concerning this crash, you contact the California Highway Patrol – Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-3707.

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City News Service

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Desert City Council will consider adopting a proposed artificial intelligence policy citywide, governing how AI can be used in city work during a council meeting later this week.

The proposed policy would allow routine uses of city-approved AI tools to assist city employees only, including interns, volunteers, elected and appointed officials, with city work.

Artificial intelligence is defined as a “machine-based system that uses machine learning or other computational techniques to infer patterns from data or other inputs and generate outputs, including content, predictions, recommendations, classifications, estimates or actions,” according to a staff report.

Officials said a key feature of the proposed policy is a risk-based approach, with the use of AI classified as low, moderate or high-risk based on capabilities, access and potential impact. Moderate or high-risk, which involves accessing sensitive or restricted city information, independently communicating or taking action without prior human approval, and taking an autonomous action that creates a legal or financial commitment for the city, will require approval from the Department Director or City Manager, according to a staff report.

In March 2026, the city established an artificial intelligence officer position, who will administer the policy and AI’s governance and risk classification program.

A requirement from the policy includes employees will be prohibited to use AI to “falsify or fabricate a city record or communication, falsely attribute to a real person or the city a statement or action not made not taken by that person or the city, or circumvent city security controls, access restrictions, or requires approvals.”

If approved, the policy would take effect immediately.

Thursday’s meeting will be held at 4 p.m. at 73-510 Fred Waring Drive.

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