Author: KESQ

Kiera Seapy

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Firefighters responded to a residential fire in Desert Hot Springs June 27th that damaged two homes.

According to Riverside County Fire Department, officers received a 911 call at about 4:15 p.m. reporting multiple homes on fire in the 13000 block of West Street.

When crews arrived, they encountered high winds, which officials say contributed to the fire spreading to a second home. The second structure sustained light damage to its roof.

Battalion Chief Ryan Kirby from the Riverside Fire Department said the fire spread due to the wind being strong.

Firefighters contained the fire at 5:22 p.m. and the American Red Cross was requested to assist two adults and two children who have been displaced.

No injuries were reported.

Sanitra Green, the homeowner said she did not know the fire was going on while they were in the house.

“Bystanders were driving by and seeing the fire and then they started beating on the door for us to come out, we were in the house and we weren’t even aware that the fire had started outside,” Green said.

“This has been our home for the past seven, almost eight years, so for us to have to uproot and start all over from nothing, that’s the biggest challenge” Green said.

“I miss my toys because I don’t have no toys,” Jassani, her 7 year old daughter said. She also said her family is praying for a new house and new car.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family. Click here if you would like to contribute.

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Julia Castro

Update 07/01 7:20 A.M.

Southern California Edison officials say all lanes at the intersection of North Gene Autry Trail and East Vista Chino will be closed until 8 P.M. following an early morning crash in Palm Springs.

Around 2:15 Wednesday morning, Palm Springs Police Department officers responded to a traffic collision at North Gene Autry Trail and East Vista Chino.

When officers arrived, they found that a vehicle had collided with a power pole, causing the pole to shear off and multiple high-voltage power lines to fall into the roadway.

The driver was contacted at the scene and detained.

During the investigation, the driver displayed objective signs of alcohol impairment. A DUI investigation was conducted, and the driver was subsequently arrested.

Due to the severity of the collision and the hazards created by the downed power lines, Southern California Edison responded to the scene to address the damaged power pole and electrical lines.

Edison advised that repairs would take several hours before power could be restored to the affected area.

Once the roadway is reopened, the Palm Springs Police Department will update the community via Everbridge. Law enforcement reminds the public to avoid the area while crews continue repairs, and roadway closures remain in place.

Anyone with additional information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact the Palm Springs Police Department at 760-327-1441.

Original report 07/01 5 A.M.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — All lanes at the intersection of Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino are closed Wednesday morning following an early morning traffic collision, Palm Springs police said.

Police sent out an alert about the crash just before 3 a.m. and warned of downed power lines in the area.

Traffic is being diverted from Vista Chino through Executive Drive to Via Escuela.

Utility crews are on scene working to repair the power lines. Southern California Edison is also reporting a power outage in the area, affecting about 240 customers. News Channel 3 crews also witnessed a nearby transformer explode Wednesday morning.

Police have not said when the roadway will reopen or whether anyone was hurt in the crash.

News Channel 3 has reached out for more information.

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City News Service

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 53-year-old soccer coach who groped and made repeated sexual advances toward a Coachella Valley girl was sentenced today to two years’ mandatory supervision.

Rosario Navarro Gonzalez of Menifee pleaded guilty in February to two felony counts of lewd acts on a minor. The plea was directly to Riverside County Superior Court Judge Michael Dest — over the objections of the District Attorney’s Office.

“Our offer and request to the court was that the defendant be sentenced to state prison,” agency spokeswoman Molly Smith told City News Service Tuesday.

During a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, the judge sentenced Gonzalez to mandatory supervision — a form of probation — in lieu of jail, as well as directed him to serve nine months in a sheriff’s work release program, during which he’ll have to remain gainfully employed, and to register as a convicted sex offender under Penal Code section 290, barring him from contact with minors, except relatives.

According to sheriff’s investigators, the defendant coached girls’ soccer in the Palm Desert area and initiated communication with the victim in the summer of 2021, via social media when she was 13 years old.

Through a series of texts and chats, he convinced the girl to send him nude pictures of herself, which she did in exchange for gift cards and money, according to a sheriff’s arrest warrant affidavit filed in September 2022.

The communications continued with regularity, leading to at least one in-person rendezvous at a church parking lot in Desert Hot Springs during the autumn of 2021. The warrant declaration stated Gonzalez coaxed the youth into his vehicle, where he kissed and embraced her as she sat on his lap, pressing one of her hands to his crotch before she wriggled out of his grasp.

In February 2022, the defendant tracked the girl down while she shopped with a friend in a Temecula mall. He gave her a $200 gift card as a birthday present and kissed her before she moved away from him, investigators said.

The girl deleted many of the messages exchanged with Gonzalez, possibly to conceal their interactions, according to court papers.

After taking statements from the victim and the defendant, detectives ultimately determined there was sufficient evidence to arrest him, which occurred on Sept. 22, 2022.

He had no documented prior felony convictions.

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Haley Meberg

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Cathedral City officials announce today a new $4.5 million grant has been awarded to the city to combat illicit cannabis activity.

Officials say the grant will be used to strengthen cannabis enforcement throughout the area creating improvements that they believe will improve the living standard for those in the city.

“This grant builds on the momentum we’ve created with our new cannabis ordinance and is a direct investment in the safety and quality of life of our residents,” City Manager Andrew Firestine said in a statement.

Some of these changes include the volume of law enforcement officers across various departments, modernizing preexisting city regulatory and permitting systems, expansions on environmental and public health protections; as well as addressing issues of hazardous materials, odor impacts and exposure to youth.

The funding comes as a result of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 64 grants which awarded the state approximately $227 million to help numerous California communities reinforce responses to public health and environmental issues surrounding illegal cannabis operations.

“The voters created a legal, regulated cannabis market and we have a responsibility to make sure it works as intended. That means continuing to crack down on illegal cannabis operations that threaten public safety, exploit workers, damage the environment and undercut legal businesses that follow the rules,” Newsom said in a statement.

Cathedral City has previously taken action to combat this problem by updating ordinances in 2024 following a number of complaints regarding persistent cannabis odors.

Improvements in odor control measurements, clearer enforcement procedures, and stricter time frames for renewals and licensing have been in practice throughout the city, with more underway.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more updates.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Legislation backed by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to prevent potentially violent criminal offenders from exploiting courts’ mental health treatment allowances by using claims of psychiatric disorders to avoid incarceration is now enshrined in state law.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed Assembly Bill 46, introduced by Assemblywoman Stephanie Nguyen, D-Sacramento, and sponsored by the California District Attorneys’ Association. It was immediately chaptered by the Office of the Secretary of State, becoming part of the state’s statutory scheme.

“Our office was proud to stand with the coalition of public safety advocates that worked for years to advance these important reforms,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Ivy Fitzpatrick said, adding that AB 46’s provisions will “better protect victims, support treatment and enhance public safety.”

Earlier this year, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin emphasized the need for changes to state law “after repeated tragic cases in which dangerous defendants committed new violent crimes while on mental health diversion.”

Diversion is permitted under Penal Code section 1001.36, which provides criteria for when an offender is eligible for mental health treatment in lieu of jail or prison. In recent years, a high volume of cases, ofteninvolving violence, have been removed from the criminal adjudication process in Riverside County and assigned to diversion.

The main requirement for judicial approval of diversion generally consists of affidavits from at least one mental health specialist affirming the defendant has a psychological disorder that likely contributed to perpetration of the crime. Additionally, the defendant, through his or her attorney, is supposed to submit a specific plan for treatment of the disorder, usually involving therapy.

However, even without a treatment plan, some judges have been subject to appellate review and invalidation of their decisions to reject diversion, according to supporters of AB 46.

The bill established a new standard that must be met before pretrial diversion can be permitted: “The defendant will not pose a substantial and undue risk to the physical safety of another person, if treated in the community” and out of custody.

Judges will now be free to consult with prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, as well as scrutinize a defendant’s criminal history, before making a decision on whether to grant psychiatric treatment.

In a 2024 case out of San Diego County, a judge attempted to squash diversion for a repeat criminal offender, Jeanette Sarmiento, who tried to rob a person but used a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis and other factors to argue that mental health diversion was a viable option in lieu of standardcriminal adjudication. But she did not come forward with a specific treatment plan. The California District Attorneys’ Association cited the case as an example of excessive leniency favoring an offender.

“The record showed that the defendant `for many years has been under the care of a psychiatrist or other physician and has been treated for PTSD and depression or has been offered treatment, and despite such treatment or offers, she continued to abuse methamphetamine and to commit crimes,”’ the CDAA stated.

The judge’s cancellation of diversion led the defendant to appeal, culminating in the state Court of Appeals for the Fourth District, a jurisdiction that includes Riverside County, countermanding the lower court judge’s decision and permitting Sarmiento to proceed with a non-specific diversion plan.

The CDAA cited multiple instances in which defendants placed in diversion had failed to curb their criminal conduct, sometimes with fatal results.

In Sacramento County, a defendant who perpetrated two takeover robberies in 2024 was nonetheless granted diversion, only to fatally stab a 40- year-old man, apparently without provocation, the organization said.

In Orange County, a defendant who served seven years behind bars for assault with a deadly weapon stabbed a pedestrian with a machete for no reason. After he was later granted diversion in that case disposed in Orange County Superior Court, “he absconded from his treatment program and stabbed another bystander 34 times with a box cutter in Los Angeles,” the CDAA said. That victim survived.

In Stanislaus County, a defendant granted diversion in a neighboring jurisdiction after he admitted carjacking a senior went on to use his vehicle to run over and kill his girlfriend — whom he was charged with assaulting on several prior occasions, according to the CDAA.

Defendants who complete diversion programs can still have their offenses expunged from criminal records.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The 10 highest paid officials in Riverside County government last year were working almost entirely in public health, according to a report released today by the California State Controller’s Office.

The agency on Tuesday published its 2025 Government Compensation in California analysis, showing how taxpayer funds were spent in the previous year, and who was receiving what for being on the public payroll. The data is available at publicpay.ca.gov.

As in 2024, the individual who received the largest income in county government was an unnamed staff psychiatrist for the Riverside University Health System’s Department of Behavioral Health. That doctor received a total $608,296, a large part of which may have been related to overtime claims.

Amounts documented by the controller’s office include base pay, overtime and lump sum disbursals, which are often tied to banked vacation and sick leave time that went unused, sometimes for years, then cashed out.

The second- and third-highest paid in 2025 were also Behavioral Health psychiatrists, both unnamed, taking home $569,294 and $560,356, respectively.

No. 4 on the list was Director of Behavioral Health Dr. Matthew Chang, who has consistently landed in the top 10 since the beginning of the decade. His composite salary last year was $553,240. Just behind him was another unidentified psychiatrist, whose total earnings were $545,811.

No. 6 was Riverside University Health System-Medical Center CEO Jennifer Cruikshank, whose total comp last year was $517,042, according to the report.

Figures showed next in line was another RUHS psychiatrist, identity not disclosed, who received $508,604,An unidentified sheriff’s master investigator was at No. 8 and the only non-medical classification in the top 10, with a total intake of $501,453, some of which may have been tied to a lump sum payout.

Rounding out the 10 highest paid were unnamed psychiatrists, one assigned to detention health to service the jails, and the other designated broadly as a Behavioral Health specialist, with annual incomes of $496,506 and $489,415, respectively.

County CEO Jeff Van Wagenen was at No. 20 for earnings in 2025, compared to No. 30 in 2024. His total compensation last year was $439,606, according to figures.

The five members of the Board of Supervisors were way down the list for annual comp packages, making less than District Attorney Mike Hestrin, whose earnings totaled $392,002, Sheriff Chad Bianco, at $391,069, or Public Defender Steve Harmon and Chief Counsel Minh Tran, who received $366,407 and$365,912, respectively. The supervisors were also behind many sheriff’s sergeants, deputy district attorneys, deputy public defenders, registered nurses, pharmacists, medical administrators and others.

The supervisors’ composite pay ranged from a high of $257,439 to a low of $133,913 in 2025, with Supervisor Jose Medina at the bottom. In keeping with a standard set by his District 1 predecessor, retired Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, Medina has vowed to keep his salary frozen for the duration of his service.

The controller’s website indicated that the average pay for a county employee last year was $73,713, compared to $65,739 in 2024. County government is the single largest employer in Riverside County, maintaining more than 26,000 positions. Roughly $2.36 billion in total wages were paid in 2025.

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif (KESQ) – The Palm Springs City Council has unanimously approved a new contract putting OVG Hospitality in charge of food and beverage service at the Palm Springs Convention Center for the next five years.

Council members approved the agreement during a special meeting Tuesday. OVG Hospitality, a division of Oak View Group, already manages the convention center under a separate agreement approved last year, along with the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre and Acrisure Arena.

The vote came one week after council members postponed a decision, directing city staff to continue negotiations with OVG Hospitality and the current food service provider, Savoury’s.

Mayor Naomi Soto said that extra week of negotiations ultimately resulted in a stronger agreement.

“What you see on this council is that we have a variety of expertise, perspectives and I think that makes the business we do at the City of Palm Springs stronger,” Soto said.

One of the biggest concerns raised during last week’s meeting was whether local restaurants and independent vendors would still have a place at the convention center under a single food service operator.

City officials say the contract now requires more opportunities for Coachella Valley restaurants and vendors to participate in convention center events and creates a separate process for local nonprofit groups to provide food at certain events. Staff will return to the council within 30 days with additional details on how those programs will work.

“We are so excited that within this new contract with our new management fee structure we are able to get a lot of bells and whistles that are confirmed and secured in this contract and working with local brands is a key part of that,” Soto said. “Now we have direct promises from OVG that they’re going to make that Palm Springs feel real in the building.”

The agreement also changes how the city will receive revenue. Instead of collecting a percentage of food and beverage sales, the city will now collect the revenue directly while paying OVG Hospitality a management fee.

According to city staff, the agreement guarantees Palm Springs at least $750,000 annually and is expected to generate more than $17 million over the next five years—about $3.4 million more than the previous payment structure.

City leaders say the agreement isn’t just about food service. Soto said having a long-term operator in place gives meeting planners more confidence when booking events years in advance, helping attract more conventions, visitors and tourism dollars to Palm Springs.

“People want to book conferences and events and experience and travel when they know what to anticipate, especially for conferences,” Soto said. “The fact that we have a five-year contract with a globally known company able to do food and beverage at the convention center means that planners and conferences are able to book out saying, ‘Wow, I’m excited for what’s happening at Palm Springs.'”

OVG Hospitality is expected to take over food and beverage operations at the Palm Springs Convention Center beginning July 1.

Oak View Group declined News Channel 3’s request for an on-camera interview following Tuesday’s vote.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Garrett Hottle

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) A Riverside County civil grand jury says the department responsible for enforcing county rules often fails to apply them fairly to the public or to its own employees.

The 19-page report titled “Code Enforcement: Not Living up to Code,” was released June 24. It drew on more than two dozen interviews with current and former employees and a labor union representative, along with personnel records, complaint files and internal documents. Its central conclusion the culture of the department doesn’t match its mission.

Code Enforcement is part of the county’s Transportation and Land Management Agency. With about 81 funded positions and five district offices, it handles complaints across unincorporated Riverside County illegal dumping, unpermitted cannabis grows, junk piles, noise, swap meets and short-term rentals.

The grand jury says that work has been undercut from the inside.

Retaliation and ‘highway therapy’

Employees told investigators that managers shouted, bullied and spread rumors, and that workers who pushed back were punished. Several described being moved to far-off offices without warning transfers they called “highway therapy” or “punishment detail” which they said were meant to force people to quit, transfer or retire.

Current Code Enforcement and TLMA managers denied using those tactics, the report says.

Promotions the grand jury calls ‘unprincipled’

The report says some promotions were based on favoritism rather than qualifications. In one case, investigators say a candidate who didn’t meet the minimum experience for senior code enforcement officer was advanced after copying the job’s requirements word-for-word into a resume, beating out officers with far more time on the job.

In another instance the report says a manager intervened to get a favored applicant back onto a hiring list after that person had been cut for not qualifying.

Pressure to ‘stand down’

The most serious findings involve the enforcement itself. The grand jury says officers were told to “stand down” and “tread lightly” on certain properties in the county’s tourist-heavy areas, and that the directives came from the offices of the Board of Supervisors.

Some employees said the orders were given verbally, by phone.

According to the report, employees tied the leniency to certain constituents’ relationships with — and contributions to the board. Investigators point to compliance deadlines stretched up to 18 months, dismissed noise citations, unpermitted events, and two rental “party houses” in a luxury community that were left alone while complaints went unanswered.

Upper management told the grand jury it was unaware of any “stand down” orders.

It is not the first time the issue has surfaced. The report notes a 2015-2016 grand jury reached a similar conclusion about supervisors’ offices and selective enforcement.

Complaints and turnover

The grand jury also faulted how the county handles internal complaints. It says roughly 80% of harassment complaints were downgraded to “rude and discourteous behavior” and went no further, and that the count of complaints employees said they filed didn’t match what Human Resources produced.

Leadership has also been in a state of change with 12 interim or permanent directors in 15 years according to the report.

Statement from the County

The county declined an interview request, citing respect for the grand jury process, and provided a statement below:

“The County of Riverside has received the Riverside County Civil Grand Jury report and is currently reviewing its findings and recommendations. The County will provide a formal response within the timeframe required by California law.

“The mission of the Riverside County Code Enforcement Department is to enhance public safety and improve the quality of life in partnership with our communities through fair, consistent, and professional enforcement of county ordinances. The County remains committed to providing courteous, equitable, and unbiased service to all residents while continually evaluating opportunities to strengthen its programs and operations.”

The report carries nine findings and eight recommendations, from FMLA training for managers to documenting any communication from elected officials that touches an enforcement case.

Under state law, the Board of Supervisors must respond to all nine findings and eight recommendations by Sept. 24. TLMA and Code Enforcement were invited to respond as well.

Tune into News Channel 3 at 6pm for the full report on this story.

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Matthew Pearce

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision against President Trump’s executive order, upholding birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court states the order does not align with the language of the fourteenth amendment, which states:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

This executive order was signed on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of President Trump’s second term, making it a key point of his campaign. This executive order states those born in the United States to noncitizens parents are not subject to the jurisdiction of U.S. law.

The 14th Amendment was proposed by Congress in 1866 and ratified in 1868, less than five years after the American Civil War. The purpose was to prohibit states from depriving any person of “life, liberty or property without due process of law.”

Locally, members of the immigrant community are reacting to this news, taking it as a relief. José Garduño, president of Comité Latino, a local pro-migrant organization, said the Latino community has experienced enough injustice and discrimination.

“Thank you for passing this law, the children born in this country are respected, because where we are born, we are from.”

Samantha Rodriguez, Founder of United Youth We Stand and child of immigrant parents, said this ruling is a defining moment for her generation and beyond.

“Being a daughter of immigrants, I think this is super important for me because this determines my future and it determines the future of thousands of kids, millions probably, around the world.”

President Trump used immigration policy as a focal point of his campaigns during his first and second terms as he continues to press Congress to get legislation through.

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Kiera Seapy

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As Pride Month comes to a close, two of Coachella Valley hospitals are receiving national recognition for their efforts to provide inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients.

Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage has been named an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs was named a Healthcare Equality Leader and received a perfect score of 100 on the index.

The designation is apart of the Healthcare Equality Index, which is a national tool that evaluates hospitals on polices and practices related to LGBTQ+ patient care, visitor experience, and workplace inclusion.

Mike Thompson, the CEO of LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert said “often times people come to us because they’ve had frustrations in accessing the appropriate type of care.”

They then look to the center to find out who they can go to and what care one needs based on their identity, then they “Point to Eisenhower because we know they’re going to get the care they need at Eisenhower Health ” said Thompson.

Hospitals included in the index say they will continue expanding efforts to ensure respectful and equitable care for all patients.

“It’s a wonderful recognition of the time, energy and effort we as an organization have put into delivering health care to everyone in our community, especially the LGBTQ plus community who come to us with special needs and concerns and requests.” said Carl Enzor, Chief Administrative officer of primary care and speciality care, Eisenhower health.

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