Author: KESQ

Cynthia White

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A felony parolee who is a former employee of a Beaumont group home for boys is back behind bars, accused of lewd acts with a child.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Office reports that 33 year old David Sanabria was arrested Thursday and charged with lewd acts with a child and oral copulation with a child under the age of 14.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Office

Sanabria was first arrested in 2022 and later convicted for inappropriate contact with clients of the Beaumont group home and possession of sexually explicit materials involving children.

Authorities say they reopened the original investigation into Sanabria, on felony probation for the earlier conviction, after two additional juvenile victims stepped forward in May of this year. Investigators learned the two juveniles were victims of inappropriate contact at the group home before Sanabria’s 2022 arrest.

Investigators located Sanabria in Corona on Thursday, and say he was taken into custody without incident and Booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Special Victims Unit believes there may be additional victims and encourages anyone with information regarding this investigation to contact Master Investigator J. Andrade at 951-955-1701 or Riverside Sheriff’s Dispatch at 951-776-1099.

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Athena Jreij

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – La Quinta City Councilman Steve Sanchez is proposing the formation of a new coalition in the desert, the Coachella Valley Veterans Coalition, or CVVC.

Sanchez says the coalition would serve as a gathering-place for local veterans to advocate for their rights as a unified force.

He’s hoping to gather opinions and propose the formation by October.

“The mission of the CVVC is to unite all Veteran groups under one unified voice—leveraging our collective strength to better advocate for and serve our Veterans. The coalition will also act as a central hub, connecting Veterans, their families, and the community to the resources offered by our member organizations,” Sanchez said.

The date of the first meeting will be set based on responses submitted through the following link: doodle.com/group-poll/participate/aKEQZwrd.

Tonight, News Channel 3 checks in with local veterans on what concerns they hope the coalition could address and what veterans in the valley are in need of now.

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Timothy Foster

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – The Cathedral City Senior Center is marking National Food Bank Day with a community food drive aimed at helping local residents in need.

The event will take place Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the center, located at 37171 W. Buddy Rogers Avenue.

Organizers say they are in urgent need of donations including pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, soup, and canned vegetables. Staff members will be on site throughout the day to accept contributions.

The senior center’s food bank currently serves about 450 households every Monday. The program is run entirely by volunteers, who collectively contributed more than 16,000 service hours last year.

“Every donation goes directly to feeding people. That’s the heart of what makes this effort so special. We are open to all — no ID required,” the senior center said in a statement.

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Allie Anthony

Palm Springs, Calif. (KESQ) – September marks Pedestrian Safety Month, and police departments across the Coachella Valley are reminding drivers and students to slow down and stay alert, especially around school zones.

At the Palm Springs Police Department, officers are asking the community to make pedestrian safety a top priority. With increased foot traffic near schools, it’s more important than ever for both drivers and pedestrians to stay aware.

Drivers are urged to follow speed limits in school zones, stay alert near crosswalks and bus stops, and watch for children who may unexpectedly enter the road. As for kids walking to school, it’s important to look both ways before crossing, use crosswalks properly, and make eye contact with drivers before stepping into the street.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from the Palm Springs Police Department and the Palm Springs Unified School district about how to prevent pedestrian related accidents this school year.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Harold Matzner, a prominent entrepreneur, humanitarian, and philanthropist in the Coachella Valley, has died at the age of 88 after a brief illness.

News Channel 3 confirmed Matzner was pronounced dead at Eisenhower Health Thursday afternoon. Services will be announced at a later date. He is survived by his partner for life, Shellie Reade; his son, Devin; his daughter, Laura; his grandchildren, Elizabeth and Emily; his nephew, Jason; and his two Cavalier King Charles spaniels, Little Guy and Doc.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the charity of your choice, in honor of Harold Matzner’s extraordinary spirit of giving.

Matzner was widely known as “Mr. Palm Springs,” who helped transform the city into a world-class destination for arts and civic life.

Matzner served as the chair of the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Film Awards for more than 20 years, saving the festival from near collapse in 1999. As chairman for more than two decades, he donated more than $12 million of his own funds, built the Palm Springs International Film Awards into a glittering Hollywood launchpad, which generates billions of media impressions worldwide each year, and cemented the festival’s reputation as one of the world’s great showcases for cinema.

He stepped down from the position in April 2023.

Matzner was born in 1937, in Newark, New Jersey, he made his fortune in advertising and marketing.

Matzner discovered Palm Springs in 1985 and soon made it his focus. Nowhere was his influence felt more profoundly than in the city’s arts and culture.

Matzner is one of the Coachella Valley’s largest donors to philanthropy. Over nearly four decades, he donated more than $85 million to local nonprofits, championed healthcare, education, and the arts, and elevated the Palm Springs International Film Festival into a premier stop on Hollywood’s awards circuit.

Over the years, his giving benefited dozens of organizations, including Eisenhower Health, DAP Health, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, the McCallum Theatre, the Palm Springs Art Museum, FIND Food Bank, Jewish Family Services of the Desert, the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, and Equality California.

Matzner’s philanthropy was both sweeping and personal after he fell in love with tennis and the Palm Springs Tennis Club. When he joined the club in 1997, it had only 44 members. After becoming the Tennis Club Chairman and turning it into an inclusive experience for everyone, there are almost 500 members today.

He was also the owner of the popular Palm Springs restaurant, Spencer’s, named after his beloved 110-pound Siberian husky. He was also Chairman of CBA Industries on the East Coast.

Matzner is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J (a 1% sales tax increase that has helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program, while providing an additional surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure).

In 2006, Matzner was honored with a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, which is located at the foot of his friend Sonny Bono’s statue in the heart of Palm Springs, at 155 S Palm Canyon Drive.

Matzner often said his joy came from “making magic for the people I love.” His mantra was simple: “Never give up. Always push forward.” His absence will be felt in boardrooms, ballrooms, and the countless lives touched by his generosity — many who never knew his name but live better because of him.

Community Reaction:

“The passing of Harold Matzner is a profound loss for our community. His generosity, leadership, and dedication will be remembered with great respect. My sincere condolences go out to Shellie and the entire Matzner family. Rest well! Eight4Nine, Restaurant & Lounge, Willie’s.”

– Willie Rhine, owner of Eight4NIne and Willie’s Rest

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Harold Matzner, a true philanthropist and visionary whose generosity has left an indelible mark on Eisenhower Health and the entire Coachella Valley. Harold’s steadfast commitment to improving the health and well-being of our community has touched countless lives, from patients and families to our staff and future generations.

His dedication to supporting world-class health care at Eisenhower has helped us expand our programs, strengthen our services, and ensure that high-quality care is available close to home. Beyond his contributions to health care, Harold was a champion for the arts, culture, and countless charitable causes that have made our valley a more vibrant and compassionate place.

We are profoundly grateful for his partnership, his vision, and his heart. On behalf of the entire Eisenhower Health family, we extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones. Harold’s legacy of generosity and service will continue to inspire us for years to come.”

— Martin MassielloPresident and Chief Executive OfficerEisenhower Health

Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte statement:

An Enduring Legacy: Harold Matzner (1937-2025)

Harold Matzner’s vision and generosity have permanently enriched the community he called home. His legacy lives on in the thriving cultural institutions, revitalized downtown, and countless lives touched by his compassion and commitment to making Palm Springs a better place for all. He exemplified the profound impact one person can make when business success is paired with genuine care for community and an unwavering dedication to the greater good.

He knew how to get it done.

Palm Springs Councilmember David Ready, previously longtime City Manager

“Harold Matzner was such a major figure in the amazing journey of Palm Springs’ renaisance over the past 20 years.   Working with him as City Manager, his dedication, commitment and stewardship of the Palm Springs Film Festival has propelled our city brand to heights we could not have imagined.

Our community is lesser with his passing, and he will be dearly missed.”

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Haleemon Anderson

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – The United States Attorney’s office announced two lawsuits against Southern California Edison Co., today, alleging that faulty transmission and power lines led to the devastating Eaton and Fairview fires.

The filings cite “a troubling pattern of negligence,” and allege that the company’s negligence caused the deadly fires, which burned tens of thousands of acres of National Forest System lands, killed a total of 21 people, and destroyed thousands of buildings.

Both fires damaged federal government-owned land and property. The United States is seeking to recover tens of millions in damages incurred by the Forest Service, including fire suppression costs, rehabilitation of burned areas and other environmental damages.

“The lawsuits filed today allege a troubling pattern of negligence resulting in death, destruction, and tens of millions of federal taxpayer dollars spent to clean up one utility company’s mistakes,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement.

According to the lawsuit, SCE admitted that it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton Fire started.

Federal prosecutors allege SCE’s equipment caused the Jan. 7 blaze. Forty million in damages is sought in connection to the fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena and killed 19 people, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in California history.

The Eaton fire ignited around 6:20 p.m. Jan. 7 near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive in the foothills above Altadena during hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, according to Cal Fire. The blaze burned roughly 14,021 acres over 24 days, destroying about 9,414 structures and damaging another 1,074. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The Fairview fire burned 44 structures, claimed two lives, and injured three people — including two firefighters– in addition to damage caused to the national forest.

The lawsuit alleges that SCE failed to properly maintain its power and transmission lines in or around the area where the Fairview Fire ignited. It also failed to ensure the minimum clearance between its power lines and the Frontier Communications messenger cable in the area where the fire started.

The United States is seeking to recover nearly $37 million in damages incurred by the Forest Service, including about $20 million in fire suppression costs, according to the Fairview suit.

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Jesus Reyes

ANZA, Calif. (KESQ) – A brush fire that erupted today south of Highway 371 inAnza scorched seven acres before it was stopped.   

The non-injury blaze was reported at 1:57 p.m. Thursday in the area of Coyote Canyon and Terwilliger roads, on the east end of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.   

Multiple engines and hand crews were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a slow rate through heavy brush amid light winds, firefighters said.

Three Cal Fire air tankers and a water-dropping helicopter reached the fire at 2:15 p.m. and performed runs across the head and heel of the blaze. That slowed its advance and enabled firefighters to establish hose lays.   

There were early concerns that a series of afternoon thunderstorm cells that developed just east of the fire might impact operations. But those drifted south into San Diego County.

At 3:10 p.m., the fire’s forward rate of spread was stopped. The fire was completely contained an hour later, according to officials.   

No structures were damaged.   

The area has been ground zero for a cluster of large and small wildfires every summer over the last three or four years  

The cause of Thursday’s blaze was under investigation.

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Kendall Flynn

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The Indio Police Department has conducted two large drug bust operations within the last week, something they say is necessary for keeping the narcotics and other drugs away from their community. 

Officer Benjamin Moran, also a K9 handler to drug and patrol dog Hoki, said drug have been a large issue in Indio.

“It’s grabbing people, and they’re just getting stuck on that,” Moran said. “And so, we routinely go out to overdoses. We’ve gone out to overdose deaths. You see it on our streets everywhere.”

Tuesday night during a traffic enforcement stop K-9 “Hoki” alerted Officer Moran to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A ziploc bag containing 246 m30 fentanyl pills we’re located. M30 fentanyl pills are counterfeits, meaning they are made to look like 30 mg oxycodone pills.

Moran and Hoki find narcotics like this on a weekly basis, and he said every traffic stop is necessary to prevent the substance from spreading into the community.

“Our officers are consistently finding drugs, narcotics and other dangerous items in vehicles on what we call or people call routine traffic stops,” Moran said. “Officers have to be proactive to stop this as well.” 

However, Moran said local officers can only do so much without further legislation to stop the crimes from repeating.

“Officers need to be proactive and hit the streets, but additionally, our jails need to house these people,” Moran said. “Our legislatures need to make it more of a crime because if these people aren’t wanting help we can only do our job and take them to the solution, right?”

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear from officers about the concerns with this operations and what the community needs to know.

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City News Service

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Taxpayers will cover the $120 million bill for President Donald Trump’s illegal move to federalize the National Guard and put the U.S. Marines on the streets of Los Angeles, Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed today.

With 300 National Guard members still deployed to Los Angeles under what Newsom calls “the guise of protecting federal facilities,” the receipt on what it cost taxpayers adds up to nearly $120 million, according to the governor.

 A U.S. appeals court paused a lower court ruling Thursday that restricted Trump’s use of troops to support federal law enforcement and immigration raids in Los Angeles. The move allows the status quo to continue while the Trump administration appeals the lower court ruling.

The deployment of more than 4,200 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines cost $71 million for food and other basic necessities, $37 million in payroll, more than $4 million in logistics supplies, $3.5 million in travel and $1.5 million in demobilization costs, which adds up to an estimated $118 million, according to the governor’s office.   

“Let us not forget what this political theater is costing us all — millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain, an atrophy to the readiness of guardsmembers across the nation and unnecessary hardships to the families supporting those troops,” Newsom said in a statement. “Talk about waste, fraud and abuse. We ask other states to do the math themselves.”  

The deployment was ruled illegal by a federal judge Tuesday following a lawsuit brought by Newsom and a resulting three-day trial in San Francisco federal court.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer determined that the June deployment was in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars most uses of U.S. troops on U.S. soil. The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal Wednesday with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals.

Breyer’s ruling was based on an 1878 law that prevents federal troops from being used for regular law enforcement activities. The Trump administration has argued that the troops were there to protect federal officers and property and they were not performing local policing duties.  

“The ruling makes clear: Trump is breaking the law by trying to create a national police force with himself as its chief,” according to the governor.

Last month, Newsom’s office filed a federal Freedom of Information Act requesting all documents and records to identify the total expenses incurred to activate the Marines and federalize the National Guard since June 7. While the federal government has not responded to the request, Newsom said, the California National Guard developed the calculations at the request of the governor.

The governor contends that the entire deployment process was rushed, soldiers early on were forced to sleep on the floors and in the open air, use facilities with no functioning plumbing and were often fighting boredom and low morale.

To come to Los Angeles, guardsmembers were pulled off of specialized assignments — including firefighting teams and drug interdiction efforts at ports of entry along the border, Newsom said.

Trump has said he wants to keep guardsmembers in Los Angeles through November. On Tuesday, California filed a request for a preliminary injunction to block the administration’s order to extend the National Guard’s deployment through Election Day.

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Jesus Reyes

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – One person was pronounced dead after a crash on Interstate 10 west of Palm Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash was first reported at around 10:30 a.m. after a vehicle went into a ditch.

CHP Officer David Torres told News Channel 3 that the vehicle was traveling westbound on the I-10, when, for reasons still under investigation, the driver unsafely turned to the right, left the roadway and drove down an embankment. 

Paramedics arrived roughly 30 minutes later and pronounced the driver dead at the scene.

The investigation remains ongoing. Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.

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