Author: KESQ

Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — The Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival brings a business boom to hotels, local dining and also, transportation services around the Valley.

Momo Elewa with Bald Eagle Transportation says festival season is the companies busiest time of the year, with his 21 cars averaging nearly 80 rides a day.

“Some people, we take them because we want to make sure that they are safe, so we take them for free,” Elewa said.

He advises festival-goers to plan their transportation ahead of time, as catching a taxi or using ride share can cost you a pretty penny.

Indio Police are also encouraging attendees plan their transportation ahead of time and to beware of suspicious drivers on the road.

“Some people are in a hurry and they’ll flag down the ride share right in the middle of the street, and they’ll run out into the street in traffic and, put themselves in danger because they can easily be hit.”

Preparation won’t just keep you safe, it could also save you some money.

According to Uber, festival surge prices will raise rates 50% every mile and 50% every minute for rides in the greater Palm Springs area.

It’s why many are opting for a safer option, the Coachella shuttle pass.

“The cars kind of create this big traffic jam, and the shuttle is probably a much easier way to get in.”

Garrett Hottle

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – An update to a fire in Thermal reported Friday evening by News Channel 3 – CAL FIRE reports that the vegetation fire broke out near Harrison Street and Airport Boulevard in Thermal around 5:30 p.m., and was successfully contained within 40 minutes.

According to CAL FIRE, the fire was burning at a slow rate of speed in a field with no structures threatened, and it grew to a 50 by 100 foot area before containment.

Resources included six engines, a water tender, and a bulldozer.

Photos courtesy of CAL FIRE Battalion 6 RivCo

Cynthia White

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) — Lake Cahuilla Veterans Regional Park is offering camping options for festivalgoers looking for nearby affordable camping options.

The park is located about 20 minutes from the festival venue. The campground offers RV, tent, and car camping sites.

Sites with water and electric hookups are available for $75 per night, while dry sites are offered at $50 per night. The campground offers scenic mountain views, a picturesque lake, showers and other convenient amenities.

Reservations can be made at RivCoParks.org or onsite. Onsite reservations must be made before 9:00 p.m.

For more information, contact the campground at (760) 564-4712.

Luis Avila

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – The heat racking up the cost for festival-goers. Many flocking in mass to local grocery stores to stock up on needed essentials.

Long lines formed outside Ralphs along Jefferson and Avenue 50 in Indio, located just a few blocks from the Empire Polo Club.

The most wanted items on everyone’s list included:

Water

Ice

Cold snacks

“We got a lot of water, lot of IV packets, we have ice. One thing about camping, you’re going to buy a lot of ice, no matter how much, I’m just like buy the ice, I don’t care about the price.”

Nikkie, festival-goer

“Ice, we’re here for ice mainly and like some fruits, we need some fruit on camp, camping necessities.”

Tavian Madrid, festival-goer

The cost doesn’t end there. Out-of-state and international visitors were met with higher gas prices at the pump as well.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

Garrett Hottle

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KESQ) A bill backed by comedian and car enthusiast Jay Leno is picking up speed in the California Legislature.

 Senate Bill 712 or Leno’s Law passed the Senate Transportation Committee this week with bipartisan support. Supporters say the measure is a common-sense update aimed at preserving California’s classic car culture, but its critics warn it could have consequences for the state’s air quality efforts.

The former Tonight Show host Jay Leno appeared in Sacramento to show support for the bill, leading a classic car parade to the Capitol before addressing the crowd.

“I know there’s nothing more annoying than celebrities in politics,’ he explained. “But this one is important to me.” 

If passed, the bill would exempt vehicles that are 35 years or older from California’s biannual smog check but only if they are insured as collector vehicles. Under current law, only cars manufactured before 1976 qualify for the exemption.

Supporters say the change is needed and that these vehicles are rarely driven, difficult to maintain under current emissions requirements, and mainly owned by collectors.

One of those supporters is Professor Wesley Willison, a political science instructor at College of the Desert and a longtime collector of rare and vintage vehicles.

“These cars make up less than 1% of registered vehicles. These vehicles are not being driven every day. I’ll ask the viewers. When was the last time you saw Pinto driving around every day, or, AMC Gremlin or this Imperial?” Willison said.

Willison shared footage of one of his own cars undergoing a smog test, explaining that the process is often difficult even for trained technicians.

“The younger guy who was there, who was in training to take over for this guy when he retires at the at the referee, he couldn’t even figure out how to shift my car,” Willison said.

Not everyone is on board with the proposal. The American Lung Association has come out against the bill, warning that it could undercut California’s hard-won air quality standards.

“A real jailbreak for our air quality problems in California,” said Will Barrett, senior director with the American Lung Association.

But Willison believes the debate isn’t about dodging regulation — it’s about protecting California’s place as a car culture capital.

“People love to collect cars. And the birthplace of car collecting is here in California.”

With high-profile support and growing attention, Leno’s Law appears to be gaining traction but it’s not law yet. 

The next stop is the Senate Appropriations Committee.

News Channel 3 will continue to track the debate as it moves forward and the latest from state lawmakers in Sacramento.

Shay Lawson

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)  – As festival season kicks off, College of the Desert is stepping up efforts to prevent overdose deaths by providing free safety kits equipped with Narcan and Fentanyl test strips to students.

The initiative started earlier this year.

Carlos Maldonado, Interim Dean of Students Support Services, said the goal is simple: save lives.

“We’ve created Narcan and Fentanyl kits available to students. They’re available on all of our campuses,” Maldonado said. “It’s an opportunity for us to be able to make sure that we’re providing support for students and potentially saving lives.”

They’re not alone.

As thousands of visitors pour into the Coachella Valley for the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, local advocate Amber Royer, who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning, is also distributing kits.

“It’s better for someone to be prepared and have that on hand in case there is an emergency to save other lives,” Royer said.

Both Maldonado and Royer said their efforts are about giving people tools they hope no one will ever have to use.

News Channel 3 will have continuing coverage at 10 and 11 p.m.

Jesus Reyes

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Firefighters came to the rescue for some ducklings who ran “afowl” on an excursion Wednesday.

Per a CAL FIRE post on Facebook, twelve ducklings wandered away from mom and found their way into a storm drain in Indio.

Engine 70 CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire formed a team led by Engineer Paramedic Patrick Walker, Firefighter Patrick Kudrle, and Firefighter Daniel Amaya to help the stranded hatchlings.

The team was able to extricate the fluffy ducklings from the drain successfully.

KESQ News Team

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Palm Springs Unified School District officials announced the new Cathedral City High School Principal on the District’s Facebook page on Tuesday.

“The Board of Education this evening named Julia Bartsch as Cathedral City High School’s Principal. She joined PSUSD in 1998 as a physical education teacher at CCHS and has also served as a health teacher, athletic coach, health teacher, AVID and yearbook advisor, counselor and Assistant Principal at CCHS. For the past five months she has served as the Interim Principal at CCHS.”

The Facebook post was met with many comments congratulating Mrs. Bartsch.

This change in leadership comes after the school’s former principal was let go after a school Disneyland trip last year. Some Cathedral City High students testified at a board meeting last November that a student suffered a medical emergency on that trip, and it took about an hour to get ahold of the teacher who had medication for the student.

The students also testified that one of the teachers on the trip was intoxicated.

Luis Avila

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – With the start of ‘Coachella’ just a few days away, the Indio Police Department is doubling down on security measures to make sure festival-goers can enjoy all the fun.

“We have multiple allied agencies assisting us with this event, just like every year, as well as private security personnel.”

Sgt. Abraham Plata, Indio PD PIO

With thousands of people expected to attend, officials are focusing on:

enhancing crowd control

emergency medical response

countering potential threats

Plata says officials have been making progress in addressing these issues. According to recent data, ‘Coachella 2024’ saw a 20 percent decrease in arrests compared to 2023.

“We will continue to do what we’ve been doing past years. We have an excellent game plan every year… We have state-of-the-art equipment and technology as well as staff that will be doing everything they can to ensure the safety of all attendees.”

Sgt. Abraham Plata, Indio PD PIO

He says there will be a zero tolerance policy for anyone breaking the rules. Rules in place to ensure both attendees and surrounding residents have a good time.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.