Category: kesq-local-news

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jesus Reyes

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Police used de-escalation and tactical restraint to arrest a person armed with numerous weapons outside of the Palm Springs Walmart Tuesday night.

The incident happened just after 11 p.m. at  5601 Ramon Road.

“PSPD officers responded to a call at Walmart regarding a male subject armed with a knife and refusing to leave,” Palm Springs police wrote on social media.

Initial reports indicated that a person was threatening employees and customers and attempted to discharge pepper spray inside the store. Officers located the suspect, identified as a 49-year-old man, outside the store in possession of a knife, taser, and pepper spray.

Officers repeatedly issued commands, but the suspect refused to comply and moved toward an occupied area, police said. He then turned his aggression toward officers, activating his taser in their direction.

“Throughout the escalating encounter, officers demonstrated remarkable restraint, choosing to rely on a range of de-escalation tactics and less-lethal tools rather than resort to lethal force,” police wrote. “Over the course of the encounter, officers employed a calculated and restrained use-of-force approach, attempting several less-lethal options in line with department policy. Officers employed multiple Taser deployments, a pepperball launcher, and a 40mm less-lethal launcher. A K-9 unit was also strategically utilized to increase officer presence and assist in containment efforts.”

The suspect was ultimately tased. He remained noncompliant and armed, but officers quickly disarmed him and placed him in custody.

He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center and faces multiple charges, including robbery, resisting an executive officer, exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm, felon in possession of a stun gun and felon in possession of tear gas.

“The Palm Springs Police Department commends the officers for their composure, professionalism, and exemplary restraint in the face of danger. Their actions reflect the department’s values of integrity, tactical discipline, and a steadfast commitment to safeguarding the community through de-escalation and the thoughtful use of force,” reads a social media post by PSPD.

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.

Jesus Reyes

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Two Indio residents were among a trio arrested in connection with a train theft in Los Angeles County back in 2022.

Nathan Munoz, 28, and Karla Torres, 28, both of Indio, along with David Palmer, 47, of Long Beach were arrested. They have been charged with multiple felonies, including Grand Theft Cargo and Receiving Stolen Property, and were booked at the LAPD’s Metropolitan Detention Center.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the theft happened in September 2022. Yamaha musical instruments valued at nearly $214,000 were stolen from Union Pacific trains. The stolen property was subsequently sold on eBay.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional arrests may be forthcoming.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Commercial Crimes Division at 213-486-5920 between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Lastly, tipsters may also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.

Jesus Reyes

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – College of the Desert unveiled its new mascot costume for Rodney the Roadrunner.

Rodney’s new costume will make its debut today at Grad Fest.

College officials touted the bold colors and dynamic design elements of the new costume. The new look Rodney will represent the college at campus events, athletic competitions and community celebrations to boost school spirit.

“This new mascot will enhance the sense of pride and belonging at College of the Desert,” said Kaden Olson, ASCOD President. “We are excited to see how Rodney’s role as a unifying symbol encourages even stronger connections among students, staff and the community.”

The roadrunner has been a beloved campus symbol since the college adopted the name Rodney in 2019. Reflecting the college’s commitment to inclusion, Rodney uses both he and they pronouns across all official communications.

Rodney was brought to life through student input and collaboration with ASCOD.

“In designing the mascot, we focused on creating something authentic and versatile,” said Nicholas Robles, interim Public Information Officer. “Our collaboration with student leaders produced a character that truly embodies the roadrunner spirit, with a distinctive appearance and multiple outfits for various occasions.”

The redesign stemmed from student interest revealed through the EdSights texting platform launched in August 2024. When staff noticed “Who is our mascot?” among the most common questions, they seized the opportunity to reinvigorate this campus tradition.

For updates on Rodney’s appearances, follow College of the Desert on social media.

City News Service

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A Coachella Valley woman is among four Californians accused of perpetrating a seven-figure insurance scam that involved falsifying insurance policies, state officials said today.   

An investigation was launched by the California Department of Insurance following a consumer complaint regarding alleged forgery and insurance fraud in insurance policies.

The scheme involved falsifying agent information on policy applications submitted to multiple insurance companies.   

The investigation identified four suspects who allegedly fraudulently secured more than $1.4 million in commissions by manipulating over $2 million in premiums from 28 California consumers.

The defendants targeted four insurance carriers in California between 2017 and 2023. However, the California Department of Insurance was able to successfully recover more than $2 million for the affected victims.

Natorae Marie Wettstein, 56, of Rancho Mirage was arraigned on felony charges of insurance fraud and grand theft, according to state officials. Her co-defendants include:   — Daniel Jon Carpenter, 62, of Morgan Hill, who allegedly orchestrated the scam and was arraigned on felony charges of insurance fraud, grand theft and identity theft;   — Blake John Carpenter, 27, of San Jose, who was arraigned on felony charges of insurance fraud and grand theft;   — Noah Maxwell Kuh, 26, of San Jose, who was arraigned on a felony charge of insurance fraud; and   — Alejandro Carlos, 25, of Gilroy, who remains a at large, and is wanted on felony charges of insurance fraud and grand theft.   

Anyone with information on Carlos’ whereabouts was urged to call the department at 707-751-2000.