Category: kesq-local-news

Haley Meberg

CALEXICO, Calif. (KESQ) – Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) teamed up with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out a gun bust near Calexico on Thursday afternoon.

The stop began at approximately 12:00pm Thursday, July 16th, when the ICSO officers assigned to South County Patrol conducted a traffic stop for a 22 year-old male driver. The stop took place on Interstate 8, west of Highway 89, where the driver refused consent for a vehicle search.

ICSO reached out to the CBP, who sent out officers and a gun detection K-9. Following their arrival CBP Officers received a positive alert and a search of the vehicle commenced.

Multiple assault rifles, a grenade launcher, ammunition, ballistic vest and helmets were found in the car and the driver was taken into custody.

The suspect was booked at the Imperial County Jail in connection to multiple felony weapon possession charges at a $55,000 bail.

For more information stay with News Channel 3.

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Timothy Foster

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – A nationwide foodborne illness outbreak linked to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants is raising concerns among Coachella Valley shoppers, even though no local cases have been reported.

Federal health officials say at least 1,644 people in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia have become sick with cyclospora, a microscopic parasite that causes an illness known as cyclosporiasis. The outbreak has resulted in 94 hospitalizations, but no deaths have been reported.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s investigation, the contaminated lettuce was supplied by Salinas-based Taylor Farms, one of the nation’s largest producers of fresh-cut vegetables and a major supplier to Taco Bell.

Taco Bell said it has taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in the affected states. Taylor Farms also announced that it is voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico while the FDA’s investigation continues.

Cyclospora can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, bloating, stomach cramps and fatigue. Symptoms can last for days or even weeks, and the illness is typically treated with antibiotics.

Although the affected Taco Bell restaurants are located outside California, the outbreak is making some Coachella Valley shoppers more cautious about purchasing fresh produce.

Some residents said they are concerned about buying lettuce and worry about the possibility of cross-contamination, causing them to be more hesitant when shopping for fresh produce.

Others said they still plan to buy lettuce but will be more careful by washing it thoroughly before eating it.

Some shoppers were less concerned, saying they already grow their own vegetables or believe washing produce is a simple but important step because consumers do not always know where their fruits and vegetables come from.

Health officials continue to recommend washing hands before and after handling fresh produce, rinsing fruits and vegetables under running water, and following any food safety advisories as the CDC’s investigation remains ongoing.

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Tommy Gallegos

(Desert Hot Springs, Calif.) — Southern California Edison (SCE) crews are continuing restoration efforts in the City of Desert Hot Springs after a power outage initially impacted more than 11,000 customers in the area.

According to the utility, the outage first affected 11,224 customers in the city. As of the latest update, service has been restored to the majority of those impacted, with approximately 3,700 customers still without electricity.

SCE has established an estimated restoration time of 6:30 p.m. for the remaining affected customers.

Utility officials said their immediate priority is restoring power safely and as quickly as possible. Once electrical service has been fully restored, crews will begin investigating the cause of the outage.

“We’re focused right now on safely restoring power and then will look into the cause,” Southern California Edison said in its latest update.

Southern California Edison will continue providing updates as restoration efforts progress and additional information becomes available.

A small vegetation fire broke out today around 1:35 pm near a warehouse building in Desert Hot Springs before it was contained, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

A transformer and downed power lines were initially believed to be involved in the fire, but crews did not encounter any signs of either matter, according to reports from the scene.

The agency said crews contained a 20-foot-by-20-foot spot of fire in less than 30 minutes.

There was no immediate word on what might have started the blaze and if it triggered the power outage.

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Tommy Gallegos

Soccer fans and families are invited to The Shops at Palm Desert on July 18-19 for the free Palm Desert Community Soccer Watch Weekend. Presented by the City of Palm Desert, the two-day celebration will feature live championship match viewing, a DJ, kids’ activities, local vendors, giveaways, and special shopping and dining discounts.

Guests can also participate in the Palm Desert Playbook Passport for prize opportunities and the “Wear Your Team” Instagram contest. Advance registration includes a commemorative giveaway, bottled water, and entry into daily grand prize drawings while supplies last.

The event will take place in the Main Court at The Shops at Palm Desert, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. More information and registration are available online.

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City News Service

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Payroll losses offset gains throughout the regional economy, pushing Riverside County’s unemployment rate back above 5% in June, according to figures released today by the California Employment Development Department.

The countywide jobless rate last month, based on preliminary EDD estimates, was 5.4%, compared to 4.7% in May.

The June rate was four-tenths of a percentage point lower than the year-ago level, when countywide unemployment stood at 5.8%.

The latest agency estimates indicated Cherry Valley had the highest unemployment rate within the county in June at 10%, followed by Blythe at 9.9%, Coachella at 8.9%, Rancho Mirage and March Air Reserve Base at 7.9%, and Cabazon at 7.5%.

The combined unemployment rate for Riverside and San Bernardino counties — the Inland Empire — was 5.3%, up from 4.6% in May, the EDD said.

Bi-county data indicated payrolls shrank by the widest margin in the public sector, where about 1,800 positions were recorded as lost, mainly in education, reflecting summer inactivity on campuses.

Additional losses were posted last month in the financial and hospitality sectors, along with miscellaneous unclassified industries, which altogether shed 700 jobs, according to the EDD.

Payrolls expanded in the agricultural, construction, health services, information technology, manufacturing, professional business services and warehousing sectors, which collectively added 2,800 positions, figures showed. The mining sector was unchanged.

The statewide non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in June was 5.2%.

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Kiera McKinney

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif (KESQ)- Monsoon season can bring blowing dust with little warning, making roads dangerous in seconds. What drivers should do if they’re caught in a dust storm, the biggest mistakes officers see when visibility drops, and how people can prepare before getting behind the wheel.

We talked to driving officials and people if they are educated on what to do when a dust storm occurs.

The monsoonal winds can change those roadway conditions in just a few moments. Those conditions can cause drivers to lose visibility and have to make quick decisions behind the wheel.

Dan Covey, a resident of the valley said, “I had to stop driving because I couldn’t see, you know, it was blowing sand and wind and the whistle to. And vision was bad. It was totally bad.”

Some residents don’t know what to do when the blowing dust hits…

“I worry about pulling over because, again, are you going to cause an accident by stopping on the freeway” said Randy Griffin, a resident of the desert.

Andrew Wunderlich, the President at Teen Road to Safety says if weather conditions change, “you got to go slower speeds, its just like when you’re driving in bad weather, any type of bad weather conditions, you got to reduce your speed.

Wunderlich also says “If it gets to the point where you feel like the the wind is starting to maneuver your own car, then that’s the that’s the time where you want to start getting off the freeway and and just wait till the sand storm passes.”

CHP also says dust storms can become dangerous quickly, especially when drivers lose sight of the road around them.

CHP Officer Williams says “when the dust storms come, you lose control your vehicle and you lose, visual, horizon as well. You can’t see”

Experts also warn that trying to push through a dust storm can put more than just one person at risk.

“You’re not only taking the risk of your own self, but the passengers that you have in their car and also the other people that are driving on the roads as well,” Wunderlich says.

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Luis Avila

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — New details are emerging after a violent four-vehicle crash in Palm Springs that left three people injured, including an innocent driver who remains hospitalized.

The crash happened around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, on North Indian Canyon Drive north of Via Escuela.

Palm Springs police initially investigated the collision as a suspected DUI crash. However, investigators now say the crash began as a road rage incident between the drivers of two vehicles. Police allege 30-year-old Gabriel Gutierrez-Roque of Rancho Cucamonga intentionally turned his vehicle toward another driver, triggering the chain-reaction crash involving four vehicles.

Gutierrez-Roque pleaded not guilty Friday to felony charges of DUI and Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Vehicle). He remains in custody on $30,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court Aug. 13 for a felony settlement conference.

One of the victims, Ana Serrano, was not involved in the alleged road rage encounter but was caught in the middle of the crash.

Her son, Marco Serrano, says the family learned about the collision after receiving a call from the hospital.

“I was devastated.” Marco said.

Ana suffered life-threatening injuries, including multiple broken bones, and underwent emergency surgery. Her family says she is now stable but faces a long recovery.

Marco says the crash has taken an emotional and financial toll on the family.

“Between my already daily life of handling work and school and now all of this on top of it… it’s been a very stressful situation but day-by-day,” Marco said.

He also hopes others remember how dangerous aggressive driving can be.

“The person that cut you off or took the red light… it can affect more families than just your own. Drive safe and be conscious of other people because it can be anyone’s family.”

The Serrano family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Ana’s medical expenses and recovery costs.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Garrett Hottle

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ)– Riverside County is in the president’s election files.

The county is cited in a new Department of Homeland Security report on threats to voter registration systems, released after President Trump’s primetime address to the nation Thursday on election integrity.

The White House posted the documents online, calling them previously classified intelligence assessments that expose vulnerabilities in electronic voting.

During the address, the president said the files show “shocking vulnerabilities” in the nation’s election infrastructure.

A White House official acknowledged the material does not allege any votes were switched or machines hacked, according to CBS News.

The Riverside County reference goes back a decade.

The report cites District Attorney Mike Hestrin revealing that a bad actor used the state’s voter registration website to change the party affiliations of a large number of voters using their personal information, without their knowledge or consent.

The document dates it to July 2016. Hestrin publicly discussed the case in 2017, describing changes made ahead of the June 2016 primary. His office investigated after voters filed formal complaints, but the state’s system didn’t retain the IP addresses needed to trace who did it. No one was ever charged. The Secretary of State’s office at the time said there was no evidence the voter database itself was breached.

Hestrin also pushed back on separate accusations tied to the 2020 election, telling News Channel 3 in 2021 that claims of election interference were unfounded.

News Channel 3 has reached out to Hestrin’s office for an interview and comment.

The White House release lands as Riverside County sits at the center of another election battle. The California Supreme Court is weighing whether Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of more than 600,000 ballots from the November 2025 special election was legal. The county Registrar says the discrepancy that sparked that investigation was 103 votes not the roughly 46,000 first claimed.

This is a developing story check back to news channel 3 for updates.

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Athena Jreij

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – The family of 45-year-old Raymond Torres is speaking out on their son’s disappearance, since he was first reported missing this week.

Torres, who is apart of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Tribe, was last seen on July 1, near the area of Martinez Road and Polk Street. Surveillance footage shows he was wearing a black tank top, light shorts and dark shoes.

California Highway Patrol issued a feather alert for Torres earlier this week.

His father, Raymond Torres, says he first noticed his son was missing when he never came by his house as expected. Upon checking on his son’s home, Torres says he found it ransacked.

“You could tell there was a physical confrontation there because of the chairs thrown around in the kitchen. The refrigerator, I don’t know if both doors were off, but I know one of them was off, and the curtains leading outside to the front sliding glass door, they were jerked down to me with some force,” he said.

Torres says his son usually keeps to himself, but no contact like this is alarming.

“Especially around this community, everybody knows everybody. They see him every other day at least once a week in here or up on Ave 66 or at the market that he’s usually at,” he said.

The family and tribe hosted a search party Friday morning. Tribal chairman Joseph Mirelez says they’re also working with Riverside County Sheriff’s, who’ve used drones and helicopters in the search.

“He’s a fixture of the community. So him not being around, it’s heavy on our hearts because we just don’t know where he’s at and we don’t know if he’s safe. Especially right now in the heat of summer,” Mirelez said.

While sightings have been reported, Torres says no firm leads in the case have been found. Until then, he says he’ll be holding onto his community and faith.

“This is where the healing begins to see how many people and how many loved ones are just coming out to support the family,” Torres said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Riverside County Sheriff’s Thermal station at 760-863-8990.

They can also contact the tribe’s emergency response manager, Angel Ortega at 760-442-2401 or the public safety and security director, Alberto Chavez at 951-348-8436.

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Isabella Carballoso

INDIO, Calif (KESQ)- Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez announced Thursday that Governor Gavin Newsom had signed AB 2324, new legislation recognizing California’s youth caregivers and expanding opportunities for them through Career Technical Education.

“This bill is deeply personal to my family,” said Gonzalez. “My wife, our children, and I have experienced firsthand the love, sacrifice, and responsibility that come with caring for RJ. Across California, hundreds of thousands of young caregivers quietly do the same every day for someone they love. With the signing of AB 2324, we’re telling those young people that we see them, we value them, and the skills they’ve developed matter.”

AB 2324 was sponsored by the Association of Regional Center Agencies, the California Association of Public Authorities for IHSS, and the California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards & Commissions.

Assemblyman Gonzalez has thanked Governor Newsom for signing the legislation into law. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2027.

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