Category: kesq-local-news

Luis Avila

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – People with disabilities and supporters gathered Monday outside Rep. Ken Calvert’s office to protest potential cuts to Medicaid.

Under the recently passed Budget Reconciliation bill, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees programs like Medicaid, has been instructed to cut at least $880 billion in waste, fraud and abuse.

Judy Mark, organizer, says that would only stop vital money from reaching those who need it.

“There is no proof there is that much in waste, fraud and abuse. We’re not saying that you can’t tighten things up here and there but what we know is that my son who depends on medicaid will be devastated by the cuts. This is not small tinkering around the edges, they are using a hatchet to get out waste, fraud and abuse.” 

Judy Mark, organizer

Demonstrators are demanding Calvert, who voted in favor of the budget plan, reverse course. They marched to his Palm Desert office, but it appeared no one was there.

One local health care manager says the impacts of such cuts would go far beyond just reduced health coverage.

“If we make those cuts in healthcare and preventative care, we’re going to end up paying more in hospitals. The federal government doesn’t mandate people be seen by the hospital and so if we cut medicaid, what happens people will end up in the hospital and that will cost us all more.” 

Ben, health care manager

In a statement to News Channel 3, Rep. Ken Calvert says:

Republicans in Congress are committed to protecting Medicaid benefits for Californians and other Americans who rely on the program, including children, mothers, and the disabled. One of the best ways to safeguard Medicaid  and taxpayers is to root out waste, fraud and abuse wherever it exists in the program.

Medicaid covers about 1 in 5 Americans, including:

low-income people

pregnant women

children

people with disabilities

This is the first of nine rallies to take place across the state of California this week.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Gavin Nguyen

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Pope Francis has died and his followers across the globe are mourning his death.

The Vatican announced his death at age 88 on Monday, just one day after he made a public appearance for Easter Sunday in Rome. The Vatican says he died at 7:35 a.m. local time (1:35 a.m. ET).

Howard Lincoln, the who served as pastor of Sacred Heart in Palm Desert for 20 years, remembers the Pope’s influence.

“I was able to actually speak with him twice. I was on two different occasions for all of maybe 30 seconds each time. But really a wonderful, warm man,” the former pastor says. “He taught the gospel value, that we all had a responsibility or responsibility towards critically towards the poor, that it was squarely on our shoulders to help the poor.”

An Easter Monday mass was held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Palm Springs at noon on Monday. The faithful attending that mass say with the pontiff’s passing, the service took on an added meaning: “It’s an added thing. Easter Monday is is very special to the Catholic faith. … It’s just going to be something special that we’re going to be talking about and praying for.”

Lincoln says the timing of Pope Francis’s death is significant.

“I think it’s beautiful that he died on Easter. Maybe that wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe that was God’s plan. And his last public words were Happy Easter to everyone,” Lincoln notes.

Meanwhile, other locals, Catholic or not, remember the Pope and the actions defining his legacy.

Alain Piallat, a Palm Desert resident who was raised Catholic, says, “I think he’s done some very good things. He was a bit controversial at times, but I think he was for the poor and will be remembered as such.”

Craig Hodes, another Palm Desert resident who is Jewish, also remembers the leader of the Catholic Church in a positive light. “He was just a loving man. I’m Jewish. I’m not Christian or Catholic, but he was a wonderful human being. … It seems like he really cared about just everybody in general.”

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Tori King

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Drivers in the Coachella Valley are gearing up for the ‘great migration’ as thousands of festival goers head home from Coachella. Every year, the I-10 tends to get the brunt of the traffic, with some backups lasting for several hours, and some drivers are already feeling the toll.

“Someone crashed into my car,” said Jay Rios, an Uber and Lyft rider here in the Coachella Valley. He had been driving along the I-10 when a car rammed into his from behind. Rios works during the festival every year, taking attendees to and from the Empire Polo Club, but this year he said traffic was especially bad.

“The traffic was horrible,” said Rios. ” I only did like 50 trips, and that’s not very many because a lot of then took me an hour each. I think it was just badly organized this year, the closures and the drop offs.” Like all locals, Rios knows the traffic jams come with the territory, especially during festival season.

“The I-10 is always bad,” said Rios. “Today, it has been backed up since like 9 am.”

  More than 40,000 people who came to the desert to attend weekend two of Coachella are now heading home, and many of them are taking the I-10 back to LA. Some veteran festival goers like Allen Vu have learned to leave early over the years.

“We got up at like 4:45,” said Vu, who was charging up his Tesla in Indio before hitting the road to make it back to work in Orange County. He says the weekend two traffic was not nearly as bad as weekend one. 

“It was fun, and I heard weekend one had a lot of issues, but it was really smooth,” said Vu. “Even though I am leaving early it wouldn’t surprise me if I hit traffic, maybe even be stuck in it for two to three hours.”

Others, like Andres Tovar, are experiencing the Coachella traffic for the very first time. Tovar is heading back to Sacramento, a trip that could take eight to nine hours.  

“First Coachella ever, I’ve never been,” said Tovar. “I got everything packed up and now I’m at the Flying J. I’m gonna take a shower and then gonna head out.” Tovar, like many attendees were told to prepare for the traffic, by filling up their gas tanks, charging their batteries, and bringing plenty of water. 

“I’d definitely say over prepare,” said Tovar. “Hitting traffic, I mean, can’t really escape it, but if you hit it, you know, at least have some gas, air conditioning, water, everything you need.”

“Please be safe,” said Rios. “Don’t speed, and please, please, pay attention to the cars in front of you.”

Expect delays and be prepared to use these alternate routes. Some of those routes include:

North and south travel, use Washington Street, Jackson Street, Calhoun Street and Golf Center Parkway

East and west travel, use Highway 111, Fred Waring Drive, Miles Avenue, Dr. Carreon Boulevard and Avenue 54

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Shay Lawson

CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ)  – A billboard visible east facing on the I-10 freeway near Railroad Avenue is drawing intense backlash from grieving parents and anti-drug advocates who say it sends a dangerous message — especially during one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

Disco Lines billboard, which says “Accidentally smoked that s***, now I’m playing at Coachella,” is positioned along the route tens of thousands of attendees travel.

Disco Lines is the professional name of Thadeus Labuszewski, an American DJ.

Amber Royer lost her son to fentanyl poisoning and she is sounding the alarm.

She now leads Out of the Ashes, a local nonprofit focused on fentanyl awareness, overdose prevention, harm reduction and youth intervention.

She said the billboard glorifies drug use at a time when the fentanyl epidemic is claiming lives at an alarming rate.

“It makes it sound like drugs lead to success, fun and fame,” Royer said. “And that’s dangerous.”

She said for families who’ve lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning or overdose, the message isn’t edgy or provocative—it’s painful.

“I’m not trying to censor their billboard. But I want responsibility,” Royer said. “It’s platforms like Coachella and artists like Disco Lines that are using mass advertising, and they have a duty to consider the population and the message that they’re sending, especially during this crisis.”

She said to use the platform for awareness, not shock value.

“Help us educate people about the very real dangers of today’s drug supply,” Royer said. “You can still be cool and you can still be clever without making light of an overdose culture.”

The billboard is owned by Lamar Advertising in Palm Springs, which declined to comment when asked about the concerns.

While protected by free speech laws, Royer said the ad has renewed debate about the social responsibility of public advertising—especially in areas where communities are actively working to save lives.

News Channel 3 reached out to Disco Lines management team for comment, but are still awaiting a response.

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Tori King

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Peyote Beats isn’t just an up-and-coming music producer and song-writer from the Coachella Valley, he is also a Grammy Award winner.

The Armenian-American producer earned the prestigious award for his contribution to Doechii’s latest album, ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’. Peyote helped to produce the track ‘Boiled Peanuts’ with Doechii, who is regarded as one of the top new rappers in the music industry. “I didn’t think that it was going to go to the heights that it’s gone to,” said Peyote, in an exclusive interview with News Channel Three’s Tori King. “It still feels surreal.” The rising-star producer earned music’s most coveted award after Doechii’s album took home the ‘Best Rap Album of the Year’ at the 2025 Grammy Awards.

“To work on the album by Doechii, was a dream,” said Peyote. “She’s one of the most prominent female rappers around at the moment. It was all really unexpected. You know, a lot of people get nominations, they’ve been working for years. They they might have like, 20 nominations, but still haven’t won it. So for me, this was special because it was the first nomination and then won it as well.”

That moment, according to Peyote, was a culmination of years of hard work, late nights, and determination. “I made the record in my studio,” explained Peyote. “The bass, keys, drums. It all started after I got a meeting with Top Dog Entertainment. I played in my songs, and my beats for like, 40 minutes. They listened very patiently, and then a couple days later, they asked me to make a beat specific for Doechii.”

After that, Peyote said things happened very quickly, and fell into place in a matter of hours.

“I did it within I’d say, like, two, three hours,” said Peyote. “Then, three weeks later the song came out on the album. A lot of times I’ll have songs that’ll take two to five years to come out, but this one only took a few weeks and it was everywhere on Spotify and the radio.”

But Peyote says he really got his start in the Coachella Valley, here, they call him Armin Zabounian.“Growing up here, it was a little slow for the youth,” said Peyote. “But you know, when you leave, when you move away, that’s when you appreciate the desert.”Peyote says the first time he learned to play an instrument was when we was just a kid.

“I grew up in Rancho Mirage and started playing piano when I was like six, classical piano,” said Peyote. But it was in jazz band at Palm Springs High School where he really fell in love with music.“There was someone playing the guitar, and I heard the song, and I was like, ‘Yo, what are you playing?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s, Hey, Jude by Jimi Hendrix.’ And so I went home, and in a week or two, got a guitar.”From there, Peyote joined a band with a few of his friends.

“We had a good little run, yeah. We were called Red Star,” said Peyote. “We played all these shows around the desert. There was the Ale House back in the day, but it’s not there anymore. We even played these Battle of the Bands events, all sorts of things.” But after attending his first Coachella in 2005, Peyote Beats truly got a taste of his future.

“Going to Coachella for almost 10 years and seeing all the biggest bands around the world come and perform kind of planted it in my head, that this is really bigger than just, you know, playing in the desert. This goes beyond that, this is for the rest of the world.” Peyote says several years of watching the bands perform made his realize he wanted to make music himself.

“I got to see Prince. I got to see Paul McCartney, you know, Roger Waters,” said Peyote. “It was very personal, I mean, yeah, I know the tickets were expensive. There’s definitely a year or two where, I hopped the fence because I wanted to go. I loved Coachella so much, but one day I asked myself what’s after this?  I don’t really go to Coachella anymore, because my goal that if I do go back, it’s either to perform or if I have an artist that I produced for.”

After that, Peyote packed up his belongings and move to LA to get his start, however, Peyote says it wasn’t all awards shows and red carpets in the beginning.”A lot of struggles, a lot of neglect, a lot of resistance coming up that people don’t see from the outside,” admitted Peyote. In 2019, Peyote left his job in marketing to pursue music full-time, but he quickly learned that breaking into the music industry didn’t come easy, instead, it came at a price.

“I was just living in the studio, which was a nice, spacious place to be,” said Peyote. “But there weren’t any showers there. So I was booking hotels on hoteltonight.com. I could get a nice room for $30 and I would just Uber there just to take a shower and then come back and keep it going. We don’t tend to see that side of it because people don’t put the bad stuff on Instagram.”

Shortly after that, Peyote would get his first big break: a producing opportunity with Trippie Redd. And since then, the rising producer worked with some of the top artists in the world, including Yuki Chiba, Tyga, and French Montana. Peyote says regardless of who he works with he tries to pay homage to his upbringing, by injecting a little bit of the desert into each of his tracks.”The desert is a huge theme for me into all songs,” said Peyote. “Any song that I work on, I always like to have that. The desert has this legendary aura. It mixes the old world with the new. This place saw people like Frank Sinatra, and Elvis. There is nothing like the desert.”

And although producing for Doechii and winning a Grammy has been the pinnacle of his producing career so far, Peyote says he’s only getting started. “All the trials and tribulations, just come back, you know,” said Peyote. “I want to thank my mom and my dad who pushed me to learn the piano and practice, even when I didn’t want to.” Now, Peyote hopes to inspire the next generation of musical talent here in the Coachella Valley to take their shot too.”I just feel like there’s so much talent here that it needs to be shared with the rest of the world,” said Peyote. “So I just want to let the kids out here know ,that this is really real. It’s possible. It’s possible to make it and to make music your life.”

For now, Peyote says he will continue to work with artists making music in his LA studio, but he reminds himself the desert is only a few hours away when he needs a little inspiration.

“I miss it sometimes,” said Peyote. “But that’s why I put the desert into my music. I rep 760 everywhere I go. It will always be a part of me and I am grateful for my experiences, my memories, the support, and the community.”

For more information on Peyote Beats and his music, click here.

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Tori King

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) –Just two days ahead of Earth Day 2025, Sunnylands is inviting the public to explore the beauty of the desert at its annual “Family Day: In the Gardens,” a fun-filled day focused on desert plants and wildlife and art materials that can be found in nature. 

The event at Sunnylands Center & Gardens is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 20. Admission and parking are free. Guests of all ages will be able to participate in several activities highlighting native ecosystems of the Coachella Valley including: 

Guided bird walks with a knowledgeable Sunnylands birder at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. The one-hour walks introduce guests to the many local and migratory bird species in the Sunnylands gardens. 

Attendees will be able to create paintings and art with ink made from materials that can be found within the garden guided by artist Jai Knight. They can also take part in a “Bee the Change” community project with the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery , which will be distributing wildflower seed packets. And families can build their own essential oil roller under the instruction of Molly Moon Crafts. Kids will be able to select their favorite essential oil blend and crystals to create a personalized roller and decorate their work. 

Local plant shop, Los Angeleaves, will also be there for a hands-on experience digging and potting your own personal plant. You’ll have the opportunity to repot miniature succulents and take a plant home. Attendees can create small biodegradable pots made from compostable materials with Kinfolk Workshop. These pots will be filled with soil and either seeds or transplanted herbs, fruits, or vegetables. Visitors will be able to participate in a hands-on activity under the guidance of environmental educator and clay artist Venessa Becerra by making clay seed bombs featuring native flowers. And finally, kids can interact and learn about a variety of desert life species with the Hoggans Family.  

Visitors are also welcome to use a variety of toys and games that will be placed on the lawn in the West Gardens. The public is encouraged to dress for warm weather, bring sun protection, and stay hydrated for a fun and safe family outing.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens is located at 37977 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage. 

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Tori King

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) — Abi Carter, an Indio native and winner of last season’s American Idol, performed at ‘Kidchella’ Saturday. The second annual event was hosted by both the Palm Springs Unified School District and the Packhouse at Aziz Farms. PSUSD ELOP Director Amber Gascoigne contracted The Packhouse to produce the event at the property in Thermal, and intimately curated every detail of the days activities to make sure all 800 families in attendance left with good memories.

Kidchella 2025 featured live music from several local bands, including a performance by American Idol winner Abi Carter, yard games, carnival rides and other interactive activities. Kids also got to enjoy bounce houses and a ferris wheel. The students in attendance also got to take home boxes of produce and books, at no cost to them.

More than a dozen local vendors partnered with Packhouse at Aziz Farms to provide free food, drinks, and services, including:

Armenta ProduceEric Wilson DesignsYore BoardsLivs Palm SpringsPopin off PiesE & E PelsPetite Bee EventsParty Life Photo BoothJames EventsAbi CarterSalton City Surf ClubAvenida MusicaGoytico ProductionsStanton InsuranceBurtecPinots PalletXicali Dogs Fruit Cart

This year, the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) also set up a booth to help teach the students about youth mental health. On-site professionals brought resources for students and parents on mental health care. IEHP also partnered with Abi Carter to spread the message about the importance of youth mental health. Carter spoke with News Channel 3’s Tori King on why the event mattered to her, and the work she’s done with IEHP.

“I felt like IEHP was the best healthcare that I ever had. But I remember during that time that I was with IEHP, I was going through my own mental health struggles, and they were incredibly respectful, receptive to it. I just felt very supported during that time,” Carter said.

Carter also spent time talking and taking pictures with attendees.

Packhouse at Aziz Farms will be hosting Kidchella again this Wednesday, in partnership with Desert Hot Springs students.

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María García

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — With weekend two of Coachella underway, businesses in Indio see a decline of shoppers compared to weekend one.

Last week, Downtown Indio thrived with a few local music events like “Indie-o” and “Chella” going on during festival hours, drawing in  locals and visitors.

But one business says they notice a decrease in revenue during weekend two, something they haven’t seen in previous years.

“It seems like we didn’t have a lot of traffic this week for Coachella and a little bit less traffic between week one,” said Mark Jernigan, manager at Yellow Mart.

Jernigan says weekend one of the festival was a hit. “The flow of customers and the people we saw on week one was absolutely amazing. A lot of faces, a lot of activity,” said Jernigan.

With festival-goers buying essentials like sunglasses and bandanas. “We saw a lot of bandannas, hats, and camping goods. It’s all trying to stay cool and hydrated,” said Jernigan.

While another business across the street, Urban Donkey is a bit more busy this year.  “I would say last week was a lot busier I think, because people often prefer weekend one, but I also still see that it’s pretty busy this week as well,” said Oliver Vy Nguyen, vendor at Urban Donkey.

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear more about these businesses.

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