Category: kesq-local-news

Tommy Gallegos

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — Riverside County recorded 38 reported hate crime events in 2025, placing it among the 10 California counties with the highest number of reported incidents, according to the California Department of Justice’s annual Hate Crime in California 2025 report.

The report shows Riverside County documented 38 hate crime events, resulting in 48 criminal offenses, 48 victims, and 32 identified suspects. The county tied with Contra Costa County for the 10th-highest number of reported hate crime events statewide.

Within Riverside County, the City of Riverside reported the highest number of incidents, accounting for 11 hate crime events. Palm Springs followed with eight events, while the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reported six. Other jurisdictions reporting incidents included Hemet (three), Temecula (two), and Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Jurupa Valley, Murrieta, Palm Desert, Perris, Riverside City College, and the University of California, Riverside, each with one reported event.

Rank
County
Hate Crime Events

1
Los Angeles
795

2
Santa Clara
146

3
Orange
128

4
Alameda
107

5
San Diego
77

6
Sacramento
71

7
San Francisco
46

8 (tie)
San Bernardino
41

8 (tie)
Ventura
41

10 (tie)
Contra Costa
38

10 (tie)
Riverside
38

While Riverside County ranked in the state’s top 10, the figures were significantly lower than California’s largest urban counties. Los Angeles County led the state with 795 hate crime events, followed by Santa Clara County (146), Orange County (128), Alameda County (107), San Diego County (77), Sacramento County (71), and San Francisco County (46).

Statewide, California recorded 1,955 reported hate crime events in 2025 involving 2,402 victims. The overall number of hate crime events declined by 3.4% compared with 2024.

The Department of Justice emphasizes that hate crime statistics reflect incidents reported by law enforcement agencies and may not capture every hate-motivated offense, as some incidents go unreported or are not ultimately classified as hate crimes under California law.

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Julia Castro

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — North Gene Autry Trail was closed for several hours at the wash Wednesday morning because of an oil spill on the roadway.

The closure was first reported around 7:35 a.m. Officials said the road is expected to remain closed for about an hour while crews work to clear the spill.

Northbound lanes were back open by 10:30 a.m.; however, southbound lanes remained closed for several more hours.

Palm Springs police announced the road was fully reopened just before 3 p.m.

This is a developing story. Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.

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Dakota Makinen

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ)- A proposed federal housing bill aims to boost housing supply by reducing barriers to new construction, but local experts say any impact would take time.

The Coachella Valley housing market continues to face high home prices, elevated mortgage rates and limited inventory, making affordability a challenge for many buyers. First-time buyers, in particular, continue to compete for a limited number of homes while navigating higher monthly mortgage payments.

Local Broker Associate with Compass Palm Springs Tony Vaccaro says even if the bill becomes law, buyers and sellers should not expect immediate changes. Instead, any benefits would likely be felt gradually as more housing is built.

Vacaro says prospective buyers should focus on factors they can control, including their budget, credit score and financing options. He also encourages buyers to keep an open mind by considering smaller homes, condominiums, manufactured homes or neighborhoods with more affordable price points.

While supporters of the legislation say increasing the housing supply could eventually create more options for buyers and ease competition, local experts say the market will continue to be driven by mortgage rates, available inventory and overall demand in the near term.

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City News Service

MURRIETA (CNS) – A brush fire that erupted today in the hills west of Murrieta charred nearly 137 acres and threatened rural properties, but firefighters were able to achieve some containment by Tuesday night.

The non-injury blaze was reported at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Via Volcano and Tenaja roads, in the unincorporated community of De Luz, along the boundary of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.

As of 9:00 p.m., the fire was 25% contained.

The agency said multiple engine and hand crews from the county, Murrieta Fire & Rescue, Riverside Fire Department, Corona Fire Department and Cal Fire-San Diego County were sent to the location and encountered flames moving at a moderate rate through medium to heavy brush.

Three Cal Fire air tankers and two water-dropping helicopters initiated drops just after 3 p.m.

Residences are spread throughout the area on large lots, sometimes several acres wide, mostly off dirt roads. Evacuation orders were briefly issued, but by Tuesday night, orders at all but one zone were downgraded to warnings.

Sheriff’s deputies shut down Tenaja west of Via Volcano for public safety.

There was no immediate word on what might have triggered the brusher.

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Luis Avila

DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Desert Hot Springs city council unanimously voted Tuesday to extend its temporary moratorium on new data centers, saying the city needs more time to study the potential impacts before deciding whether the facilities should be allowed.

The extension prevents the city from accepting or approving permits, licenses and other development applications for new data centers and similar high-intensity computing facilities while staff conducts additional research.

The vote comes as data centers continue to spark debate across the Coachella Valley. Earlier this year, a proposed project in Coachella drew widespread public opposition over concerns about water use, electricity demand, noise and environmental impacts.

Tuesday’s meeting drew residents who applauded the council’s decision.

“I think a lot of data centers target communities like ours,” said one resident. “Our community is more disenfranchised, people vote less, have less political power… I think we’ve seen a lot of support and activism around data centers.”

Mayor Scott Matas emphasized that Desert Hot Springs is not currently considering a specific data center proposal.

“This is much different than what Coachella went through,” Matas said. “We don’t have a specific project, but I understand the concerns from the community.”

He proposed sending the issue back to the Planning Commission for a thorough review that would include researching both the benefits and concerns surrounding data centers, working with local agencies and groups, and documenting those findings before the council considers any long-term policy.

“There’s a lot of good arguments out there,” Matas said. “If we work with our water district, power company, residents on both sides of the aisle and find out where the facts really lie… then we’ll be able to support saying no… or has technology in two years gotten better? We don’t know that until we do this study.”

City officials say the city’s current zoning regulations do not adequately address issues unique to data centers, including electricity demand, water use for cooling, backup power systems, infrastructure capacity, noise, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and compatibility with nearby neighborhoods.

Some residents argued the research will reinforce concerns that data centers are not a good fit for Desert Hot Springs.

“The desert, we already have too little water, we have too little electricity, and we have too many environmental concerns,” said a resident. “Data centers aren’t going to create those sorts of jobs… it’s not going to be beneficial to our community.”

The moratorium will remain in effect for up to 22 months and 15 days, bringing the city’s total moratorium period to two years while officials complete their review.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Jesus Reyes

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Craig McCarthy, a key witness and defendant in the 2008 murder of Palm Springs art dealer Clifford Lambert, has been released on parole after more than 17 years in prison.

Craig McCarthy

It’s a case News Channel 3 has been covering for nearly two decades. Prosecutors say McCarthy helped restrain Lambert while his roommate fatally stabbed the 74-year-old in a plot to steal his home and assets.

Clifford Lambert

Check Out: Karen Devine goes in-depth on the Lambert Case in an exclusive report

McCarthy avoided a murder conviction by pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and testifying against the other defendants.

In recent years, however, McCarthy has recanted his account, a move that could fuel new appeals from the men still serving life sentences.

Garcia was sentenced to life without parole last year. It came following a retrial of an original life sentence in 2012. Four other men were also charged and convicted in their retrials of the financially motivated murder. A fifth man, Kaushal Niroula, was killed in prison before his retrial was completed.

(Left to Right) Kaushal Niroula, Daniel Garcia, David Replogle, and Miguel Bustamante

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.

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City News Service

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – The Palm Springs City Council approved a proposal for the city to move forward with the acquisition of a new BearCat vehicle, replacing a two-decade-old armored vehicle for the SWAT unit.

Procurement of a 2026 Lenco BearCat G3 was proposed by the city’s Department of Public Works. The item was in the council’s consent agenda during Wednesday’s meeting. The item was approved without further discussion.

The proposed allocation for the acquisition is $449,125, with a 10% allowance for unforeseen expenses tied to the purchase, which would be made via Pittsfield, Massachusetts-based Lenco Industries Inc.

Staff Report (7)Download

The vehicle now in service, a 2006 BearCat, has 20,565 miles, exceeding the preferred service life of 15-20 years established by the city. The existing BearCat is deployed not only within Palm Springs, but made available to Desert Regional SWAT, encompassing personnel from the Cathedral City and Indio police departments.

As the BearCat provides ballistic protection, it’s classified as military equipment, restricting use for high-risk situations and not for crowd control, unless violence escalates to a level that warrants deployment under those conditions.

“The deployment of this vehicle is limited to circumstances authorized by a watch commander or SWAT commander based on the specific conditions of a critical incident,” according to a city staff report. “Itmay, however, be deployed by trained patrol personnel during rapidly evolving emergencies to establish protected corridors, assist with evacuations and enhance officer and civilian safety while regional tactical personnel are mobilizing.”

Under the city’s 1996 Equipment Replacement Policy, the fleet manager, in consultation with an affected agency, is delegated with responsibility to determine when a specialized vehicle should be replaced.

With the council’s approval, the process of ordering, delivering, up-fitting and placing the new BearCat into service would take an estimated two years. In the meantime, the current BearCat would remain available.

With completion of the replacement process, the Palm Springs Police Department would be permitted to identify an eligible recipient of the old BearCat.

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Peter Daut

Tonight a local organization is reacting to alarming new research that shows the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults in Southern California are more stressed now more than at any time in a thousand years; raising the risk of a major, multi-fault earthquake.

As we reported, scientists describe the fault system as “critically loaded,” with stress building across multiple segments. The San Andreas fault runs through the coachella valley, which means our region could experience some of the heaviest shaking.

While earthquakes cannot be predicted, the “Coachella Valley Disaster Preparedness Network” says now is the time to prepare.

“You want to make sure you’ve got plenty of water to last you up to two weeks. We like to suggest two gallons per day per person, plus your pets of course,” said CVDPN President Mitch Brown

They also say you should have plenty of non-perishable food, flashlights and leather gloves. Researchers say the fault system is highly stressed after more than 160 years since the last major rupture.

For more information on how to prepare, stay with News Channel 3.

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Tommy Gallegos

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A debris fire near Palm Springs burned multiple large cargo shipping containers and rubbish piles Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said more than four shipping containers were on fire along with several large rubbish piles, with power lines down in the area. The flames threatened at least five structures in a nearby residential area.

The blaze was reported at about 2 p.m. Tuesday, with the fire is burning in the area of Calle De Las Flores and Oreana Way, near Palm Springs. Multiple fire units are on scene working to contain the blaze and protect nearby homes.

According to the Palm Springs Fire Department, a firefighter sustained a minor injury and has since been released from a local hospital.

The cause of the fire has not been released.

Residents in the surrounding area were urged to avoid the scene and allow emergency personnel access as firefighting operations continue.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Kiera McKinney

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)- Blood donations are at a historic low and the Palm Springs Police and Fire department are teaming up for a friendly competition for the first time.

According to the American Red Cross, the number of donors has dropped by roughly 40% over the last two decades. This marks the lowest level of national blood donors in 20 years.

This period between Memorial Day and Labor Day is considered “trauma season,” when hospitals often see more serious injuries from car crashes, ATV accidents, sports injuries, and other summer activities which would raising the need for blood.

The blood drive is July 9th, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m at O’Donnell Golf Club, 301 N. Belardo Road.

Tempe Essell, the president of the Red Cross Riverside County, said “This is a critical time for blood donations because a lot of our blood comes from high school students. High schools being out. We have nowhere to go. And we are blessed that the Palm Springs Fire Department and Police Department have joined with us to do this. Every time you give blood, one pint of blood, you save three people.”

“We’re trying to create some friendly rivalry, but, the true winners are going to be the people that need this blood” said Gustavo Araiza, Captain from Palm Springs Police.

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