Palm Springs council candidates weigh in on Flock cameras, stalled hotels, more at forum

Five candidates for three Palm Springs City Council seats used a Monday forum at the Plaza Theatre to discuss license plate cameras, stalled hotel projects and housing ahead of the Nov. 3 general municipal election.

Three of the five council seats are being contested. Councilmember Grace Garner faces Don Soja in District 1, and Councilmember Ron deHarte faces Charlie Brown in District 3. Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein is unopposed in District 2.

Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS) hosted the forum. Palm Springs Post publisher Mark Talkington moderated, asking questions submitted in advance by residents.

Brown, deHarte and Soja voiced support for the police department’s Flock license plate cameras, which was the first of a handful of questions asked during the event.

“It’s just another avenue for public safety,” Brown said.

DeHarte noted that officers must enter a case number and sign in with their badge to view data, and that the department audits that access internally.

“You don’t get access to our data unless you have put that information into the system,” he said.

Soja said he toured the police department’s command center the previous weekend, concluding, “It’s here to help us. Please don’t fear it.”

Bernstein further noted that a community-member panel has already been formed to assure proper public oversight.

“I absolutely support auditing of this system,” said Bernstein, adding that “I don’t think there’s been a great job done saying what crimes have been prevented or suspects caught.” He also noted that the cameras issue will return to the council at an Oct. 14 meeting.

Garner, who voted against the program when it first came to council, said she is weighing whether the city should use a different vendor. She said Flock “has a bit of a flippant attitude,” and asked, “do we want to use a different company?”

On stalled hotel projects, deHarte said the council has held two developers in default and that the Orchid Tree Hotel is now on schedule. He said the council has told developers, “you need to get off the pot and move, or this development is going to cost you a tremendous amount of money.”

DeHarte said the council has asked for measures that would reduce the Dream Hotel’s hotel tax revenue, which the project relies on for financing, if it misses milestones. Bernstein said the Dream Hotel is “more likely now to open than they have ever been” and has 80% of its construction drawings done.

Bernstein said he is less optimistic about the Orchid Tree Hotel, which he said has a new plan coming next week. He also said the Racquet Club property is “a huge eyesore,” and that he has asked city staff, “How do we look into receivership on this property?”

Brown said developers “have had enough time,” but that the city is in a “catch-22” because of the money it has already invested.

On housing, Soja said the state requires the city to build 2,600 affordable units by 2029 and that 868 have been built. Garner corrected the figure. “It’s for housing in general,” she said, and only a portion of those homes must be affordable.

Bernstein said the city has allocated $10 million for a first-time homebuyer assistance program and is developing a community land trust program. “It is slow,” he said. “You need to have a developer that’s motivated.”

DeHarte said 459 units are built or planned. Garner said the city has built more than 200 affordable units since she joined the council, with about 300 more coming.

On the issue of speeding in the city, Garner, Bernstein and deHarte said road diets slow traffic more effectively than lower speed limits.

Bernstein said the posted limit on Racquet Club Road is 45 mph, but “the average speed currently is 63 miles an hour.” Garner said the city is investigating becoming a Vision Zero city, a network “all about creating cities where you have zero traffic fatalities.”

Brown said drivers simply need to obey posted limits, concluding, “Everybody just needs to slow down.”

Candidates also voiced support for the library renovation and for supporting library services long after the removated library off Sunrise Way opens.

Garner said longer hours or Sunday opening are among the ideas being discussed, but “it’s all going to be dependent on the budget.” Brown said, “We will never forgive ourselves if we don’t back up this library and keep it going financially.”

In closing statements, Brown maintained, “I am not a politician.” He said he wants to be a resident advocate who returns calls and emails, and that he is “so pro small business.”

“Public safety is number one on the priority list for me,” said deHarte, adding that the council must “lean in hard” on the tourism economy and that the city’s next city manager should understand the importance of technology in streamlining City Hall processes.

Bernstein said he is running again “partly because I still love Palm Springs, and I’m very proud of what we’ve done.” He said he has pushed for arts and culture because it “actually is an industry in our city,” and that he’s hopeful a new College of the Desert, scheduled to open in 2027, will help diversify the economy.

“I want to continue the growth of the city,” said Soja, who has lived in Palm Springs full time for almost two decades and began visiting in 1973. “I believe in equal rights for everybody.”

Garner said she is running for re-election “because there’s a lot more work to do.”

She concluded by telling about starting an internship program for young people when she joined the council, an example of opportunities the city can create so that residents who grew up in Palm Springs can afford to return.

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