Palm Springs residents launch recall campaign targeting entire City Council

A grassroots campaign has launched a recall effort targeting all five members of the Palm Springs City Council, citing the body’s 2023 resolution supporting Israel — which was approved by only three current councilmembers — as well as the council’s silence on the war in Gaza and what organizers describe as inconsistent positions on human rights.

The effort, operating under the name “Recall Them All,” is being led by community member Abraham Ishaq, who has frequently spoken at council meetings opposing the resolution. It targets Mayor Ron deHarte (District 3), Mayor Pro Tem Naomi Soto (District 4), Councilmember David Ready (District 5), Councilmember Grace Garner (District 1), and Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein (District 2).

Ishaq addressed councilmembers during a comment period at their regular meeting late Wednesday evening, saying he has raised concerns both in public meetings and in writing about the resolution, and that when he asked councilmembers whether they would reaffirm their support for that resolution, two did not respond and others suggested moving the discussion off the public record.

“I love Palm Springs, and I believe our elected leaders should embody the values of this city — transparency, responsibility, and respect for all residents,” he said. “Accountability is not personal. It is a civic standard. And I intend to follow every lawful step to ensure that standard is upheld.”

To initiate the process, Ishaq and other recall organizers must secure 30 registered voter proponents from each of the city’s five council districts and file an official notice of recall with the Palm Springs City Clerk. As of the campaign’s launch this week, organizers say they have gathered 23 of the 150 total proponents required.

Once the notice is filed, organizers will have 160 days to gather physical signatures from registered Palm Springs voters. The threshold ranges from 542 to 1,627 signatures per district, depending on voter turnout in the most recent election. After signatures are submitted, the City Clerk will have 30 days to verify them. If the required number is confirmed, a special election would be scheduled within 88 to 125 days.

Organizers say their primary motivation is the council’s passage of a resolution on Oct. 12, 2023, which expressed support for Israel and condemned the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Bernstein, Garner, and deHarte voted for the resolution, as did two former councilmembers, Lisa Middleton and Christy Holstege.

Although Ready and Soto were not on the council at the time, organizers of the recall effort have criticized them for not speaking out against the resolution or moving to rescind it after taking their seats in December 2024.

The resolution has remained a flashpoint in public discourse and is regularly raised during public comment at council meetings. During an October 2024 meeting, for example, several residents urged the council to reconsider its stance. Speakers questioned whether the council should weigh in on international conflicts, called for broader consultation with foreign policy experts, and asked council members to consider other perspectives.

The council took no action on the resolution at that time.

“Our council members claim to champion human rights, but only when it aligns with their political comfort zone,” the campaign website states. “True human rights advocacy means speaking up for all people, not selectively choosing which lives matter.”

According to organizers, 67 volunteers are prepared to begin signature collection once the recall notice is filed. They are currently recruiting additional registered voters to serve as proponents and can be contacted at RecallThemAllPS@proton.me.

“This recall is about accountability, human rights, and ensuring our elected officials represent the values and priorities of Palm Springs residents,” the campaign website states.

Councilmembers and others at City Hall have yet to comment publicly on the recall effort, but it has drawn public opposition from one local Jewish activist, David Tsikman, who heads what he said is the largest coalition of Jewish voters in the Coachella Valley — the Desert Jewish Voice Alliance (DJVA).

In a social media post and email to The Post, Tsikman said DJVA strongly condemns the campaign, calling it “an extremist-led recall effort.” He added, “We reject any attempt to intimidate local leaders or sow fear among Jewish residents for their beliefs or advocacy.”

Tsikman said the resolution in question was merely meant to express solidarity.

“That resolution — passed just five days after the massacre — was a simple statement of compassion and moral clarity in the face of terrorism,” he wrote. “To now see local elected officials attacked for standing with peace, democracy, and the Jewish community is deeply troubling.”

The campaign, Tsikman noted, comes amid a rise in antisemitism, including a local incident earlier this year when Palm Springs police arrested a suspect accused of threatening to send explosives to a synagogue here and kill members of the Jewish community.

“Our community will not be intimidated,” Tsikman wrote. “We stand firmly against hate, extremism, and efforts to marginalize or silence Jewish voices in civic life.”

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