The following is based on a Reader-submitted opinion to The Desert Sun at mydesert.com by Kurt Barrie, Democratic activist.

With the election victories of openly-gay Steve Pougnet, Palm Springs Mayor-Elect, and of Rick Hutcheson to the City Council, they join Councilwoman Ginny Foat to make a majority on the Palm Springs City Council.  All three are openly-gay Democrats and are strongly supported by the local Desert Stonewall Democrats Democratic Club (DSD).  DSD is a local branch of the National Stonewall Democrats.  In addition, openly-gay Democrat, Craig Ewing, unseated a Repugnant incumbant in the Desert Water Agency race.  These elections are only a few of the many in the Desert that prove changing demographics and voter participation have occurred in this once conservative hold.

In Desert Hot Springs openly-gay Democrat Karl Baker secured a seat on the City Council and in Cathedral City two openly-gay Democrats serve, including Mayor Pro-Tem Greg Pettis and Paul Marchand (the third gay Council member, a Repugnant, Chuck Vasquez, is only openly-gay north of CA-111 in the predominantly gay Cove area of Cathedral City and is in the closet in the rest of Cathedral City).

More below the flip…

These victories by openly-gay Democrats are due in part by the influx of Gays and Lesbians that have been moving to the Desert over the past several years.  One of the reasons this has made a difference here, is that 82% of those in the Gay and Lesbian Community who are registered to vote are Democrats.  This is mirrored by national trends that show the same numbers for Gays and Lesbians who are aligned with the Democratic Party which has been at the forefront of change for gays and lesbians on issues of Marriage Equality, Civil Rights, Hate Crimes, and other legislation.  This margin of Democratic voter registration has produced victories for those running for local, State, and National seats on City Councils, the State Assembly, State Senate, U.S. Congess and the U.S. Senate.

What does all this mean locally?  Well, take Shadowrock Development for instance, not long ago Shadowrock would not have had a problem passing because the demographics were much more conservative and supportive of development in general.  Having a Democratic majority now, you will see that conservation issues, preservation issues and Democratic Party platform issues will predominate.  Mayor-Elect Pougnet has promised a Green symposium, and Councilman-Elect Rick Hutcheson has made it clear that he too will agressively pursue green technology and eco-friendly and new energy sources in Palm Springs.  All three openly-gay Democrats opposed Shadowrock, which means that it would not have been approved by our new City Council.  This is significant since Democrats pulled out the votes in this election and is in part why Shadowrock failed on the ballot in a landslide victory by the No on C campaign.

Democrats in the Desert are celebrating victories and are promising change.  In the future we can expect more conservation, more preservation and more focus on eco-sensitive, green development, as well as more of a focus on changing business patterns in the Coachella Valley.  However, with a few victories of Repugnants in the Coachella Valley, including Weigel’s election to the City Council, edging out openly-gay John Williams by a mere 104 votes, and the various homophobic stances of the Desert Sun, it keeps the Repugnants in the game.  The Repugnants were also succesful in keeping one incumbent on the Desert Water Agency and had a few victories in Desert Hot Springs.  So, the Desert Communities can expect interesting changes ahead.  And local Gay Democrats have much to celebrate with this election and will apparently have many more to celebrate in the future.

Well, it looks like the totals are now in this a.m.  This was an excellent day to be a Democrat in the Coachella Valley!!!  Democrats easily won the race for Mayor in Palm Springs, one of two City Council races in Palm Springs, one of two City Council races in Desert Hot Springs, and one of two seats on the Desert Water Agency.  In addition, No on C easily won as well.

What these wins mean is that progressive Democrats have gained control of Palm Springs City Council and now have a presence on both the Desert Hot Springs City Council and on the Desert Water Agency.  This is evidence of the continuing surge of progressive Democratic leadership in the Palm Springs and Coachella Valley!  Next step?  Solidify the wins and take over the CA 80th Assembly District where Democrats now outnumber Republicans by 13,000 voters!  Congratulations to all candidates, volunteers, and their supporters for fighting the good fight!

Regarding irregularities, a poll watcher reported that in some instances, the chain of custody was not completed with at least four vans arriving at the central location with only one occupant.  Less serious concerns involved the ‘packaging’ of some of the cartridges as they were not in clear plastic bags as apparently required. 

Concerning campaigning and mudslinging, Republican candidates and/or their backers issued a mailing over the weekend that was a smear campaign clearly aimed at either suppressing or redistributing the vote.  Republican candidates had also been consistently attacking Pougnet, Hutcheson, Williams, and Mahlowitz as minions of ‘Ma Foat,’ hardly an effective approach to winning.  (Ginny Foat is a City Councilwoman who during the 2005 election received the largest vote totals for any Councilperson ever and remains highly popular in Palm Springs).  Republican candidates and their lackey, The Desert Sun also engaged in subliminal homophobic attacks against the above candidates, calling for a ‘balanced’ City Council.  Most recently, City Council included three openly-gay members including Mayor Ron Oden, Foat, and Pougnet.  If Pougnet, Hutcheson, and Williams all won, then four of five councilmembers would be openly-gay.  (Presently, three of five Councilmembers in Cathedral City are also gay, though only two openly).  ‘Balanced’ is now the code word amongst the Republicans in the Coachella Valley for electing White Republican heterosexuals.  Another concern is the developing story involving the alleged ‘illegal activities’ of the General Manager and CBS affiliate Channel 2.

As expected, Steve Pougnet (D) won handily.  In its editorial endorsement, the Desert Sun predicted him to win about 75% of the vote, and he almost met that estimate with 71.07%.  Arlene Battishill, a resident who divides her time between Palm Springs and Los Angeles, garnered 17.73%.  It is clear that Pougnet has a mandate for his first term.  With this election, Palm Springs now has a Democratic mayor who will actually vote according to Democratic principles.  Congratulations, Steve!!!

I’ll have to check these total versus totals from prior year elections in a future post to shed further light on these amazing wins.

More below the flip…

Palm Springs Mayor (NP – Non-Partisan)
36/36 100.00%

Vote Count Percent
NP – BILL FERRA 458 4.93%
NP – JOHN TYMON 210 2.26%
NP – ARLENE BATTISHILL 1,647 17.73%
NP – STEVE POUGNET (D) 6,601 71.07%
NP – DON COOK 372 4.01%
Total 9,288 100.00%

The overall numbers for Democrats in the races for Palm Springs City Council are impressive.  Of the 18,056 votes, 11,506 or 63.72% were given to Democrats (Hutcheson, Williams, Mahlowitz, and Gainer).  Unfortunately, at least thus far, the votes were diffused between the four Democrats, and as a result, we did not thump as clearly.  Rick Hutcheson (D) is a clear winner with 25.23% of the vote.  John Williams is a close second with 20.08% of the vote, but trails Lee Weigel by 104 votes!  Although these votes mimic the Vote By Mail totals that I cited earlier today, they may not include the late Vote By Mail or the provisional ballots.

In an early assessment, it looks like the major contributing factor is the fact that the major Democratic Clubs in Palm Springs did not coallesce on two candidates.  The Riverside County Democratic Central Committee cited this as the deciding factor in its decision not to endorse for Palm Springs City Council.  Other factors also probably include the negative campaigning conducted by Republican candidates and the sandbagging of Williams by the Desert Sun once again on a non-issue for most of Palm Springs residents (i.e., that so-called pornography had been filmed at his Warm Sands hotel.  When last we looked, pornography was legal and protected by the U.S. Constitution as an expression of Freedom of Speech).

Nevertheless, Hutcheson and Williams both need to be proud of their positive and issue-based campaigns, and Congratulations to Rick! and hopefully to John as well!!

Palm Springs City Council

36/36 100.00%
Vote Count Percent
NP – ROXANN PLOSS 1,128 6.25%
NP – RICK HUTCHESON 4,555 25.23%
NP – LEE WEIGEL 3,729 20.65%
NP – JOHN WILLIAMS 3,625 20.08%
NP – SHEILA GRATTAN 1,442 7.99%
NP – ELOISE GARCIA-MOHSIN 251 1.39%
NP – VIC GAINER 880 4.87%
NP – BOB MAHLOWITZ 2,446 13.55%
Total 18,056 100.00%

In the race for Desert Water Agency, Craig Ewing (D), unseated a Republican incumbant and came in second with 32.31% of the vote.

Dir, Desert Water Agency
94/94 100.00%
  Vote Count Percent
NP – TOM KIELEY, III 7,469 38.63%
NP – CRAIG A. EWING 6,247 32.31%
NP – WILLIAM ”BILL” BYRNE 5,619 29.06%
Total 19,335 100.00%

Regarding Measure C, an attempt to open up the Chino Cone for more unrestricted development, No on C won 60.03% of the vote.  Proponents of Measure C spent $750,000 in a failed attempt to change development code.  Congratulations to activists involved in furthering reasonable and measured development on and near the Chino Cone!!!

Measure C – City of Palm Springs

36/36 100.00%
Vote Count Percent
Yes 3,822 39.97%
No 5,741 60.03%
Total 9,563 100.00%

In Desert Hot Springs, Adam Sanchez (D), barely lost to Yvonne Parks by 113 votes!

Desert Hot Springs Mayor

14/14 100.00%
  Vote Count Percent
NP – ROBERT ”BOBBY” BENTLEY 266 14.89%
NP – ALEX BIAS 252 14.10%
NP – ADAM SANCHEZ 578 32.34%
NP – YVONNE PARKS 691 38.67%
Total 1,787 100.00%

On another positive note, Karl Baker rebounded from his earlier loss in the election for the City Council seat of the late, great Gary Bosworth by winning his first term as Desert Hot Springs City Councilman with 17.87% of the vote.  Congratulations to Karl!!!

14/14 100.00%

Vote Count Percent
NP – RUSSELL BETTS 906 26.80%
NP – KARL BAKER, JR. 604 17.87%
NP – MARY K. STEPHENS 359 10.62%
NP – SHARON SANDISON 344 10.18%
NP – TERRY SCHEURER 395 11.69%
NP – AL SCHMIDT 400 11.83%
NP – HENRY J. ”HANK” HOHENSTEIN 372 11.01%
Total 3,380 100.00%

Elections results have been painfully slow in coming in.  Thus far, as of 1:44 a.m., apparently only the Vote By Mail ballots have been counted and released to the news media.  The tallies are as follows:

Mayor of Palm Springs:  Steve Pougnet (D) leads with 71.61% of the vote.

Council of Palm Springs (Two Seats Open):  Rick Hutcheson (D) leads with 26.26% of the vote counted thus far; John Williams (D) is in third place with 19.86%; Bob Mahlowitz (D) is in fourth place with 12.68%.

Desert Water Agency (Two Seats Open): Craig Ewing (D) is in second place with 32.70% of the vote

Proposition C:  No on C votes lead with 62.02% of the total vote

Re full disclosure, BBBz is a supporter of Pougnet, Hutcheson, Williams, Ewing, Sanchez, Baker, and No on C and is a member of Desert Stonewall Democrats.

More details below the flip…

Palm Springs Mayor
6/36 16.67%

Vote Count Percent
NP – BILL FERRA 279 5.59%
NP – JOHN TYMON 102 2.04%
NP – ARLENE BATTISHILL 824 16.50%
NP – STEVE POUGNET 3,577 71.61%
NP – DON COOK 213 4.26%
Total 4,995 100.00%

Pougnet was endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats and the Palm Springs Democrats.  BlueBeaumontBoyz wonders about the Democrats of the Desert Democratic Club decision to not endorse for mayor and to only endorse for City Council.  BBB would like to be a fly on the wall when Pougnet meets next with the leaders of the DoD.

Palm Springs City Council
6/36 16.67%

Vote Count Percent
NP – ROXANN PLOSS 670 6.89%
NP – RICK HUTCHESON* 2,554 26.26%
NP – LEE WEIGEL 2,063 21.21%
NP – JOHN WILLIAMS** 1,931 19.86%
NP – SHEILA GRATTAN 692 7.12%
NP – ELOISE GARCIA-MOHSIN 124 1.28%
NP – VIC GAINER 458 4.71%
NP – BOB MAHLOWITZ*** 1,233 12.68%
Total 9,725 100.00%

*Endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats, the Palm Springs Democrats, and the Democrats of the Desert.
**Endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats and the Palm Springs Democrats.
***Endorsed by the Democrats of the Desert.

Hmmmm.  Again, DoD seems out of step not only with the other Democratic Clubs but also with the results thus far.  It will be interesting to see how voters split their ballots.  If Mahlowitz siphoned votes from Williams, then one could argue that DoD cost the Democrats the election.  (As a reminder, DoD leadership endorsed Mahlowitz and Gainer for Palm Springs City Council, but the membership voted to endorse Hutcheson and Mahlowitz.  In addition, the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee declined to endorse in these races since the DoD endorsements did not correspond to the DSD and PSD endorsements.)

Dir, Desert Water Agency
60/94 63.83%
  Vote Count Percent
NP – TOM KIELEY, III 4,584 37.64%
NP – CRAIG A. EWING 3,982 32.70%
NP – WILLIAM ”BILL” BYRNE 3,613 29.67%
Total 12,179 100.00%

Ewing (D) was endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats

Measure C – City of Palm Springs
6/36 16.67%

Vote Count Percent
Yes 1,952 37.98%
No 3,188 62.02%
Total 5,140 100.00%

Proposition C:  No votes lead with 62.02% thus far.  Yes on C spent approximately $750,000 while No on C spent about $50,000 on the respective campaigns.  Desert Stonewall Democrats voted to endorse No on C.

Desert Hot Springs Mayor
13/14 92.86%

Vote Count Percent
NP – ROBERT ”BOBBY” BENTLEY 263 14.79%
NP – ALEX BIAS 252 14.17%
NP – ADAM SANCHEZ 574 32.28%
NP – YVONNE PARKS 689 38.75%
Total 1,778 100.00%

Sanchez was endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats for Mayor of Desert Hot Springs.

Desert Hot Springs City Council
13/14 92.86%

Vote Count Percent
NP – RUSSELL BETTS 901 26.78%
NP – KARL BAKER, JR. 600 17.83%
NP – MARY K. STEPHENS 357 10.61%
NP – SHARON SANDISON 343 10.19%
NP – TERRY SCHEURER 394 11.71%
NP – AL SCHMIDT 398 11.83%
NP – HENRY J. ”HANK” HOHENSTEIN 372 11.05%
Total 3,365 100.00%

Baker was endorsed by the Desert Stonewall Democrats for Desert Hot Springs City Council.

Rick Hutcheson for Palm Springs City Council Campaign updates:

3 days remaining before November 6, 2007, election day.

Permanent Vote By Mail voters – Friday November 2, is the last day to mail absentee ballots in time for them to be counted, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters! If you have not mailed your ballot by November 2, please take your ballot to City Hall – the City Clerk will accept ballots through Election Day. Or you may take your absentee ballot to any polling place on Tuesday, November 6. If you need assistance, please call 325-9094 and the campaign will be glad to deliver your ballot to the City Clerk.

Polling place lookup by zip code:

92262
92263
92264

Help Hutcheson “get out the vote” on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 6.  Volunteers are needed to make phone calls, drive persons to polling places and distribute door hangers.  Please call 325-9094!

Need a ride to the polls? Call 325-9094 – we will be glad to help!

March with Hutcheson and supporters on Sunday, Nov. 4 in the Gay Pride parade.  Gather at Koffi, 515 N. Palm Canyon, at 9:30am.  Free Rick Hutcheson for City Council t-shirts provided to all marchers

Hutcheson’s supporters and volunteers are invited to the Election Night Party at Dale’s Lost Highway, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon @ Indian Canyon, starting at 8:00pm on Tuesday, November 6.

Watch Rick’s TV advertising:

Current television ad | First television ad

The Palm Springs for Edwards Chapter of the One Corps is proud to join the Desert Stonewall Democrats (DSD) and other local progressive political groups at the Greater Palm Springs Pride 2007 Festival on November 3 & 4, 2007.

Seek me out at the DSD booth to discuss the local, state and National political scene.  DSD endorsed candidates include Steve Pougnet for Mayor of Palm Springs.  Pougnet has also been endorsed for Mayor by the Palm Springs Democratic Club, the only other club to endorse in the race, and by The Desert Sun.  DSD has also endorsed Rick Hutcheson for City Council of Palm Springs.  Hutcheson has also received the endorsements of the Palm Springs Democratic Club, the Democrats of the Desert Democratic Club, and The Desert Sun.  DSD also endorsed John Williams for City Council of Palm Springs who has also been endorsed by the Palm Springs Democratic Club.  Other candidates endorsed by DSD include Greg Ewing for Palm Springs Water Board and No on C.

Re full disclosure, BlueBeaumontBoyz is a supporter or the Pougnet, Hutcheson, and Williams’ campaigns for City Council of Palm Springs.

(Don’t forget to either mail in your Vote By Mail by Tuesday, November 6, 2007, postmarked November 6, 2007, drop off your Vote By Mail ballot at your local precinct, or vote on election day, November 6 at your precinct!)

I will be tabling at the Festival for the John Edwards for President Campaign and for the Palm Springs for Edwards One Corps Chapter.  I’ll have campaign materials, position papers, bumper stickers, and buttons.

Headliners at the P.S. Pride 2007 Festival will include Ari Gold, Martha Wash (of Weather Girls fame!), and Brian Kent.

Armistead Maupin (author of “Tales of the City”) will also appear at the Greater Palm Springs Pride 2007 Festival.

November 1, 2007 – Palm Springs Village Fest Voter Registration and Candidate Information Tabling at Palm Canyon & Arenas, Palm Springs, CA, Thursday nights from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (Adult beverages enjoyed thereafter at the local pubs).

Hot desert nights and progressive, Support-the-Troops/Stop-the-Insanity Democrats.  Milling crowds of locals, visitors, and voters.  I was able to discuss my letter-to-the-editor in today’s Desert Sun with the other progressive Democrats at Village Fest.  The theme of my letter was the incompetence of Bush and Mary Bono R-45 and the expecancy that their promises re helping the victims of the Southern California wild fires are probably empty given nature of the promises made to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  Years following Hurricane Katrina, and New Orleans, a great American city, and the Gulf Coast remain devastated.

The Democratic clubs were well represented as usual with Desert Stonewall Democrats staffing one table thanks to George Zander, President of the Club, Bob Silverman, Treasurer, Bill Gonzalez, and Randy.  The Democrats of the Desert staffed another table thanks to Eleanor, and the Palm Springs Democrats staffed another table as well.

Hopefully, we will see visits from Greg Pettis, Steve Pougnet Mayor-elect of Palm Springs, John Williams, City Councilman-elect of Palm Springs, and Rick Hutcheson, City Councilman-elect of Palm Springs at the next Village Fest.  Remember, Tuesday is Election Day.  You must vote on Tuesday or have your Vote-by-Mail postmarked by then to make a difference in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley!
More exciting details below the flip…

Craig Ewing, Candidate for the Palm Springs Water Board spent hours meeting and greeting the voters of the Palm Springs area.  Crowds met him with unanticipated enthusiasm.  Paul Clay, declared Candidate for the CA-45 Congressional District, raise awareness about his candidacy.  I discussed with him the unsubstantiated rumor that Mary Bono may wait until the last minute to announce that she will not run for re-election and will anoint Bonnie Garcia as her replacement.  The thought of Bonnie Garcia (“I wouldn’t throw Arnold out of bed”) as a Congresswoman in the District brought peals of derisive laughter from the surrounding voters.

April Hildner, of No on C, discussed the misrepresentation by the Yes on C people, the absence of committment to build a hotel by the developer, and the misinformation in the hands of the voters.

Tracy Turner, Vets for Peace, helped stoke the fires of intelligent discussion and activism.  More on anti-occupation efforts as information becomes available.

Richard Oberhaus, campaign manager for Greg Pettis, Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, helped the Democratic Clubs and local candidates.  Come to Palm Springs Pride 2008 this Sunday and see the local candidates in the Pride Parade!!

We had representation at the tables from the Sen. John Edwards campaign, i.e., yours truly, captain of the Palm Springs for Edwards One Corps Chapter.  I distributed position papers from the John Edwards for President campaign, provided campaign buttons and bumper stickers, and solicited voters to register to vote.  We discussed how poorly Obama did in the debate this week and how ill-conceived that nature of his attacks on Hillary were.  I am sure that the image of an African-American attacking a White woman is not the image that the Obama campaign wants to linger in the minds of Middle America.

Wayne and the boyz staffed the Sen. Hillary Clinton table.  Burt and Dave Huntzinger spearheaded the Sen. Barack Obama table.  The Obama people were active in collecting information from potential volunteers.  Bob Morris of the Draft Al Gore campaign circulated petitions to get Nobel Prize Winner Gore on the 2008 California Democratic Primary ballot.  Morris expects an announcement from Gore during his Leno appearance.

We also registered 9 voters last night, including one change of party affiliation from the Dark Side.  Moderate and progressive Republicans have long had enough of the incompetence, ineptitude, and callous disregard for the truth of the Bush Administration.  Now they are voting with their feet by moving quickly to the Democratic Party!

Zander, Silverman, Morris, Oberhaus, Tracy Turner (Vets for Peace), Gonzalez, Randy and a worker from one of the San Diego Democratic Clubs attended the Unofficial Drinking Liberally (UODL) after-party at Bongo Johnny’s!  Keep turning the Coachella Valley blue!

October 25, 2007 – Palm Springs Village Fest Voter Registration and Candidate Information Tabling at Palm Canyon & Arenas, Palm Springs, CA, Thursday nights from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (Adult beverages enjoyed thereafter at the local pubs).

Temperate desert nights and progressive, Support-the-Troops/End-the-War Democrats.  Large crowds of locals, visitors, voters and refugees from the Southern California fire storms surrounded the tables.  Many people from the mountain resorts, coastal cities, and San Diego County attended Village Fest.  One family donated funds for John Edwards’ campaign materials and the young daughter nabbed an Edwards button to wear!  German tourists from Laguna Beach sought refuge in Palm Springs from the smell of the smoke and the haze.  Our hearts and prayers go out to the families deeply affected by the Santa Anas.

Here is the flier that I distributed at Village Fest:

Question:  Who provides support and protection during National crises?

Answer:  The National Guard

Question:  Where is 50% of the California National Guard and its supplies?

Answer:  Iraq

Question:  Who is responsible?

Answer:  George W. Bush, the most incompetent President in U.S. history.

Question:  Who refuses to accept responsibility?

Answer:  George W. Bush (I guess in some respects, Bush is the answer.)

The Democratic clubs were well represented as usual with Desert Stonewall Democrats staffing one table thanks to George Z, President and Bob S.  The Democrats of the Desert staffed another table thanks to Eleanor, and the Palm Springs Democrats staffed another table as well.

Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-tem of Cathedral City and Candidate for CA 80th Assembly District, spent two fun hours at the Democratic Club tables in order to raise awareness about his plans for the campaign and the 80th AD.  His visit came close on the heels of his endorsement of former-Sen. John Edwards for President 2008.  April Hildner, of No on C, discussed the massive funding by the proponents of C for advertising.  We wonder where that money is from.

Hopefully, we will see visits from Pettis, Steve Pougnet Candidate for Mayor of Palm Springs, John Williams, Candidate for City Council of Palm Springs, and Rick Hutcheson, Candidate for City Council of Palm Springs.

More exciting details below the flip…

We had representation at the tables from the Sen. John Edwards campaign, i.e., yours truly, captain of the Palm Springs for Edwards One Corps Chapter and Tiffany from the Coachella Valley John Edwards for President One Corps Chapter.  Tiffani and I distributed position papers from the John Edwards for President campaign, provided campaign buttons and bumper stickers, and solicited voters to register to vote.

John Edwards’ pollster, Harrison Hickman, has prepared a polling memo which proves, once again, that John Edwards is the strongest and most electable candidate. You can view this memo by clicking here: http://johnedwards.c….

Back to Village Fest.  Joy L. and others staffed the Sen. Hillary Clinton table.  Ed spearheaded the Sen. Barack Obama table with David H.’s assistance.  The Obama people were active in collecting information from potential volunteers.  Bob M., Amber Rose, and Amber Rose’s husband of the Draft Al Gore campaign circulated petitions to get Nobel Prize Winner Gore on the 2008 California Democratic Primary ballot.

We also registered 10 voters last night, including one change of party affiliation from the Dark Side.  Later, George, Bob S., Bob M., Richard, and Randy attended the Unofficial Drinking Liberally (UODL) after-party at Bongo Johnny’s!  Keep turning the Coachella Valley blue!

The Desert Sun in its Sunday, October 14, 2007, edition, endorsed Rick Hutcheson for Palm Springs City Council.

“Hutcheson, a planning commissioner and co-owner of a real estate company, is a creative thinker with an impressive background in business and government. He brings ideas for the future.

More below the flip…

The Desert Sun continued:

“On the Planning Commission, Hutcheson pushed for conservation, green building standards and renewable energy in the general plan.

“He’s voted for developments like the Mondrian Hotel and Port Lawrence, showing he recognizes the importance of development to the city’s economic vitality.  But he also understands the need to balance development and preserve neighborhoods.

“He is proposing an emergency ordinance to review current regulations, like signage and parking, that affect businesses.  He wants “ambassadors” to assist people seeking permits or approvals from the city.  He also favors using the city’s business improvement district to develop a block-by-block marketing plan.  “This is not Manhattan,” he said.  “This is a workable amount of space and working with our local residents we can figure out how to do a better job.”

“He wants to create more signature events to bring people downtown in slow months, and he favors giving John Wessman a deadline for replacing the Desert Fashion Plaza.  He said the city must “act quickly.”  But we think it will be harder and far more complex than he realizes.

“Strong leadership in business will be tantamount to ensuring the type of downtown revitalization Palm Springs is going to need. Hutcheson can do this job.  He has great ideas.

“Hutcheson recognizes the importance of public safety and has some ideas for increasing the number of police officers on the street. One idea: consider using private security to respond to alarms. He said the city responds to 2,000 false alarms a year.”

The Desert Sun continues:

“He knows what matters.  “First thing, the city has to deliver on the basics,” he said.  “That means clean streets, clean benches, stop the graffiti and vandalism, trim the Palm Trees.”

“He has broad-based support from the planning commissioners, neighborhood groups and three Democratic clubs, the AFL-CIO, the Palm Springs Police Officers Association and the Fire Safety Unit.  He also counts councilman and mayoral candidate Steve Pougnet as one of his closest advisers.

“Hutcheson is smart, has been actively involved in the city and is a progressive thinker.

The endorsement of The Desert Sun along with the ringing endorsements of the three major Democratic Clubs in Palm Springs, including the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, the Palm Springs Democratic Club, and the Democrats of the Desert Democratic Club, aa well as the endorsements of many civic, political, and neighborhood organizations should go a long way towards helping Hutcheson attain his goal of a first term on Palm Springs City Council.

It is an open secret that homophobia is becoming the central issue to Campaign 2008 in Palm Springs.  The leading contender for Mayor of Palm Springs is Steve Pougnet, presently a sitting City Councilman and an openly gay man.  He has the endorsement of the local newspaper, the Desert Sun and of two of the local Democratic Clubs, i.e., the Desert Stonewall Democrats and the Palm Springs Democrats.  Pougnet, however, did not receive the endorsement of the Democrats of the Desert as they did not endorse in this race.

The leading Democratic contenders to fill the two open seats for Palm Springs City Council are John Williams, Rick Hutcheson, and Bob Mahlowitz, all openly gay men.  Hutcheson received the endorsement of all three Democratic clubs, including the Desert Stonewall Democrats, the Palm Springs Democrats, and the Democrats of the Desert (despite the latter’s leadership failing to recommend him to the membership).  Williams received the endorsement of the Desert Stonewall Democrats and the Palm Springs Democrats.  Mahlowitz received the endorsement of the Democrats of the Desert.

The winner of the mayor’s race and the two races for City Council will join Ginny Foat, an openly gay woman, on City Council.  If Pougnet and any combinations of Williams, Hutcheson, or Mahlowitz join Foat on Council, then four of the five sitting council members would be openly gay or lesbian.

Those with a long memory will recall the long history of tension between the straight white establishment in Palm Springs and the growing political power of the GLBT community.  Apparently, this tension is again rising to the surface.  More below the flip…

Eloise Garcia-Mohsin, Candidate for City Council, has compared Williams and Hutcheson to “prostitutes” in her Candidate blog entitled “Palm Springs Politics and Prostitutes,” dated October 13, 2007, 1:37 p.m.:

“I titled this blog Palm Springs Politics and Prostitutes for a reason.  The reason is they have a lot in common.  Some local candidates (mayor and council) are taking money from developers, land managers and windmill groups.  I believe in turn you will see projects pushed through City Hall in 08.  The candidates have sold your voice, the voters voice. Cha Ching…

“John Williams states he listens to the voters.  Why did he spend over $16,000 on “consulting”? $16,000.00?  Take a very, very close look at the Rick Hutcheson donations…

“I will not prostitute the voters’ voice…Candidates…stop prostituting the voters’ rights.

Also in mydesert.com, the Observer’s Page recounts guest columnist Alden Godfrey’s “Hit Piece” in the The Desert Sun dated October 12, 2007.  In this piece, the Observer notes that Godfrey

“…alleges callers are being tricked into participating in a question and answer exchange for the purpose of increasing their name recognition of Palm Springs city council candidates Rick Hutcheson, John Williams or Bob Mahlowitz.  Mr. Godfrey explicitly states this information “…will be reported revealing the three ‘favored’ candidates as front-runners.”  He also cleverly weaves into his story a claim these are the only city council candidates who happen to be gay…

“I’m also left wondering about the appearance of  homophobia in the piece and whether it’s there by deliberate intent?”

It is apparent to some, perhaps to many, that the campaign in Palm Springs for Mayor and for City Council is not only becoming ugly, but also openly homophobic.  This is a direct result of the open homphobia of the current Administrations in Washington, D.C., and in Sacramento, CA, that continue to pursue anti-gay agendas and that continue to perpetuate heterosexism.

Nevertheless, Democrats in Palm Springs need to remember that no gay or lesbian candidate will be elected as mayor or to City Council without the support of the entire Democratic community.  At the same time, the rest of the Democratic community needs to remember that it cannot remain dominant in Palm Springs without the support of the GLBT community.  It is time for Democrats in Palm Springs to unite and to make it perfectly clear to the community at large that homophobia will not be tolerated either during or after the campaign.

October 12, 2007 – Palm Springs Village Fest Voter Registration and Candidate Information Tabling at Palm Canyon & Arenas, Palm Springs, CA, Thursday nights from 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.  (Adult beverages enjoyed thereafter at the local pubs).  The atmosphere was as crystal clear as the country’s need for a change.  Locals mixed with visitors and the tables were once again crowded with eager and expectant crowd.

The Democratic clubs were well represented as usual with Desert Stonewall Democrats staffing one table thanks to Bob S, Treasurer, Randy, and Bill G.  The Democrats of the Desert staffed another table thanks to Eleanor who was the voter registrar extraordinaire!  In addition, representatives of the Palm Springs Democrats were there as well.

John Williams, Candidate for Palm Springs City Council, made an exciting visit to the Democratic Club tables in order to raise awareness about his plan to create jobs and expand existing businesses, to keep Palm Springs safe, to manage growth, and to support our senior citizens.  He has been endorsed for Palm Springs City Council by both the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club and the Palm Springs Demoratic Club.  John has been active in the community and currently serves as President of Small Hotels of Palm Springs, is a member of the Police Advisory Board, is a boardmember of the Mizell Senior Center, is a current member and former chair of the Historic Site Preservation Board for the City of Palm Springs, is secretary for the Warm Sands Neighborhood Organization, is treasurer of the Desert Business Association, and is a boardmember and co-chair of the fundraising committee of the Desert Women for Equality.

George Zander, President of the Desert Stonewall Democratic Club, made a brief visit in order to schmooze and to raise the spirits of the crowds even further.  As usual, George was bedecked with buttons and stickers showing support for the candidacies of Steve Pougnet for Mayor of the City of Palm Springs, Williams for Palm Springs City Council, and Rick Hutcheson for Palm Springs City Council.

Paul Clay, declared Candidate for the 45th Congressional District also made a surprise visit with his wife.  Clay easily made connections with the politicians and volunteers who were surrounding the tables.

Hopefully, we will see more visits from Greg Pettis, Candidate for CA 80th Assembly District, Pougnet, Hutcheson, and Bob Mahlowitz, Candidate for Palm Springs City Council.