We ask the Important questions others are too afraid to ask!

" POLITICIANS WILL ONLY START SEEING THE LIGHT WHEN THEY BEGIN TO FEEL THE HEAT"
Unless the people retain sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals  and their families selected for the trust. ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1812

FODHS Home Page

10/17/07 

10/17/07 
THE FODHS REPORT
Council Passes New Tax 
To Fund Fire, Police Protection

10/06/07

FODHS's Call to Arms

Yesterday several members of the print media met with Desert Hot Springs city manager Rick Daniels for a face-to-face meeting.  The meeting was sponsored by Friends of Desert Hot Springs in response to Rick's call for a better understanding of the city by the print media, including the local news blogs and regular opinion columnists.

All local print media were invited by email and with a personal invitation by phone, all with the message, it is time for some positive energy towards reporting of Desert Hot Springs issues. (Below is a copy of the email invitation). The resulting meeting was a two hour discussion with the local print media and the city manager on city issues including reporting, public opinion and the current caustic political atmosphere.

Also discussed was how to make the city more media friendly, more open to the public and many other ideas that will help avoid some of the past negative reporting. It is hoped the discussions will reduce the sever balkanization of the current opposing political groups.  

Present was the Desert Sun newspaper represented by reporter Maricare Mendoza, Ron of the famous  "Ron's Log" Leslie Andrews representing Desert Local News.  Bill Effinger, contributing writer for the Desert Sun and Desert Local News had a prior commitment out of town.

Noticeably absent from the meeting was the editor of The Valley Breeze newspaper, Buzz Gambill and a representative of former Mayor Matt Wyuker who had agreed to attend on behalf of the former Mayor. The former mayor writes a regular column on Desert Hot Springs politics in The Valley Breeze.  Due to heath issues the past mayor can not get out of the house easily. Both were very cordially invited to attend, promised to be there, but were ultimately no show's.

Also discussed were current issues like the MSHCP, COD campus, annexation, redevelopment and other city development.

We at Friends of Desert Hot Springs are hoping that during our next meeting, we can get all the media outlets that are involved in shaping our city's reputation to come to the table. Our organization will again be happy to provide the refreshments.  FODHS thanks those who attended.

As mentioned prior, a copy of the written invitation letter is provided below.

10/03/08

The M.O.U.M.S.H.C.P.

The official vote was 4 to 1. 
But the real vote on the MSHCP is 3 against and 2 in favor. 
Don't be fooled by any other spin. 

Last night the city council voted to send a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that indicates our city's willingness to negotiate to join the MSHCP. The vote took an interesting twist that readers need to take care to understand.

The official vote was four to one. In reality, there are three council members against the MSHCP and two in favor of the MSHCP. 

The three that are opposed to the MSHCP voted in favor of the MOU, one that is in favor of the MSHCP voted in favor of the MOU. And one in favor voted against. Here is the break down: 

Scott Matas: Voted in favor. Matas has taken a position that the city has been beaten up very badly for its refusal to join the MSHCP. His vote last night for a MOU was in the spirt of good faith negotiation. He wants in the plan.

Hank Hohenstein, Mary Stephens and Yvonne Parks: The are and always have been against the MSHCP, so much so that they joined campaigns to defeat it Valley-wide, not just in Desert Hot Springs. 

Those three want to send a M.O.U. to say "We want to negotiate again." But do they really?

Mayor Alex Bias: He answered that question last night by saying that Hohenstein, Stephens and Parks do not really want to get back into the plan. Last night he voted "No" even though he has always been in favor of the MSHCP. Why would he do that?

The mayor said he does not believe it is good to offer memorandums of understanding if you do not mean it. His word to describe that was "disingenuous."

FODHS: The view of this website is opposed to the  MSHCP. But we are also in favor of telling it like it is. The real vote is this: 3 against and 2 in favor of the MSHCP. Don't be fooled by any other spin. 

(Note: If any of the above named people want space to address what appears above, you have 100 words to do it. We will make space available. Email us).

10/02/07
FODHS Founder's Open Letter 
to City Manager Rick Daniels, City Council
and the Honorable Citizens of Desert Hot Springs

We have been asked to accept a lot from this council in the last few weeks.

Council majority has tested the patience of our citizens more than even I thought possible. You have been more brazen than even we could have ever imagined.  

It is with great restraint that Friends of Desert Hot Springs has held back. We have held back for two important reasons. First, an election is soon coming. We think the voters can see for themselves what has taken place recently. Secondly, we came to the conclusion that no amount of trying to convince you through the website is going to get through to you.  

Further pounding will not change your ways. It only amplifies the problem of your recent actions. This city does not need more bad publicity, as hard as you all seem to be working to create it.

A few days ago our new city manager urged citizens and council candidates to "quit running down the city." We point out to him that for reasons stated, council majority has been running down the city long before you asked us to stop reporting them doing it. That does not mean we don't take your comments to heart. We do. Friends of Desert Hot Springs joins our new city manager in this call for our city to come together in a message that we can make this a great city.  

But it will take more than talk. It will take action.  

That is why here tonight I am calling on the editors, reporters and writers of the Desert Sun, Ron's Blog, Desert Local News, and the Valley Breeze to join us in a meeting to come together and discuss how we all can contribute positively to the city.  These are the very people who can help in re-forming our city's reputation. 

One of the purposes of the meeting will be to see how we can make sure the city's message is understood and properly and fairly reported.

That is if our city manager will be willing to join us in this meeting for a positive direction in news of our city. Mr. city manager, I will reserve space at the Miracle Springs Resort and Spa for this. Mr. city manager, your recent call has been answered.  

A local writer, Bill Effinger, is known for ending his articles with an important line. I will borrow Bill's line. "To a Better Desert Hot Springs." Mr. City Manager, will you join us in that call?  

You have my contact information if you would like to have time to think this over.

09/29/07

The city of Coachella has a new manager

From today's The Desert Sun

Tim Brown begins Monday as city manager for the city of Coachella. His experience as listed in an article in The Desert Sun is as follows:

• Chief operations officer with the Inglewood Unified School District. 

• City manager of Seaside, city controller of Compton.

• Assistant city manager/finance director of Hawthorne.

• Finance director/deputy city treasurer for Upland

• Business manager with the Los Angeles Unified School District Business Services Division

• Deputy/public advisor for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

The amount paid to Brown will be $175,000 annually. After 18 months he has the chance to earn up to $215,000.

Interestingly, the $175,000 to be paid to Brown is the same amount that Desert Hot Springs Mayor Alex Bias said was appropriate for our new city manager. Seems Bias was not only conservative but in agreement with what was deemed appropriate in Coachella. Desert Hot Springs city manager, Rick Daniels, started at $218,000 per year.

09/28/07
Locals Learn How To Win The Lottery 

"Giving money and power to government
 is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."
quote from PJ O'Rourke

Some of us wait to hit the lottery. Millions in the lottery is usually the winning amount but who would complain about a couple hundred thousand. And if you frequent the casinos, a $200,000 hit on a slot machine would be a big celebration. It would land your picture on the Casino's billboards as a top winner - likely the top winner!  

So what happens when a city manager "resigns" (asked to leave)? Here in Desert Hot Springs they get $125,000 plus, as is the case of Ann Marie Gallant. Now the city of Coachella has just had a former city manager get his name in lights. Jerry Santillian was asked to resign. For "agreeing" to do just that, he gets $199,872.82. Will someone please ask me to resign? (See today's Desert Sun)  It must be real exciting for the select few that can "manage" to position themselves to be the next winners! 

09/28/07

Caution!
The recommended dosage is only two tablets.

The local Republican chapter has made their recommendation in the upcoming election and that group sent it up to the the Riverside County Republican chapter. The Republican Party will recommends Hank Hohenstein, Mary Stephens and Yvonne Parks as the best candidates to solve what ills Desert Hot Springs.

09/28/07
DHS finally gets a Theater!

Theater press release. 

The Desert Hot Springs Community Theater organizational meeting was a huge success.  More than two dozen interested citizens donated over $1200 toward the formation of a non-profit corporation.  Dot Reed, Community and Cultural Affairs Commission Chairperson, said, "The initial response is exciting.  The city needs good news.  Having a community theater in Desert Hot Springs is just the beginning."

The next meeting will be on October 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Carl May Center, 11-711 West Drive.  All interested parties are invited to attend.

09/28/07
We finally got around to posting
the Community Urban Design Posters

Click on above images to view larger images 

09/22/07 

Tell Us More 

City officials attended a meeting of the College of the Desert board of trustees to give one final push to Desert Hot Springs' effort to secure a new campus for our city. One council member says she could not be there. She was instead in Los Angeles, subpoenaed to testify in a case involving the city.

As a follow-on comment to an article appearing in Desert Local News we learn this:

Mary K. Stephens
Sep. 21 I was not at the COD meeting due to being subpeoned (sic) to testify in Los Angeles at a court hearing for the City of Desert Hot Springs. Mary K. Stephens

We knew that Stephen's was not at the COD meeting. We did not give much thought to her not being there. She obviously has (we presume DLN verified that it was indeed Stephens that left the post and not just someone using her name).

What is on our mind is the part about being subpoenaed to testify at a hearing in Los Angeles in a case involving the city? 

What is the case about and why was only one councilperson subpoenaed to be there yesterday? Why is a case involving the city is being tried in Los Angeles?

We like to bring you answers and not just questions. But as we have said many times in the past, in addition to this effort we also have to make a living at our real job.

We will look into it and report back. That is, if the rest of the press that is paid to do this sort of a thing for a living does not beat us to it.

09/21/07

NOT in Desert Hot Springs

New College Of The Desert Campus to be located
in Palm Springs  

In an executive search committee meeting today, the decision was made to locate COD (College of the Desert) new campus in Palm Springs instead of Desert Hot Springs.  DHS city council members attended the meeting putting forth a last ditch lobbing effort for College Of The Desert campus to be located in Desert Hot Springs.  

09/13/07

World's Fastest City Manager Search

It been duly documented in the The Desert Sun. All that remains is for the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records to certify it. Desert Hot Springs is now on record as having conducted the world's fastest city manager search.

  09/10/07

Delusional Bug

Delusional - No other word describes the charges by the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Board that Desert Hot Springs is trying to dismantle the agency. No one in Desert Hot Springs is trying to dismantle the agency - its only its board of trustees that should go.

Those trustees, in addition to turning a blind eye to wild spending by bug board top management, is now allowing tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to be spent on one attorney's personal vendetta against Desert Hot Springs appointed trustee Karl Baker. 

Baker, along with other private citizens and The Desert Sun, called into question well documented waste and excessive spending by bug board management and trustees (That wild spending continues. see below)

In response to those charges, the agency filed a defensive suit to try and have Baker removed. A judge chastised the agency for bringing the suit and ordered the agency to reimburse Desert Hot Springs for its legal costs.

Instead, the bug board made a huge document request of Desert Hot Springs that cost the city tens of thousands of dollars more to fill and will cost the bug board thousands of dollars as well.

The bug board alleges those documents show Desert Hot Springs is, get this, conspiring to dismantle the agency. Wow. Delusional might not be the right word. In an interview on KESQ, "paranoid" was the word Baker used to describe it.

Another apt description might be, "scorned." As in, there is no fury like that of a bug board attorney scorned.

We again call on the the supervisors and cities with oversight on this agency to question your appointees about the ongoing waste and abuse at this agency. You have a fiduciary duty to intervene. Exercise it!

Ongoing Waste And Abuse
Bug Board Vacations Continue
$7,800 trip request on Agenda For Bug Board Meeting

On the agenda for the bug board meeting to be held tomorrow (9/11/07) is a $7,800 trip request for travel to one of the bug board trustees favorite quarterly retreats, Lake Tahoe. 

10.            Consent Calendar

A.         Approval for Board President, General Manager, Scientific Operations Manager, Fishery & Environmental Biologist, and two additional staff members to attend the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California Quarterly Fall Meeting in Lake Tahoe, October 31 – November 2, 2007. Amount not to exceed $6,500 from Fund 6110.01.225 – Conference Expense and $1,300 from Fund 6120.01. 250 – Trustee Support. (Pg.73 )

We Owe Our Readers A Follow

When we last reported on the bug board, a member of its upper management was scheduled to take a lavish trip to Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, a $350 a night beach resort, for a conference of little or no value to the agency.

We are following up on that and will report back. 

09/09/07

Rushed Search.
Some Calling It A Fix

A process that took two weeks from start to final selection of a candidate is said to be "dragging" in today's Desert Sun article. That begs the question: Did they hope to do it in one week, three days maybe.

Or would they have preferred to have Rick Daniels slip into the city manager's seat before Ann Marie's seat cooled down.

Unwittingly, someone may have just let slip the true intentions behind this hiring process - unless we are to believe someone actually thinks a two week process is "dragging on now." 

"This process is lasting longer than I hoped. 
Things are just dragging on now."

We always hold out the hope of a misquote. But it is getting harder and harder to believe that Ann Marie was not fired to make room for Rick Daniels. We hope this is not the case. 

The process is not dragging. What will be dragging is the ball and chain around the ankle of any city manager hired after a search of just two weeks.

09/05/08
KESQ assists Friends of DHS with Poll

"A Quarter Million Dollars Per Year"

We received help with our poll from KESQ Channel 3 News. We asked, how much should the new city manager be paid. In a scoop, KESQ got us the answer.

Straight from the candidate's mouth, he expects to be paid, according to KESQ report "a quarter of a million dollars a year." 

For those of us peons that have a hard time grasping just how much money that is, a quarter million is $250,000.00 per year, $20,833.00 per month or $4,870.00 per month.

Slip Out The Back (Jack) Parker

As the media waited for the city manager candidates, Daniels and Parker, to come out of yesterday's closed door interviews with the council, only one candidate came out. Two went in. Only one, Daniels, came out. The press asked, where did Parker go? The answer, he slipped out a back door.

Council Now Negotiating Salary

The official media line at this point is that it is a choice between the two candidates, Daniels and Parker. The selection process is now in negotiations over price and there is only one candidate being considered. As is normal, background checks are also being conducted. The selection has been made. Your new city manager is going to cost between $200,000 and $250,000 in direct salary with benefits kicking that number up over $300,000 per year.

We report. You decide. Vote in our poll and let us know what you think!

09/03/07
Rick Daniels and The Other Guy

What We Are Being Asked To Believe

The city council is set to tell us that in  just 13 days after a search committee was formed, that committee has conducted an exhaustive search and narrowed the field of potential candidates down to just two.

That is totally and completely unbelievable.

09/01/07 
That Was really Fast 

If the word from the community was wait until after the election the city council and the committee it appointed was not listening. We are getting reports from so many people about this process that is supposed to be kept quiet we hardly feel it necessary to post it here.

08/28/07
"Wow! $300,000.00 "Where are they getting all the money? Out of people's pockets."

That's not our headline. That's a quote from the table next to us as they read the news in today's Desert Sun about the $300,000 our city council  set aside for a new city manager. "Listen to this" they continued.

What caught our attention was the last quote in the article from one of our councilpersons. "People are probably not even going to notice it." Too late. We already have. As the table next to us put it "This is disgusting."  

Added to this insult is the suggestion by the council that it is all OK if they just cut back on some city services. Less more money for city parks? Less money for Cabot's museum budget? Less for the Senior Center?

08/26/07
It's Not Scientific

It's not a scientific sample of Desert Hot Springs opinion. It is an indication of how 142 people that took time to respond to our poll view the issue of the next city manager's salary. The poll is still active (see below). You have until the end of the day on Monday to vote.

What salary (not benefits) should our city council pay a new city manager? $120,000 (38) 27% $154,000 (same as Gallant) (77) 54% $175,000 (4) 3% $250,000 (4) 3% $322,000 (16) 11% $350,000 (0) 0% Heck, get someone really good. $750,000! (3) 2% Total Votes: 142

08/25/07
We Got Mail.
Wow did we get mail

In our item yesterday we noted a strange coincidence of numbers. Several of you (many of you) didn't see it the way we did, and thus no coincidence. 

08/24/07
City Manager DeJaVu 

We noted a strange coincidence in the numbers that make up former city manager Ann Marie Gallant salary benefits and severance pay.

Salary $154,000
+ Benefits $48,000
+ Severance Pay: $120,000
Total: $322,000

What is it with this city council and $322,000? For the casual reader, that is the amount former city manager Jerry Hanson was paid in one year. As noted above, Ann Marie's total includes her severance pay.

On A Fast Track?
City Manager Search

A committee has been put together to find a new city manager. Many believe it is on a fast track but we have no confirmation as yet. We can only guess as what the salary will (have to) be. You get to offer your thoughts in our poll. (See Past Poll Results Here)

The Desert Sun did the heavy lifting to gather the names of a nine-person committee to begin a search for a new city manager for Desert Hot Springs. The list includes some political heavyweights.

Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley
County executive officer Larry Parrish
Coachella Mayor Eduardo Garcia
Indio City Manager Glenn Southard. 
Mayor Pro Tem Mary Stephens
Councilman Scott Matas

Dale Evenson, John Gerardi, Tom Gustafson have agreed to be the eyes and ears for the average Desert Hot Springs citizen.

08/23/07
"I've been at the beach"

In a phone interview Tuesday, Gallant said that though she is aware of the letter, she has yet to see it. "I have not received this letter. I've been at the beach," Gallant said, adding that she was called by a friend who saw it on King's site. "I have only heard about it, but I will read it and respond to the city attorney."  See Desert Sun Article

08/22/07

Confirmed & Denied

The City of Desert Hot Springs has changed the meeting date at which the City Council will vote on whether to rejoin the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan).  The date has been moved from August 7, 2007 to Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.  

The City Council majority is hoping that by then it will have found a City Manager that agrees that Desert Hot Springs should NOT join the MSHCP. Rumored is that the new city manager must be willing to share their office with staff from Palmwood in addition to other  "select" developers.  

There is no truth (yet) to the rumor of plans to change the name of the city from Desert Hot Springs to Palmwood Springs East or any other developer names for that matter.

Update: Desert Sun Reports on our 08/18/07 story and has copy of Cease and Desist letter from city attorney to Ann Marie Gallant.  

08/18/07
FODHS Exclusive
VIA CERTIFIED AND OVERNIGHT MAIL
RE: Cease and Desist

Click for larger view

In a two page letter obtained by FODHS, the Desert Hot Springs city council has issued a warning to former city manager Ann Marie Gallant that she may be in violation of her severance agreement. The letter dated August 17, 2007 was delivered to Gallant by certified overnight mail.

"I write on behalf of the City of Desert Hot Springs to demand that you immediately cease and desist from engaging in any further activity in violation of the Settlement Agreement and Release of all Claims between you and the City dated August 10, 2007 ("the Agreement"). Specifically, as you know, section 3 of that Agreement requires you to:

keep all matters concerning [the] agreement, as well as the facts, circumstances, contents and terms of this agreement confidential and not to disclose the terms or contents of [the] agreement to any person...

The letter that is two pages and signed by City Attorney Ruben Duran and copied to the city council says "I have heard several and multiple reports that you have spoken to several individuals about issues and facts leading up to your resignation on August 9, 2007 and the facts and circumstances leading to the Agreement."