Keep Palm Springs Safe & Save Our Cul-de-sacs
Donation protected
KEEP PALM SPRINGS SAFE & SAVE OUR CUL-DE-SACS
On February 11, 2021, the Palm Springs City Council, with little public notice or public hearing, or due process, voted 5-0 to spend $50,000 of taxpayer money, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to open four gated cul-de-sacs, that have stood in place for the past 31 years undisturbed and without sidewalks, in the quiet, peaceful El Mirador neighborhood to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Two Council Members, Grace Garner and Geoff Kors, have openly and unapologetically proclaimed they believe these gates are a “symbol of racism” in our city, yet these Council Members reside in a walled-in estate or gated community themselves, and recently approved the installation of a locked gate on the back driveway of the new low income senior community of “Agave on Palm Canyon” to restrict traffic in the beautiful Old Las Palmas neighborhood.
View City Council Member Grace Garner's public comments on gated communities (2/11/21):
The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
The truth is the quiet cul-de-sacs and gates of N. Fiesta, N. Rodeo, N. Vaquero and N. Opuntia were created in 1990 with community input in a legal agreement with the City to mitigate the rampant crime, safety and quality of life issues in the neighborhood. Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes attested to the fact that crime in our neighborhood during that period was rampant in his comments to City Council on 2/11/21 viewable here:
Since the installation of the cul-de-sacs and gates, crime has decreased dramatically and the neighbors’ quality of life improved. But even today, as Police Chief Reyes stated, there were almost twice as many calls for police service and 3 times more police reports north of the cul-de-sacs vs. south of the cul-de-sacs, in the last six months.
In 1990, forty neighbors each paid a special assessment of $4,697.50 ($187,900 total, adjusted for inflation equates to $376,060 today) to pay for the street modifications with a legal agreement and understanding with the City that the cul-de-sacs and gates were permanent.
Now, the City Council, without consideration of the neighborhood impacted, has decided it is well within their divine right to bully and trample on the neighborhood’s safety, peace and tranquility without due process or real community dialogue and input to re-shape our neighborhood using alternative facts and hypocritical language.
With mail theft, delivery package theft and home break-ins becoming more common in Palm Springs, forcing communities to remove gates they paid to install legally, is misguided.
Because the City Council has chosen to ignore its constituents and spend $50,000 of taxpayer money, while the City is experiencing huge budget deficits, in pursuit of their own political agenda on the backs of a neighborhood they do not live in, we have no alternative but to defend our property values and rights with the help and expertise of qualified legal counsel.
The City Council has stated they want to remove all gates throughout Palm Springs which currently provide safety, traffic calming and peace of mind to residents.
Your neighborhood’s peace and safety could be bullied and targeted next by our City Council. Your donation will help us defend our neighborhoods.
If you believe our City should honor its mission statement of being open, inclusive, transparent and democratic in its dealings, we would appreciate your donation to our Legal Defense & Communication Fund to help us keep Palm Springs safe and save our cul-de-sacs.
Thank you for your generous support!
Sincerely,
The El Mirador Neighborhood Organization (EMNO)
On February 11, 2021, the Palm Springs City Council, with little public notice or public hearing, or due process, voted 5-0 to spend $50,000 of taxpayer money, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to open four gated cul-de-sacs, that have stood in place for the past 31 years undisturbed and without sidewalks, in the quiet, peaceful El Mirador neighborhood to pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Two Council Members, Grace Garner and Geoff Kors, have openly and unapologetically proclaimed they believe these gates are a “symbol of racism” in our city, yet these Council Members reside in a walled-in estate or gated community themselves, and recently approved the installation of a locked gate on the back driveway of the new low income senior community of “Agave on Palm Canyon” to restrict traffic in the beautiful Old Las Palmas neighborhood.
View City Council Member Grace Garner's public comments on gated communities (2/11/21):
The hypocrisy is breathtaking.
The truth is the quiet cul-de-sacs and gates of N. Fiesta, N. Rodeo, N. Vaquero and N. Opuntia were created in 1990 with community input in a legal agreement with the City to mitigate the rampant crime, safety and quality of life issues in the neighborhood. Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes attested to the fact that crime in our neighborhood during that period was rampant in his comments to City Council on 2/11/21 viewable here:
Since the installation of the cul-de-sacs and gates, crime has decreased dramatically and the neighbors’ quality of life improved. But even today, as Police Chief Reyes stated, there were almost twice as many calls for police service and 3 times more police reports north of the cul-de-sacs vs. south of the cul-de-sacs, in the last six months.
In 1990, forty neighbors each paid a special assessment of $4,697.50 ($187,900 total, adjusted for inflation equates to $376,060 today) to pay for the street modifications with a legal agreement and understanding with the City that the cul-de-sacs and gates were permanent.
Now, the City Council, without consideration of the neighborhood impacted, has decided it is well within their divine right to bully and trample on the neighborhood’s safety, peace and tranquility without due process or real community dialogue and input to re-shape our neighborhood using alternative facts and hypocritical language. With mail theft, delivery package theft and home break-ins becoming more common in Palm Springs, forcing communities to remove gates they paid to install legally, is misguided.
Because the City Council has chosen to ignore its constituents and spend $50,000 of taxpayer money, while the City is experiencing huge budget deficits, in pursuit of their own political agenda on the backs of a neighborhood they do not live in, we have no alternative but to defend our property values and rights with the help and expertise of qualified legal counsel.
The City Council has stated they want to remove all gates throughout Palm Springs which currently provide safety, traffic calming and peace of mind to residents.
Your neighborhood’s peace and safety could be bullied and targeted next by our City Council. Your donation will help us defend our neighborhoods.
If you believe our City should honor its mission statement of being open, inclusive, transparent and democratic in its dealings, we would appreciate your donation to our Legal Defense & Communication Fund to help us keep Palm Springs safe and save our cul-de-sacs.
Thank you for your generous support!
Sincerely,
The El Mirador Neighborhood Organization (EMNO)
Organizer and beneficiary
El Mirador Neighborhood Organization
Organizer
Palm Springs, CA
Paul Williamson
Beneficiary
