Mix of Incumbents, Newcomers in Coachella Valley Council Races

PALM DESERT, CA — New and returning faces were chosen to represent seven cities across the Coachella Valley on an Election Day that also saw Cathedral City and Indio hold their first district-based elections.

In Cathedral City's inaugural district election on Tuesday, Councilman Mark Carnevale was re-elected, while former planning commissioner John Rivera appeared to claim a seat and retired county assistant sheriff Raymond Gregory was chosen to join the council.

Three of the city's five newly established voting districts held elections.

Carnevale won handily over Realtor Juan Carlos Vizaga in District 3.

Rivera prevailed over three other candidates in District 4: automotive tech Sergio Espericueta, who has run for city council twice before; pastor Enrique Saldivar; and real estate broker Ernesto Gutierrez. Early returns show Rivera edging out Gutierrez by 40 votes. It was unclear how many outstanding ballots remain to be counted.

Gregory took District 5 with just over 60 percent of the vote.

In Indio, seats were up for grabs in three of its five newly established council districts, with one incumbent holding a scant three-vote lead on his challenger Wednesday morning.

Mayor Michael H. Wilson, who has served on the council for more than two decades, was three votes ahead of correctional officer Waymond Fermon for the District 2 seat as of Wednesday morning.

Fermon's campaign urged voters Wednesday morning to make sure their ballots were counted.

"We have heard from a few of you who were denied provisional ballots while trying to vote for Waymond," according to his campaign's Facebook page.

Chemist and political newcomer Oscar Ortiz held a 17 percent lead over Councilman and Mayor Pro-tem Troy Strange for District 4, while Elaine Holmes, who has served on the council since 2010, ran unopposed in District 3.

In Coachella, Mayor Steven Hernandez ran unopposed to retain his mayoral seat, while immigration rights attorney Megan Beaman Jacinto and social worker Josie Gonzalez took leads for two open council seats. Incumbent Steve Brown, business owner Victor Alcantara, and business owner Gilbert Ramirez Jr. also ran.

In Desert Hot Springs, Mayor Scott Matas, who has been on the council for more than a decade, successfully defended his seat against newcomer Stephen Giboney.

"Thank you all for your support," Matas said, taking to social media Tuesday night. "I look forward to serving you another two years as your mayor. I look forward to hearing all your ideas and suggestions as we plan ahead in continuing to move Desert Hot Springs forward!"

Desert Hot Springs voters also had a say in the mechanism for selecting the mayor through a pair of ballot measures. Measure U, which would have made the mayoral position an annually rotating post, was rejected by voters, while Measure V passed, changing the elected two-year mayoral term to four-year terms.

Former Councilwoman Jan Pye and Former Human Rights and Planning Commissioner Gary Gardner captured the two open seats on city council, with Pye just barely edging out former Mayor Adam Sanchez, as well as local business owner Jim Fitzgerald and Peter Tsachpinis.

In Indian Wells, residents had a far simpler choice than in other Coachella Valley races, with two incumbents, Dana Reed and Richard Balocco, running unopposed. Indian Wells voters also overwhelmingly approved Measure K, which raises the city's hotel tax from 11.25 to 12.25 percent, which city officials say will generate around $700,000 annually.

In La Quinta, Mayor Linda Evans ran unopposed for another two-year term, while two incumbents retained their council seats among five candidates.

Robert Radi and John Pena will return to the council, winning out over attorney Dante Gomez, who works with the Riverside County Public Defender's Office; Joe Johnson, a retired L.A. County Department of Consumer of Affairs investigator; and retired teacher Brian Hanrahan.

Palm Desert residents voted incumbents Jan Harnik and Sabby Jonathan back into office, with more than a combined 70 percent of the vote going to Harnik, who has served on the council since 2010, including two stints as mayor, and Jonathan, the current mayor, who was first elected in 2014 and has also served on a variety of city commissions.

The challengers included retired government administrator Kenneth Doran, community activist Carlos Pineda, and retired educator Matt Monica.

Voters approved Measure Q with more than 76 percent of the vote, a municipal cannabis tax that imposes taxes on legal cannabis businesses, generating an estimated $3 million to $3.5 million for city services annually, according to city officials.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone