Cathedral City Councilmember. Champion of marriage equality, death with dignity, the environment, affordable housing, leadership, compromise, and collaboration.
Join us with representatives from police, fire, and city administration for a neighborhood meetup.
There are two scheduled meetups on the books. The first will be held on April 21, 2022, at 9 AM at Ocotillo Park, located at 33300 Moreno Road in Cathedral City. The second will be on May 7, 2022, at 9 AM at the same location.
We will discuss the installation of new sewer service, the expansion of the desert recreation district, and the naming of Cathedral City neighborhoods. Please come and join in on the discussion. We will also open up the conversation to any topics important to you. We want to hear your ideas.
There is no need to RSVP and all are welcome to attend.
We did it! The ROADRUNNER AUTOMOTIVE TRAINING CENTER
Future site of Road Runner Automotive in Cathedral City- Photo Credit- The Desert Sun
I am so pleased that during our “Build it Here” Rally yesterday (Saturday the 2nd) in Cathedral City we were able to get a commitment from The College of the Desert Board of Trustees Ruben Perez that the Roadrunner training facility will in fact be coming to Cathedral City. We are ecstatic, relieved, and ready to start helping the College of the Desert to make this the huge success it will be for our students and those of the whole valley. Of course, a huge thank you goes to all of the tireless volunteers and staff that wouldn’t let this just fade away, helping to secure this wonderful opportunity for our city!
On April 6th, at 3:30pm the College of the Desert Board of Trustees will be presented with alternative locations to what was going to be the Roadrunner Motors Technology Training Facility in Cathedral City.
I am asking for your help in ensuring that this site decision is driven by what is best for our students and not by the aspirations of just a few.
So, the question is: Why is the College of the Desert considering moving the facility from Cathedral City to another location?
It is not sincerely because the economy has caused price increases. The Indio campus under construction; had an original projected build cost of $30 million and is now expected to be $67.5 million, a 125% cost increase. And the administration doesn’t bat an eye.
It is not because we are undeserving. Palm Springs Unified School District, where most of the students will come from, are 90% minority. 97% of the children receive free or reduced-fee lunches which are up 14% from just 5 years ago. Our children would genuinely benefit from this educational opportunity.
It is not because we lack support for the Cathedral City location. The auto center has already committed to developing a job pipeline here. The land that had already been purchased, in Cathedral City, is within the largest concentration of automobile dealerships, repair shops, parts stores, body shops, and car rental agencies in Coachella Valley. The industry is short of a workforce trained in the latest automotive design and propulsion. They too are asking for your help.
And it is not because we are wanting more than our fair share of the $557 million-dollar bond we voted for in 2016, and that we will all continue paying for it until 2046. The cost of Roadrunner Motors Technology Center will take but 5% of that total bond amount, while we represent 12% of the total residents in the valley.
As an elected Councilmember I build trust by following through with my commitments. COD asked voters to support bond measures to renovate and build new college campus buildings. The ballot campaign literature specifically identified the building of an automotive training facility in Cathedral City. Just as I must keep my promises to build your trust, so must they.
I have the responsibility to review all materials provided to me on inboard packages before each meeting, and to ask questions and study issues if there is something I am not sure of. These documents are a crucial part of my governing and they allow me to make informed decisions when it is time to vote. Failure to review documents, resulting in a lack of knowledge of an issue, cannot be the reason to change decisions.
As an elected official, I have the responsibility to listen to residents and to take into consideration their opinions in reaching a decision. This is also true of the COD Board of Trustees.
I am respectfully asking you, our citizens and leaders, to make your opinion about the future location of the automotive training facility known at the next meeting of the COD board of trustees on April 6th either by Zoom in real-time or by writing ahead of time.
Build it here, in Cathedral City. Hold the Board of Trustees to their promises.
LGBT Pride Days- Cathedral City- CA’s 1st Pride of the Year!
There are so many great events in Cathedral City throughout the year, but none is more festive than LGBT Days. This three-day event March 25-27 starts with the raising of the flag at City Hall and a tea dance in Town Square Park on Friday the 25th, at 5:00pm. Also, CVRep is presenting a ticketed event with the great comedian Del Shores that night too.
Saturday’s fun includes the Pop 2K Tour headline performance at the Cathedral City Community Amphitheater, hosted by legendary singer, Lance Bass of N’SYNC, followed by live performances with multiplatinum recording artists OTown, Ryan Cabrera, and a closing set featuring Lance Bass performing his greatest hits. Fun lawn games, prize giveaways from local radio stations, artisan craft vendors, gourmet food trucks, and more will round out a full evening of entertainment in the Amphitheater for all attendees.
The weekend concludes on Sunday, March 27th with the annual Bed Race and Parade in front of City Hall starting at 10 am, (I will be judging) where thousands of attendees line up to cheer on teams running festively decorated beds down Avenue Lalo Guerrero, competing for prizes and local infamy. Starting at 9am and continuing after the Bed Race, Town Square Park hosts a luxurious Champagne Brunch party with a DJ. Mimosas and gourmet food trucks will be on hand for all attendees to enjoy.
This weekend is a blast for all ages, and I hope you can find time to attend. Parking is always free in the 3 story parking garage next to the Amphitheater.
The 6th Annual Taste of Jalisco Festival in Downtown Cathedral City is coming and admission and parking are free!
The Taste of Jalisco Festival is a multi-act evening of music with a special headlining performance of Mexico Lindo by Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles (BFLA) and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar on Saturday, February 12. Doors open at 4 p.m. with a deejay spinning tunes, followed by a performance from Coachella Valley’s favorite Nacho Bustillos, and Mexico Lindo at 7 p.m.
The concert, part of a weekend-long festival being held February 11 – 13, 2022 in downtown Cathedral City, honors the 25-year sister city relationship between Cathedral City and Tequila, Jalisco (Mexico) through culture, cuisine, music, and fashion. Activities include a carnival, Mexican cuisine, tequila tastings, car show, and a variety of local and regional musical and dance performances.
The celebratory three-day carnival includes a Ferris wheel and games for all ages. Attendees will enjoy assorted crafts from a variety of artisans, a car show, and a mix of gourmet food trucks. Those 21 and older can enjoy the tequila garden located in Town Square Park which features a high-end cocktail experience, tequila tasting, and voting for the inaugural Taste of Jalisco Gold Medal Tequila Awards. Taste of Jalisco Festival hours are Friday 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the festival is free and open to the public.
Tickets for the headline concert range from $20 to $95 for VIP tables. Children under five years of age are free.
The Festival is sponsored by the City of Cathedral City; Agua Caliente Casinos; Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP; and Entravision. Festivities take place in downtown Cathedral City, at 68600 East Palm Canyon Drive. Parking is free.
Join Mayor Pro Tem Rita Lamb and Councilmember Nancy Ross along with the Cathedral City Fire Department for a Free Emergency Preparedness – Make and Take Event scheduled for Saturday, February 5, 2022, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Cathedral City Public Library, Multi-Purpose Room, 33520 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City. No RSVP is needed, simply show up.
This event will provide information on how to respond to an emergency, such as an earthquake, and what items you will need in your family’s preparedness kit during and after an emergency. Each household will learn how to make their own emergency kits and why each item was selected for the kit. Free emergency kits will be available to the first 25 Cathedral City households that attend thanks in part to our sponsors Target, Lowe’s, and Home Depot.
For more information about the event or to make your own kit, contact Fire Chief John Muhr at (760) 770-8200.
Sign up now for the 7th Annual Richard M. Milanovich Legacy Hike and 5K Run on March 11, 2022, in Indian Canyons Palm Springs.
Registration is open now – 5 years old and up to register, under 5 is free.
The Richard M. Milanovich Fellowship was created in 2015. In 2021, UCLA Native Nations Law & Policy Center and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians formed a partnership to prepare the next generation of leaders in Indian Country and to honor and preserve the legacy of service and leadership of the late Chairman Richard M. Milanovich.
Cathedral City Councilmember Nancy Ross Accepted to 2022 SCAG Riverside County Housing Policy Leadership Academy
The SCAG Housing Policy Leadership Academy offers a 10-month program and the opportunity for collaboration, leading to new ideas for community leaders and elected officials to help advance policy solutions and increase the supply and availability of affordable housing. The course brings together people from different backgrounds and disciplines in monthly sessions to examine issues and solutions from multiple perspectives and apply their learning to current housing policy challenges. Sessions explore the relationship between policy, planning, and housing development with a focus on how different policy solutions shape both the physical and social landscape as well as the capacity to produce housing for all.
“It is an honor to have been accepted to this important academy. In collaboration with fellow elected officials and members of the housing movements, we will work toward defining new ideas and best practices that encompass the difficulties many faces in the housing sector. I will bring these ideas and long-term strategic plans for affordable housing back in Cathedral City. Embracing our city motto “Moving Cathedral City forward with commitment and excellence””
A herd of dinosaurs the desert has not seen in 65 million years is making their way to Cathedral City as a part of the “Jurassic Wonders” exhibit.
In conjunction with the Museum of Ancient Wonders, Nancy Ross helped make this project come to life in an effort to bring some safe family fun to our corner of the Coachella Valley.
The dinosaurs are making their way little by little to downtown Cathedral City, at the corner of East Palm Canyon Drive and West Buddy Rogers Avenue. The free public exhibit will take four to six weeks to complete and will be on display throughout the year.
Artist Ricardo Breceda designed the stunners which are accurate to their historic size.
Museum Director Alberto Acosta said each vignette will offer educational information about the history and characteristics of the dinosaurs.
“You will leave the dinosaur exhibit in awe of their grandness and with a better understanding of their magnificent creation,” Acosta told the Desert Sun. Acosta added that the museum, Cathedral City and Breceda will be working together to fund the exhibit. Councilmember Nancy Ross’ Community Assistance Funds allocation will also help fund the project.
“Families will be able to park nearby, walk up to these marvelous, life-like sculptures and take selfies to share with friends and other family members,” Ross told the Desert Sun.
Councilmember Nancy Ross, Volunteer of the Year Sue Townsley, City’s Environmental Conservation Division, SCRAP Gallery, the Cathedral City Boys and Girls Club, Cathedral City Arts Commissioners and the Cathedral City Parks and Community Events Commission have teamed up to provide a family fun day event at Ocotillo Park on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 9 am to 1 pm.
Fun-O-Rama encapsulates the charm of an old-fashioned family fun day with field day activities such as sack races, box relay, cornhole toss, bean bag toss, ring toss, T-ball hit and running of bases, basketball dunk, and cupcake walks. It will also include a Tug-of-War competition between our fire and police departments.
Beyond field day activities, Fun-O-Rama offers art projects for kids, photo booth with a fall theme, and a Sunline Clean Bus display.
The free event also provides free snacks and drinks for families (while supplies last) from 9 am to 1 pm.
Nancy Ross 