Assemblymember Chad Mayes Honors Jan Harnik

Assemblymember Chad Mayes Honors Jan Harnik, Mayor of Palm Desert as the 42nd Assembly District 2022 Woman of the Year

PALM DESERT —Assemblyman Chad Mayes, I-Rancho Mirage, honored Palm Desert Mayor Jan Harnik as the 2022 Woman of the Year for the 42nd Assembly District during a special ceremony at the CSU-Palm Desert Campus.

Each year, a constituent of the district is chosen to recognize women who have made a significant contribution to their community.

“It is my honor to present Mayor Jan Harnik with the 42nd Assembly District Woman of the Year
Award. Jan Harnik defines what it means to be a leader and continues to make the 42nd district,
a better place to live,” Mayes said in a statement.

Harnik moved to the Coachella Valley in 1977. She spent eight years as a single mom, raising her
two eldest daughters and working full-time. Today, Jan and her husband Brian are proud of the
five children they have raised together.

Her work for the CSUSB PDC is instrumental in ensuring the Coachella Valley residents have a four-year university in the heart of the Valley, Palm Desert. Working with the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, Harnik helped create the Palm Desert iHub to house CSU cyber security programs and entrepreneurial studies. Recognizing the need for even greater educational access, Harnik worked to include all nine cities of the Coachella Valley in an organized effort to attain the funds needed to build the hub of the campus, the Student Services Building.

In addition to her mayoral duties, Harnik serves as the President of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and on the executive board for the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP). Additionally, she is a member of the McCallum Theatre’s Board of Trustees, and in her personal time, is co-president of the Girlfriend Factor – an organization dedicated to helping local disadvantaged women, 25 years of age and up, re-enter the work force by providing grants for education.

Jan Harnik’s character shines through every aspect of her work, according to a news release from Mayes’ office. Her kindness and passion only fuel her strength, and her strength is what makes her the leader our community needs.

To end with a quote from Mayor Harnik herself, “We don’t love our community because it is
great, our community is great because we love it.”

Harnik is seeking reelection to the Palm Desert City Council on Nov. 8.