Steve Kelly has for nearly two decades been covering the drama and personalities that make up Coachella Valley politics, one of many residents’ favorite pastimes.
Steve Kelly
He knows the players, their ever-changing positions in some cases, and the skeletons in their closets. Kelly is known to be tough but fair and always in the know when it comes to political drama. With less than three months until the General Election in November, Kelly is in his element devouring all things politics.
Against this backdrop Kelly and I talked about what District elections mean in Indio and Cathedral City. The November election will be the first time residents in each of these communities have voted for a single person in a single district. Both communities were threatened with cost-prohibitive lawsuits if they did not move to District elections. The goal was to encourage more Latinos to see public office.
We also discussed Spygate, the most recent drama in Palm Springs that involved Mayor Robert Moon secretly using recording devices in his office without permission. The incidents are now under formal investigation. The whole mess led Kelly to ask whether Palm Springs is becoming a caricature of itself as Moon becomes the butt of jokes.
What is it about Palm Springs that brings out the drama and egos in so many? We talked about that, about the state Senate race between Republican incumbent Jeff Stone and his Democratic challenger Joy Silver.
Also discussed were various names being bandied about as those interested in becoming mayor of Palm Springs. The names alone have the potential to create drama. There is drama in Cathedral City as one resident seeking a seat on the City Council is calling for term limits. That is aimed squarely at Mayor Pro Tem, the longest-serving member on the City Council.
You can find Kelly hosting Media Spotlight, which airs at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on KCOD 1450 AM. KCOD (1450 AM) is a radio station licensed to Palm Springs. It serves the Coachella Valley area. The station is owned by College of the Desert. Kelly shared our interview with Uken Report. You can listen to some of the drama here.
