Ernest Ceceña Mailer Reaches District 4 Residents

Ernest Ceceña Wastes No Time Getting His Name and Photos to Residents

PALM SPRINGS — Eight months before voters go to the polls, a mailer has landed in the mailboxes of District 4 residents introducing Ernest Ceceña.

He is one of five people currently vying for the post. Others include Dan Ballinger, Joseph Jackson, David Rios and Naomi Soto, according to the City Clerk’s office.

His approach to running for the seat is “Real hard, real quick,” Ceceña told Uken Report. Between now and November, Ceceña said he plans to spend between $30,000 to $60,000 on his campaign. He is running to fill the seat Councilmember Christy Holstege now holds. She is making a second run for state Assembly.

Ceceña said he wanted people to know who he is before he starts knocking on doors. His primary motivation for running for the seat is that residents tell him they do not feel represented. The city is always focused on bringing in more money and forgets the 47,000 full-time residents who live here, Ceceña said.

Ceceña. 50, is employed as a compliance officer for a mortgage broker. He is no stranger to public service. He has chaired the Tahquitz Creek Golf Neighborhood Organization, which is also where he and his husband reside.

While he has tremendous respect for Holstege and the work she has done, especially with the homeless and Navigation Center, he has identified some missed opportunities, particularly when it comes to responding to — and communicating with — residents.

District 4 is located on the southeast side of the city and includes neighborhoods as Los Compadres, Sonora Sunrise, Rimrock, Melody Ranch, Araby Cove and Araby Commons, and, of course, Tahquitz Creek Golf Neighborhood.

Ceceña is the founder of Save PS Golf, an organization created to oppose the sale of one or both the golf courses that make up the Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort where he achieved a high profile. He participated in the Riverside County Point-in-Time Homeless count. During Tropical Storm Hilary, he provided updates to the neighborhood and assisted with preparation for flooding. He spoke at the General City Council meeting in support of clearing the homeless encampments from the Tahquitz Creek wash.