Naomi Soto, Chair of the Palm Springs Measure J Commission, Running for Palm Springs City Council, District 4

PALM SPRINGS — Naomi Soto on Friday announced that she is running for Palm Springs City Council, District 4. She is currently chair of the Measure J Oversight Commission, where she has served since 2019. In the past five years, Soto has overseen nearly $90 million of investments to improve the city.

“I’m running for City Council because it’s important for Palm Springs to work and be livable for all kinds of households. That means strengthening economic development, promoting housing at all market levels, and improving quality of life issues. I want to see the best practices that revitalized downtown applied to other neighborhoods.”

Soto joins Joe Jackson, a former United Methodist minister; local hotelier, real estate agent and interior designer David Rios has also filed paperwork to run for the seat; and Tahquitz Creek Golf Neighborhood chair Ernest Ceceña has also confirmed he is running.  All are seeking the seat Christy Holstege now holds. Holstege is running to represent District 47, which includes Palm Springs, in the California State Assembly.

They join former City Manager David H. Ready in announcing their intention to seek a seat on the City Council.

Soto has a track record of advancing Palm Springs infrastructure and capital improvement projects,
including the Downtown Park, Fire Station 4, playgrounds in Victoria and Demuth Parks, hundreds of
miles of street repaving, a new kitchen at the Mizell Center, and Palm Springs elementary school mental
health wellness centers.

Soto said she is passionate about expanding healthcare access for children and communities of color. She works for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America- MidStates Chapter. As the Director of Programs, Soto is responsible for the largest school asthma intervention program in the country and supplies more than 5,300 schools in the Midwest with asthma medication, equipment and training. She previously worked for HealthCorps providing health education services in public schools across the Coachella Valley.

Soto is also Board Chair of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW), where she provides
financial oversight and strategic leadership to the second largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the
country. PPPSW employs hundreds of people in 20 health centers across Southern California, including
two in the Coachella Valley. She is a board member on the Sunflower HOA and a founding member of
People for Palm Springs Parks, a new community advocacy group for the improvements of parks and
recreational activities. Naomi lives in the Sonora Sunrise neighborhood with her husband, Brendan, and their two toddlers, Mercedes and Sebastian.

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  • Naomi Soto: Naomi Soto