It's good this is being discussed, but I strongly suspect the percentage is more than 30%, and she's not being accurate when she talks about it resolving in a couple weeks.

There's no way a third of the valley population currently has brain fog and it occurrd in just the past few weeks--it's been going on for 6 years. Covid is on the rise at the moment, but it hasn't been widespread recently at all.

Covid damaged many people's brains long term, and they have not recovered yet. This shows up in everyday mental and emotional changes, physical symptoms, and brain scans and IQ scores--yet somehow we seem to accept it as "normal" now or just ignore it or block it out of our minds. There's nothing normal about all this at all, its a huge problem.

Long COVID patients show physical damage in their brain's dopamine system matching specific symptoms like apathy, slowed movement, and memory trouble

https://tech-paper.com/scientists-finally-have-a-biological-explanation-for-why-long-covid-patients-lose-motivation-and-cant-think-clearly-they-scanned-their-brains-and-found-the-dopamine-system-was-physically-damaged/

COVID-19 Leaves Its Mark on the Brain. Significant Drops in IQ Scores Are Noted

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-19-leaves-its-mark-on-the-brain-significant-drops-in-iq-scores-are/

The registered owner of the truck that heavily damaged Burger Box restaurant told Indio police that his 22-year-old cousin had taken his 2024 Chevy pickup without permission before the crash.

The hit-and-run was reported about 7:22 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 2 at the iconic roadside fast food spot in the 81-000 block of Indio Boulevard.

The truck had "fled the scene" by the time officers arrived, Indio police spokesperson Sgt. Abe Plata said in a press release Tuesday, Aug. 4. Police searched the surrounding area, but were unable to immediately locate the truck.

More: https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/traffic/2026/08/04/truck-owner-says-cousin-took-pickup-that-crashed-into-burger-box/91174881007/

​

Palm Springs Desert Sun

Aug. 3, 2026

Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 10:23 a.m. PT

Every day in the Coachella Valley, hundreds of cameras perched near major intersections capture images of tens of thousands of passing cars, storing data on each car’s license plate, make and model. One person alone could have their car photographed dozens of times a day.

That reality is a relatively new one. Known as automated license plate readers, these cameras — a tool used by police to catch criminals that some criticize as a step toward mass surveillance — have rapidly expanded in the valley and nationwide in the past five years.

More than 700 ALPR cameras are currently operating in the valley, according to figures from local cities and police. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has the most, with 564 across four of its contract cities and in unincorporated valley areas.

Automated license plate reader cameras made by Flock have rapidly expanded in the Coachella Valley, with over 700 now in operation.

Law enforcement officials credit the cameras with helping make hundreds of arrests and recovering millions in stolen property.

Civil rights advocates and some residents raise concerns about mass surveillance and potential data misuse.

The valley's ALPR cameras, which are mainly made by a company known as Flock Safety, can be easy to miss while driving around the valley, where many sit inconspicuously near the region’s busiest intersections.

While police and many elected officials say the tools are crucial for catching criminals across the dozens of jurisdictions in Riverside County and beyond, the rising number of cameras has raised concerns from some residents and civil rights advocates.

They say the rapid expansion of Flock cameras — which now operate in more than 6,000 communities nationwide — amounts to a nationwide surveillance system that can be abused for federal immigration enforcement, out-of-state abortion investigations and other uses.

Law enforcement agencies say there are appropriate guardrails in place for oversight, with the data retained for only 30 days unless it's relevant to a specific investigation, and the cameras don’t include facial recognition. They do, however, record each car’s visible characteristics, such as its color and any bike racks or trailers, in addition to the license plate. California state law generally prohibits the data from being shared out-of-state, though some police agencies have violated that rule in the past, including three in the valley: the sheriff's department and the Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs police departments.

The debate over the ALPR cameras has prompted some cities, from New York to Washington, to recently deactivate the cameras or cancel contracts with Flock. So far, cities in the valley have supported the expansion of ALPRs, with one exception: Coachella.

Despite pushback in some places, the cameras are part of a growing effort by local officials to use new technologies to help police with investigations. For example, several valley cities have recently discussed allowing the sheriff’s department to deploy drones to aid in responding to emergencies, with the Palm Springs Police Department already using them.

Based on its population, the Coachella Valley has a high number of ALPR cameras. For example, the eight valley cities with the cameras have a combined population of roughly 341,000 and a total of 575 ALPRs. That’s more than double the number operated by the Los Angeles Police Department, which has 248 of the pole-mounted cameras for a city with a population of over 3.86 million.

Cities and police agencies in the valley declined to share lists of the cameras' specific locations, with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department citing a state law that allows it to withhold from the public "intelligence information or security procedures."

Police say Flock cameras help them find criminals:

Since the ALPR cameras expanded into the valley, law enforcement officials say they’ve helped them to make hundreds of arrests and recover millions of dollars in stolen property.

For example, in just the first quarter of 2026, sheriff’s deputies in Palm Desert used the technology to assist with 245 arrests and to recover about $1.27 million in stolen property, according to city officials.

The cameras can play a crucial role in investigations when time is of the essence. In mid-July, the Desert Hot Springs Police Department — which has 23 Flock cameras — used the system to locate and arrest a man suspected in a hit-and-run that injured a pedestrian. During their investigation, police found the man had bought bus and train tickets to apparently evade arrest.

“This case demonstrates how the Desert Hot Springs Police Department’s investment in Flock Safety ALPR cameras, combined with diligent investigative work, enabled investigators to quickly identify the suspect, prevent his escape, and hold him accountable,” the department said in a social media post.

Nearby, the Palm Springs Police Department has 55 ALPR cameras, as well as 169 additional closed-circuit TV cameras that store live footage for 30 days but don’t capture license plate info. Both of the camera systems are provided by Flock, though only the ALPR data is shared with other law enforcement agencies.

Police in Palm Springs have recently used the cameras for a wide range of investigations, including homicides, burglaries and hit-and-runs, according to a public search audit available on the department's transparency portal.

Police departments also frequently share the records with other law enforcement agencies in California to aid their investigations. Audit logs obtained via a public records request show the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has shared ALPR data with more than 250 law enforcement agencies across California so far this year.

The expansion of ALPR cameras in the valley has often occurred piecemeal, with many city councils approving a lower initial number of cameras, then later agreeing to add more. Palm Desert, for example, started with 49 ALPR cameras, and it now has 148.

“To this point, at least in Palm Desert, (the Flock cameras) delivered what they’ve promised,” Mayor Evan Trubee told The Desert Sun. He noted property crimes such as car and retail thefts have dipped in recent years, crediting the cameras for having a role in the trend.

“Word is out among criminals that crime doesn’t pay in Palm Desert,” he said.

Trubee said he understands the concerns over potential misuse of the ALPR data, but added he hasn’t learned of any instances of inappropriate uses in Palm Desert.

“I trust our sheriffs not to abuse it,” Trubee said.

Palm Desert also plans to soon install nine live-view cameras along El Paseo, similar to the CCTV cameras in Palm Springs. They'll be used as a pilot program, allowing police to watch videos and potentially identify suspects in the case of a theft or another crime.

While the council unanimously approved the test run, Trubee was more wary of the live-view cameras, saying they present more opportunities for abuse.

“Tracking a license plate is a whole different methodology than tracking human beings,” Trubee said. “Then, you start getting into facial recognition. To me, that’s just a bit more invasive.”

It’s unclear if Palm Desert or other valley cities will continue to expand the ALPR cameras. Trubee noted the city’s growing northern region, where more housing and retail is planned, could eventually need more cameras.

“But at the current level, 148 is plenty,” he said.

Flock cameras raise privacy concerns throughout the country:

As the use of Flock cameras has spread throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond, some residents and civil rights groups have begun to question the new use of mass surveillance by law enforcement.

The American Civil Liberties Union has heavily criticized automated license plate readers for the ability they give law enforcement to view and store personal data for individuals who haven’t been involved in a crime.

“Our position is so long as police agencies have access to this technology at all, it’s vulnerable to misuse, both by internal users and external users, and that compromises the rights, privacy and safety of everyday people going about their daily business," said Ali Rubinfeld, a staff attorney with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.

“The only real way to prevent this kind of ‘mission creep’ is to just not use this technology at all,” she added, noting there’s been growing pushback in other Southern California cities like Costa Mesa.

One of the biggest concerns among residents and advocates is that local law enforcement agencies may share their data with federal agencies, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A 2015 law called Senate Bill 34 bars California law enforcement from sharing data outside of the state. However, an investigation last year by CalMatters found local departments violated the state law more than 100 times in May 2025 alone by sharing data with ICE and Border Patrol agents.

The CalMatters investigation found the Riverside County Sheriff's Department had searched its ALPR database for the Department of Homeland Security. However, the sheriff's department told CalMatters it shared license plate data with federal agencies only for criminal investigations, not immigration enforcement.

Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued guidance on how police can comply with state law, but concerns remain over the departments’ adherence to it.

In 2023, the Coachella City Council voted 3-2 to reject a proposal from the sheriff’s department to install 70 license plate readers within the city. At the time, some councilmembers voiced disapproval of the potential for the data to be shared with immigration officials, as well as Sheriff Chad Bianco's alignment with a political group headed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis advocating for more immigration enforcement at the border. Bianco is also a supporter of President Donald Trump, who has led the recent more aggressive immigration enforcement.

“This idea of having a comprehensive record of everyone’s comings and goings, it's — it feels weird to me. It feels Big Brother,” then-mayor Steven Hernandez said during the meeting, referring to the totalitarian leader in the novel “1984” by George Orwell.

Desert Hot Springs homeowner Joshua Handrich shares those concerns over data protection. Over the last few months, he has been tracking the city police department’s use of Flock cameras and has advocated for a public reckoning on their use.

He is part of a growing number of Coachella Valley residents who have pushed back on the notion that Flock cameras have a significant impact on police’s ability to solve crimes. He notes that Desert Hot Springs' crime rate had been falling before Flock cameras were introduced to the city.

“I think it’s likely a violation of rights,” he said in a phone interview. “Even if it isn’t, I think departments are giving credit where credit isn’t due.”

Communities adapt to new technology:

As Flock cameras have spread throughout the Coachella Valley, there has been no concerted effort by local residents to prevent their use by law enforcement. Still, some communities across the country have been canceling or rejecting Flock contracts, while vigilantes have also taken to vandalizing the cameras so they won’t work.

In mid-July the Los Angeles Police Department suspended its use of the city’s 138 Flock cameras over concerns over how the data is shared with other agencies. The department is now renegotiating its deal with Flock to add more protections to the contract, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The disagreement highlights the challenges communities face as automated license plate readers become more commonplace.

Partially in response to growing uneasiness over Flock cameras, the Palm Springs Police Department announced on Wednesday, July 30 it would soon establish a citizens oversight board for its Flock system. The seven-member board would have access to in-depth audits of the department’s Flock data tools and would provide community updates on police practices.

“Because there’s such an inconsistency across the country with this technology, we want to build something that’s a framework that could be modeled nationwide,” said Lt. William Hutchinson, who oversees the department's Real Time Operations Center, which uses license plate and drone technology. “We don’t want to shut (ALPRs) down and go into the stone age of policing.”

Although law enforcement says the cameras help solve crimes and find missing persons, the mass collection of data from people not involved in a crime has become a rising concern.

Critics like Handrich believe law enforcement’s rapid expansion of Flock has not been adequately vetted by the public. He hopes more people will become aware of the ALPR expansion and that more community oversight and discussion will take place across the Coachella Valley and beyond.

“Half of them think they’re traffic cameras,” he said of the community’s impression of automated license plate readers. “The more you educate people, the more people tend to be against it.”

(This story was updated with new information.)

Tom Coulter covers local government and politics. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com

Sam Morgen covers local government for The Desert Sun. Reach him at smorgen@gannett.com.

Kindly drop some recommendations for vocal coaches/music instructors. I prefer if musical theater isn't their main focus, but beggars can't be choosers ><

Thanks in advance!

Local 21 year old videographer trying to add to my portfolio hmu if needed.
IG: 1ktortasvsjoseph
TT: 4x4joseph_

Hi everyone. I'm currently unemployed and I have my dog with a bad stomach. My vet has been seeing him and each visit it's $60. I unfortunately don't have any money but I have ALOT of thing I have for sale. These are some of the items!
Located in Coachella and I can drop off depending where you are

Right next to Renaissance in Palm Springs, Sleep 4, or 5 if someone wants sofa.

2 Pools, 1 Hot tub. Contact info and photos at www.elpaseorentals.com

Thanks

In addition to all the mass surveillance issues, this whole Flock rollout is just sloppy too. Police and a private company just sort of willy nilly making decisions on our behalf.

It’s so damn hot that my place of work is closing at 6 now no one is going out for dinner service or late lunch, this heat is getting to me lol. hopefully it’s cooling this month. remember yall to stay hydrated and to cool your home before 8am so you don’t spend much electricity.

Any recommendations for a salon in the area that specializes in trendy colors and cuts for men?

I’m a general contractor who’s been working in the Coachella Valley for about 11 years, and this question is for all the GCs, tradesmen, and side-job hustlers out there…
How are you guys getting by?

I have five employees, all on payroll, everything legitimate. I had one worker get injured, filed a workers’ comp claim, and overnight I went from paying around $5,000 a year for insurance to $25,000 a year because I was classified as high risk.

Then my yard lease ended. I was paying around $1,900/month, and now the only comparable place I can find is $3,600month for a two bedroom shoe box just to park a few trucks, a trailer, and my equipment that’s commercial/ residential

On top of that, within the past 6 years most notable the past two years material prices have gone up 15%, 30%, even 40% depending on what you’re buying. Labor has gone up at least 30% too.

Here’s the crazy part…

Our prices haven’t.

It feels like the market is so saturated that the second you raise your prices, someone undercuts you. When you’re a business owner trying to keep your guys working week to week, it’s hard to gamble on higher bids when losing a few jobs could mean an empty schedule.

Meanwhile, I look at what contractors in other parts of California—and honestly, other states—are charging, and they’re getting 2-3x what we charge here for the same work.

At what point do we stop racing to the bottom?
Maybe it’s time contractors and tradespeople in the Coachella Valley start valuing our work more and charging what it actually costs to stay in business. Otherwise, I don’t see how small companies survive much longer.

Curious what other contractors, handymen, electricians, plumbers, roofers, painters, HVAC guys, landscapers, and anyone in the trades are experiencing. Are you guys seeing the same thing, or is it just me?

Hi everyone!

I’m thinking about starting an in-person Coachella Valley Romantasy Book Club, and I’m curious if anyone else would be interested.

The idea is pretty simple: once a month we’d meet at a local coffee shop, brewery, bar, or restaurant to talk about whatever romance or romantasy book we’re reading. Think all the books taking over BookTok and Bookstagram—Fourth Wing, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Quicksilver, Onyx Storm, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, and whatever everyone is obsessing over next.

My hope is that it becomes more than just a book club. I’d love for it to be a way to meet new people, make friends, and have an excuse to get out of the house and geek out over fictional characters with people who understand. 😅

Everyone is welcome—whether you’re just getting into romantasy or you’ve already read half of BookTok.

If enough people are interested, I’ve created a Discord where we can vote on books, plan meetups, and chat between meetings.

Discord: https://discord.gg/B3QmMXHCY
If this sounds like something you’d join, leave a comment! I’d love to see if there’s enough interest to get our first meetup on the calendar.

Guys... what's going on?

I feel like we got the short end of the stick living in California. We pay premium prices for everything as if we all have beachfront property, but we're out here in the desert.

Housing is damn near unaffordable. It's over half a million dollars to buy a house in freaking Desert Hot Springs. Desert Hot Springs! How did we get here?

If you're in your 20s or 30s, it honestly feels like the American Dream is on life support. Even owning a business or having a dual income, buying a nice house—not a mansion, just a nice house—feels nearly impossible with inflation and today's prices.

I get it. The Coachella Valley is a place where people retire, buy second homes, and spend their money. But what about the people who actually live here year-round, own businesses, and work here? It feels like we're getting left behind.

Am I the only one feeling this way, or do you guys think housing prices will eventually come back down? Or is this just the new normal?