Karina Quintanilla becomes first Latina mayor of Palm Desert during annual rotation

Karina Quintanilla was appointed as the mayor of Palm Desert during the council's annual rotation ceremony Thursday, becoming the city’s first Latina mayor in its 50-year history.

Quintanilla, who was first elected to the council in 2020, will serve a year-long term as mayor until the next rotation. Councilmember Jan Harnik, who last served as mayor in 2022, will be the mayor pro tem over the next year.

The appointment of the mayor pro tem gives priority to the member with the longest continuous service since last serving as mayor. That would be Councilmember Gina Nestande, who served as mayor in 2020, but she deferred the appointment as mayor pro tem, according to a city staff report.

Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, who served as mayor over the past year, thanked Quintanilla for her work as mayor pro tem consistently attending ribbon-cuttings and other citywide events. Quintanilla responded by thanking Kelly for her mentorship during her time on the council.

Quintanilla was elected to the council after she and another resident filed a lawsuit against the city in 2019, saying it was in violation of the California Voting Rights Act, which requires cities to ensure minority voting groups have a fair chance for representation.

Palm Desert had at-large voting for its five council seats until that lawsuit, which led to the city’s current two-district setup. While Latino residents make up just over a quarter of its population, Palm Desert didn't have its first Latina council member until Quintanilla won election in District 1 after it was created in 2020.

Quintanilla’s rotation into the mayor position came during the same meeting that the council advanced a voting map that moves the city from two to five districts, with plans to finalize its redistricting process in January. Quintanilla was the sole vote against the map Thursday, saying the city should consider another option backed by residents of the city’s north end.

Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Karina Quintanilla becomes first Latina mayor of Palm Desert