Palm Desert's first city council election with ranked-choice voting draws 5 candidates

In Palm Desert's first election with ranked-choice voting — and potentially its last with just two voting districts — a pair of seats will be open on the city council.

Five candidates, including incumbent councilmember and current Mayor Jan Harnik, will be on the ballot in the November election. Both council seats up for grabs are in District 2, which includes about 80% of the city’s population and has four council members — two elected every two years.

The other incumbent from District 2, Sabby Jonathan, announced in early August that he won’t seek re-election, guaranteeing that at least one newcomer will join the five-member council.

Along with Harnik, Gregg Akkerman, Carlos Garcia, Gregory Meinhardt and Evan Trubee have qualified as candidates for the council seats.

The city council’s makeup isn’t the only thing that will be decided in November. While only District 2 voters will decide the council seats, all residents will be asked whether Palm Desert should switch from two to five voting districts.

The ballot measure is an advisory vote, meaning the city council will make a final decision on the districts after Palm Desert residents weigh in at the polls. The city shifted to its unique two-district system in the 2020 election as part of a settlement agreement in a voting rights lawsuit filed in 2019.

The election will also feature a new voting method, using the ranked-choice system in the District 2 council race. Ranked-choice voting, which was implemented as part of the same lawsuit agreement, allows voters to rank up to three candidates by preference.

Palm Desert is the first in Riverside County to make the change to a ranked-choice system, though it has been used in a few California cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley.

More: Palm Desert's District 2 voters moving to ranked choice system for November election

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Harnik focused on CSUSB-PD, transportation

Harnik, who has been on the council since 2010, told The Desert Sun there’s plenty that motivates her to seek another term. For example, local officials recently won $79 million in state funds to build a student center at the city’s California State University San Bernardino satellite campus in Palm Desert.

“That's exciting for Palm Desert, of course, but it's hugely important to our region,” Harnik said. “We have that $79 million to get a student center in there and create the college experience and energy and activity that our community really deserves and that we’ve been working on for decades.”

Harnik, who is the current president of the Southern California Association of Governments, added she’s encouraged by the progress of plans for a passenger train that connects the Coachella Valley to Los Angeles.

“We got to keep pushing to get this done, and I intend to do so,” Harnik said. “It's going to cost a lot of time and money and brainpower, but it can be done. Now we see it moving in the right direction.”

Trubee endorsed by outgoing councilmember

Trubee, who runs a bike and adventure tour company in Palm Desert, said he’s seeking a seat on the council to give back to the city he made his home 30 years ago.

“Maybe the next 22-year-old kid that just came into town ...  has a chance to do what I did, to raise a family here, to run a business here and find a happy home here,” Trubee said.

Trubee, who ran for a city council seat in 2020 and finished third behind the two incumbents who were re-elected, has been endorsed by Jonathan, the council’s retiring member. He added the main themes of his campaign are public safety and fiscal responsibility.

“We're sitting on $70 million in reserves, and when developers come to town or when we're talking about growth and development, we're negotiating from a position of strength,” Trubee said. “We can pick and choose to grow this city in a smart way, because we're not desperate.”

Akkerman sees serving seniors as a priority

Akkerman, who serves on the city's parks and recreation commission, said his top priority as a candidate is improving access to services for elderly residents, partially inspired by his experiences caring for his 91-year-old mother.

Akkerman added he would “maintain the momentum” of developments in north Palm Desert, and he criticized plans for a surf resort at Desert Willow that have been approved by the council.

“I'm extremely concerned about the proposed plan to build a surf park when we're in the midst of what seems to be a dire water shortage,” Akkerman said. “That just doesn't make sense to me. I'd like to like to get in front of that.”

Meinhardt has fiscal focus

Meinhardt, who retired in Palm Desert after working in real estate in multiple states, said he wouldn’t necessarily change a lot as a councilmember, but wants to “put a better set of eyes” on how the city is using its revenues.

“I just see things a little differently than most people because I'm used to a broader picture, including five years living in Europe and all over the country,” Meinhardt said. “It's going to get tight with the money and a lot more people, a lot more crime and less resources.”

Meinhardt said though Palm Desert is getting “pinched from both sides” by development projects, he thinks the city can continue to manage its growth well as long as it avoids “debacles” like the new In-N-Out Burger in Rancho Mirage.

Garcia wants 'soul' for north part of city

Garcia, a marketing researcher who lives in north Palm Desert, said he wants the city to invest in more spaces to hang out in that growing area.

“I really feel like our part of town deserves a Main Street as well, because we don't have one,” Garcia said. “All we have is big boxes and big parking lots, and there's no soul to that.”

Garcia, who has served on a variety of boards and foundations, is also an organizer of Drive4Five, a group of citizens leading a move toward five voting districts in Palm Desert, which he views as a better option compared to the city’s current setup.

The other candidates were divided on the issue. Meinhardt said he “doesn’t see how (the switch) could hurt,” and Akkerman said he strongly backs having five districts. Harnik and Trubee did not support the idea, though both said they want to hear what voters have to say.

Under the city's current setup, District 1, which includes the area around the Civic Center, is represented by one person elected every four years. Karina Quintanilla currently represents that district, after she was elected to a four-year term in 2020.

The election is Nov. 8.

Previous reporting by staff writer Sherry Barkas was used in this report. 

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

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert city council election draws five candidates