Palm Springs Councilmember Holstege should resign already
Arrogance seems to be commonplace in politicians but in Palm Springs it extends to shameless self-promotion and total disregard for the well-being of the city itself. Christy Holstege is the poster child for such displays. Her wanton disregard for the taxpayers of Palm Springs is outrageous. In burnishing her "woke" credentials she has opened a Pandora's box of problems for the city. First, she attacked Frank Bogert without the slightest understanding of the facts surrounding Section 14 and used that as an excuse to start the discussion of reparations. Everyone wants to see justice for those negatively impacted. The proper restitution is for the city to invest in improvement in North Palm Springs. Instead of championing a grocery store, parks and recreational facilities for those neighborhoods, Holstege encouraged a suit against the city for as much as $2 billion, yep, billion with a B. Instead of advocating for individual plaintiffs she should be defending the city and finding sensible solutions for an underserved neighborhood. Her shameless appearance and 10-minute talk at the press conference in Los Angeles illustrates that she craves the limelight at any and all costs. Many voted for her just to get her out of town and lost in Sacramento. She has clearly disqualified herself from all discussions of reparations. She should resign already and get a job as a political operative, or join the attorneys suing the city for reparations since she's already done their job for them. She may have single-handedly bankrupted Palm Springs. Thanks much for your service.
Andy Hollinger, Palm Springs
I waited over four minutes at a traffic light
Woe is us! The traffic situation is out of control. First I’d like to tell the council in Palm Springs that there are such things as painted lines or reflectors to mark lanes in the streets, street signs at intersections and presence detector lights. Second, I understand the traffic lights have been reprogrammed to allow more time between the green and red lights in order to prevent drivers “running” the light. But the change is too extreme.
Look around and see how many intersections have traffic stopped in all four directions for extended periods of time. Example: Go east on Highway 111 and make a left turn at San Pablo Avenue: Two minutes minimum. Or, go west on the section of Vista Chino Road over the wash (am I in a third world country?) and arrive at (or near) the intersection with Gene Autry Trail. Here, there is only one left turn lane. Are you kidding me? I have been there two different times of day—no matter: It’s a mess. Having missed the first light sequence I had to wait—and I timed the wait—over four-and-a-half minutes. Think of all the noxious gases been expelled from all the cars all over the valley as they sit for inordinately long times waiting for the light to turn green. Maybe more people are dying from the fumes than from a car accident!
Louise Kermode, Palm Desert
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege should resign already
