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CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Newsom issues 10 p.m. curfew One-month order affects counties in state’s pandemic restrictions, amid a drastic rise in Curfew FAQ COVID-19 cases. purple tier; enforcement unclear Non-essential work and gatherings must shut Everything you need to know about new rules. 9A down from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the 41 counties in Cali- Nicole Hayden, Christopher Damien, Melissa Daniels fornia’s purple tier, which includes 94% of the state’s is crucial that we act to decrease transmission and and Rebecca Plevin nearly 40 million residents. The order will be in effect slow hospitalizations before the death count surges. Palm Springs Desert Sun until Dec. 21, but could be extended if infection rates We’ve done it before and we must do it again.” USA TODAY NETWORK and disease trends don’t improve. The state, which hit the grim milestone of 1 million “The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen coronavirus cases last week, has reported more than Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a 10 p.m. cur- since the start of this pandemic and the next several 10,000 new daily cases four times since last Thursday. few that will start Saturday and last for a month in days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge. We are California counties that are in the strictest level of the sounding the alarm,” Newsom said in a statement. “It See CURFEW, Page 12A

Pandemic exposes vulnerabilities in valley’s economy

Melissa Daniels Palm Springs Desert Sun USA TODAY NETWORK

The Coachella Valley’s dependence on tourism in- tensified the economic earthquakes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. And to Coachella Valley Economic Partnership President and CEO Joe Wal- lace, this presents a chance to revamp the desert economy. This, he said, is a time for boldness and vision. “It is imperative for the Coachella Valley to come out of this crisis better and more sustainable than we

See TOURISM, Page 2A

Long lines reemerge and A heron takes flight in a managed wetlands area at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge in strain coronavirus testing July. JAY CALDERON/THE DESERT SUN With coronavirus cases surging and families hoping to gather safely for Thanksgiving, long lines to get tested have reappeared across the U.S. — a reminder Salton Sea bill seeks to hold that the system remains unable to keep pace. 9A feds accountable for funds

MORE INSIDE PAGE 11A Mark Olalde Rep. Raul Palm Springs Desert Sun Ruiz’s bill USA TODAY NETWORK would force Southern California Democrats Rep. Raul Ruiz and the federal Rep. Juan Vargas introduced a new bill on Thursday government to that would force the federal government to take a take a more more active role in funding and managing Salton Sea active role in habitat restoration and dust suppression. the Salton Sea. HR 8775, the Salton Sea Public Health and Envi- MARK OLALDE/ ronmental Protection Act, would create an interagen- THE DESERT SUN cy working group called the Salton Sea Management Council to coordinate projects around the lake’s re- ceding shoreline. If passed, the bill would also commission a public “My bill will bring significant federal funding, health study, increase air quality monitoring require- streamline coordination, expedite projects, and ments and pull an undisclosed amount of federal ensure agencies follow through with their commit- ment to the Sea and my constituents.” A win for weed delivery See SALTON SEA, Page 5A U.S. Rep. Raul Ruiz In what could be a temporary victory for California’s legal cannabis industry, a judge has dismissed a desertsun.com Weather Volume 94 | No. 35 lawsuit that sought to overturn a state rule allowing SERVING THE COACHELLA ❚ home deliveries statewide. Subscribe: Access to all High 83° Low 60° VALLEY SINCE 1927 $2.50 QEAJAB-08201z RICHARD VOGEL/AP of our content every day. Sunny. Forecast, 18A

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mit, said the regions across America amount of new single-family houses Tourism that were hit the hardest were those commencing construction) are not par- with big hospitality sectors, such as Ha- ticularly high, which is usually an indi- Continued from Page 1A waii and Nevada. cator of a strong economy. In the Coachella Valley, the tourism “Having a lean supply drives up were last February,” he said. “The virus downturn fueled the high unemploy- prices,” Keil said. of the century is the opportunity of the ment rate — prior to the pandemic, century.” about one in four jobs in the valley were Regional plans to address equity The 16th Annual Greater Palm linked to hospitality. Springs Summit organized by CVEP These job losses are disproportion- Agricultural workers have been The keynote speaker at the summit held Thursday was virtual this year, mi- ately affecting low-wage workers: hos- deemed “essential” for the economy was Kome Ajise, who is the executive di- nus the buffet-style breakfast and hun- pitality jobs are among the lowest-paid during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many rector at Southern California Associa- dreds of handshakes that would typi- and most common work in the Coachel- are undocumented and have no safety tion of Governments, the regional plan- cally take place at the region’s premier la Valley. That sector is disproportion- net. OMAR ORNELAS/THE DESERT SUN ning agency for Riverside, San Bernar- economic forecast. ately people of color; in restaurants, for dino, Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and And while last year focused on demo- example, more than 80% of chefs, near- Imperial counties. graphic trends and a few bright spots for ly 70% of supervisors and managers, These include: His presentation focused on the economic growth in the Coachella Val- and nearly 64% of waitstaffs at Califor- h Fostering a more comprehensive “Connect SoCal” plan that outlines eco- ley, this year centered on the myriad nia restaurants are nonwhite, according university system; nomic and development plans for the ways the coronavirus pandemic took a to the California Restaurant Associa- h Investing in state-of-the-art com- region through 2045, and “focusing on hammer to the local economy, and what tion. munication with better bandwidth and an inclusive economic recovery.” may be involved in the long, hard proc- Small business revenues in the hos- 5G technology; The plan aims to address challenges ess of rebuilding. pitality sector also plummeted. h Fostering competitive K-12 public that are widespread, systemic and per- Wallace said the pandemic has laid Keil said ZIP codes most connected to schools; sistent: 78% of people living in flood bare some of the biggest economic chal- hospitality saw the biggest drop in small h Putting a regional focus on “every- hazard areas are people of color. About lenges for the region: the dependence on business revenue — among the worst thing,” Wallace said, bringing together 21% of farmlands have been lost since tourism, for example, and the need for hit in the valley was 92262, the northern the nine cities for a stronger unit of 1984, while there are about 1,500 annual better technology so people can work or part of Palm Springs where small busi- around 500,000 people; traffic fatalities. go to school from home. nesses saw an 80% drop in revenue in h Investing in better transportation Goals of Connect SoCal include Meanwhile, there’s uncertainty April through May compared to the start options; adapting to climate change with a de- about the ultimate duration of the pan- of the year. h Devising a plan for the future of the crease of 19% in greenhouse gas emis- demic, when a successful vaccine may Keil said the Coachella Valley Music Salton Sea. sions in the next 15 years, diversifying be in circulation, if there will be more and Arts Festival was his “canary in the Also key to the recovery is re-estab- housing type to ensure working class federal aid, or whether more businesses coal mine” for how bad the pandemic- lishing the “cash cows” of hospitality people can afford homes, and as much will have to shut down in the face of un- induced economic downturn would be. and tourism, Wallace said. as $640 billion in widespread infra- controllable spread. Not holding the festival in October — structure projects. But the good news is that the desert’s and possibly not in the spring of 2021, On housing: Some ‘mixed signals’ Addressing the “digital divide,” or relatively affordable cost of living com- though it hasn’t officially been canceled lack of access to technology, is also a pared to coastal California is enticing — signals that the recovery is slow. A booming real estate market is con- priority, Ajise said. new people to move here, Wallace said. “Let’s hope it happens by October,” sidered a bright spot for the Coachella Ajise commended the work that local And he hopes that the challenges pre- he said. “It’s going to be a difficult Valley economy. Houses are selling leaders and the Coachella Valley Associ- sented by the pandemic will cause the spring, but hopefully we’ll be rebound- quickly and record-low mortgage rates ation of Governments have done devel- growth of a year-round economy. ing.” are fueling buying, while the influx of oping the CV Link, with 20 miles of jog- “It is essential that the Coachella Val- residents are coming here from coastal ging and biking paths slated to start ley does what is needed to become es- Steps for future growth cities as they adjust to a remote work construction next month. The project is sential,” he said. life. planned to be more than 40 miles of Wallace is anticipating more popula- But overall, Keil said the housing sec- pathways that run through the valley to Leisure and hospitality blows tion growth to come from high earners tor is sending “mixed signals.” allow people to get around in ways other who move to the desert as their jobs Keil presented data showing that for than cars. For Wallace, who has previously ad- switch from on-site to remote, which the nine valley cities, housing prices He sees the Coachella Valley re- vocated for a diversified economy, the will in turn boost the area’s overall pro- were all up by double digits in the third bounding its tourism business and con- pandemic fallout underscores the dan- file. He recently hosted a call for about quarter of 2020 compared to the same tinuing to use its status as a destination ger of a single-industry local economy. 200 entrepreneurs interested in relocat- time last year. For example, homes in as economic driver. But he also under- “It took about 75 years to build what ing to the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs are selling for a median of scored the need for becoming a hub for is one of the world’s most vibrant tour- These newcomers will boost the me- $707,500, an increase of 15.1% com- health care or energy jobs. All this, he ism industries out there,” he said. “If dian household income of the region, pared to the $614,500 they were going said, will help bring the region up and there had been a parallel effort in tech- help desensitize businesses for future for last year. address disadvantaged communities. nology and other things, we wouldn’t economic shocks, raise the educational In La Quinta, home prices saw the But such progress is incumbent upon have been hit nearly as hard.” attainment and “upgrade the work- biggest percentage increase going from ensuring residents are provided with In the Coachella Valley, unemploy- force” in a way that makes the area more $455,000 in the third quarter of 2019 opportunities to develop skills and edu- ment went from 7.2% to about 34% at attractive and “essential,” Wallace said. compared to $565,000 in the fourth cation, which hasn’t historically been the worst point of the pandemic. Auto- In return, these newcomers get to live quarter of 2020. That’s a jump of over the case. mation trends are accelerating, which here, where there are 360 days of sun- 24% “We know there is a disparity in edu- may put more people out of work. shine and friendly residents, Wallace So far, sales of existing houses in the cational attainment between the valley Around 31% of people are working from said. For these workers, with a median valley have been stronger in the third and the rest of the state,” Ajise said. home, compared to 38% for the national salary of around $220,000 for some quarter, surpassing levels seen in 2018 “That presents itself as a unique oppor- average. Between 30% to 50% of local types of engineering jobs, moving here and 2019. While those are strong num- tunity for the valley to grow and develop businesses are at risk of failure. offers an affordable option for housing bers that indicate the real estate market their knowledge-based economy.” Wallace said there’s about a five-year compared to the Bay Area, Wallace said. is doing well, the increases underscore Melissa Daniels covers economic de- recovery outlook in the tourism space. “They will elevate us, as we elevate how expensive it is to become a home- velopment, hospitality and local busi- Manfred Keil, an economist and pro- them,” he said. owner in California. ness in the Coachella Valley. She can be fessor at Claremont McKenna Univer- But a host of other game-changing Prices aren’t necessarily going to get reached at (760)-567-8458, melis- sity who focuses on the Inland Empire steps need to be part of the recovery, any better any time soon, either. [email protected], or on Twit- and gives an annual address at the sum- Wallace said. Keil also said that housing starts (the ter @melissamdaniels.

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