Video: Palm Desert Library reopens after control transferred from county to city.
The Palm Desert Library has reopened after being closed for renovations in May.
A Facebook post by Palm Desert Mayor Karina Quintanilla criticizing a Republican-run store on the city’s main shopping street sparked fierce opposition at Thursday’s council meeting, with just over a dozen people condemning her post and some calling for her resignation.
After the meeting, Quintanilla largely stood by what she had written, but said she should have made the post from her personal Facebook account rather than her mayoral account. However, she said she needed to speak with the store owner before deciding whether to apologize for what she had written.
The council meeting turned partisan nearly two weeks after Quintanilla posted on her mayoral Facebook page criticizing a recent article in the El Paseo Catalog that highlighted shopping at the Patriot Store. The store is operated by the East Valley Republican Women Patriots, a local political group that moved its base from La Quinta to El Paseo last year.
“I don’t know if it’s more painful or embarrassing that the other city councilors are bragging so much about El Paseo being the only place to shop and that’s what brings people here to show off the luxury brands,” Quintanilla wrote. “How in the world is that supposed to attract a wide range of shoppers when you don’t see green, only red?”
She added: “#ElPaseoCatalogue should be doubly ashamed for publishing the extremists’ gift shop in the El Paseo Shopping District. How can other city councilors claim that El Paseo is open to all when articles like this send the message that we are not? This is not #UnitePalmDesert.”
The post sparked an outcry from many valley residents, some of whom were dressed in Americana. The council chamber was nearly full Thursday. Mike Morsch, chairman of a Palm Desert Republican club, was joined by Ralph Perry, chairman of a local Democratic group, in protesting the post.
“Together we can agree on many things, but disagree on most policy issues,” Morsch said. “That’s what makes our country great: freedom of speech and freedom of choice. When it comes to the actions of the mayor of Palm Desert, we speak with one voice. … District 1 deserves better.”
Others agreed, saying the mayor has a right to free speech but called the post inappropriate. Local resident John Newcaster noted that “no one is being forced to shop there.”
“If it were a progressive store, even an extreme one, I might not agree with the ideas behind the merchandise, but I would certainly defend its right to exist on El Paseo,” Newcaster said.
Some speakers even went a step further and called for Quintanilla’s resignation. Dan Flores, posing as a police officer, demanded a public apology from the mayor and told her to “resign or you will be recalled.”
“It’s crazy that she’s in her position to think it’s logical to even consider posting such pathetic, inflammatory and offensive language and insulting a good member of the community she supposedly serves,” Flores said.
While the vast majority condemned the post, one person took a slightly different view: she largely agreed with the mayor’s stance, but said she should have published the post on her personal page.
Joy Miedecke, the longtime chairwoman of the GOP group that runs the store, did not comment during public comments, but afterward she told The Desert Sun that she remained “troubled” by the post, noting that the club’s previous headquarters in La Quinta was set on fire in 2020.
“This has been a horrific experience and she’s not going to stop, so she has to go,” Miedecke said. “Someone in our building could be killed or hurt… If she’s re-elected, we’re definitely going to recall her.”
Miedecke added that she did not expect to hear an apology from the mayor. Like all council members, Quintanilla was prohibited by city regulations from responding during the meeting to anyone who spoke during the non-agenda public comment period.
In an interview after the meeting, Quintanilla said the article had been sent by someone to her public account, which is why she shared it from there and not from her personal account, which was a mistake.
“I shared it from (my public account) instead of being careful that it should be done from my personal account,” Quintanilla said. “These are absolutely my views and do not reflect those of the City of Palm Desert.”
The mayor added that she has heard from some local merchants who say the GOP store’s window displays are hurting their businesses. She also pointed to “many international travelers who don’t want to see the GOP’s windows” and think differently than some locals.
“I’m sorry to hear that people felt attacked, but that doesn’t mean that others don’t feel attacked by people when they want to go shopping there (on El Paseo),” Quintanilla said.
When asked if she planned to apologize to Miedecke, Quintanilla said it would depend on a conversation with her.
“I have not met the owner yet. I would be very happy to meet with the owner and have an open dialogue,” Quintanilla said. “I will not make an empty promise and say that I will definitely apologize. It really has to be a matter of dialogue to explain things from a different perspective.”
Tom Coulter covers Palm Desert, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage and Indian Wells. Reach him at [email protected].
