30400 Landau Blvd. Cathedral City, CA 92234
Office 760-324-2275 l Fax 760-321-4813
coachellavalley.salvationarmy.org
MUSIC PROGRAMS
The Salvation Army Dick & Beverly Davis Corps Community Center
Choir practice at Davis Center
Children’s choir performance at Davis Center
Youth from the Davis Center – two of the award recipients at The Salvation Army’s ENCORE! Territorial Music and Arts Celebration, held on June 15, 2024, at the Pasadena Convention Center.
ENCORE! features the creative achievements of 500 youth from across The Salvation Army’s USA Western Territory.
30400 Landau Blvd. Cathedral City, CA 92234
Office 760-324-2275 l Fax 760-321-4813
coachellavalley.salvationarmy.org
Summer Music Camp at Pine Summit in Big Bear Lake
Music Camp Participants (including Davis Center youth)
Music Camp Staff
Brass Class at Davis Center
30400 Landau Blvd. Cathedral City, CA 92234
Office 760-324-2275 l Fax 760-321-4813
coachellavalley.salvationarmy.org
Percussion and Guitar Classes at the Davis Center
I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the Salvation Army in acquiring the Community Arts Grant. As a lifelong resident of the Coachella valley with roots in Cathedral City, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of arts and music in our community.
As a musician with over 20 years of experience, I have had the privilege of sharing my passion with countless individuals of all ages. I have seen the positive impact that music can have on self-expression, mental health, and overall well-being.
In addition to my musical pursuits, I have dedicated my career to teaching and advocating for the arts and music. I have worked in schools, recreation programs, summer camps and in the private sector to foster a love of creativity and provide opportunities for students to develop their artistic talents.
As a current employee of the Salvation Army, I believe this grant aligns perfectly with the needs of our community and the mission of The Salvation Army. By developing an after- school music and arts program we can give children an opportunity to have a creative outlet, whether it be putting a guitar or trumpet in their hands or a paint brush.
I am confident that The Salvation Army has the expertise and dedication to make this project a success. I wholeheartedly support their efforts and urge you to consider funding this important initiative.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Michael Aaronson
Community Outreach /After-School Program Director
The Salvation Army Dick & Beverly Davis Corps Community Center 30400 Landau Bl. Cathedral City, CA 92234
Office 760-324-2275 l Fax 760-321-4813
coachellavalley.salvationarmy.org
Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.B
Meeting Date: October 9, 2024
From: Ryan Hunt, Communications & Events Manager
Title: Social Media Strategic Plan Update
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is presented for information, discussion, and direction only.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Cathedral City recently participated in a short-term, two-week engagement in July 2024 with CiviSocial, a new firm focused on helping local government Public Information Officers (PIOs) and communication shops with developing a strategic plan for social media engagement.
CiviSocial was founded by Sam Toles, the former Chief Content Officer of Bleacher Report / House of Highlights, General Manager of Vimeo, Head of Digital for MGM Studios and most recently launched a new channel with some of YouTube superstar Mr. Beast’s team. He’s an accomplished storyteller, and his focus in this engagement was to help the City of Cathedral City better tell our story on social media and refocus internal staff resources to provide more content, increased engagement, and greater efficiency.
DISCUSSION:
With limited staff resources and only one full-time PIO, the program has helped the Communications & Events Department build a team of social media ambassadors across multiple departments to provide greater content and increase the types of stories we’re able to tell. This strategic plan will allow staff (particularly Communications) to better inform residents about the exciting things happening in Cathedral City and the high-quality services we’re providing. Using this team, the strategic plan also outlines a posting frequency schedule on the City’s Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor and the City’s newly created TikTok account. CiviSocial also helped provide suggestions for editing tools/software to make the process of distributing and publishing video content more efficient and more focused on impactful storytelling.
The city had more than 20 participants attend the CiviSocial story workshops:
• The staff were highly engaged and developed dozens of relevant social stories • This will form the foundation of content to kick-off our new strategy • The participants encompassed all relevant departments The City and CiviSocial also held a special workshop for resident advocates:
• They were highly engaged and committed to create content on the city’s behalf FISCAL IMPACT:
The two-week engagement in July 2024 with CiviSocial was $20,000, which was paid out of the Communications & Events Department’s general marketing budget.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal F-4: Develop and implement a plan to improve and diversify methods to communicate with residents
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9 Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 5.C
Meeting Date: October 9, 2024
From: Andrew Firestine, AICP, Director of Community and Economic Development
Title: Sphere of Influence Fiscal Impact Analysis Update RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for information and discussion only, no formal action will be taken.
BACKGROUND:
On April 10, 2024, the City Council received a staff report and presentation on an updated fiscal impact analysis for the City’s sphere of influence. The analysis examined anticipated annual costs needed to serve the future annexation area at the four phases of development and projected annual revenues together with one-time revenue sources and significant one- time costs associated with public safety facilities and roadway improvements to bring currently substandard streets to City standards for two annexation scenarios. The City Council requested an update in October 2024.
DISCUSSION:
Since the April 2024 presentation to City Council, infrastructure deficiencies in the sphere of influence have become clearer, notably with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) and the availability of electrical service. IID serves areas in the City’s sphere of influence east of Bob Hope Drive. IID has expressed to prospective developers in its service area, including those in unincorporated Riverside County and in the cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, that it will not issue will-serve letters for new projects without the construction of new electrical substations to add new capacity to the service area. Individual projects are being conditioned to implement these substations at an average cost of $20 to $30 million. Clearly, individual projects cannot sustain these costs.
The cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert and Riverside County are working in partnership with IID and five other entities to bring a 100MVA substation to Thousand Palms that would serve the area, including IID service areas within Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. Both the cities of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert are financially contributing to the project at a rate of over $5 million per city. Agreements are currently being executed, including the payment of deposits, that would allow IID to order the long lead items needed 5 4
9 for the project. It is currently estimated that the substation is 24 to 30 months out from the date that the multi-party agreement is executed.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact to the City of Cathedral City. Staff will continue to monitor the availability of electrical service in the City’s sphere of influence and projects in the Thousand Palms area.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal C: Fiscal Stability and Sustainability Action C-10: Update the Thousand Palms Fiscal Analysis
ATTACHMENTS:
None