Desert Hot Springs LGBTQ+ Should Run for a Seat on the Desert Hot Springs City Council, District 4. Start Planning NOW!

Thankfully, we have LGBTQ representation throughout our City Government. There are LGBTQ City employees at all levels, including in senior roles. We have one LGBTQ member of our City Council (we used to have two). We have one LGBTQ member on the Planning Commission, one on the Public Safety Commission, and we have at least one LGBTQ Director on the Mission Springs Water District. But we need to do better. Much better, given the size of our population here in DHS.  We need at least two members of the LGBTQ community to serve on the Desert Hot Springs City Council. It isn’t that difficult to win here, and there are more than enough LGBTQ voters in DHS to decide elections, if they all vote and if you put effort into your campaign. 

Members of the Desert Hot Springs LGBTQ community should seriously consider running for as many elected and appointed positions as possible.  That includes our City Council and Mayor races, appointments to the Planning Commission and the Public Safety Commission, and appointments to the numerous committees that are formed throughout the year.  Vacancies come up throughout the year, so keep your eyes on the City website where you can see Commission vacancy announcements. 

Desert Hot Springs District 4’s Council seat is vacant which means that  District 4’s residents are not represented by a City Council Member.  The City of Desert Hot Springs will fill this position electing a new Council Member in November of 2024.  

Here’s a link to a map of the City’s Districts:

Desert Hot Springs has four “Districts”, each with a City Council Member representing them. Each district has roughly the same number of residents. Two districts (1 & 3) have Council Members who are in seats that expire in 2026, and two districts (2 & 4) have Council Members who are in seats that expire in 2024, although the district 4 seat is currently vacant and will remain vacant until the next election in 2024. The Mayor’s position can be filled city-wide. Someone running for Mayor can live in any of the four districts.  You must live in the District with the open Council seat that you are running for.  If you are running for the District 4 Council seat, you must live in District 4.  

Qualifications for Office

A person who holds office as Council Member or Mayor must be at the time of assuming such office an elector of the City of Desert Hot Springs (City), and must have been a registered voter of the City at the time nomination papers were issued. (CA Government Code §§ 34882, 34904, 36502).

Additionally, City Council Member candidate(s) must reside in the jurisdictional boundaries of their respective district for no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to filing nomination papers, and for the duration of their term. Proof of residency in document form must be provided to the City Clerk upon filing nomination papers. (Ordinance 760)

What else?  Attend City Council meetings. Become known in the community. Get your name, skills and reputation out there. Be visible and be heard.  Attend LGBTQ events in DHS.  Join local service organizations that do good things for DHS. There are members of the Desert Hot Springs LGBTQ community who will help you run for office. Don’t worry, we will find you. We want to see you win, because a win for you is potentially a win for us.  And in today’s national political climate, we need all the wins we can get.