Former Palm Springs councilman joins District 4 race against Christy Holstege

Former Palm Springs City Councilman, Michael McCulloch, is in the running for the seat that is up for election in District 4. He joined the race this past week and is now slated to compete with Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege, who is vying to get re-elected.

McCulloch served as a councilman from 2003 to 2007. He spoke with News Channel 3 on Friday about some of the reasons he is running.

"I would say number one would be safety and security. I support our police," McCulloch said.

The stance was drawn up largely after his competitor vocalized her acknowledgement of what she called, "a long history of racial segregation and exclusion, racial violence, racist city policies and policing, and injustice and disparities in our community that exist today."

Holstege wrote a letter on June 8 supporting a proposal by Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez to review the Riverside County Sheriff Department. It was made as protesters throughout the nation called for police reform following the death of George Floyd.

"I made a general statement about the history of racism throughout the city and in every city department, which is very important to talk about," Holstege said.

The letter sparked a heated debate between Holstege and the Palm Springs Police Association.

"The union said that they don’t believe racism is an issue that they need to address, which I don’t think our residents agree with as best city policies," said Holstege.

McCulloch went onto say he believed the city council woman divided the city rather than uniting it.

"I have to tell you there is not any racism in the Palm Springs Police Department and I can tell you that Chief Reyes, Bryan Reyes, if there was a racist or there was racism in the department, he would stamp it out. I support our police 100 percent," McCulloch said.

"It seems like he’s running as a special interest for the police. I expect the police union will support him. I’ve been a supporter of our police department. My track record shows that," Holstege said.

Both candidates have began planning to obtain 80 signatures within their districts by August 7. Holstege will hold a drive-thru campaign kick-off event on Saturday from 8-10 a.m. at Santa Ynez Way and Farrell Drive.

McCulloch said he is currently planning to call supporters and plans on organizing a place where they can provide him with signatures. He will update supporters through social media.

Meanwhile, both candidates have different opinions when it comes to the multimillion dollar budget deficit the city is facing.

When asked whether McCulloch believes the deficit is due to coronavirus, he stated:

"No, the coronavirus-- it has been a problem, but the city has been spending... the city hasn't really been saving" he said.

McCulloch is a certified public accountant. He believes the city mismanaged funds even before coronavirus. He said they did not save enough money, and kept spending on projects that were unnecessary.

Holstege, on the other hand, believes the deficit is largely due to coronavirus

"Based on all the information about the revenue deficit that we’re facing because we’re not getting the TOT tax from vacation rentals, hotels, and we’re not getting off our sales tax. So the city actually has been working to squirrel away over 40 million dollars in reserves to save for a rainy day," Holstege said.

The District 5 seat is also up for election. Council member Lisa Middleton is running to be re-elected, and has no challengers.