Palm Springs getting back to business after FBI raid

In the wake of the FBI raid at Palm Springs City Hall, city council members celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony at EIGHT4NINE restaurant on Palm Canyon Wednesday. Mayor Steve Pougnet was scheduled to attend, but didn’t show.

Council member Ginny Foat who’s currently running for mayor said the council still has a city to run.

“This is part of the renaissance of Palm Springs. We are not going to get stopped by this distraction. This is a very serious situation and we’re taking it seriously, but we can’t stop,” said Foat.

As new businesses open doors and construction continues to revitalize downtown, council member Chris Mills said there’s a lot to celebrate.

“We’re all very proud of that. You certainly hate any type of negativity to go in your city. This is certainly negative,” said Mills.

Mills said he had never seen anything like the raid in his 14 year history with the city and hopes he’ll never have to again.

“We will do whatever we need to do to satisfy what the investigation requires, what we’ve been doing for the last several months,” he said.

Foat urged residents to be patient.

“I don’t think this is going to be an issue that is going to get solved quickly,” she said. “We just have to look forward and whatever the investigation brings out we’ll deal with it, but I feel confident that our city and our city staff have been very vigilant in overseeing what’s happening at city hall.”