PS City Council meets following charges filed against former mayor

Palm Springs’ city council members gathered at city hall early T hursday morning, as District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced 30 charges against former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and developers, Richard Meaney and John Wessman.

Palm Springs Mayor R obert Moon read aloud a statement in regards to the on-going corruption case, promising transparency and openness .

“Our council is united in our commitment to transparency, cooperation and communication as this process unfolds. We take our responsibility as caretakers of this beautiful and exceptional city very seriously,” read Mayor Robert Moon from a written statement. As far as current development projects, the city says they will look to legal and business experts as they proceed with each property. “There will be a lot of discussion on those projects. We need to get additional information from the legal aspect and business partnerships. They are complex and we will get back to you. Transparency is very important,” said Palm Springs City Manager David Ready. Some people living in Palm Springs say they’re happy with the charges announced. “There were obviously deals going on and once the slow trickle of the bribery charges came along we were expecting more to come out about this, and I’m happy its finally come to this,” said Mark Kendrick, a Palm Springs resident. Many people feel hopeful for the future of the city. “One of the good things is once this is all resolved we can go back to having the great reputation Palm Springs has always had,” said another Palm Springs resident.