Riverside County Supervisors approve five-year public safety agreements, new short term rental regulations

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved two five-year agreements involving the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, continuing law enforcement services in Rancho Mirage and public safety training at College of the Desert.

The board voted 5-0 without comment on both agreements.

The first agreement, worth approximately $86 million, extends the Sheriff's Department's contract to provide all municipal law enforcement services in Rancho Mirage from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031.

The city has relied on the Sheriff's Department for law enforcement services for decades. The agreement requires Rancho Mirage to cover all costs associated with the service, with no county General Fund obligation.

Sheriff's personnel will handle traffic enforcement, criminal investigations and enforcement of state, county and municipal laws. Staffing will include the equivalent of 16 deputies at all times, along with supervisors, motorcycle deputies and community service officers.

The board also approved a five-year agreement allowing the Sheriff's Department to continue staffing College of the Desert's Public Safety Academy through June 30, 2031.

The academy prepares students for careers in law enforcement and also offers firefighter and emergency medical technician training. Sheriff's instructors provide state-certified courses at several Coachella Valley locations.

The Sheriff's Department estimates its costs for the five-year academy agreement at approximately $236,000. College of the Desert will provide facilities and handle student admissions, while the department will cover academy operating expenses.

The academy has been offered at College of the Desert since 2001.

The Board also today formally adopted a series of adjustments to the Riverside County ordinance regulating short-term rentals in unincorporated communities, though before voting, the board heard
appeals from speakers seeking an outright ban on rentals in residential areas.

In July, the board tentatively signed off on amendments sought by the Transportation & Land Management Agency to Ordinance No. 927. However, the matter came back for a second reading and adoption Tuesday, following the board's summer recess.

The board revised the numbers to three citations leading to suspension, and five citations triggering revocation proceedings. The supervisors also directed the TLMA to model the publicly accessible electronic complaint platform to match what San Bernardino County has, enabling people to view locations of STR complaints and read what, if any, actions have been taken by officers.

At the board's direction, two Department of Code Enforcement representatives will be on duty at the agency's Palm Desert and San Jacinto offices from 7 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Sunday, when complaint volume ishighest. Previously, officers were off the clock by 10 p.m.

Another change eliminated the current ``60-minute self-correction window'' that previously permitted STR owners to address complaints themselves within an hour. Instead, the TLMA now will have enforcement officers go directly to locations where complaints have been lodged and attempt ``knock and talk'' tactics that immediately make parties aware of noise, obstruction and related problems.