Tensions rise in Coachella as city explores cutting Sheriff’s Department contract
The debate in Coachella is intensifying over whether the city will cut ties with the Riverside County Sheriff's Department (RSO). For years, city leaders have considered establishing their own police force, a move that has ignited passionate debates within the community.
The latest frustrations stem from Sheriff Chad Bianco's decision to join a coalition spearheaded by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, which aims to combat what they label the "Biden border crisis." Bianco's participation has ignited concerns among Coachella's leadership, including Mayor Pro Tem Neftali Galarza.
"The fact that our county sheriff has joined DeSantis' anti-immigrant coalition is also very worrisome to me because the idea that they're now an agency that aligns themselves with the ideology of a DeSantis," Galarza said during a recent city council meeting.
Galarza's remarks came in response to a Sheriff's Department proposal to install dozens of license plate reading cameras on Coachella streets. The move was ultimately shot down by the city council, making Coachella the only city in the valley without the cameras.
"To me, that's also very worrisome that in a community where we are a sanctuary city, that there has been a history of these cameras being used to share with other state agencies," Galarza said, raising concerns about RSO's potential cooperation with entities like Border Patrol or ICE.
This is not the first time Coachella's relationship with the Sheriff's Department has come under scrutiny. In 2020, Mayor Steven Hernandez raised the idea of terminating Coachella's contract with RSO. At that time, Hernandez cited rising costs and the need for more community dialogue.
"At this point, we don't believe that the Sheriff's Department is doing its job," Hernandez said in June 2020.
The mayor confirmed Wednesday to News Channel 3 that the city will establish a citizens' committee to gather feedback and insights as part of the decision-making process about potentially creating an independent city police department. He expects that process to begin in the next couple of months.
"We're just saying that this is how we want to have our community respected. And this is how we want to govern your community, just like the sheriff can govern the way he feels that he needs to," Hernandez said.
The formation of Coachella's own police department was previously estimated to cost around $15 million. However, Mayor Hernandez indicated that this number may have risen since then. Currently, the city pays between $13 and $14 million annually to the RSO for its services, which includes deploying three deputies within the city at any given time.
