Anyone who has lived in the Coachella Valley knows, there are too many freakin’ cities for a community this small. While two or maybe even three city governments would make sense for an area and population this size, instead we have *checks notes* 532 cities. Okay, maybe not that many, but it sure feels like it and having nine cities is just ridiculous, especially during times like the COVID-19 pandemic.
While some cities have been quick to clamp down and quick to distribute information over the last few weeks, others have been slower to act and, well, let’s just say it’s been a chore to figure out just what in the hell they are doing. While some cities took quick action to protect their citizens, others were delayed as city leaders worried more about “legislating good behavior.” And that ends up being a huge problem, as so many of us live in one city and work in one or maybe multiple others – plus, I don’t have to remind you that there’s a deadly virus spreading around and it’s not waiting for all the mayors to get on the same page.
In normal times, having so many cities leads to the type of insanity that is one town freaking out over a drive-thru burger joints while other cities are just trying to figure out how to pay for essential services for their citizens. Some cities build up huge reserves, while others just scrape by. And, don’t even get me started on how stupid everything has been with the CV Link over the last few years.
Now I know, retracting cities would mean less people would get a chance to have a title, attend long-ass city meetings, and cut ribbons and all that, but it would also mean less of a chance of cities drawing up ridiculous districts and might end up actually leading to a better representation of the community as a whole and maybe, just maybe, even lead to some leadership that tries to bring better jobs and opportunities everyone in the desert and not just a few.
Sure, combining cities for the betterment of the Coachella Valley as a whole has about as much of a chance of happening as me getting drafted next year by the Lakers, but we all can dream, can’t we? And right now, under quarantine, dreaming is really one of the only things you can still do.
