El Paseo Board Trims Marketing to Fund $1,500 Holiday Mounted Patrols
El Paseo Parking and Business Improvement District Board • Palm DesertOctober 15, 2026
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The El Paseo Parking and Business Improvement District Board voted 4-0 on Oct. 15 to bring a volunteer mounted posse to the street for two holiday-season weekends. The board paid for it by moving $1,500 out of social media and digital ad lines, not with new money. Deputies also previewed a holiday theft crackdown and new jewelry-fraud expertise, and city staff said the district's marketing agency contract will go out to bid in January.
- Mounted posse funded 4-0: $1,500 shifted from Facebook boosts and digital campaigns.
- Theft Suppression Program puts more visible deputies on El Paseo from Black Friday to Christmas Eve.
- Jewelers warned about fake paperwork accompanying simulants and lab-grown stones.
- FG Creative contract in final year; RFP for a marketing agency starts in January.
- $2,000 moved within marketing to cover audiovisual costs for the merchant meeting.
Horses on El Paseo, Paid for by Marketing
The basics: The San Gorgonio Pass Mounted Posse is a volunteer mounted unit. The board followed up on an idea raised at its prior meeting to bring the posse to El Paseo during the holidays.
Where things stand: Stephanie, who presented the item, said the group does not have unlimited resources and can commit only to the two weekends it has worked in the past. The first falls around Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and the second around Dec. 18. The posse would patrol more of the street, with limited assistance from the district.
"The nominal donation to the group is $1,500," said Stephanie.
The district has no unallocated line item to cover it. Stephanie recommended pulling about $900 from boosted Facebook posts and about $600 from digital online campaigns. Media buys were off the table because they are already contracted.
Why it matters: The district added visible holiday-season security without new revenue. The trade-off is a modest cut to paid social and digital promotion during the same holiday window the district is trying to market.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Board Member Klein moved "to support and approve the transfer of funds within the budget to allow us to have the San Gorgonio Pass Mounted Posse." Vice Chair Rafferty seconded.
The motion passed by roll call. For: 4 (Klein, Rafferty, Smith, Elliott). Against: 0. Absent: 1 (Chair Mahasti Aslami, excused).
Merchants and holiday shoppers gain a visible patrol presence on two high-traffic weekends. The district's online advertising gives up roughly $1,500 in reach.
What's next: Stephanie said she will handle arrangements with the posse and market the patrols.
Deputies Gear Up for Holiday Theft and Jewelry Fraud
Why it matters: El Paseo's jewelry stores and holiday crowds make the district a target for fraud and retail theft. The Sheriff's Department Business District Team is adding both specialized training and extra patrols.
Where things stand: Sgt. Steven Nelson of the Sheriff's Department Business District Team said his team completed a weeklong gemology training in Carlsbad. He described it as a compressed version of a 28-week certification.
The training targets a specific scheme. Stones are being passed off with paperwork that mimics legitimate documentation, and Nelson urged jewelers to verify that documentation carefully.
"There's a lot of fraud going on with the simulants and the lab-grown," said Sgt. Nelson.
He plans to distribute flyers and may do door-to-door outreach to jewelers.
The holiday push: Nelson said the department's Theft Suppression Program will bring more visible patrols to the district.
"We kick it off Black Friday to Christmas Eve," said Sgt. Nelson.
Deputies will also help with traffic and security at the Oct. 25 golf cart parade. They will bring a bloodhound and the Sheriff's Volunteer Mounted Posse.
"We're bringing our Sheriff's Volunteer Mounted Posse, so we will have the horses in the parade," said Sgt. Nelson.
An open question: Board Member Klein raised a report she had received about anti-Apple protests tied to an Oct. 23 product launch.
"We received a national bulletin yesterday about a movement nationwide that's anti-Apple protesting," said Board Member Klein.
"That's the first I'm hearing about it," replied Sgt. Nelson. He said he would check with the department's crime analyst.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: This was an informational report, and the board took no vote. Jewelers are the most directly affected. They are being asked to tighten their verification practices as the busiest selling season approaches.
What's next: Nelson announced a Tip-a-Cop fundraiser for Special Olympics on Friday, Oct. 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at California Pizza Kitchen on El Paseo.
Marketing Dollars on the Move as Agency Contract Nears End
Where things stand: Stephanie introduced a new three-page snapshot format for the monthly marketing report. She said billboards now promote morning, afternoon and evening "day partying" on El Paseo. They also promote major events, including Pinto Paseo Pink, the farmers market and the golf cart parade, and Christmas event boards are coming.
She reported strong social media results for September and October and credited the social media team. Klein asked for the parade billboard graphic, and staff said it had just been finalized and would be sent to her. Stephanie noted the media buy was only just starting and said next month's report will include a full recap.
How the money moves: Stephanie explained that money can be shifted within a single line item without a board motion. She used that authority to fund the large merchant relations meeting, pulling the money from mixers scheduled later in the year.
"So we reallocated $2,000 into this meeting to offset AV," said Stephanie.
Why it matters: Two reallocations in one meeting, the $2,000 for audiovisual costs and the $1,500 for the posse, show how tight the district's discretionary marketing budget is. Some changes require a board vote. Others happen at the staff level within a line item.
The contract clock: A city staff member said this is the last year of the FG Creative contract. An RFP, or request for proposals, will start in January. Staff said the goal is to settle on an agency before Fashion Week so the district can plan its budget and media strategy together.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The board took no action. Marketing agencies interested in the district's business should watch for the January solicitation. The outcome will shape how El Paseo is promoted in the next contract cycle.
- Consent calendar approved 4-0: Board cleared the Sept. 17 minutes and the July and August financial statements in a single roll-call vote (For: 4, Against: 0, Absent: 1).
- $450,000 Fashion Week sponsorship: The council liaison said the City Council approved the sponsorship and added Design Week this year, and questioned El Paseo's capacity for a busy spring.
- Phone scam alert: A business off El Paseo lost money to a caller posing as a city or fire inspector; staff advise merchants to hang up and call city staff.
- El Paseo art changeout: Erica Jimenez of Public Art said work starts Monday, Oct. 19, running 8 to 11 a.m., Monday through Thursday. Overnight work is planned the weeks of Oct. 26 and Nov. 9. Separately, staff said overnight ramp and concrete work at Presence Plaza 3 runs 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- Golf cart parade Oct. 25: Alyssa Williams, CEO, Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce, said Anthony Anderson is grand marshal. Barricades go up around 5 a.m., with a goal of reopening streets by 3 p.m.
Looking ahead: The board's next meeting is Nov. 19, 2026. Chair Aslami was absent from this meeting, and no board member requested new agenda items.