Overview: Riverside County District Attorney’s office is investigating Palm Springs Councilmember Christy Holstege’s residency in District 4, as she is accused of owning a home in District 3 and not the District 4 residence she claims as her primary residence. Holstege has denied these allegations and the City of Palm Springs is refusing to take action until a decision is made by the California Attorney General regarding the quo warranto application, which was submitted by the DA days ago. Holstege is up against incumbent Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Rancho Mirage) in the District 47 seat in the California State Assembly.
Breanna Reeves
With less than a month until the Nov. 5 election, Palm Springs Councilmember Christy Holstege is still under scrutiny as Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin moves forward with his investigation regarding Holstege’s residence. While Holstege is not seeking another term on the council, she has put her bid in to represent California’s 47th Assembly District as a Democratic candidate.
The inquiry began in August when the DA sent a letter addressed to Palm Springs’ Mayor Pro Tem Ron deHarte, stating the DA’s office received several requests to investigate a potential residency violation by Holstege.
“According to our investigation, we have determined that Ms. Holstege does not own the residence that she publicly claims as her primary residence within District 4. We have also discovered that this District 4 residence has been consistently listed as a rental home on Airbnb.com and rented out since 2022. Our investigation revealed that Ms. Holstege owns a residence located in District 3 within Palm Springs. We have found sufficient credible evidence that Ms. Holstege primarily resides at her home in District 3, instead of the residence located in District 4,” the letter noted.
Holstege has denied these allegations. In a blog post written on Medium titled, “Setting the Record Straight: My Home in District 4,” Holstege confirmed that has been living in her home in District 4 since 2015 and in 2022, she and her husband purchased a home in District 3. Holstege stated that she made her intentions to remain in their District 4 home clear, in order to continue her term on the city council.
According to the post, Holstege learned about the DA’s investigation via social media and without any direct contact or questions from the DA requesting information. Instead, they sent an official letter.
“So why am I being targeted with these accusations now, after nearly a decade of serving the residents of District 4? It appears to be a politically motivated attack designed to distract us from the real issues facing Palm Springs and Assembly District 47. But I won’t be distracted. I’ve worked too hard for this city to let political games overshadow the work we still need to do,” Holstege wrote.
Under Palm Springs municipal code, when a council member no longer lives in the district they represent, the council member must vacate their seat on the city council. This creates a vacancy for that council district unless a substitute residence within the district is immediately declared and established within 30 days after the termination of residency.
In the letter, the DA also formally demanded that the Palm Springs City Council correct Holstege’s alleged vacancy for the District 4 seat and correct any “illegal action taken” during the time of the alleged vacancy, which may be traced back to 2022, when she purchased a home in another district. If Holstege is found in violation, votes she made on council business during this period could become void.
On Oct. 4, the City of Palm Springs published a statement, acknowledging the recent quo warranto application filed by the DA on Oct. 2 which seeks the California Attorney General’s approval to pursue legal action regarding Holstege’s residency and to determine if she has the legal right to hold a public office.
“Over the past month, the City has requested evidence from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office to understand the basis of these claims. Despite repeated requests, the DA’s Office did not provide the requested evidence and instead asked the City to conduct its own investigation. The City determined that conducting a separate, duplicative investigation was not appropriate, given that the DA’s Office had already completed its own inquiry,” the statement read.
Black Voice News submitted a public records act request in September also requesting a copy of the DA’s investigation and complaints received by the district attorney’s office regarding Holstege’s residency. The DA denied this request claiming an “exemption from public disclosure.”
“This exemption applies to District Attorney case files and continues to apply even if the investigation is
closed and even if the documents were disclosed pursuant to criminal discovery obligations or presented as exhibits in court,” the DA’s response noted. The denial was approved by Deputy District Attorney Laura Watts.
Palm Springs is refusing to take action until a decision is made by the California Attorney General regarding the quo warranto application.
Holstege is running against incumbent Assemblymember Greg Wallis (R-Rancho Mirage), who she lost the District 47 seat to back in 2022.