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Cathedral City is not the sleepy town it was when incorporated back in 1981. The City’s population has increased from 11,096 back then to today’s 53,402 – an increase of over 480%. That’s a lot of growth! Cathedral City has the second largest population of the eight cities in the Coachella Valley and it is predicted to have the largest population by 2020. – just a dozen years from now.

It’s no wonder. Cathedral City is located in the heart of the Coachella Valley – just minutes from the restaurants and excitement of Palm Springs, world class golfing in Rancho Mirage, and some of the best shopping around in Palm Desert.

Even with all this growth, Cathedral City is still a modest community where everyday people live, work and play. In short, it’s the best of both worlds – convenience and community with all types of wonderful people living here.

With the increase in population, many new businesses have also come to Cathedral City – popular restaurants like Trilussa, Big Mama’s, and soon Picanha; new businesses like the Burlington Coat Factory; popular destinations like Buddy Greco’s Supper Club; family entertainment like BOOMERS and Big League Dream Sports Park; and one of the largest Auto Centers in Southern California. Not to mention the many small businesses that are its backbone.

The City issues more business licenses each year than any other city in the Coachella Valley. There are also tried and true businesses like the House of Lamb and Red Tomato Restaurant, El Gallito Restaurant, and many unique home improvement shops on Perez Road that have been Valley favorites for years.

With the recent annexation of nearly 4,000 acres of land north of I-10, planning is underway for Cathedral City’s “North City” – the City’s last big blank slate for commercial development. There have been ongoing public presentations and discussion as a Specific Plan for the area is being developed, to be sure that the area can be put to the most effective use.

Growth Presents Challenges, Too.
Growth also means new homes requiring additional city services which are always a challenge for a post-Proposition 13 city like Cathedral City. Post-Proposition 13 cities do not share in property tax like California cities incorporated before 1979. Less than $15 a year of the property tax on a typical Cathedral City home ends up in the City’s General Fund.

That means more “rooftops” in Cathedral City bring more demands for City public safety, fire, emergency medical, street repair and other public works services, but don’t create enough income from property tax to pay for these additional services.

More Demand For Fire/Emergency Medicine Service
Just in the past ten years, Cathedral City’s population has grown 36%. Calls to 911 for Fire Department services, the great majority of which are calls for emergency medical services, has increased 68%. Fire Department staffing has only increased 29% to handle this increase in demand.

In 1997 the Fire Department had .68 firefighters per thousand to serve Cathedral City residents. In 2006, the number of firefighters per thousand decreased to .65 per thousand. The City’s General Plan calls for 1.5 firefighters per thousand. The ratio recommended by the International City Manager’s Association is 2 firefighters per thousand. Even to improve Fire Department staffing to 1 firefighter per thousand, a minimal would cost the City an additional $2,850,000 a year.

What Does This Mean To Cathedral City Residents?
Cathedral City’s firefighters do a great job. They are well trained and committed to the highest standard of public service – there just aren’t enough of them!

More demand for emergency medical service without additional staffing to respond to those calls simply means needing to wait longer for a medical aid unit to arrive at your door. For example, if you had a heart attack, every moment you are not treated has an impact on your chances of survival. When you are in an emergency condition – you want and need medical assistance as soon as possible.

What About Police Services?
Just like the Fire Department, the Police department is staffed with dedicated public safety professionals – but again, there just aren’t enough of them.

Response time is also climbing for police services. In 2000 the average 911 response time for Cathedral City police services was 4.2 minutes. With a 33% increase in calls for service between 2000 and 2006, response time has slowed to 6.7 minutes.

On any given shift, there simply aren’t enough police officers to always be able to respond to all the requests for services. In fact, there is a 75% chance that when a 911 call is made that all available police officers have been assigned to another call. Dispatch is always prioritizing which calls are most important to protect life and property. Coming home and finding that a thief has broken in, stolen your personal property and fled may be a high priority to you, but someone being assaulted with a weapon will be a higher priority to available police officers.

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