BY PAULO MURILLO
PALM SPRINGS
RON DEHARTE SWORN IN AS FIRST OPENLY GAY MEXICAN AMERICAN MAYOR
Ron deHarte, a longtime public servant and advocate for diversity, was sworn in last month as the 25th mayor of Palm Springs during a City Council meeting. He made history as the city’s first openly gay Mexican American mayor. In addition to his new role, he serves as CEO of Greater Palm Springs Pride, a nonprofit organization championing LGBTQ+ causes.
His appointment comes amid a national debate over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Dismantle DEI Act of 2024, a proposed federal measure, seeks to eliminate funding for DEI programs across government agencies and federal contractors.
SAN DIEGO
MORE ARRESTS IN HILLCREST GEL PELLET GUN ATTACKS
The San Diego Police Department arrested three additional suspects in connection with a series of gel pellet gun attacks in Hillcrest, which authorities are investigating as potential hate crimes. The attacks, reported over the summer along University Avenue, left several victims injured. The suspects, identified as Anthony Lopez-Quiniones, Arturo Herrera-Sustaita, and Angelo Nathaniel Aron, all 19, face multiple hate crime-related charges. Police credited automated license plate readers with helping to identify the trio.
ORANGE COUNTY
OC MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE FOR HATE CRIME MURDER
Orange County man, Sam Woodward, was convicted of murdering gay former classmate Blaze Bernstein more than six years ago, and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors said Woodward was motivated by hate when he stabbed Bernstein more than two dozen times before burying his body in a shallow grave at Borrego Park in Lake Forest in 2018. Bernstein, 19, was reported missing after meeting Woodward, a former high school classmate, on the night of the attack. Prosecutors highlighted Woodward’s neo-Nazi beliefs as the motive, while the defense claimed the killing stemmed from a moment of rage over conflicted feelings about his own sexuality. The murder investigation that drew national attention to the crime as a hate-driven act of violence.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
WEHO MAYOR JOHN M. ERICKSON AND COUNCILMEMBER DANNY HANG SWORN IN TO CITY COUNCIL
West Hollywood Mayor John M. Erickson and newly elected Councilmember Danny Hang were sworn in for a new term on the West Hollywood City Council on last month during a regular council meeting. John M. Erickson, who serves as the City’s current Mayor, was first elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 3, 2020 with the commitment to uphold the city’s founding vision for a forward-thinking, diverse, and tolerant community. Danny Hang was elected to the West Hollywood City Council on November 5, 2024. His legislative priorities include getting unhoused neighbors off the streets and into housing with supportive services; building more affordable housing while protecting and expanding renters’ rights.
LOS ANGELES
FORMER LAPD OFFICER ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT WITH A FIREARM
Mitch Grobeson, the first openly gay officer in the Los Angeles Police Department, was arrested in West Hollywood on December 8, 2024, and charged with assault with a deadly weapon involving a firearm. Deputies responded to a domestic abuse call, and Grobeson was booked at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station with bail set at $30,000.
Grobeson has a history of legal battles and controversies. He famously sued the LAPD in 1988 for discrimination against gay officers, leading to a landmark settlement in 1993 requiring the department to end such practices. A subsequent lawsuit in 1996 alleged retaliation and a hostile work environment, culminating in a settlement in 2013.
This is not Grobeson’s first arrest. In 2016, he was arrested following a domestic abuse incident and a standoff with law enforcement. He later pled no contest to charges of assault and resisting deputies in 2018, receiving probation and mandatory mental health counseling.
Details surrounding his latest arrest remain unclear.
