Do residents see progress after the raids? 'We're banking on it'

When Sam Sharp decided to launch a new business and turn around fully renovated apartments to tenants, he hesitated about locating in Desert Hot Springs.

The 47-year-old Indio native worried about the “boom-and-bust” reputation of the city.

He finally went for it last summer and has since bought eight buildings in Desert Hot Springs. Now, he can't finish the work quickly enough to keep up with the demand.

“We're renting them as fast as we can finish them,” he said.

Sharp credits last year's massive law enforcement sweep, Operation Falling Sun, with giving him the confidence to open a business in the city.

It gave him faith that the city was changing course and had a bright future, he said.

“We're banking on it,” he added. “We see the streets being repaved and (officials) trying to change around the image of the city. I feel a lot of hope for the city.”

In the year since Operation Falling Sun, references to the sweep are frequent at City Council meetings.

It is often a common topic at city gatherings, in restaurants or in neighbors' front yards.

Residents frequently trade opinions about the police action and the way the city has evolved, resident Meilani MacDonald said.

MacDonald, who moved to Desert Hot Springs seven years ago from Los Angeles, said the gunfire she used to hear on a weekly basis has all but disappeared.

“I have noticed a big difference from when I started living here,” she said. “I've seen it. I've felt it. I feel better about it.”

Despite the widespread enthusiasm, some residents remain skeptical.

Alonzo Dunn-Fritzul, 19, who was born and raised in Desert Hot Springs, said the city population is too highly concentrated in one geographic area. That is no good, he added.

He said he plans to graduate from Mayfield College as a computer support technician in about one week and hopes to move out-of-state soon.

He has little faith the city will ever change.

“It's going to be the same. It's been like this all my life, and that's how it's going to be,” he said.

But the city has recorded a surprising amount of progress in the past year, resident Nanci Ellis said.

She said she was confident enough to open Ellis Properties, an apartment broker of sorts, two months ago.

The business links responsible landlords with tenants and monitors property upkeep — a service Desert Hot Springs definitely needs, she said.

The city has about 10,900 housing units. About 55 percent of those are rental properties and the city says it receives regular complaints about heating and cooling, as well as sewage backups.

Ellis, 65, who moved to Desert Hot Springs five years ago, nodded enthusiastically Wednesday during the State of the City address, as Mayor Yvonne Parks recounted the city's accomplishments since the sweep.

Ellis had previously been unaware of just how much progress had been made, she said.

“I'm excited with what Desert Hot Springs is doing,” she said. “It's very uplifting to see what else we're able to do.”