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Ex-Palm Springs mayor admits accepting bribes from developers
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Steve Pougnet. | Photo courtesy of Grace Home Furnishings/Facebook
offenses were nonviolent and the defendant has no prior convictions, mandatory supervision or probation appeared likely. Diaz set a sentencing hearing for July 2. Pougnet is free on his own recognizance. Jury selection remained on the calendar Thursday in Wessman’s trial. He’s also free on his own recognizance and is charged with nine counts of bribery of a public official and one count
of conspiracy to commit a felony. They were criminally charged, for the first time, in 2017 and later indicted by a grand jury, along with Coachella Valley real estate developer Richard Hugh Meaney, 59. All the felony charges against Meaney were later dismissed. However, he pleaded guilty to a reinstated misdemeanor count of financial conflict in a government contract.
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Homelessness increases in Riverside County; PS reports big drop By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
By City News Service ormer Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting bribes from at least one real estate developer to secure support for projects on the council’s agenda, but the man accused of furnishing the funds maintains his innocence, with testimony likely to begin in his trial before the end of the month. Pretrial proceedings began last week for Pougnet, 62, and John Elroy Wessman, 86, and formal jury selection for their trial was slated to start Thursday at the Banning Justice Center. During a court conference Wednesday involving Pougnet’s attorneys, prosecutors and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz, a pretrial plea agreement was reached, with the terms submitted by the defense directly to the judge. Under the plea, Pougnet admitted nine counts of bribery by a public official, eight counts of illicit financial interest in public contracts and one count of conspiracy, as well as no contest to three perjury counts. Prosecutors objected to the plea because “the defendant took advantage of the public trust,” the District Attorney’s Office said. There was no confirmation of the prospective sentence, though given that the
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Meaney is free and due for sentencing in June. The case, which began as a federal corruption probe until it was turned over to county investigators in 2016, has been plagued by repeated delays, some resulting from ongoing challenges by the defense to the indictment, as well as the COVID lockdowns, Pougnet’s relocation to another state, changes to legal counsel and related complications. A trial judge in December 2020 dismissed all counts against Wessman, characterizing them as baseless, but the charges were reinstated by the Fourth District Court of Appeals in Riverside less than two years later. Pougnet served two terms as mayor, leaving office in 2015. The influence-buying scheme that prosecutors allege the men were involved in allegedly netted Pougnet close to $400,000 between 2012 and 2014, securing his public support for projects brought before the Palm Springs City Council, specifically The Dakota, the Desert Fashion Plaza, The Morrison and Vivante. Payments to Pougnet were drawn directly from accounts maintained by See Bribes Page 28
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omelessness in Riverside County increased 7% in the last two years, while the number of people without shelter totaled a smaller percentage compared with the last point-in-time count, according to data released Thursday. The county’s 2025 survey counted 3,990 individuals experiencing homelessness, according to the Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions. Point-in-time counts take place every two years. The 2023 survey reported 3,725 people without a steady place to live. A wide range of volunteers and officials participated in the county’s 2025 homelessness survey in late January, including members of faith-based organizations and churches, See Homelessness Page 28
San Bernardino County to receive $38.7M for homeless facility By Staff
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an Bernardino County is set to receive a $38.7 million state grant for the Pacific Village Campus project, which expands the county’s residential treatment capacity for people experiencing homelessness. Earlier this month, the county’s Behavioral Health Department received a conditional award letter from the state confirming the full amount officials had requested to fund the project. “This investment is fundamental to fulfilling our mission and underscores our unwavering commitment to providing essential care and support to those who need it most,” Behavioral Health Director Georgina Yoshioka said in a statement. “We are here to serve, and this funding profoundly enhances our capacity to do just that.” The state Department of Health Care Services awarded the grant for the project that includes input from the county Community Development and Housing Department. The Pacific Village Campus aims to provide a one-stop hub See Homeless facility Page 27
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