On Wednesday, May 15th, the annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast occurred at the Palm Springs Convention Center among 1,200 attendees. The breakfast honors and recognizes those who are contributing to the betterment of the LGBTQ community in the spirit of the late San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and first openly gay elected official in California.
The City of Cathedral City was well represented with the attendance of Councilmembers Raymond Gregory and Ernesto Gutierrez as well as City Manager Charlie McClendon, City Engineer John Corella, Acting Police Chief Tony Yoakum, Fire Chief Paul Wilson, Accounting Manager Kevin Biersack, Engineer Paul Managaudis, Assistant to the City Manager and Council Josie Meza, Public Arts Commissioner Alan Carvalho, Airport Commissioner Richard Altman, and Communications / Events Manager Chris Parman. Mayor Mark Carnevale and Mayor Pro Tem John Aguilar were planning to attend but had last minute scheduling conflicts that prevented their attendance.
Additionally, several Cathedral City individuals were recognized for their achievements. They included Cathedral City High School student Daniel Alvarado who received the Harvey B. Milk Outstanding Youth and Anthony Zarate Memorial Scholarship. He will be attending the University of California San Barbara this fall as a first-generation college student in his family.
James Workman Middle School of Cathedral City received the Harvey B. Milk Outstanding GSA (Gay – Straight Alliance) Award. The students were honored for creating an inclusive environment and support for the LGBTQ students.
Finally, the event organizers and the large crowd gave a very long appreciation applause in remembering the late Cathedral City Mayor Gregory S. Pettis who passed away on January 15, 2019. Mayor Pettis devoted most of his adult life fighting for equality and advocating for LGBTQ legislation. His legacy is enshrined with two City monuments as Cathedral City named the Rainbow Crossing and the Fountain of Life after him.
