Grace Garner

As a Palm Springs City Council member, Grace Garner guides policy on housing, sustainability, and neighborhood livability in the destination where she was raised. “We try to do our best to make sure that we’re making smart decisions for the future of  the city and implementing things that work for everyone,” she says.

Twice elected and the first Latina to serve on the council, Garner says meeting new people is one of  her favorite parts of  the job. “I love that there’s all of  these different types of people in this small area,” she says. “There’s a lot of opportunity to make positive changes because it’s not a huge city, so we really can work together and improve people’s lives.”

Her recent initiatives include improving services for the unhoused by pushing  for stronger staffing and training at city facilities. She also supported a  $1 million budget allocation for workforce development and has prioritized hiring locals for city positions, launching a program to expose high school students to opportunities with city departments. In doing so, she offers the next generation the kind of access and encouragement she once sought as a young  girl interested in public service.

Asked what advice she’d give her younger self, Garner doesn’t hesitate: “Trust your gut. Always.”