Cathedral City

I discovered La Bella Roma, a family-operated restaurant tucked in a corner of a strip mall off Ramon Road in Cathedral City (near Palm Springs). The correct use of herbs makes it a pleasure to try the spaghetti, mostaccioli, rigatoni or linguine. La Bella Roma, 68-100 Ramon Road, Suite C-2, Cathedral City; (760) 202-8181; entrees from about $10. Sheppa Vanderkleij Indio

Cathedral City Mayor pro tem Charles F. Vasquez was arrested and charged with stealing public funds, allegedly by using a program for computer purchases to buy MasterCard gift cards and other personal items. Vasquez, 52, was charged with three felony counts of misappropriation of public funds in excess of $2,000. The councilman was arrested at his Cathedral City home Monday at about 9 p.m. by investigators with the Riverside County district attorney's office. He was being held at the Indio jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.  Riverside County prosecutors are alleging Vasquez misused city funds provided to city employees and council members so they could purchase desktop computers, laptop computers or tablets.

Every year, my husband and I make the trek from L.A. to Phoenix. It's a long trip, and we're always on the lookout for something to break up the trip. This year we found an absolute gem of a restaurant: Dish Creative Cuisine, in a nondescript strip mall in Cathedral City. Nevertheless, the service is fine dining, with white linen tablecloths and an attentive staff. Amuse-bouche is the star of the show. Throughout our dinner, including appetizers, entrees and desserts, our waiters continually brought these little masterpieces to our table.

Cathedral City Mayor Pro Tem Charles F. Vasquez, who was arrested and charged with stealing public funds, has been released from an Indio jail on $50,000 bail, officials said. The Riverside County district attorney's office alleged he used a program for computer purchases to buy MasterCard gift cards and other personal items. Vasquez, 52, was charged with three felony counts of misappropriation of public funds in excess of $2,000. The councilman was arrested at his Cathedral City home Monday about 9 p.m. by D.A. investigators.

Cathedral City Mayor Pro Tem Charles F. Vasquez, who was arrested and charged with stealing public funds, has been released from an Indio jail on $50,000 bail, officials said. The Riverside County district attorney's office alleged he used a program for computer purchases to buy MasterCard gift cards and other personal items. Vasquez, 52, was charged with three felony counts of misappropriation of public funds in excess of $2,000. The councilman was arrested at his Cathedral City home Monday about 9 p.m. by D.A. investigators.

Cathedral City voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a proposal to legalize card room gambling, spoiling Mayor George Hardie's dream of building a card club and resort on land he owns in the desert community. Hardie, co-owner of a casino in Los Angeles County, attributed the outcome in part to residents' "fear of the unknown" and called it "an unfortunate loss" for the city. "The people have spoken and I accept their decision," the mayor said. "I'm going to go on running the city.

If you build it, they will come--to Cathedral City. At least that's what developers hope will happen when they open replicas of three famous ballparks in that desert community on Jan. 5. Although the 30-acre complex, called Big League Dreams Sports Park, includes soccer fields, a roller-hockey rink and basketball and sand volleyball courts, by far its biggest draw is likely to be scaled-down replicas of Chicago's Wrigley Field, New York's Yankee Stadium and Boston's Fenway Park.

Chris Manderino rushed for 133 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead Newport Harbor to a 35-24 victory over Cathedral City Friday night at Cathedral City. The Sailors (7-2), No. 6 in the Southern Section Division VI rankings, scored 21 consecutive points, turning a 7-6 lead to a 28-6 advantage. Newport Harbor quarterback Morgan Craig threw for 174 yards and a touchdown, completing 15 of 25 passes to help balance Manderino's running.

This great cathedral city, which has entertained or warded off visitors since well before the arrival of Chaucer's lusty band of pilgrims in the 14th Century, crowns the beautiful region and former kingdom of Kent in southern England. Caesar's legions established an encampment here, Viking marauders pillaged the city in the early 11th Century, and in 1066 William the Conqueror came up from Hastings to proclaim Canterbury a bastion of Norman England.

Chris Young scored with two minutes left in overtime to give Cathedral City a 2-1 victory over Sonora in a Division III boys' soccer semifinal Tuesday. The Lions (23-2-2) will face Santa Margarita in the final at Cerritos Gahr this weekend. "That was huge," said Young, a sophomore, of his first varsity goal. "I expected to mostly sit on the bench." Young did not expect to play a lot when he was called up from junior varsity with three games left in the regular season.

Every year, my husband and I make the trek from L.A. to Phoenix. It's a long trip, and we're always on the lookout for something to break up the trip. This year we found an absolute gem of a restaurant: Dish Creative Cuisine, in a nondescript strip mall in Cathedral City. Nevertheless, the service is fine dining, with white linen tablecloths and an attentive staff. Amuse-bouche is the star of the show. Throughout our dinner, including appetizers, entrees and desserts, our waiters continually brought these little masterpieces to our table.

Looking for some incentive to get out to the desert? The Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week announces its sixth annual event, to take place this spring from May 31 to June 16. Its "Eat. See. Stay. " theme features dining and hotel deals through the 17 days. Newcomers to its roster of restaurants and hotels this spring include Dish Creative Cuisine in Cathedral City, Workshop Kitchen & Bar in Palm Springs, Korakia Pensione and Mastro's in Palm Desert, and Cork & Fork in La Quinta.

It's understandable that car insurance rates can change when you move. One neighborhood might have more accidents or burglaries than another. But health insurance? Joan Swope, 62, moved recently from Cathedral City, just down the road from Palm Springs, to nearby Palm Desert. She informed her insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, of the change of address. A few weeks later, Anthem responded with a notice stating that, because of the move, Swope's monthly premium on her individual policy will increase to $524 from $418.

I discovered La Bella Roma, a family-operated restaurant tucked in a corner of a strip mall off Ramon Road in Cathedral City (near Palm Springs). The correct use of herbs makes it a pleasure to try the spaghetti, mostaccioli, rigatoni or linguine. La Bella Roma, 68-100 Ramon Road, Suite C-2, Cathedral City; (760) 202-8181; entrees from about $10. Sheppa Vanderkleij Indio

A sour note Re "Dudamel's great, but he's not the whole show," Opinion, Oct. 12 Thank you Gregory Rodriguez. Before your article, I was a naive, middle-aged white guy who thought Gustavo Dudamel was hired because he is talented, energetic, charismatic and would be great for Los Angeles. In other words, he was hired on his merits. I thought that other cities were trying to hire him -- you know, like I saw on "60 Minutes" and several recent TV specials.

I travel vicariously every Sunday in your section, and July 5's was a pageant of color. The cover and inside images of the Faroe Islands, Lake Casitas and the buffalo roundup in Utah were delightfully bright. It looks as if the latest in color printing technique has reached the Travel section, which is the proper place for top-notch scenics. Thanks. Lou Jacobs Jr. Cathedral City

Santa Margarita, seeded fourth in Division III-AA, made an impression on Cathedral City in a first-round playoff game Friday night, winning, 87-43, in the Eagles' gym. Although Santa Margarita (22-4) completely outmatched Cathedral City (8-15), Eagles Coach Jerry DeBusk found fault with his team's play. "It might seem crazy if you look at the score, but at times tonight I don't think we played well," DeBusk said. "We had four days off, so I didn't know going into this game how we would play.

In 1987, businessman George Hardie decided to build a card parlor on a chunk of land he owns in this desert community next door to Palm Springs. But when Hardie--managing partner of the Bicycle Club casino in Bell Gardens--shared his plans with a few City Council members, he got the cold shoulder. Never one to back down with a whimper, Hardie figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. He bought a condominium in Cathedral City and ran for City Council.

It continues to disappoint that USC, an otherwise excellent institution, so often runs afoul of NCAA rules. We can now add Mayo's payola to his naughty NBA tickets, 2001's tutor-gate, Matt Leinart's apartment and ESPN appearance, Joe McKnight's phone calls, Reggie Bush's house and the 2008 hoopsters' academic progress revelations. Will somebody please wake up Mike Garrett? Price Luber Cathedral City :: USC should pay all its athletes handsomely. Look what they got away with re: Reggie Bush, God love him. By now they should realize that NCAA stands for Never Complete An Investigation.

If he could have, Ming Sun would have joined the Army soon after he graduated from Cathedral City High School in 2004. "He wanted to do something for his country," said his father, David. "He loved the military. He wanted to be a man, you know, like a soldier." But Sun, who came to the United States from China in 1995, wasn't a citizen and lacked a green card -- the proof of legal residency required by the military, his father said.