Concerned Citizens of La Quinta (CCOLQ)

10/18/2025

From Elsie Gunnett on FB La Quinta Politics page:

For your further education, re hotel branding. Here we go again. More shady dealings by this Council. Why are they so hot in pursuit of TBE as the developer of the property at Silverrock? Listening to the testimony in the bankruptcy court this week makes me shake my head at the obvious corruption that is continuing. The City Manager does his "investigative work" on potential developers by "going online"...nothing else...here we go again ala Robert Green.

Some years ago, when it was obvious that the Green deal was failing, I asked then City Manager, Frank Spevacek, if we had current financials on Green....did we know how much he had borrowed on the project. Frank told me that that was "none of our business"....really, Frank, I wrote...we are giving Green our most valuable city asset worth hundreds of millions of dollars and you think his finances are none of our business? He did not answer, so I wrote again, asking the same questions.

In response, I got a letter from City Attorney Ihrke telling me, in essence, to mind my own business or he was going to sue me for harassment. I continued to ask, the continued to ignore my requests for information, and they have not sued me...yet. I wish they would because that would open the door to discovery, which might provide me with the ability to subpoena the information I originally requested and get some answers.

Well, here we go again with TBE, and the City pulling the same crap, by trying to impress and shut down residents requests for more information, by throwing around fancy hotel names, ala Montage, Pendry, and now THE FOUR SEASONS is coming to town.... can't stop myself from laughing.

The property in a hotel branding deal is owned by investors, a development company, or a similar ownership entity, not the brand itself. The hotel brand is a separate company that provides its name, marketing, and operational expertise through a management or licensing agreement in exchange for fees.
Ownership structure
The Owner:
This is the party that buys and owns the physical property (the land and building). Owners can be individual investors, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), private equity firms, or other investment companies.
The Brand:
This is the company that owns the "flag" or brand name (e.g., Hilton, Marriott). The brand does not own the property but licenses its name and system to the owner.
How the relationship works
Management Agreement:
The owner hires the brand (or a third-party management company) to operate the hotel on its behalf. The brand manages day-to-day operations, reservations, and marketing, and is paid a fee.
Franchise Agreement:
The owner operates the hotel itself, but pays the brand for the right to use its name and reservation system. The owner is responsible for daily operations, while the brand provides a license.
In either scenario, the owner retains control of the property itself, but the brand influences its operation to maintain its standards. This separation of ownership and management allows owners to focus on financial growth, while the brand focuses on providing the guest experience and global recognition.
Making Sense of Hotel Real Estate: Who Owns What, and ...
Sep 29, 2025 — When travelers see names like Four Seasons, Hilton, or Hyatt, it feels natural to assume the company owns the property...

Top contributor
Very well explained. Even I can understand it. haha. You should start to write your book on "How to get away with (place your own word here)". Send this to everyone. Robert F. Sylk

09/20/2025

La Quinta Politics
Elsie Gunnett
Well, here we go again...read 'em and weep. The City Council will meet in a secret meeting on September 22 to, once again, give away millions of the residents tax dollars to a proposed new developer at Silverock...along with giving him the entirety of the property, i.e. golf course, clubhouse and remaining acreage....you know, the same deal they gave to Green...and look where we are after that disaster. Well, the Green development deal with the City was entered into over 20 years ago, so I don't think I will be around to see the end of this new mess they are creating.

Take a look at the agenda for the upcoming meeting and do you get a sense of deja vu...I do.

000 CC Agenda Packet 20250922 Sp Mtg WEB 2.pdf
PDF
000 CC Agenda Packet 20250922 Sp Mtg WEB 2.pdf

Robert F. Sylk Comment:
You would think that this time around they would be transparent about it. After all it is not some developer's money it is our money the resident's money. But as John Pena said to Richard Gray and myself at a meeting we had with him and staff in early 2024 "The people don't care about SRR". And he is right. One other thing. Aren't we supposed to have a bidding for the public to enter the process. Or is this another top-secret nobody is allowed to talk about it or they lose their job thing? Lol. Robert F. Sylk

If you want more go to Facebook La Quinta Politics page.

03/15/2025

Apparently, again behind closed doors, Council has agreed to give away the entire SilverRock project, golf course and all. There have been hints of this along the way, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

The deal is supposedly done, but I have not seen any details.
On the agenda for the next Council meeting, there is going to be a discussion about paying about $1 million for golf course turf improvements. Is this contingent on the deal falling apart or just another parting gift and we spend the extra million and then give it all up? Will we have to give our little park back?

More and more it looks to me that we are trying to cover Green and not our own best interests. Show me where I am wrong. Please.

This all is worse than Palm Springs. Why has the DA not gotten involved? Why?

03/07/2025

Well, the City says there is nothing to report on the Green/SRDC bankruptcy? How about an accounting for our "up to $11 million" (MORE) of our tax dollars that the City is donating to Green to pay for his bankruptcy? (yes, I know the City calls it a "loan" but until I see a pay back, I will refer to it as [another] donation to Green). How much of that $11 million have we given up and what is it being used for? Let's see it in black and white just so we can digest the fact that our city attorney Ihrke put us in the position of losing our Silverrock property to Green, and now he is advising our Council to pay for the bankruptcy that resulted from his p**s poor legal representation.
At what point do you think it might occur to this City Council that we need a new set of legal eyes on this mess? This is the problem when everybody is in bed together on these shady deals....nobody is going to get fired like they should be.
And still the question remains: What did Green do with the hundreds of millions he borrowed against our property? Where is that accounting the City asked for back in June of 2024, but they never got an answer from Green, et al...and no follow up from the City...was it just a rhetorical request...cuz they already know the answer?

02/07/2025

Talus name gone for good.

During the Tuesday, February 4, City Council meeting, City Attorney Bill Ihrke and City Manager Jon McMillen provided a brief update on the bankruptcy case filed by SilverRock Development Company and affiliates (collectively, SDC). Since January 6, RD Olson Construction has been cleaning up the site and taking care of any safety concerns. They have just about wrapped up the scope of their work and are finalizing dust control with the last application of green glue going down this week, McMillen said. The Cummings Group is also finishing up their site condition and cost-to-complete reports, which the City expects to have finalized the week of February 17. During a January 23 bankruptcy court hearing, the judge approved the final Debtor in Possession (DIP) Financing agreement of a “priming” loan from the City not to exceed $11 million. As a “priming” loan, the City will have “super priority” and interest for repayment of the loan which is administered through the bankruptcy court-approved Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO), Ihrke said. The CRO acts as an independent fiduciary for the administration of the debtors estate. As previously announced, the debtor – SDC and its affiliates – are no longer managed or controlled by the Robert Green Company but by retired bankruptcy court Judge Christopher Sontchi. On January 24, the City wired $250,000 to the CRO to retain the marketing team of JLL which will market the project going forward, McMillen said. SDC filed for Chapter 11 protection on August 5, 2024, in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware, where SDC was formed. Formerly known as Talus, the development site was returned to its original name of SilverRock in December. To hear all of the report by Ihrke and McMillen, view the Council meeting video at www.laquintaca.gov/pastmeetings. The website, www.laquintaca.gov/taluslq, also provides a timeline of the project from the beginning to now.

In 2002, La Quinta’s Redevelopment Agency (RDA) purchased 525 acres of land tucked against the Santa Rosa Mountains with a vision for a destination resort that would create hundreds of jobs while boosting tourism and generating tax revenues for the City’s general fund.

12/14/2024

This is to all those La Quintans that care about SRR/Talus:

To Linda Gunnett, Carene Hensley, Joe Johnson, Richard Gray, Jane Parson, Paula Maietta, Lynne and Harry Langdon, and myself. The lost $411 Millions belong to us the residents of La Quinta right? So I think we should write a letter to the Bankruptcy Judge stating our deep concerns that this case is not going in the direction we think is best for the City and not for the participants like the Council Members and the Green Companies. We have a right to express our feelings and we are the true life witnesses to this scam from the beginning. So let's get started and we all sign it. The best to begin the letter would be Linda, Carene, and Joe and then we add our 2 cents in and all agree. The Judge should know that we are not a bunch of cattle and we are smart. intelligent, business people and are very upset and angry about this carnival. What do you all say?

Robert Sylk.
[email protected]

10/31/2024

Two (2) letters regarding Robert Sylk in today's paper.

10/02/2024

Can you believe that the City has told me to remove those small USA Flags that the patriotic LQ Taxpayers Alliance Committee have placed on top of my yard signs throughout the city. (See photo). This is not mentioned in the Candidates 3" inch manual and not in the five (5) page Political Sign Application either. I did check and found that in the General regulations for business, R/E signs etc that it is in there but not for the 45 days allowed for Yard Signs. So, if they are after me for this I wonder what is next? They said in writing that it is bringing undo attention to the sign. What? Nothing like changing the rules of the game after the game begins.

09/25/2024

Well folks, one of our main stays after what 30 some years "The Beer Hunter" is closed for good. Yes the one on 111 & Washington. And IHOP closed last week. What is next? I was thinking about all the development going on in Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, North Indio and more and our little La Quinta can't get anything done. Why is that? Do you possibly think it has anything to do with a lack of competence and attention to detail. How can one city alienate over a few years just about every neighborhood in the city with their decisions. Is it one person or is it a team effort? Abbott and Costello for Council and 'Harpo the Clown' for Mayor gets my Vote. How about yours?

09/16/2024

08/27/2024

Huge CCOLQ Meeting Oct 16th 2024 Wednesday 5:30-7:30pm at The La Quinta Hilton Homewood Suites Hotel 45-200 Washington St. one block North of Hwy 111. KesqTV will be there and the Candidates for LQ Quinta Mayor and Council will be there to answer all your questions. If they show up Haha.
Where is the missing $411 Million dollars is one we want to ask. For more go to Facebook - "La Quinta Politics" page. RSVP to Robert Sylk at [email protected] or [email protected] Ads featuring this mtg in The Desert Sun and The LQ GEM Magazine