Rancho Mirage's Spotty Cell Service Isn't an Accident. A New Tower Rule Just Took Effect.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"It's not a matter of convenience at this point in time. It's a matter of necessity." Mayor Lynn Mallotto said that at the July 16 City Council meeting. She lives in the Del Webb neighborhood on the city's north end, and she told the council she has to step out onto her patio to get a good signal. She also said several Del Webb residents had been unable to get a 911 call through.
That is an unusual thing to hear about one of the most expensive cities in the Coachella Valley. The cause is the same set of features that draws buyers to Rancho Mirage. On September 3, the city adopted a rule meant to fix it, and the rule changes where new towers can go and how they get approved.
In its June 2026 staff report, Rancho Mirage's planning staff said that the city's "breathtaking mountain views" and quality of life "create significant challenges for wireless cellular coverage." According to the report, 47% of the city is designated open space, and the Mountain Reserve category makes up 32% of that open space. Less than 18 of the city's 25 square miles can be built on, and most of that buildable land is already residential communities.
Each of those traits works against cell service. Low population density gives carriers fewer customers per tower, so they have less reason to build. Rancho Mirage has few tall buildings to mount antennas on. The mountains block signals.
The residential communities have also kept towers out. Staff counted 59 cellular facility applications in the city's history, including ones that were never built or have expired. Only two were in residential zones, and one more was proposed for a golf area inside a residential community. The report says plainly that this "creates large gaps in coverage."
The city's Wireless Master Plan was based on field tests across Rancho Mirage. It found that AT&T covers the city better than Verizon or T-Mobile, but all three carriers have areas with insufficient coverage. City staff say each carrier should have at least a dozen traditional cell sites for adequate coverage. Each currently has four to six.
Many buyers come to Rancho Mirage for privacy, low density, and an unbroken view of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Those same features have left the city with roughly half the cell sites per carrier that its own staff say it needs.
The plan the council took up in July shows how closely the proposed tower sites sit to homes. Before the vote, City Attorney Colin Kirkpatrick announced that Council Member Ted Weill would recuse himself because his home was within 500 feet of a preferred site. Mayor Pro Tem Michael O'Keefe lived about 567 feet from one, and Council Member Eve Fromberg Edelstein about 715 feet. Both of them also had disqualifying conflicts.
Recusing all three would have left two members, which is not a quorum. So the City Clerk held a random drawing of straws, a method allowed under state conflict-of-interest rules, to pick one conflicted member to participate. O'Keefe was selected. The council then voted 3-0 to introduce Ordinance No. 1234.
When the list went out for public hearing, the city mailed 2,002 notices to property owners within 500 feet of the 68 parcels involved.
Ordinance No. 1234 was adopted September 3, 2026. It takes effect 30 days after its second reading, which puts it in force as of October 3.
On the designated preferred sites, the ordinance allows stealth monopalms up to 81 feet tall that can carry up to three carriers. These projects need a Minor Conditional Use Permit and/or Minor Modification reviewed by city staff. The Director of Development Services can send an application to the Planning Commission if it "presents unique impacts." In all other cases, projects on these sites no longer go before the City Council or the Planning Commission.
The design standards are specific. The pole must be painted to look like a palm tree and fitted with artificial fronds. Ground equipment, such as cabinets and generators, must sit behind a block wall, and the site must be landscaped.
City Manager Isaiah Hagerman explained the reasoning at the July meeting. Under the old process, towers often got approved but were never built, because carriers passed over projects that took too long and cost too much to get through review.
"The point of this was not to be deceptive, but to allow for the flexibility to again help us streamline this process to be more attractive for investment." Isaiah Hagerman, City Manager, July 16, 2026
O'Keefe served on the subcommittee that studied the issue. He said that adding another full approval cycle for sites already on the list would cost "another nine months to a year." The Desert Sun noted that the council framed coverage as a problem the city has had for more than 20 years.
Some residents objected because the change removes public review. A resident called the ordinance "an unacceptable surrender of power from this council." Other residents raised concerns about property values and mountain views. A resident wrote that an 81-foot tower at Frank Sinatra Drive and Da Vall Drive would be next to homes. Several residents suggested the city-owned Wolfson Park as an alternative.
The council took some sites off the list. It removed the four parcels at the northeast corner of Frank Sinatra Drive and Da Vall Drive, west of Tamarisk Country Club, and exempted Whispering Waters, a city-owned affordable housing property. More than 20 designated sites remain.
The upside of this change is that the remaining locations are named, mapped, and public. Before, a tower showed up wherever a carrier happened to apply. Now the list tells you where future towers can go through the faster process. Four of the sites are privately owned, and their owners gave the city written authorization:
The rest are City or Rancho Mirage Housing Authority properties. They include City Hall and the Rancho Mirage Dog Park. The Desert Sun reported that the library and land near Dinah Shore Drive and Bob Hope Drive are also on the list.
Being on the list does not mean a tower is coming. The staff report says a listed location does not have to be developed, any tower that is built does not have to reach the full 81 feet, and no carrier is obligated to build at any site. We found no public notice of a specific tower application at a designated site through early October. Hagerman said staff would still check that tall towers are not placed along property lines next to residential communities, and would contact homeowners' associations when a project is proposed nearby.
Cell coverage and tower placement are now part of a buyer's homework here, the same way sightlines and HOA rules are. A practical sequence:
If you are comparing cities across the valley, this issue is specific to Rancho Mirage, and the parcel list makes it something you can check. Our Rancho Mirage neighborhood guide and buyer resources cover the rest of the comparison.
No. City staff wrote that being designated does not mean a facility will be built, and no carrier is required to build at any listed location.
Yes, in some cases. The Director can refer an application to the Planning Commission if it presents unique impacts. Otherwise, the project is decided at the staff level.
The Master Plan found that AT&T's coverage is better than Verizon's or T-Mobile's, and that all three have weak areas. Check the city's map for the exact address.
Yes. The council removed the four parcels at Frank Sinatra Drive and Da Vall Drive west of Tamarisk Country Club, and exempted Whispering Waters.
If you are looking at a Rancho Mirage home and want to know how far it is from the nearest designated parcel and how well your carrier works there before your contingencies run out, Scott James Properties can check it with you on site. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll plan the visit together.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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