Tucked just off Highway 62 in Riverside County lies the small unincorporated community of Whitewater. While it may be easy to miss, people do live there—and they say they’re being forgotten.
Cliff Williams, a resident of Whitewater, recently joined NBC Palm Springs to share growing frustrations about safety and cleanliness in the neighborhood. “It’s pitch black at night,” he said. “We don’t have a single streetlight, and we don’t feel safe.”
Williams said he initially spoke with someone from Southern California Edison (SCE) on-site, who advised him to reach out to their customer service. That, he said, led nowhere. He then contacted Riverside County Supervisor Manny Perez’s office. “They said they’d look into it,” Williams explained. “When they got back to me months later, they told me streetlights aren’t considered a safety issue—and that was it.”
The lack of lighting is just one part of the problem. According to Williams, trash is frequently dumped near residential lots, and there’s little oversight or cleanup assistance. “This place looks like a garbage dump in areas. People come off the highway, drink, smoke, and just leave their mess behind,” he said. “I’ve been cleaning it up myself for seven years.”
With 47 homes in the neighborhood and over 100 lots, the residents feel forgotten. Developed in 1958, the area has long been without basic infrastructure. “If we just had one light per street, it would make a huge difference,” Williams said. “We just want to feel like someone cares.”
NBC Palm Springs is working to bring attention to this story and get answers from the agencies involved.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: Fred Roggin
April 14, 2025
