May 23,2018
During the 2018 Jacqueline Cochran Air Show, held earlier this month at the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors recognized the airport, in part, due to the vibrant business community on airport property.
Denise Wilson, president and CEO of Desert Jet Center, credits the Board of Supervisors, and especially Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel “Manny” Perez, for recognizing the importance of aviation to the region.
“Supervisor Perez has taken a great deal of time to learn about the five airports the county oversees, of which the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport is the largest and busiest,” said Wilson. “He has focused on making the airports run more smoothly and on the economic development of the airports.”
Perez chairs the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport Authority, which acts as an airport economic development board, and he advocates for the airport’s position as an economic driver in the eastern portion of the Coachella Valley. Other members of the authority include members of the city councils of La Quinta, Coachella, Indio, Indian Wells and Palm Desert, as well as representatives of tribal groups in the region.
The airport was established during World War II as the Thermal Airport and used as a military training base. After the war, the Thermal Airport was transferred to the county of Riverside as part of the FAA surplus property program.
“With many aviation-related businesses, as well as major economic developments surrounding it, Riverside County is making great use of this former World War II airfield,” said Perez. “Airports are economic engines for our communities, and it is a key strategy of ours to capitalize on the opportunities around airports to promote further investment, jobs and economic development for Riverside County and our communities.