From NBI Studio, this is Truth Injustice, a crowdsourced investigation in real time.

I'm Bob Robb.

There are nine cities that make up the Southern California area known as the Coachella Valley.

Although most people just consider the valley, the greater Palm Springs area.

The cities include Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Desert Hot Springs, Palm

Desert, Indian Wells, Lakinta, Indio, and Coachella.

The first time I traveled to the valley to work on this case, I had a hard time deciding

what city I should stay in.

On the map, they all seemed to be separated from one another.

But in reality, on a quick trip from my hotel to get a cup of coffee, I unknowingly passed

through three of these cities.

They all just blend together.

You'd have to read the street signs if you really cared to know which city you were actually

in.

The valley is a beautiful place surrounded by the serene mountains of the high desert.

Streets are lined with palm trees and a golf course is never more than a couple blocks

away.

In its heyday, Palm Springs was the favorite hangout of Frank Sinatra and his rat pack.

But today, it's a tame place.

A great place to raise kids, go on a vacation, or even retire to.

The valley is clean, sophisticated, and calm.

But just outside the valley, or up the hill as the locals say, is a very different place.

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