Hemet talk to spotlight Cabazon’s short-lived bid for cityhood

The Hemet Heritage Foundation and Hemet Museum will host a historical presentation later this month exploring a little-known chapter of Inland Empire history. Titled “The Colorful Story of Cabazon’s Incorporation,” the program will be presented by local historian Steve Lech on Monday, April 13, at the Hemet Historic Theatre, located at 216 E. Florida Ave., in Hemet. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the presentation scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, and complimentary refreshments will be provided. The talk will examine how, in the 1950s, gambling interests encouraged residents of Cabazon to incorporate as a city in an effort to legalize gambling in the desert community. While the move was supported by a mix of motivations, the experiment ultimately failed. Cabazon’s cityh