Steve Downs and his wife Geri have owned a home in Rancho Mirage since 2000 and have been full-time residents since 2002. Steve was appointed to serve on the City Council on December 16, 2021. Prior to his appointment, Steve served on the Rancho Mirage Planning Commission for two years and was Commission Vice-Chair at the time of his Council appointment. Steve’s work on the Planning Commission provides him with a clear understanding of how the city of Rancho Mirage will grow and evolve in the coming years.

In other public service, Steve served as President of the Rancho Mirage Country Club Homeowners Association for six years. Steve has been a southern California resident for most of his life and attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks and California State University at Northridge.

Steve’s business career has spanned more than 50 years. Over the past 20 years, Steve and wife Geri have operated a residential real estate agency in Rancho Mirage employing twelve and representing approximately 100 buyers and sellers of Rancho Mirage homes each year. Steve’s real estate work has given him a keen understanding of the features, benefits, amenities, and charms of our city and the sheer joy of living in Rancho Mirage.

Prior to his years in real estate, Steve worked in the commercial equipment leasing industry for 30 years. For many of those years Steve worked for a leasing subsidiary of one of the world’s largest banks. He graduated through the ranks to become the Senior Executive Officer in charge of all business operations. Steve and his team grew the business to more than $4 billion in assets in 2022 dollars and his business unit counted a healthy percentage of the S&P 500 as clients.

Together with the four other Rancho Mirage Councilmembers, Steve shares the values of solid fiscal management of city resources and assets, a healthy set of amenities and services for our citizens, and conscientious city planning and development to assure the best possible future for Rancho Mirage. As with most of us in Rancho Mirage, Steve believes that ours is one of the finest small cites in America and he is dedicated to maintaining and building on the great quality of life that we enjoy in this city.

Steve’s two children, a daughter and son, Kelly, and Sean, live in the desert close to him and Geri. Steve and Geri were married at the Rancho Mirage Ritz Carlton in October of 1993.