Trash duty for Coachella stunt

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival organizers and staffers cleaned up in a new way this year, patrolling Indio neighborhoods northwest of the festival site with brooms and trash bags to collect thousands of ticker-tape-size bits of paper that went astray after being dropped from an airplane during Roger Waters’ headlining performance Sunday.

An Indio police spokesman said more than 100 area residents called in Monday morning after finding their homes blanketed with 2-by- 1/4 -inch pieces of paper bearing a check mark next to the name of Sen. Barack Obama, whose Democratic presidential campaign has said it was unaware of and not involved with the stunt.

“We are working with [Coachella promoter] Goldenvoice, which has absolutely been very cooperative,” Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said. “They took the initiative and said, ‘We’re a partner in this, and we’re going to help out and do some cleanup.’ They asked us to refer all people who desire assistance with cleanup to them.”

Guitron said the material was distributed without permission from the city or Goldenvoice officials.

-- Randy Lewis