Jan. 26 Daily Briefing: Airport expansion, COD campus, camera concerns, and more

TGIF, everyone, where we have a small update to the question of when the city’s Homeless Navigation Center will open. While a February opening of a portion of the facility had been eyed by city officials, City Manager Scott Stiles said last night that it’s now looking like March will be the date. The opening of the entire operation, which includes 80 temporary housing units and a full set of services to aid the unhoused, is still on track for this summer. In March, however, expect to see 50 beds become available at the facility. Stiles said a community open house will also be planned to commemorate the initial opening.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Lost In Yesterday” by Tame Impala

LEADING OFF

Council mulls regulations on private use of license plate readers

The Palm Springs City Council postponed a decision on the private use of automated license plate readers, pending further legal analysis and information from Flock Safety, the company providing the cameras.

Driving the news: Following Council approval of installing Flock’s license plate readers on some city streets, residents of some neighborhoods and homeowners associations have shown interest in installing these cameras on their streets. 

• However, the Council expressed hesitation Thursday evening to allow this without clear regulations and understanding of potential privacy concerns.

Zoom in: The city’s legal adviser is yet to identify any cities that currently regulate the operation of security cameras on private property, including those that encroach on public property.

• Residents of one Palm Springs neighborhood have already purchased two cameras but are waiting for the Council’s decision before installation, as the cameras could encroach on city property.

The debate: Elected officials are a bit divided on the issue. Councilmember Lisa Middleton said she supports a pilot program for neighborhoods interested in installing cameras on public land — provided police are the sole recipients of the data. Councilmembers Christy Holstege and Grace Garner, however, expressed concerns about privacy and the potential misuse of information.

• “I’m very concerned that this is a topic that is not getting the broad attention that it deserves for the public to actually weigh in on in a way that is meaningful to them,” Garner said.

What’s next: The Council decided to continue the discussion at a later, unspecified date.

Dive deeper with our complete story here.

BRIEFLY

🛫 Council moves airport terminal expansion plans forward

The Palm Springs City Council on Thursday approved one of four design alternatives for an expanded terminal for the Palm Springs International Airport.

• The chosen design was recommended by the majority of the Airport Commission members and unanimously supported by the airport’s seven signatory airlines, including Alaska, United, American, and Delta Airlines. The expansion is necessary to accommodate double the passenger numbers by 2042, from about three million to six million.
  
  
• The design was favored because the total cost is estimated to be about $2.2 billion compared to the other alternative, which would cost about $2.8 billion and completely rebuild the airport.
  
  
• Councilmembers also liked that the first phase of the chosen alternative would be up and running quicker, in about three-and-a-half to five years.
  
  
• Up next: The chosen design is not set in stone, but with the Council’s approval the airport master plan process can continue with the hopes of having a draft master plan by April of this year.

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YOUR WEEKEND

ALL WEEKEND

Desert Open Studios
Perez Art District
This weekend from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. feel free to wander through local artists’ galleries and learn more about their work and process. 

“Cabaret”
Coachella Valley Repertory
CVRep performs “Cabaret,” the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical that takes place in Berlin in the twilight of the jazz age. ($50)

“The Lifespan of a Fact”
Desert Ensemble Theatre 
Desert Ensemble Theatre presents “The Lifespan of a Fact,” following the fact checker of a renowned essayist. Over the course of a weekend, the two come head to head in a comic battle over facts versus truth. ($37)

“Mid-Century Moderns”
Revolution Stage Company
Catch this homegrown musical comedy this weekend at Revolution Stage Company. (Tickets start at $55, but you can get $20 off using promo code REV20 at checkout.)

“Sordid Lives”
Palm Canyon Theatre
Enjoy this local production of “Sordid Lives,” described as a “black comedy about white trash.” ($20)

“What the Constitution Means to Me”
Dezart Performs
The Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony-nominated dramatic comedy traces relationships between four generations of women and the founding document that changed their lives. ($48)

TODAY

Solstice Art Installation
12 p.m. | The Graffiti Yard
The new project will have a mural with paw prints of cats and rabbits on white walls.

Drag Race Viewing Party
8 p.m. | Play Lounge and Cafe
Join other fans for a viewing party of another episode of the new season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

SATURDAY

Palm Springs Health Run & Wellness Festival
7 a.m. | Ruth Hardy Park
Join other runners for 5k and 10k races. There will also be a 1k fun run free for kids under 12. After the races, more than 80 vendors will be on-site offering demonstrations and more. ($40)

Certified Farmers’ Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Camelot Theatre
The market returns to its outdoor location, with local farmers and vendors offering fresh agri­cul­tural and related products.

Singing The Birds
10 a.m. until 7 p.m. | PSHS
This free, family-friendly event features bird singing and dancing, Native American history, culture as well as arts & crafts and food vendors. The festival runs throughout the day, so drop by any time.

Open Cockpit Saturdays: F4U Corsair
10:30 a.m. | Palm Springs Air Museum
Museum guests are treated to the extra special experience of being allowed to sit at the controls and pose for pictures. (Suggested $5 donation) 

Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Bingo
6 p.m. | One Eleven Bar
Support the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence by playing bingo on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. Money goes to the Sisters and to charities they support. ($20)

SUNDAY

Keisha D. Live!
5 p.m. | Palm Springs Cultural Center
Listen to the musical rhythms of the heart as Keisha D. and her live band invite you on a soulful, song-filled tour of her personal favorites, from The Carpenters to Chaka Khan. ($10)

SAVE THE DATE

• PSIPC’s Annual Benefit on Monday, Jan. 29.
  
  
• PS Woman’s Club Annual Patio Sale on Feb. 3.^*
  
  
• Black History Committee 14th Annual Awards Gala on Feb. 3.
  
  
• “An Article of Hope” movie showing with guest speaker on Feb. 4.^*
  
  
• Palm Springs Woman’s Club Scholarship Luncheon at the Hilton on March 27.^*

*Sponsored listing

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AND FINALLY …

After years of contentious and sometimes cantankerous discussions between officials at College of the Desert (COD) and the city of Palm Springs, the relationship appears to be back on the right track, and so does a planned COD campus here.

Driving the news: During Thursday evening’s City Council meeting, Scott Adkins, COD’s director of education centers for the West Valley, and Laura Hope, interim superintendent president of the college, sounded upbeat while presenting the latest update on a project more than a decade in the making.

The latest: As outlined in a 30-page presentation Adkins and Hope presented to councilmembers, the campus off South Farrell Drive is on track to break ground this fall, with construction ending in winter 2026 and the first classes starting in spring 2027.

• Earlier this month, bonds totalling roughly half of the $405 million cost of construction were approved by the college’s Board of Trustees.

Zoom in: “(T)he Palm Springs Campus is intended to be a living laboratory, providing general and basic skills education in four targeted academic areas: hospitality and tourism, media and the arts, allied health, and sustainable technology,” the report read. “…the Palm Springs Campus will provide more opportunity to work with industry partners and serve as a proving ground.”