Feb. 12 Daily Briefing: The Post turns three, District 4 race gets crowded, and city has plans for settlement funds

Happy Monday, everyone, where we hope your favorite team won the Super Bowl, or The Puppy Bowl if that’s what you were watching yesterday. We’re a little disappointed in Taylor Swift’s rushing totals. We had hoped she would factor more into the offensive scheme for the Chiefs. Alas, there’s always next year. The first preseason NFL game kicks off in about six months.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Wolf in Rabbits Clothes” by St. Paul & The Broken Bones

LEADING OFF

City to use its portion of settlement funds to combat opioid crisis

The city has outlined plans to use $2.9 million from a national opioid settlement to address the local opioid and fentanyl crisis. The funds, to be received over the next 19 years, will be directed towards prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, as well as public safety and education initiatives.

Driving the news: The settlement, reached in 2022 by California Attorney General Rob Bonta with four major opioid companies, will provide Palm Springs with an initial $215,000, followed by $150,000 annually for 18 years. The city is one of the first in the state to receive these funds.

• The settlement resolves claims that the companies engaged in deceptive marketing and failed to prevent the diversion of opioids, contributing to the nationwide epidemic.

The impact: In 2023, Palm Springs firefighters responded to 275 calls for overdoses, 101 of which required the provision of Narcan, a medication that reverses the effects of opioids. The Desert AIDS Project also reported saving 556 lives through access to Narcan and served 4,000 clients through its harm reduction program.

• During a Feb. 8 meeting, City Councilmember Christy Holstege explained the devastating impact of fentanyl in the region, stating that in the first half of 2023, there were more fentanyl-related deaths in the Coachella Valley than in any other part of Riverside County.

What’s next: The city plans to work with partners and stakeholders to ensure the funds are used effectively and transparently to combat the opioid crisis and save lives. 

• Holstege emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “This is a crisis that demands immediate and concerted action.”

Dive deeper with our complete story online.

---

BRIEFLY

🏛️ District 4 Council race looking familiar

The race for one of two seats on the Palm Springs City Council that will be up for grabs in November is getting more crowded, but also shaping up to look similar to a scenario that could have played out in 2022.

• On Friday, Naomi Soto, chair of the city’s Measure J Oversight Commission, announced she will seek the District 4 seat on the Council, joining three other candidates who have already confirmed their candidacy.
  
  
• Ernest Cecena, David Rios, and Joe Jackson previously announced their intentions to run. All of them, as well as Soto, had lined up in 2022 in case a replacement was needed if current District 4 Councilmember Christy Holstege had won her campaign for State Assembly.
  
  
• Holstege lost that race by a slim margin but is seeking the seat again this year. She has chosen not to run for reelection to the City Council in November.

Dive deeper with our complete story here.

---

TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Mimosas, Martinis & Music
2 p.m. | Cascade Lounge
Sit back and enjoy the start of the week with cocktails and music at the Cascade Lounge inside Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs. Hosted by MOD 107.3.

Human Rights Commission
5:30 p.m. | City Hall
The Palm Springs Human Rights Commission will honor seven individuals and two organizations for their contributions to human rights and social progress. The ceremony is open to the public. Read more about the honorees here.

Monday Men’s Coffee
6 p.m. | Gre Coffeehouse
This event is back in session following a holiday break. Come have coffee and chat with other men about issues that are on your mind. No RSVP required — just drop in!

Fabulous Bingo
7 p.m. | Kings Highway at Ace Hotel
Join Bella Da Ball for a night of fabulous bingo. (Must spend $30 at Kings Highway to participate.)

SAVE THE DATE

• Rock the Park: Cash, Killer, and The King Wednesday at Downtown Park.
  
  
• Palm Springs Modernism Week starting Thursday and running through Feb. 25.
  
  
• Palm Springs International Jazz Festival on Feb. 24 and 25.
  
  
• Mizell Center Third Wednesday Speaker Series on Feb. 28.
  
  
• An evening with PSIPC and Friends on Feb. 29.
  
  
• Palm Springs Woman’s Club Scholarship Luncheon at the Hilton on March 27.*

* Sponsored placement

---

AND FINALLY …

🎂 Today marks The Post’s third anniversary! While I typically send out a lengthy email wrapping up our prior year and picking a theme for the next year, I’m just going to share some thoughts here instead.

Looking back: During the past year, we’ve authored hundreds of stories, sent roughly 3.3 million Daily Briefing emails, and told you about countless events in our community, helping multiple event sponsors raise tens of thousands of dollars they put to good use here. We’ve also made a few stumbles:

• We launched a second publication – The Coachella Valley Reporter – and almost immediately placed it on hold, realizing we couldn’t make it live up to our standards.
  
  
• We also staffed up and immediately began losing money. Letting that staff go, as well as a decision to work with fewer contributors, was painful but necessary to maintain sustainability.

Behind the scenes: We’re leaning into the practice of Ichigo-Zambia, a Japanese term that basically means doing one thing at a time and giving it your full attention. For Kendall and me, that one thing is The Post, specifically this newsletter.

Looking ahead: With lessons learned and goals firmly in place, you should know that we hope to cover more of what you’ve come to expect (and enjoy) – everything and anything at City Hall and news from your neighborhood.

• To assist with that, we will use an AI tool I’ve helped develop called “Satchel.” Among other features, it can listen to meetings and draft stories, saving us hours of work. We’ll use those hours to dive deeper into community issues and speak to more of our interesting neighbors.

Bottom line: The Post is only possible with the support of our readers and advertising partners. So, to all of you, we extend our most heartfelt gratitude for allowing us to live up to our mission statement: “Do Good. Have Fun. Kick Ass.”

~ Mark