June 4 Daily Briefing: ShortFest lineup, hope for opening roadway, celebrating Pride Month, and more

Happy Tuesday, everyone. We want to wish a big “Congratulations!” to roughly 350 members of the  Palm Springs High School Class of 2024 who graduate tonight. This year’s seniors started high school during the pandemic and had to go through a huge adjustment period that high schoolers before them never had to endure. Now, they’re headed off to the next phase in their life. Good luck out there!

🎶 Setting the mood: “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper

LEADING OFF

North Indian Canyon could reopen Thursday after weeks of closure

The status of North Indian Canyon Drive at the wash is one of the most talked about issues in the city, and for good reason — it’s one of the main arteries into or out of Palm Springs. On Monday, the city delivered some possible good news for drivers who have suffered with its closure for weeks.

Driving the news: A city spokesperson, responding to reports on social media that the road would be closed another month, said crews actually hope to reopen the roadway on Thursday. 

• Save for the two hours it was briefly open the evening of May 22, that strip of road has been cut off from traffic since early May.

Why it happens: City officials say they understand the frustration of drivers and residents, but clearing the sand away is a deceptively tricky project, especially with the unrelenting winds over the past month. 

• Not only does the mountain of sand that accumulates weigh tons — requiring hours of heavy machinery to move even a small portion — but the winds have not let up for weeks and are carrying more debris than usual thanks to last year’s tropical storm.

Dive deeper: The sand that’s causing all the problems right now is called “blowsand,” which the city explains is silt that remains on the surface after a flood event happens and the water evaporates. The sand is finer and more powder-like than regular sand, and it’s what’s causing all that hazy air and poor air quality. 

• City leaders said they couldn’t simply build a fence to block the blowing sand because the land adjoining the city roads overlaps with private and publicly owned land.

What they’re saying: From the online FAQ on the topic: “The City cannot enter private property with earth moving equipment to clear the sand away from a ‘sand-fence’,” it reads. “All our crews can do is wait for wind to stop blowing enough so that it’s possible to clear the pavement for traffic.”

What’s being done: In December, the California Transportation Commission approved $50 million to help install bridges over that section of roadway at the wash. The money was awarded to the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG), which is still in the design process for the project and anticipates construction in 2026.

• That money covers two-thirds of the estimated $75 million needed to build the two bridges, with CVAG supplying the rest. 

But wait: The city recently took delivery of a new piece of equipment that should provide extra muscle for crews (Readers of The Post chose a name for it, and we hope to reveal that shortly).

• “City street crews continue to work on clearing the road of massive sand build-up,” city staff wrote on Facebook Monday, announcing the possible roadway reopening date. “The city’s new road grader will help immensely with this and other road clean-up efforts.”

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BRIEFLY

🎬 ShortFest celebrates 30th anniversary with screenings of more than 300 films

The Palm Springs International ShortFest, celebrating its 30th year, is right around the corner. The films were announced Monday. 

• There are 310 being screened — from animated films and documentaries to live action fiction. Highlights include “Alok,” directed by Alex Hedison and executive produced by Jodie Foster, and “Fish Out of Water,” directed by Francesca Scorsese (who you can see being directed by her dad in one of her many TikToks with the iconic director).
  
  
• On June 22 and 23, the festival is organizing a local spotlight program for fiction and documentary films, including “SHOOK”, where “an idyllic weekend getaway is disrupted by a devastating earthquake,” and “Leading the Way,”  a documentary showcasing the profound impact of Guide Dogs of the Desert.

Details: The festival runs from June 18 to 24. Tickets can be found here. If you’re interested in volunteering, you can learn more about how to do that here.

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week
All Day | Participating Restaurants
Support local restaurants and enjoy discounts at your favorite spots as we head into the summer months. 

Desert Water Agency Board Meeting
8 a.m. | DWA Operations Center
At this meeting, board members plan to discuss budgets and annual reports on groundwater management. Check out the agenda here.

Progressive Pride Mixer
Arenas District | 5 p.m.
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Pride Month kick-off this evening.

Airport Master Plan Open House
5:30 p.m. | Palm Springs Convention Center (Room Primrose CD)
At the second Palm Springs International Airport Master Plan open house, those working on the project want to hear from the community about the latest updates to the plan, including plans to increase the number of gates.

Historic Site Preservation Board
5:30 p.m. | City Hall
Board members plan to discuss several requests, including a demolition request of a Class 4 building and a request for historic site designation. Read the agenda here.

HARP Positive Life Series: HIV & Chronic Pain
6 p.m. | Palm Springs Cultural Center
Dr. Ami Student will present a talk entitled “Living with HIV and Chronic Pain: Psychological Approaches to Building a Fulfilling Life,” as a part of HIV + Aging Research Project’s Positive Life Series.

Palm Springs Power Baseball Game
7 p.m. | Palm Springs Stadium
The Palm Springs Power take on the Southern Nevada Coyotes during tonight’s game. The Power had an opening night victory against the SoCal Mavericks last Friday. Tickets are available at the stadium box office.

SAVE THE DATE

• Community Meeting: Palm Springs Zoning Code on Thursday at the Demuth Community Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival on Sunday at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs International ShortFest from June 18 through 24.
  
  
• Rock the City free concert at Downtown Park on June 19.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on July 7.

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AND FINALLY …

To celebrate Pride Month, the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert has set up an exhibit at a Downtown library that will be up for the rest of the month.

Driving the news: The Pride Month display is hosted in the main reading room of the Welwood Murray Memorial Library at 100 South Palm Canyon Drive.

• The display features a variety of items donated and acquired over the last five years such as publications, travel guides, commemorative pins, and posters, highlighting significant contributions and milestones of the LGBTQ community in the area.

Why it matters: The display celebrates the growth and preservation efforts of the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert, founded in 2019. By sharing these artifacts, the Archives fosters a deeper appreciation and awareness of the LGBTQ community’s impact on the region’s culture and society.

What they’re saying: “The Archive has been fortunate to receive several donations of meaningful items that demonstrate the vitality of the LGBTQ community in Palm Springs and the surrounding cities,” said David Gray, co-founder and co-director. “We are excited to have this opportunity to show some of our collection to the community”. 

Details: For those interested in learning more about the history and activities of the LGBTQ+ community in Palm Springs, additional information and resources can be found on the LGBTQ+ History & Archives of the Desert’s website.