Jan. 22 Daily Briefing: Zoning meetings, opening day, sculpture stone, and more

Welcome to Thursday, and happy Opening Day for the 2026 California Winter League baseball season at Palm Springs Stadium! This year, eight teams from across North America will compete in games at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. daily, concluding with a championship game on Feb. 15. While there are plenty of promotions to take advantage of, you’ll want to break out your Palm Springs Library card today (and every day) for free admission, as the library is sponsoring the entire series. Don’t have a library card? Turn here. Play ball! ⚾

🎶 Setting the mood: “I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King

LEADING OFF

City schedules next community meetings on major zoning overhaul

Palm Springs is hosting two public meetings this month on its first comprehensive zoning code update since 1988, aimed at addressing a housing crisis that has priced out essential workers.

Driving the news: An in-person open house is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with a virtual session set for Feb. 4 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom.

• The meetings are the latest in a series of community gatherings designed to solicit community input as the zoning changes go through the public process at City Hall.

Why it matters: California mandates Palm Springs add 2,600 housing units by 2029, but only 848 have been built. Missing the deadline could cost the city state funding for roads, sewers, affordable housing, the library, swim center and navigation center.

What’s proposed: Draft zoning changes include consolidating single-family zones from five to two, allowing five-story buildings along commercial corridors, increasing downtown heights to seven stories, and reducing parking requirements.

• City officials emphasize these are preliminary proposals that haven’t been reviewed by the Planning Commission or City Council.

The big picture: Many essential workers — including restaurant servers, nurses, teachers and hotel staff — can’t afford to live in Palm Springs and must commute from other towns.

What’s next: The full draft zoning code will be released in spring with additional community meetings and formal public hearings before final adoption. Public comments remain open through Sept. 21.

• Visit this city website for or email ZonePS@palmspringsCA.gov for more information.

Dive deeper with our complete story

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BRIEFLY

🏓 ARC sends pickleball project back for restudy

• The Palm Springs Architectural Review Committee (ARC) unanimously voted Wednesday to send a proposed 16-court commercial pickleball complex back to the applicant for restudy, citing concerns with the building’s massing, roof design, entry and facade organization.
  
• The committee asked the applicant to reduce overall roof mass and scale, consider a lower roof pitch and provide sun and shade studies for the proposed canopy and alternatives addressing western afternoon sun. Members also directed the applicant to lower the entry trellis to 12 feet, relocate restroom doors to the west side and refine vertical supports.
  
• Details: ARC members requested additional information on acoustic fencing, including specifications and wind resilience, along with further justification for proposed materials such as block types, colors and roof finishes and how they will age in desert sun and heat.
  

Dive deeper with our complete story

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Senior Fit Plus Thursday
8:15 a.m. | Mizell Center
Join the Mizell Center staff for this affordable and comprehensive exercise class designed for older folks. ($8)

California Winter League Baseball
10 a.m. | Palm Springs Stadium
The California Winter League kicks off at Palm Springs Stadium Today, with eight teams on the lineup. Teams will be competing daily right here in Palm Springs until the Championship game slotted for February 15th. ($10)

Story Times
10 a.m. | Library at Rimrock Plaza
For newborns to age 5. Children’s Librarian Nancy reads stories, sings songs, finger plays, and demonstrates early learning concepts in the kids corner at the temporary library at Rimrock Plaza Shopping Center.

Lesbian and Queer Women’s Chat
10:30 a.m. | Virtual
This chat group is a welcoming place to find friendship, laughter, support, and understanding among people who truly get it.

Financial Aid Family Night
4:30 p.m. | PSUSD District Office
PSUSD will be hosting a Financial Aid Kick-Off Night to support seniors and their families with starting college financial aid applications.

Art Museum Free Admission
5 p.m. | Palm Springs Art Museums 
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., enjoy free admission to galleries and exhibitions, and explore the collections at both museums at your own pace. 

The Gand Band Jeanie Cunningham Star Fundraiser
6 p.m. | PS Underground
Join us for an evening of music from The Gand Band and friends, remembrance, and a fabulous dinner as we raise funds for a star for Jeanie Cunningham on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars. ($100)

VillageFest
6 p.m. | Downtown Palm Springs  
Weather permitting, the street fair features art, entertainment, shopping, and food. 

“Airplane” interactive movie event
6 p.m. | Cultural Center
Among Friends is taking over the cabin for a full interactive screening of AIRPLANE! with audience participation, timed call-backs, a few surprises, and the kind of communal laughter you only get when a theater is in on the joke together. ($23)

View all events here

SAVE THE DATE

• Singing The Birds Native American Song and Dance Festival hosted by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Saturday at Palm Springs High School
  
• Palm Springs Health Run & Wellness Festival on Saturday
  
• Psychedelic medicine and health community conversation on Saturday at Mizell Center
  
• “Car Show Car Show” at Market Market on Sunday
  
• Third Annual Palm Springs Readers’ Festival from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1
  
• Friends of the Palm Springs Library Book Sale on Jan. 31 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church
  
• Palm Springs Speaks with Cheech Marin on Feb. 10

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AND FINALLY …

Italian marble for the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial has arrived at a stone milling studio in Garfagnana, Italy, where craftspeople will spend several months transforming raw Daino Marble from Sardinia into the memorial’s three distinctive oval forms.

Driving the news: The AIDS Memorial Task Force and artist Philip K. Smith gave approval for stone carvers to begin precision work using both five-axis robotic milling and hand-finishing techniques.

• Following completion, the forms will undergo a vertical lift test-fitting in Italy before being shipped to Palm Springs for installation.

The bigger picture: The memorial broke ground on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, capping a 12-year effort to create a permanent place of remembrance in the city.

Where it stands: Community support has driven fundraising to $950,000 of the $1.2 million goal, leaving $250,000 remaining.

• Donations are being accepted here

What’s next: The task force plans to share updates and photos as the carving process continues, while polished aluminum elements will be manufactured in Chicago and general contractor Tom Rice Construction coordinates site logistics.

• Upon completion, the memorial will be gifted to the city and added to its public art collection.