City officials, civic leaders look back at accomplishments, forward to progress during annual State of the City

Palm Springs government, civic, and business leaders gathered Tuesday night for a pep rally of sorts, celebrating the city’s achievements so far this year while looking ahead to what residents and visitors alike can expect in the future.

The annual State of the City event, last held in May 2022, saw the Chamber of Commerce host a who’s who of dignitaries at the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Annenberg Theater. The event kicked off with an inspiring performance by the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus and concluded roughly 90 minutes later with a tribute to Suzanne Somers after Mayor Grace Garner finished her remarks.

In between was a video highlighting how city staff, first responders, road crews and others successfully navigated the city through Tropical Storm Hilary. The video also showed how the city is continuing to address issues common in many California communities, including homelessness and affordable housing.

There was no mention of more controversial city issues, including reparations for Section 14 residents and their descendants, the closure of Museum Way for the “Forever Marilyn” statue, or the dragged out timeline for breaking ground at a College of the Desert satellite campus here. Instead, a very positive picture was painted by both elected officials and leaders from the city’s Bureau of Tourism who spoke during the event.

Tourism officials pointed to benchmarks that were surpassed at the Convention Center — which hosted 122 meetings and events attended by 141,000 people last year — as well as the nearly $150 million in economic impact those visitors had. City councilmembers also touted the benefits of a robust tourism industry — with a tourist season that now lasts all year — while boasting about Palm Springs’ diverse population.

“When I was growing up in Palm Springs, it didn’t always feel like it was a welcoming city,” Garner said during the video shown Tuesday evening. “But now it’s very welcoming.”

Added Councilmember Lisa Middleton: “Palm Springs must always be a place of welcome.”

Aside from again lauding city staff for the storm response, Garner also noted that during her term the city has added additional police and fire staff, helped with forward movement in restoring The Plaza Theatre, and continued to push to fund a much-needed bridge over the Indian Canyon wash.

“We are not going to quit until instead of standing on top of four feet of mud, I’m standing under a bridge,” Middleton said during the video as she was filmed atop a washed-out portion of North Indian Canyon Drive.

Garner said the city also has no plans to quit working to help unhoused residents and those who need more housing options to avoid becoming homeless. She pointed to the planned 2024 opening of a homeless navigation center in the northern part of the city and nearly 200 units of affordable housing under construction or nearing construction as examples of how city leaders are addressing urgent issues.

“It’s incredible to see it come to fruition,” Councilmember Christy Holstege said of the navigation center under construction off McCarthy Road. “It’s going to transform the way we address homelessness in the city of Palm Springs.

Also on stage Tuesday evening were the recipients of four awards presented by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce:

• J.R. Roberts was awarded the Community Leadership Award for his work in restoring the Plaza Theatre;
  
  
• Police Chief Andy Mills was awarded the Community Appreciation Award for his work in tirelessly promoting community policing in the city.
  
  
• The Oak View Group was awarded the Community Development Award for bringing Acrisure Arena to life; and
  
  
• Lili Rodriguez was awarded the Emerging Leader Award for her work as artistic director at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

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