Dec. 4 Daily Briefing: Statue issue up for discussion, planes take to the streets, arrest in shooting, and more

Welcome to Monday, everyone, where we want to send out a huge THANK YOU to the 271 generous readers who were able to contribute during our end-of-year fundraising campaign, which ended on Friday. Thanks to you, we were able to hit 200% of our fundraising goal (!!), assuring The Post is on solid footing as we head into the new year. 

We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: Asking for your help is truly the most difficult part of our jobs (that’s why we try to limit the requests to just twice a year). But seeing your personal notes, and your contributions, is the best part of this job and a very heartwarming part of our lives.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Kind and Generous” by Natalie Merchant

LEADING OFF

Council set to discuss options for ballot measure, possible fate of statue

The future of the “Forever Marilyn” statue will be up for debate this morning, as the Palm Springs City Council holds a special meeting to discuss a ballot measure aimed at making the statue a permanent part of Museum Way.

Driving the news: Starting at 10 a.m. at City Hall the Council will convene to decide which of four possible directions to take regarding an initiative that seeks to change the Downtown Specific Plan to allow for the permanent closure of a portion of Museum Way.

• The roadway in front of Palm Springs Art Museum was temporarily closed in 2021 in order to display a 26-foot-tall statue of actress Marilyn Monroe. That closure, which is the subject of a lawsuit, is set to expire next year, leaving the future location of the statue up in the air.
  
  
• Up for discussion this morning is an initiative filed by a group associated with hoteliers and others who purchased the statue in 2020. The initiative asks voters to decide whether the roadway should be permanently closed, allowing for the statue to stay in place.

Zoom in: Councilmembers have four options to choose from: They can adopt the measure without placing it on the ballot; hold a special election in March; place it on the November 2024 General Election ballot; or ask city staff for a report on the measure’s impacts, to be prepared within 30 days.

What they’re saying: In a letter sent to the city on Friday, an attorney representing the citizens’ group suing the city over the temporary street vacation, Committee to Relocate Marilyn (CReMa), urged councilmembers to choose the last option.

• “The ballot initiative claims the financial benefits to the city of closing Museum Way and installing the statue in that specific location, but there is no evidentiary support for such claim,” wrote attorney Amy Minteer. “The Council must require that analysis be prepared to allow for the voters to make a fully informed decision.”

Details: The meeting will be broadcast on the city’s website. Anyone wishing to submit public comment can do so prior to the meeting via an online public comment form

BRIEFLY

🚨 Man shot, suspected arrested

A 41-year-old man from Palm Springs was shot at a home in the city Friday morning. His injuries were not life-threatening.

• A police spokesperson told local media that authorities received a report of the shooting just before 10 a.m. Officers found the man at his home on Hermosa Drive, north of Racquet Club Drive.
  
  
• The victim was taken to the hospital and treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
  
  
• Bottom line: A 55-year-old associate of the victim, who was possibly staying at a hotel on North Palm Canyon Drive, was taken into custody without incident at approximately 2:37 p.m. on Friday and will be charged with attempted murder.

📽️ Carey Mulligan to be honored at film fest

Carey Mulligan will be honored for her performance in Bradley Cooper’s film “Maestro,” officials announced last week.

• Mulligan will receive the International Star Award, Actress, during the Film Awards ceremony at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan. 4, 2024. 
  
  
• “In this historical and personal examination of famed composer Leonard Bernstein, Carey Mulligan measures both ends of true love – its extraordinary heights and intense lows – conveying a striking role as Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein,” said Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi.
  
  
• Details: The film festival runs Jan. 4 through Jan. 15. Complete details, including ticket options, can be found here.

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FEATURED EVENTS

City Council Special Meeting
10 a.m. | Council Chamber and online
The Palm Springs City Council will discuss an initiative that has qualified for the ballot regarding the permanent vacation of a portion of Museum Way to allow for permanent installation of the “Forever Marilyn” sculpture. See the agenda here.

Architectural Review Committee
5:30 p.m. | Virtual
The regular meeting of this city committee usually takes place on the first Monday of the month. See this month’s agenda here.

District 2 meeting
5:30 p.m. | Vista del Monte Elementary
Join Mayor Pro Tem Jeffrey Bernstein at this community meeting for residents of his district. Reserve your spot by going here.

ChristmaHanuKwanzaaKah
6 p.m. | Gre Coffehouse
Join the men of CalComMen at their annual celebration and potluck. All men-who-love-men are welcome.

SAVE THE DATE

• Swim Center community meeting on Tuesday.
  
  
• Author Talk: Wade Rouse on Tuesday at the Palm Springs Public Library.
  
  
• Rock the Park: Chicago Experience on Wednesday at Downtown Park.
  
  
• American Legion toy giveaway starting on Thursday.
  
  
• Friends of the Palm Springs Library Holiday Bazaar on Saturday.
  
  
• Sip, Shop, Swim holiday market on Dec. 9 at Drift Palm Springs.

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AND FINALLY …

It was no Festival of Lights, but a very small, very slow parade took place early Sunday morning on the streets of Palm Springs.

Driving the news: Starting at 4 a.m., a pair of crop dusters were towed roughly two miles from Palm Springs International Airport to the Convention Center, where they will be on display during the 2023 National Agricultural Aviation Association Expo this week.

Zoom in: With blocking provided by the Palm Springs Police Department and Citizens on Patrol, crews gingerly navigated the planes through neighborhoods along Alejo Road before turning them south on Avenida Caballeros and eventually reaching their destination.

• In some places, the streets were barely wide enough to provide clearance. But that was only for the planes that actually made it out of the airport. Three of the five planes flown into the city for the convention couldn’t fit at an exit gate at the airport and were left behind.

Next up: If you missed the action, you’ll get another chance to view it when the scene repeats itself at 4 a.m. Thursday morning. That’s when the planes will be towed back to the airport. 

• Drivers should make note that there will be rolling street closures along the route until roughly 6 a.m.