March 13 Daily Briefing: Shelter stats, women honored, dog park meeting planned, and more

Happy Thursday! Let’s hope for clear skies this evening so we can see tonight’s total lunar eclipse. The moon will start to look a little different just before 9 p.m. and the eclipse will start around 10 p.m., with totality happening between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. on Friday. In case you’re worried, no you don’t need eclipse glasses, you can enjoy the blood moon totally unencumbered. 

🎶 Setting the mood: “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest

LEADING OFF

Animal Shelter faces surge in intakes, rising costs

The Palm Springs Animal Shelter is grappling with a significant increase in animal intakes, far exceeding its original capacity. 

By the numbers: During a presentation to the Palm Springs City Council Wednesday evening, Dan Rossi, executive director of the shelter, reported that in 2024, the facility received 2,688 animals but had a designed annual intake of 1,000.

• Operating costs have also soared to $5.8 million annually, with the city’s contribution covering 20% of the budget.
  
• Staffing expenses increased by $600,000, partly due to raising the base hourly wage to $20.

Zoom in: Despite the challenges, the shelter maintains high live release rates of 91.2% for cats and 97.6% for dogs. Shelter staff helped 2,119 adoptions take place last year.

• Additionally, volunteers contributed over 85,000 hours in 2024, valued at $2.3 million according to federal standards.

The challenges: Even though the building only opened in 2011, the staff faces structural problems. 

• “Aesthetically, it’s amazing,” Rossie told councilmembers. “It’s one of the best-looking shelters out there. But functionally – it really is difficult to run progressive sheltering practices in the building.” 
• Rossi said the issue is that the building simply lacks enough space for animals, especially large dogs. 

What’s next: The shelter is expanding services, including a new wildlife center in Indio, and plans for a standalone wellness center in Desert Hot Springs.

Community services will include low-cost vaccines and a food bank for pets.

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BRIEFLY

🐕 City to host community meeting on dog parks

The Palm Springs Parks and Recreation Department will host a community meeting on March 27 at 5 p.m. at the Palm Springs Pavilion to gather resident feedback on planned dog park improvements, including expansion at Demuth Park and addressing concerns at the dog park behind City Hall.

• At a ONE-PS meeting this week, Parks and Recreation Director Nick Gonzalez noted that high visitor volume is causing maintenance challenges at city dog parks, especially at the City Hall location which receives “significantly large amount of use compared to neighboring cities.”
  
• Some residents have criticized Palm Springs’ dog parks as inadequate, with one attendee at the meeting rating them as “a minus” compared to other cities’ facilities, citing issues with mud, odor, and flies.
  
• Bigger picture: The meeting is part of a broader Parks and Recreation Master Plan that is approximately 98% complete, representing the first comprehensive update to the city’s parks strategy since 2014 and incorporating feedback from over 700 community members.

Read our full story online

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Desert X
The fifth edition of Desert X, the recurring site-specific, international art exhibition is open now through May 11. The exhibition will reflect on the desert’s deep time evolutions, challenging us to glean wisdom from its vast knowledge.  Find the map of installations on the Desert X website.

Art Museum Free Admission
5 p.m. | Palm Springs Art Museum 
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., enjoy free admission to galleries and exhibitions, and explore the collection at your own pace all to the soundtrack of a DJ. 

Coachella Rising Showcase
5:30 p.m. | Cultural Center
This week, hosts Dede Ondishko & Jason Powell bring their Irish friends up for some Irish music and dancing. Join in for an evening of Irish folklore and song. ($20)

Full Moon Drum Circle
6 p.m. | Downtown Park
Celebrate the full moon at the new location with drummers, musicians, and dancers. It’s a free event, but donations are appreciated. 

“Jesus Christ Superstar”
7 p.m. | CV Repertory
CVRep presents a new staging of the iconic 1970s rock musical that has dazzled audiences for decades. ($90)

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

View all events here

SAVE THE DATE

• Into the Abstrakt 2025 Spring Exhibition Opening at Janssen Artspace on Friday.
  
• 16th Annual Garden Tour on Saturday throughout the greater Palm Springs area.
  
• Screwball Sunday: “Ninotchka” screening with Molly Haskell at the Cultural Center on Sunday.
  
• Movies in the Park: “Hook” at the Downtown Park on March 18. 
  
• Palm Springs Drone Fest at Palm Springs High School starting March 21. ($25)
  
• Brothers of the Desert 6th Annual Wellness Summit at the Riviera Resort on March 22. ($25 suggested donation).
  
• Palm Springs 70mm Film Fest at the Cultural Center starting March 22. ($18)
  
• Rescheduled: AbbaFab Rock the Park Concert at the Downtown Park on March 26.
  
• Palm Springs Woman’s Club Annual Scholarship Event Dinner at Palm Springs Surf Club on March 26. ($125)
  
• Free Shredding Event at the Palm Springs Convention Center on April 5.
  
• World Art Day at Demuth Park on April 12.
  
• PS Gay Men’s Chorus “Disney Pride In Concert“ starting April 24. ($35)

Submit your event here

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AND FINALLY …

Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte awarded five women with Spirit of Palm Springs Awards at City Hall Wednesday, recognizing their significant contributions to the community during Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

Driving the news: The ceremony celebrated women who have made exceptional impacts as businesswomen, community leaders and veterans, with deHarte emphasizing that “no act of service is too small.”

Meet the honorees: 

• Psychologist Terri Ketover was recognized for founding the nonprofit “Do the Right Thing” program that celebrates positive accomplishments of school-age youth.
  
• Liz Ostoich, owner of popular restaurants including Farm, The Front Porch, Tac/Quila and Clandestino, was honored for improving the business landscape and supporting local charities.
  
• Retired Air Force Major Laura Meeks, a former B-52 Stratofortress pilot, received recognition for her support of veterans organizations and advocacy for transgender rights.
  
• Athalie LaPamuk, owner of Ice Cream & Shop(pe) at the ARRIVE Hotel, was celebrated for her business leadership and commitment to serving on nonprofit boards.
  
• Nona Watson, Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce CEO since 2009, was honored for her 35 years in nonprofit administration and for spearheading the ‘PS “I” Love You’ public art installation.

Why it matters: DeHarte noted that while these five were spotlighted, “thousands across Palm Springs deserve recognition” for keeping the community thriving through volunteer work and dedication.