Oct. 27 Daily Briefing: Moratorium on retail cannabis licenses, decision delayed on food trucks, and more

TGIF everyone! If you’re headed into the city this morning from Interstate 10 using Highway 111, you’ll want to make note that, as of the time this newsletter was written, 111 is closed at Tipton Road while fire crews deal with an active brush fire at Tramway Road. Also, if you’ve got hatches, you should batten them down this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch for late Saturday evening through Monday evening, anticipating gusts up to 60 mph in some areas of the valley.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Moondance” by Van Morrison

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LEADING OFF

Council approves placing hold on cannabis business permits

After months of discussing what to do about a decline in revenue from retail cannabis, the Palm Springs City Council unanimously decided to put in place a 45-day moratorium on the city’s approval of new applications and transfers of cannabis retail business permits.

How we got here: The city listened to concerns from cannabis business owners about the oversaturation of cannabis businesses here, high taxes relative to other valley cities, and the thriving black market.

By the numbers: Palm Springs has permitted 33 cannabis retailers to operate in the city, 27 of which are operational. That means there’s about one dispensary per every 2,100 residents, one of the highest saturation levels in the state.

• The city’s 10% tax rate on retail cannabis is the highest in the valley. Desert Hot Springs also taxes at 10%, but the four other cities that allow recreational cannabis have a 5% or 6% tax rate.

Zoom in: While the moratorium is in place, city staff has proposed several solutions to improve the health of local cannabis businesses, which council members will consider.

• City staff suggests dropping the tax rate from 10% to 5%, decreasing retail tax revenue to $1.5 million. They also suggest capping the city at 15 dispensaries, implementing a one-person-one-dispensary rule, and prohibiting dispensary permits’ sale or transfer.

At issue: Each council member present voiced support for updating city ordinances related to cannabis, but they differed on the approach. Councilmember Lisa Middleton was skeptical about whether lowering taxes would help businesses or if the main issue was oversaturation.

What they’re saying: “I understand we have oversaturation in relation to our population, but are we oversaturated in terms of the tourist economy we have?” asked Mayor Grace Garner as she directed staff to analyze the city’s situation.

Bigger picture: Several residents involved in the cannabis industry spoke at the meeting in support of the moratorium. Seven business owners or employees understood that over-saturation was a problem and acknowledged that a moratorium and a cap on the number of businesses would help.

Up next: The moratorium expires on Dec. 10, but because there is only one city council meeting between now and then (on Nov. 9), council members must decide then if they want to extend the moratorium for up to 10 months and 15 days.

• City staff told council members they will have updated research and new recommendations sometime after the new year.

BRIEFLY

🌮 Decision delayed on food trucks

Palm Springs residents will have to wait until at least after Jan. 1 to possibly enjoy more food trucks in the city. That’s when city staff is returning with more research and recommendations for City Council members on the topic.

• During Thursday night’s Palm Springs City Council meeting, elected officials were split on the idea of easing restrictions on food trucks, particularly the idea of allowing them downtown.
  
  
• Councilmember Lisa Middleton said the city spent millions and took years to make the downtown area “the envy of the region” and food trucks would ruin the look and feel of downtown with their loud engines and tall frames. She was also concerned about the effects on local restaurants and congestion.
  
  
• Councilmember Ron deHarte agreed with Middleton about the trucks changing the vibe downtown.
  
  
• While Mayor Grace Garner and Councilmember Christy Holstege were broadly in favor of food trucks, both wanted more clarity on where, exactly, they would be allowed to operate. The current recommendation from city staff is a 200 or 500 foot ban on food trucks near restaurants.
  
  
• Bottom line: City staff will return in the new year with precise maps detailing where food trucks would be able to operate and with fine-tuned recommendations based on Thursday night’s lengthy discussion.

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YOUR WEEKEND

ALL WEEKEND

“Mid-Century Moderns”
Revolution Stage Company
Catch this homegrown musical comedy this weekend at Revolution Stage Company. ($45)

“Rent”
Palm Canyon Theatre
“Rent” follows a year in the life of a group of young artists struggling to survive in New York under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The show is playing through Nov. 12. ($38)

Palm Springs Leather Pride
Hotel Zoso
Leather Pride is bigger and better than ever this year with people from around the world coming to town. ($35)

TODAY

Auditions for “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
10 a.m. | Cultural Center
The Coachella Valley Shadow Cast is holding auditions for its fall production of the camp classic. There will be two performances on Thanksgiving weekend. If you miss out on this audition, there’s another this Sunday at 2 p.m.

SATURDAY

Certified Farmers’ Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Camelot Theatre
The market returns to its outdoor location, with local farmers and vendors offering fresh agri­cul­tural and related products.

DAP Health Equity Walk
9 a.m. | Ruth Hardy Park
Join DAP Health and your neighbors on this walk through Palm Springs. ($25)

Chili Cook-Off & Car Show
10 a.m. | Palm Springs Air Museum
Be a part of the air museum’s 14th annual chili cookoff and enjoy the secret recipes of museum volunteers. 

Festival of Frights
6 p.m. | 401 S. Pavilion Way
This free family event will feature games, prizes, and spooky fun. 

Gand Band Halloween Dinner
7 p.m. | PS Underground
Put on your best outfit for “Bite: Killer Prom,” a vampire-themed culinary experience complete with music from the Gand Band. ($165)

SUNDAY

Halloween Palm Springs
4 p.m. | Arenas District
The Arenas District is the place to be for DJs, food, music, scares, and more this weekend.

SAVE THE DATE

• Halloween Carnival Haunted House on Oct. 31 at James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center.
  
  
• Dia de los Muertos on Nov. 1 at Demuth Community Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs Pride 5K run and walk on Nov. 4.
  
  
• Native American Learning Day & Market on Nov. 4 at PSHS.
  
  
• Love, Loss and What I Weighed on Nov. 4 at The Neurovitality Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs Pride Festival from Nov. 3 through 5.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle on Nov. 12.

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AND FINALLY …

It was a case of now you see it, now you (thankfully) don’t Thursday at Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort.

Driving the news: Following through on a promise made by city leaders earlier this year, crews removed a timber and canvas structure that had been constructed over the entrance to the city-owned Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort clubhouse sometime in the 1990s.

Why it matters: The clubhouse isn’t just any structure. Completed in 1967, the building designed by renowned architect Hugh Kaptur features a sweeping roofline, textured stucco walls, and rock veneer cladding. 

• All those Modernist design characteristics helped earn it Class 1 historic designation earlier this year. 

Yes, but: During the Class 1 application process, nobody could quite recall what led to the installation of what the author of a book about Kaptur described as “that terrible thing” above the entrance. It was definitely not in Kaptur’s original design. 

Bottom line: Kaptur was present Thursday as the structure was removed, returning the building to its original form. There’s no word whether he heard the collective sigh of relief let out by those who appreciate the beauty of his original design.

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