Oct. 9 Daily Briefing: Section 14 campaign launched, first Filipino Festival a success, and more

Welcome to Monday, which, if you didn’t know, is a holiday. That means banks, post offices, libraries, schools, and City Hall are all closed. The Welwood Murray Memorial Library downtown is open, however, and garbage pickup is on regular schedule this week. 

🎶 Setting the mood: “What the World Needs Now is Love” by Jackie DeShannon, as suggested by a reader

---

IN THE NEWS

🏙️ Event aims to help local businesses do business with city

The city’s Procurement Department is set to host an open house on Oct. 18 designed to educate local businesses about the procurement process and the types of goods and services it purchases.

• The city frequently solicits services such as landscaping, plumbing, electrical, street paving, printing, and marketing communications collateral, among others.
  
  
• The event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon at the City Hall Council Chamber, will provide an opportunity for businesses to interact directly with city department leaders. 
  
  
• “The city is committed to helping local business learn how to do business with the city to keep our dollars in the local economy,” said Kim Baker, Palm Springs procurement and contracting director.
  
  
• Details: No RSVP is required for the event. For any questions, businesses can reach out to this email.

📰 Section 14 education campaign launched 

The “Know Before You Go” campaign, aimed at educating tourists about the historical significance of Section 14, launched over the weekend in Palm Springs.

• Community leaders, including clergy and business representatives, gathered with survivors and descendants of Section 14 at Frances Stevens Park on Saturday to announce the campaign. The launch event was followed by a justice rally.
  
  
• The campaign is designed to shed light on the demise of a once vibrant community of African-American and Latino residents who played key roles in the city’s development but were dispersed to make way for development in the heart of the city.

Details: For more information, head to the campaign’s website here.

---

TODAY’S EVENTS

Catching the Light
10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Desert Art Center
Catch a unique retrospective of the work of celebrated local artist Terry Masters through Oct. 15. 

Nick Sosa
6 p.m.-9 p.m. | PS Air
Join the Palm Springs-based guitarist as he fills the airplane-themed bar with music and fun every Monday evening. Admission is free.

Big Easy Queens
7:30 p.m. | Camelot Theatre
Enjoy 80 minutes of pure horror queer celebration with original musical numbers, voodoo, zombies, drag queens, and campy neo-giallo delight. ($15)

SAVE THE DATE

• Lesley Zerebny Memorial Softball Game at Big League Dreams on Oct. 14.
  
  
• Battle in the Desert boxing event featuring PSPD Sgt. Mike Torres on Oct. 14. ($40)
  
  
• Modernism Week October from Oct. 19-22.
  
  
• Center Stage 2023benefitting The Center on Oct. 20 ($350)
  
  
• Palm Springs Pride 5K Run & Walk on Nov. 4 ($40 registration through Nov. 1)
  

---

AND FINALLY …

We didn’t get to everything we had hoped to this weekend, but we did have a chance to stop by the first-ever Coachella Valley Filipino Fest on Sunday. And — wow! — what an event it was.

Driving the news: Dozens of booths and hundreds of people from throughout the region packed into the Palm Springs Cultural Center grounds on Sunday, where food, friendship, and fun was found in abundance. The Post was delighted to have been one of the sponsors.

Why it matters: Michael Milan, chair of the event’s planning committee, said that even though the Filipino community’s roots in the Coachella Valley go back a century, “We didn’t feel like there was a level of visibility that reflected that.”

• The event also served as the kickoff to Filipino American History Month.

💭 Our take: “You wouldn’t believe the amount of blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this happen,” one event organizer said as an overflow crowd streamed into the event. But have no doubt — we believe it! We hope organizers are taking a well-deserved rest today, but planning is soon underway for next year’s event.