Sept. 16 Daily Briefing: Housing report, NEA grant, Coachella lineup, and more

Welcome to Tuesday, where there’s exciting news for music lovers — the 2026 Coachella lineup is out with some major star power: Sabrina Carpenter, Karol G, Anyma, and Justin Bieber will be headlining the festival in Indio on April 10-12 and 17-19. Tickets, including all sorts of camping, lodging, and shuttle passes, start at $549 and are available Friday morning. Need help planning your outfit(s)? This article has you covered (or not covered).

🎶 Setting the mood: “Take Five“ by Dave Brubeck

LEADING OFF

Palm Springs home prices decline; valley-wide inventory increases

The latest Desert Housing Report for August reveals a mixed picture for the Palm Springs market, with declining home prices, increased inventory levels, and longer selling times.

Driving the news: In Palm Springs, the median price of an average-sized detached home in August was $1.19 million, down almost 1% compared to the year before. Attached home prices averaged about $444,000, down 2% compared to last year.

Zoom out: The median price of a detached home in the Coachella Valley is $648,000, just a .1% decrease from the year before. Every city except for Cathedral City and Indian Wells saw lower median prices in August compared to the year before.

Context: Prices in the valley usually hit their seasonal low in autumn and their high in spring. 

Days in market: Homes in the valley are taking about 60 days to sell. At the same time last year, they sold after roughly 48 days. Sixty days is also slightly higher than the regional average.

• In Palm Springs, the median number of days in market is 58 days.

What else: In Palm Springs, inventory increased by 19% compared to last year with 609 homes for sale compared to 512 the year before. Valleywide, inventory is up 25%.

What that means: The report analyzed the “months of sales” ratio and found that supply is starting to exceed demand in almost all price brackets. Though prices haven’t yet been negatively affected, that could change if selling times begin to lengthen.

In the weeds: Even though prices have stagnated compared to last year, homes have been selling at a slightly higher discount.

• Detached homes in the valley sold at an average discount of 2.9% below asking compared to 2.3% below asking last year.

In the news: Experts have been keeping a close eye on the Federal Reserve, and many expect interest rates to be cut this week.

These expectations have led to falling mortgage rates with the average 30-year fixed rate dropping to 6.38%, the lowest level in nearly a year.

BRIEFLY

📚 Cultural Center receives NEA grant for community reading program

• The Palm Springs Cultural Center has been awarded a NEA Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to launch a community-wide reading program at farmers’ markets in Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs. The program will center on “Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees” by author Aimee Nezhukumatathil.
  
• The program will feature live culinary demonstrations at both certified farmers’ markets using fresh, seasonal ingredients from vendors to connect cooking experiences to the book’s themes. Additional programming includes community discussions with the Desert Hot Springs Public Library, creative workshops with Flat Black, and youth workshops through the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs.
  
• Details: Events will take place at the Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs Certified Farmers’ Markets and partner venues from fall 2025 through summer 2026. The program aims to inspire conversation, celebrate literature, and strengthen community connections through the shared reading experience.

---

TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Desert Water Agency Board Meeting
8 a.m. | DWA Office
The Desert Water Agency Board of Directors meet the first and third Tuesday of each month. Take a look at their agenda here.

Leads Lunch
12 p.m. | The Social Cafe and Play Lounge
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce is hosting their September Leads Lunch this afternoon. No RSVP needed.

Queer Colon Care Collective
5 p.m. | Virtual
This support group is open to LGBTQ+ colorectal cancer patients, survivors, or caregivers. Organizers will offer resources and a sense of community in a safe place to share experiences. 

Sustainability Commission
5:30 p.m. | City Hall
The Commission reviews and makes recommendations to the City Council on issues relating to energy and natural resources conservation, including water conservation, air pollution, waste management and recycling.

Planning Commission 
5:30 p.m. | City Hall
The Commission meets this evening to consider multiple items in relation to a hotel and condominium project at 847 East Andreas Rd. The agenda can be found here.

See all events here

SAVE THE DATE

• Annual Business Expo & Taste of Palm Springs on Wednesday
  
• Cinema Diverse starting Thursday and running for two weekends
  
• Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival on Saturday
  
• Free shredding event at the convention center on Saturday, Oct. 4
  
• One Night Out Paris benefitting The Foundation for PSUSD on Oct. 4 
  
• Junior Ranger Expo at Indian Canyons on Oct. 11
  
• Spooktacular 5K/10K Run at Ruth Hardy Park on Oct. 11
  
• Pride on the Page on Nov. 1

Submit your event here

---

AND FINALLY …

🐾 Each week, The Post partners with a local animal shelter to feature one or more of the many animal companions ready for a new home in our community. 

Today, we invite you to meet Smokey, a 2-year-old male Doberman Pinscher who staff at the shelter say has a lot of energy and needs an owner who can keep up. 

• Staff also said Smokey knows his basic commands but is new to meeting other dogs

If you’re interested: You can visit the shelter at 4575 E. Mesquite Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on all days except for Mondays (open for intake only) and Thursdays (1 p.m. until 7 p.m.).

• You can always call the shelter at (760) 416-5718.

• Make sure to check out all the other pets at the shelter here.