September 6 Daily Briefing: Latest on Thompson Hotel, Pride monument, and more

Happy Friday, where we’ve got a treat for you!  We have a set of all access passes to give away to a Post reader for the LGBTQ+ film festival, Cinema Diverse. These passes include opening night access and the run of the festival, September 19-22, and 26-29. The results of the random draw will be announced on Sept 11. Click here for your chance to win!

🎶 Setting the mood: “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies” by Steely Dan

LEADING OFF

Arts Commission considers $70,000 request for Pride monument

The Palm Springs Public Arts Commission is considering a request for $70,000 in city funding to help install a proposed LGBTQ+ Pride monument. 

Driving the news: The commission discussed the funding request on Thursday, asking questions about the project’s budget and timeline.

• Concerns were raised about the lack of detail in the budget breakdown and the proposed timeline, which includes a 10-month gap between foundation installation and project completion.

Details: The project, designed by local artist Jim Isermann, is backed by Palm Springs Pride. As currently planned, it would be located in Frances Stevens Park and feature a lambda shape made of triangular pieces in colors representing the original 1978 Pride flag.

By the numbers: Fundraising efforts have secured about $150,000 so far for the project, explained Al Jones, representing Palm Springs Pride. Installation costs have increased from $55,000 to $70,000 due to design changes based on community feedback.

Why it matters: Jones emphasized the project’s significance, noting it would acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to the city and beyond.

• “We need a beacon that shines a light on the members of our community who have made significant contributions not only to Palm Springs, but to the greater community,” he said.

Next steps: The Arts Commission is expected to revisit the funding request at a future meeting, once more details are provided and the project is ready for a formal vote.

Dive deeper with our full story

IN OTHER NEWS

⚖️ A 48-year-old Palm Springs resident admitted to defrauding the IRS of over $2.1 million and illicitly securing nearly $1 million in COVID-19 relief loans, the Department of Justice announced Thursday. He could be sentenced in January.  [US Attorney]

📰 Efforts to combat homelessness in Palm Springs were featured in an in-depth story on California cities that have grown emboldened after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that camping bans are constitutional. [Reuters]

🏡 A landmark Palm Springs estate in the heart of the Movie Colony, designed by William F. Cody, is available for the first time since earning a Class 1 historic designation. It carries a nearly $13 million price tag. [Dwell]

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YOUR WEEKEND

TODAY

• Palm Springs Firefighters Kickball Tournament at James O. Jessie Desert Highlands Unity Center
  
  
• Mrs. Frisky’s Cats & Bakewell Tart Night at Frisky Business ($30)
  
  
• Elvis: The Early Years at Purple Room Supper Club tonight and Saturday ($40-$45)
  
  
• Hitchcock Retrospective at Palm Springs Cultural Center ($12)
  
  
• PSHS vs. Eisenhower football at Ralph Watt Stadium ($7-$10)

SATURDAY

• Indoor Certified Farmers Market at Palm Springs Pavilion
  
  
• Diversity and Racial Equity Conference at Palm Springs Convention Center
  
  
• Palm Springs Genealogical Society at Palm Springs Library
  
  
• Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus School Supply Drive at Dollar Tree on East Vista Chino
  
  
• Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Bingo at one eleven bar in Cathedral City

SUNDAY

• “Kids of Desilu” at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel at 5 p.m. ($215-$300)
  
  
• Sunday T-Dance at Oscar’s in Palm Spring  ($10 after first hour)
  
  
• “The Judy Show” at Purple Room Supper Club ($45-$50)

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AND FINALLY …

While fencing has come down and there’s an increase in activity at the much-anticipated Thompson Hotel in Palm Springs, it’s not quite ready to welcome guests. But it should be very soon.

Looking back: Work has been on-again, off-again at the four-acre site of the project — half a city block between East Alejo and East Amado — for the better part of the past two decades. In 2005 a condominium project was planned on the property. Ten years later an Andaz hotel was approved there.

• Work began for the final time after new ownership took over roughly three years ago, changing the project to a Thompson Hotel, one of Hyatt’s lifestyle brands.

Fast forward: Last August it was announced that reservations would be accepted at the hotel starting in May of this year. That date was later changed to yesterday, Sept. 5, and most recently was reported to be Sept. 30.

•  A quick check of the hotel’s booking engine shows you could book a room starting Friday, Sept. 20. The lowest rate was $545.
• That aligns with what employees said Thursday. As workers scrambled throughout the property putting the finishing touches on everything from landscaping to the parking garages, the date mentioned for opening was “soon.” 

Details: The current plan is to open roughly 100 of the planned 168 rooms on the property. Locals and guests can also expect a signature restaurant, as well as indoor and outdoor bars and lounges, a spa, a fitness center, meeting and event space, and 20,000 square feet of ground level retail.