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Friday, April 3 | 🌤️ 77°/62°
TGIF, everyone, and congrats to the Palm Desert women who were among 11 honorees recognized this week at Assemblymember Greg Wallis's 2026 Women of Distinction Reception at Desert Willow Golf Resort. Davis Meyer, a tireless advocate for the Coachella Valley's tourism industry; Kate Spates, a business leader and community builder; and Lisa Valerio, founder of the Fenixia Foundation, were all celebrated during the ceremony. “These are women who show up every day for their communities, often without any expectation of recognition,” said Wallis.
🎶 Setting the mood: "Palm Trees" by Jungle
Leading Off
Attempts to redesign the city’s seal (at left) have been unsuccessful.
Council moves to codify logo use, shelves seal redesign — for now
Palm Desert will move forward with adding municipal code language governing use of the city's logo and seal, following a study session in which City Council members debated whether the existing seal — in use since the city's founding — still reflects the community.
Driving the news: Public Affairs Manager Thomas Soule told the council that the city's logo, developed more than a decade ago primarily for tourism marketing, has expanded into broader everyday use, prompting the need for formal governance language. The city seal is already protected under municipal code and reserved for official documents.
The backdrop: Palm Desert has twice attempted to redesign its official seal, which depicts a golfer, a tennis player and a bighorn sheep, without success.
A hired designer produced options in 2023 that did not gain enough support, and a 2025 student design contest drew no submissions that were forwarded for council consideration.
The divide: Councilmember Jan Harnik argued forcefully for a third redesign attempt, saying the seal fails to represent the community's full breadth and looks dated. Mayor Evan Trubee said he prefers to leave the seal unchanged, saying it pays homage to the city's origin story. Mayor Pro Tem Joe Pradetto agreed, directing staff to focus on codifying logo use without pursuing a redesign.
Soule said a third redesign attempt could involve a nationwide and international request for qualifications from artists, with finalists' concepts going to a public vote.
What's next: No formal vote was taken during the study session. Council members directed staff to return with proposed municipal code language governing use of the logo.
Briefly
🏠 Palm Desert leads Coachella Valley in home sales, inventory
Palm Desert recorded the highest home sales volume in the Coachella Valley during the three-month period ending in February, with 137 homes sold, while also offering the largest inventory in the region with 796 units listed.
Valley-wide, the median price for a detached home was $699,000 last month, down just 0.1% compared to last year. Palm Desert's median detached home price fell 4% to $735,000; attached homes averaged $517,000, down nearly 7%.
Bottom line: Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage, and Bermuda Dunes were the only valley cities to post median price increases for detached homes. Valley-wide inventory stood at 3,527 homes at the start of this month, up half a percent from a year ago.
📅 Featured Events
First Friday on El Paseo
Today | 4–7 p.m. | 73-545 El Paseo
Monthly art walk featuring receptions at up to 14 galleries showcasing contemporary and traditional works. Enjoy classic cars from Cruise Night and the Melissa Morgan Sculpture Garden alongside three-dimensional art along the median.
COD Street Fair
Saturday | 8 a.m.-2 p.m. | 43-500 Monterey Ave
The free weekly outdoor street fair at College of the Desert features vendors, food and something for everyone.
Psychic Pet Pawraiser
Saturday | 11 a.m. | 73545 El Paseo
The Coachella Valley Cat Club hosts a fundraiser featuring 15-minute readings by psychics, tarot and oracle card readers, mediums, and animal communicators. All proceeds benefit feline rescue and welfare efforts. ($20 per reading)
Country Fest 2026
Saturday | 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. | La Quinta Brewing
Includes a BBQ and beer garden with guest breweries; beer tasting tickets sold onsite.
Uncorked in Palm Desert
Saturday | 5 p.m. | 73555 El Paseo
Inaugural outdoor wine tasting presented by the Palm Desert Area Chamber of Commerce and La Fe Wine Bar, featuring 100-plus wines from a variety of regions paired with charcuterie and cheese stations. ($95)
Jazz Jam with Doug Macdonald
Wednesday | 6 p.m. | Shadow Mountain
Live jazz with guitarist Doug MacDonald at Shadow Mountain Golf Course; dinner seating available from 5 p.m. Cover charge waived with entrée purchase. ($10 members / $20 nonmembers)
Rat Pack Duo
Wednesday | 6 p.m. | Hotel Paseo
Live Rat Pack-style performance at Hotel Paseo. No additional event details were included in the source listing.
Palm Desert City Council
Thursday | 4 p.m. | 73-510 Fred Waring Dr
The City Council meeting is held in person and streamed live via Zoom and YouTube. Written public comments may be submitted to [email protected] by 10 a.m. the day of the meeting; comments will not be read aloud.
✨ And Finally …
Photo: City of Palm Desert
Even as the new Palm Desert library's construction plans navigate some turbulence, the library itself is having quite a moment — and faster internet may be on the way.
Driving the news: Library Director of Services Shannon Vonnegut told the Library Advisory Committee recently that 80,932 visitors were recorded from July through February of the current fiscal year, compared with 67,927 during the same period the prior year.
Physical circulation reached 143,048, up from 107,969, while digital circulation climbed to 15,944 from 9,500.
Why the numbers jumped: Vonnegut attributed the gains in part to a major book vendor that had supplied most other valley libraries shutting down earlier this year, leaving Palm Desert as one of the few libraries in the region still receiving new materials during that period.
But wait: Vonnegut also told the committee the library is on the verge of switching from Riverside County's internet service to its own account on CENIC, a high-speed network serving colleges, universities and libraries.
The equipment is installed, the library has received a green light, and the switchover is expected within days — nearly two and a half years after Vonnegut first took on the project.
The bottom line: Once the switch is complete, the library will be able to control and increase its own internet speeds — something that has not been possible under the county connection.
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