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Happy Friday, Palm Desert! As we reported last month, the city's Cultural Arts Committee has narrowed the field to two finalists — DeWitt Godfrey and Gordon Huether — for a new sculpture to be placed at the San Pablo Phase 2 roundabout at San Pablo Avenue and the College of the Desert entrance, chosen from an original pool of 214 applicants. The community is now being asked to weigh in before the City Council makes its final selection in April — check out the proposals and cast your vote at engagepalmdesert.com/art
🎶 Setting the mood: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston
Leading Off
The Joslyn Center off Catalina Way. (File photo)
Joslyn Center board working on transparency measures in response to concerns
The board of directors of the Joslyn Center is updating its bylaws and taking steps to address community calls for greater transparency, according to an update delivered at a recent Palm Desert City Council meeting.
Driving the news: Councilmember Karina Quintanilla, who attended a recent Joslyn board meeting, told her colleagues the board is making progress on governance matters and responding to requests raised by members last fall.
"They've got some great things moving along," Quintanilla said. "They're working on bylaws and progressing to meet the community's requests for transparency."
The backdrop: The update follows concerns raised at an October 2025 City Council meeting, when a group of Joslyn Center members questioned the Cove Community Senior Association's governance after the board removed the center's executive director. Speakers said they were unable to obtain information about the director's dismissal and were asked to leave when pressing for answers.
Some members cited reports that security had been hired for meetings and said several members planned to circulate a petition of no confidence.
What they asked for: Community members called for advance public notice of board meetings, designated opportunities for member input, active members as voting board members, residency requirements for board members, and member participation in any future executive director hiring process.
The city's role: City officials said their authority over the organization is limited. While the city funds the Joslyn Center through the Cove Communities Service Commission, the center operates as an independent nonprofit with its own governing board.
Following the October meeting, City Manager Chris Escobedo met with concerned residents to hear their perspectives and explain the city's oversight role.
What's next: The board is also developing ideas to expand programming, including exploring ways to incorporate animal services alongside its senior services mission.
Briefly
Photo: Desert Recreation District
🛹 Hoping to boost skate park use, committee to recommend unsupervised model
The Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Committee voted Tuesday to recommend the City Council shift the Civic Center skate park from a supervised model to an unsupervised one, aiming to boost usage and reduce the facility's roughly $88,000 annual staffing cost.
Committee members said the current model — which requires an on-site attendant to enforce helmet and pad requirements during set hours — may be discouraging use. One member noted young people were skating on a nearby roundabout and elsewhere in the park rather than at the park to avoid the gear requirements.
Details: The recommendation would run through the end of the calendar year, with a subcommittee assigned to monitor the park weekly. Not all members agreed, with one warning that removing supervision could expose the city to liability. The proposal now goes to the City Council for consideration.
🏥 Health survey reveals rising food insecurity, healthcare gaps across valley
A new survey by Health Assessment and Research for Communities finds the Coachella Valley facing its highest level of food insecurity in over a decade, with one in four adults cutting meals or going without food due to financial constraints — nearly tripling rates seen just three years ago.
The 2025 Community Health Survey also found that while 89.3% of working-age adults have health coverage, access remains a barrier: nearly 44% of residents cited long appointment wait times as a major obstacle, a consequence of a regional doctor shortage. More than 26% of adults have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, yet more than half received no treatment in the past year.
Bottom line: Chronic conditions are widespread, with roughly one in three adults diagnosed with high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and 69.3% of adults falling into overweight or obese categories.
A MESSAGE FROM MODERN MEN COACHELLA VALLEY MEN’S CHORUS
Sing Out! marks the final concert of Dr. Stan Hill’s
remarkable tenure as Artistic Director of Modern Men’s Chorus
This moving and visually stunning program features some of the most beautiful music ever written — from Morricone’s Gabriel’s Oboe to a radiant selection from Birds of Paradise. Thrilling new works from leading university and community choruses across the country and a rapturous male/ male pas de deux accompanied by a live string quartet.
📅 Featured Events
Tortoise Chat
Today | 8:30 a.m. | National Monument Visitor Center
Come visit our desert tortoise enclosure and learn about conservation efforts to study and protect our wild desert tortoise population in the Monument.
Matcha Rave and Richsport Release
Today | 11 a.m. | Buena Matcha
Come through and celebrate with us for the official Richsport x HEAD release party. Just 3 miles from the Tennis Garden—kick off your day with a richsport signature drink, good music, and then head over to the tournament to catch the matches.
Drone Training
Saturday | 8 a.m. | UC Riverside Palm Desert Campus
Join Rogue Tech for an exclusive, hands-on training in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)! Participants will receive: FAA Part 107 Certification Prep, real-world UAS flight training, and industry-based knowledge & practical skills
Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival
Saturday | 10 a.m. | Civic Center Park
For nearly 20 years, the Coachella Valley Wildflower Festival has served as the leading public celebration of our desert environment — connecting thousands of families with the land, science, and stewardship that sustain our community. Due to expected high winds, the festival will be moved behind the YMCA and Desert Recreation District.
Deep Space Night
Tuesday | 8:30 p.m. | Rancho Mirage Observatory
Join us for Deep Space Night, where we will point our PlaneWave Instruments CDK 700 telescope at an unassuming object like a distant galaxy, supernova, or dwarf planet and discuss what makes it such an interesting target.
Palm Desert City Council
Thursday | 4 p.m. | City Hall
Palm Desert City Council meets in closed and open sessions tonight. City Council Meetings are held in person, but you can participate or watch the meeting via a live-stream.
📌 Save The Date
Fashion Week El Paseo at The Gardens on El Paseo starting March 13
Ireland with Michael at the McCallum Theatre on March 14 ($38)
Bloom in the Desert annual fundraiser at Palm Canyon Theatre on March 20
Out of This World Gala at The Ritz-Carlton on March 20 ($162)
✨ And Finally …
Photos: DSUSD
The Palm Desert High School football field served a different purpose than usual on Tuesday — hosting kindergarteners and seniors from the school instead of tackles and touchdowns.
Driving the news: PDHS hosted "Meet at the 50," a literacy celebration that brought together kindergarteners and high school seniors at midfield. Students from Reagan Elementary, Carter Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Washington Charter School took part in the event.
How it worked: Seniors and kindergarteners lined up on opposite sides of the football field, with the younger students walking to the 50-yard line to meet their senior partners.
Each kindergartener received a new book donated by the Riverside County Office of Education's Read With Me program, and the pairs sat together at midfield to read side-by-side.
The fashion: The kindergarteners came dressed for the occasion, wearing shirts that read "Future Graduate – Class of 2038."
Why it matters: The event was designed to visually capture the journey from a student's first day of school to graduation, reflecting the Desert Sands Unified School District's Portrait of a Graduate vision through cross-grade mentorship and a shared commitment to literacy and academic excellence.
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