BROUGHT TO YOU BY
We are grateful for our advertisers. Become one today
Friday, April 17 | ☀️ 78°/56°
TGIF, and happy National Haiku Poetry Day to all who celebrate. Observed every April 17, today celebrates one of the world's oldest and most enduring poetry forms — the Japanese art of capturing a moment, image, or feeling through sensory language, traditionally in three lines following a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. It sounds simple, but try squeezing an entire emotion into 17 syllables and getting it just right. Need some inspiration? Check out these 10 haikus to get you started.
🎶 Setting the mood: "Chelsea Hotel #2 (Live)" by Leonard Cohen
Leading Off
Photo Illustation
Tourism district faces pushback from short-term rental operators as protest period opens
The Palm Springs City Council has approved a resolution to form a new tourism district that would levy a 1% assessment on lodging revenue to fund convention center improvements — but as a formal protest period gets underway, some short-term rental operators say they were left out of the process.
Driving the news: The council's approval of the resolution of intention to form the Palm Springs Tourism Infrastructure District launches a required 45-day window for lodging businesses to formally protest the plan.
The district would assess hotels, vacation rentals and other lodging operators 1% of gross short-term rental revenue, generating an estimated $4.1 million annually.
The other side: City officials described the proposal as industry-driven, noting that businesses representing more than 50% of the projected assessment signed petitions to advance it. Petition support includes roughly 520 lodging operators, about 480 of whom are short-term rental owners.
Kenny Cassidy, a board member of Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs, said he participated in stakeholder committee meetings over the past year and that his group hosted a meeting for permit holders that included a presentation on the district.
Yes, but: Several short-term rental owners told The Post they were unaware of the proposal until it was already moving forward, and questioned whether independent owners had a voice in shaping it.
"Convention attendees do not stay in vacation rentals. They stay in hotels," wrote Emily Markowitz Bailey, a licensed short-term rental owner. "The entire premise of the convention center expansion … generates no measurable benefit for individual STR operators, yet we are expected to help finance it."
What's next: Public hearings are scheduled for May 12 and May 27. If written protests from businesses representing less than 50% of the total assessment are received, the district could take effect as early as July 1 and would run for up to 40 years.
Briefly
🚨 Driver dies after vehicle lands on parked car near Palm Springs airport
A 25-year-old Desert Hot Springs man was killed early Thursday after a vehicle he was operating, traveling at high speed on East Tahquitz Canyon Way, left the road, became airborne and landed on a parked vehicle in Parking Lot B near Palm Springs International Airport. The crash was reported at approximately 2:15 a.m.
The man, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was ejected and sustained critical injuries. Officers and emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures before the driver was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 3 a.m.
Details: The Palm Springs Police Department Traffic Unit is investigating and has not yet determined whether drugs or alcohol were factors. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Steve Sanders at 760-323-8125 or Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.
A MESSAGE FROM
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION
This concert was created as a special benefit in support of PSIPC. From the piano Veneszuelan born artist Marco Antonio Godoy shares his journey of arriving in the US with just two bags - one with clothes and one with a keyboard and the challenges, discipline and hope that shaped his path. Your ticket includes a full evening experience.
📆 Your Weekend
Multiple Days
Kiss of the Spider Woman at Palm Canyon Theatre all weekend ($20–$46)
Knife to the Heart at Palm Springs Cultural Center all weekend ($44)
Modern Men Presents Sing Out! at The Plaza Theatre all weekend ($40–$80)
Today
Palm Springs Parks Foundation Listening Session at Mizell Center at 12:30 p.m.
Friends Book Club at Welwood Murray Memorial Library at 2 p.m.
Jack Sollecito at the Thompson Hotel at 4 p.m.
Desert Light Exhibition at Revolution Stage Company at 5 p.m.
Foodie Fridays at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 5 p.m.
Razzle Dazzle at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 7 p.m. ($22)
Saturday
Tahquitz Creek Cleanup at 825 South Riverside Dr at 8 a.m.
Palm Springs Certified Farmers' Market at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 8 a.m.
LGBTQ Center of the Desert Blue Ribbon Celebration at The Center at 11 a.m.
Jason Weber's Piano Riot at Revolution Stage Company at 5 p.m. ($10–$15)
Country Western Dancing at Dance Ranch PS at 7 p.m. ($5)
2026 Spring Gala Fundraiser starring Sierra Boggess at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 7 p.m. ($111)
Sunday
Palm Springs Retro Market at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 10 a.m.
Mahjong Meetup at Market Market at 12 p.m.
Screwball Sundays: The Shop Around The Corner at Palm Springs Cultural Center at 3 p.m. ($17)
🚠 And Finally …
Photo: Shutterstock
A Palm Springs property owner's unpermitted cinder block wall addition sparked nearly two years of code enforcement headaches — and now, finally, a more than $20,000 bill he can't escape.
Driving the news: The Palm Springs Administrative Appeals Board voted 4-0 Wednesday to uphold the nuisance abatement fee assessed against the owner of a home in the 1400 block of Padua Way, bringing a case that began in February 2024 to a close.
The backstory: What started as a complaint about 60 linear feet of wall built without a permit stretched through multiple notices, extensions, citations, and unanswered door knocks before the city obtained a court-approved abatement warrant and sent a crew to tear the wall down on July 23, 2025.
Why it matters: The appellant didn't appear at Wednesday's hearing, and his written appeal was found to challenge the abatement process itself — not the fee amount, which was the only matter before the board. With nothing left to contest, the board upheld the bill unanimously.
The bottom line: The $20,257.34 fee covered contractor costs, a locksmith, 18 hours of city staff time, and more than $11,000 in city attorney fees.
In Case You Missed It
Recently published stories
🐕 Kendall is thankful for all the Post readers who reached out with good wishes for her dog Zelda! We’re still waiting on a bunch of test results, but she’s eating better!
🕯️😢 Mark is considering giving up on his favorite candle maker after the last few he purchased turned out to be duds that wouldn’t stay lit.
WORK WITH US
Our network of publications has nearly 50,000 email subscribers and we send 125,000 newsletters each week! That gives advertisers unmatched reach to engaged local readers across the Coachella Valley. Click the button below to learn more or receive our rate card.
EXPLORE & SUBSCRIBE
We deliver free news to communities throughout the Coachella Valley and a roundup on Saturdays. Click below to subscribe to our other newsletters!
Proudly produced in District 1. Typos are intentional.