Mailing address: 31855 Date Palm Drive, No. 3-263 Cathedral City, CA 92234 (760) 904-4208 www.cvindependent.com
Editor/Publisher
Jimmy Boegle
staff writerS
Haleemon Anderson
Kevin Fitzgerald
coveR and feature design
Dennis Wodzisz
Contributors
Melissa Daniels, Charles Drabkin, Katie Finn, Bill Frost, Bonnie Gilgallon, Bob Grimm, Terry Huber, Valerie-Jean (VJ) Hume, Clay Jones, Matt Jones, Matt King, Keith Knight, Cat Makino, Brett Newton, Greg Niemann, Dan Perkins, Theresa Sama, Jen Sorenson, Robert Victor, Eleanor Whitney
The Independent is a proud member and/ or supporter of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, CalMatters, DAP Health, the Local Independent Online News Publishers, the Desert Business Association, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
As we put the finishing touches on this issue, I was struck by how many of the stories, directly or indirectly, illustrate how much is at stake in this year’s presidential election.
This is our 12th annual Pride Issue, and all of our Pride stories this year all touch upon the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, past and present.
Our lead piece is about the new Q+ Art initiative at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Why does Adam Lerner, the museum’s executive director, feel the need for such an initiative?
“We feel it’s important to send a message to the general public, especially today, where there is so much prejudice in the world,” he told Haleemon Anderson. “We think that museums can be important forces in our culture, where we can affirm a plurality of voices.”
Next up is Kevin Fitzgerald’s interview with Renae Punzalan, the director of youth services at the Marsha P. Johnson Youth Drop-in Center, which is part of the Transgender Health and Wellness Center.
“Even though we’re here in Palm Springs—which is supposed to be the gay mecca, right?—there are still students who face discrimination for being trans or gender-diverse,” she told Kevin.
Our third piece, also by Kevin Fitzgerald, is an interview with Michael G. Lee, author of When the Band Played On, a biography of pioneering gay journalist Randy Shilts. Lee will be interviewed by another iconic gay journalist, Hank Plante, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on Nov. 16. Lee talked about his experiences working in HIV health.
“There was always this recognition that our work, even though a lot of it was standard human service-type work, was imbued with a certain political edge because of the process it took to get funding for AIDS research and community-based services,” he said. “It was still a partisan topic, even into the early 2000s, and we continually had to press against opponents in legislative bodies. … Depending on what happens with the climate of this country, we could be revisiting those fights sooner than we think.”
We conclude our Pride section with Matt King’s feature on Great Autos, an LGBTQ+ car club.
“A lot of our members, when we first started, were closeted,” said Mike Parente, a Great Autos board member and the club historian. “We used to send out the newsletter in a plain wrapper, (and members) didn’t want to be listed in our roster, because homophobia was such a bigger thing.”
Beyond the Pride section, Matt wrote a preview of the Reel Women’s Film Festival, which benefits Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
“We are all humans going through so many things, so many problems, and reproductive health care and reproductive health access, and having that bodily autonomy—it weaves itself through all of our narratives,” said Jacque Casillas, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s donor relations manager. “Every single person has sexual reproductive health, and it is so critical that you have not just access, but safety and security.”
We currently live in a country where, in many places, LGBTQ+ freedoms and womens’ bodily autonomy have been taken away or are being threatened. One major presidential candidate has made it clear that she supports the LGBTQ+ community and a woman’s right to choose; the other has made it equally clear—with his words, his actions and the people with whom he surrounds himself—that he’s happy to take away abortion rights, demonize trans people, and elevate judges who want to roll back LGBTQ+ rights, including gay marriage.
As I write this, pollsters say the presidential race is as close as it can get—Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are equally likely to win the election. I am legitimately afraid.
Welcome to the November 2024 print edition of the Coachella Valley Independent. Thanks, as always, for reading.
—Jimmy Boegle, jboegle@cvindependent.com
NOVEMBER 23, 2024
745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs
VIP ADMISSION
Noon-1 p.m.
$95 online purchase only Food pairings, 12 tasting tickets, souvenir cup
GENERAL ADMISSION
1-5 p.m.
$70 at the door
8 tasting tickets, souvenir cup while supplies last
Friendly dogs on leash welcome! Indoor and outdoor restrooms.
Credit cards and cash accepted. You have to be 21 or older, so of course, no children, teens or babies.
The museum is open, but a separate ticket is required to visit the full museum.
Breweries booths are set up inside the Miles hangar, and vintage airplanes are only a few feet away. The hangar doors remain open, so everyone can mingle inside and out, sampling beers and watching the ramp where aircraft will be taking off and landing throughout the afternoon.
• Over 40 craft beers to taste
• Food Trucks: Charlie Loco Tacos, Fries Galore, Papa Headz, Party Pop, Uncle D’s Smokehouse, and Wetzel’s Pretzels
• Live Music by Desert Sol Band and The John Stanley King Band
Presenting Sponsors
VIP Food Sponsor
HIKING WITH T
THE #1 CHOICE COMFORT AIR
Consider nighttime or full moon hikes to burn calories and prepare for the holidays
Do you plan to spend the holiday season here in the desert? If so, I recommend taking full advantage of the cooler weather to get outside and hike. Why not start now and work on taking off the excess pounds—so that you can justify putting them back on, or at least maintaining, during holiday indulgences?
As the days become shorter, and darkness arrives around 5 p.m., it’s a great time for night hiking, especially during the weeks of the full moon. The next two full moon cycles fall on Nov. 15 (Beaver Moon, at 1:28 p.m. PST) and Dec. 15 (Cold Moon, at 1:02 a.m.).
One way to experience the desert under the full moonlight is to sign up for a Full Moon Hike guided tour by Friends of the Desert Mountains. See their calendar of events and sign up at I recently joined a volunteer-led night hike on the East Indio Hills Badlands Trail with the Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer group in preparation for the upcoming full moon hikes. I learned so much within two short hours about the history, the flora and the fauna of the trail. First, the hike leader gave a safety talk to the group prior to starting the hike. Then, the leader stopped periodically to provide useful information. Aside from the leader, there’s a trail sweep—the last hiker in the group who ensures that everyone is accounted for and stays with the group. It truly
www.desertmountains.org/calendar. For a $5 suggested donation to support the volunteer programs, the full moon night hikes are very informative and are usually within 1-3 easy, family-friendly miles. You’ll need to bring a liter of water and a headlamp or flashlight; wear close-toed shoes; and check in 15 min utes prior to the group departure time. I’d leave the dogs at home for these hikes, unless they say it’s OK to bring them. Astronomers sometimes set up telescopes for stargazing along the way, and blacklights may be provided for scorpion sightings. Very exciting stuff!
is an incredible system, showing how a team of volunteers can work so well together.
Desert night hikes and full moon hikes are also offered at Borrego Springs on some clear, wind-free nights. The next full moon hike at Borrego is on Friday, Nov. 15, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. There’s no charge; just call the Nature Center at 760-767-3098 to register. See the calendar for more hikes, webinars and other activities at www.borregoexperience.com/ full-moon-desert-nights.
If you’re not up for night hiking, you’ll notice a variety of other interpretative hikes, birding walk-abouts and other events posted on the Friends of the Desert Mountains calendar at www.desertmountains.org/calendar.
Either way, be sure to carve out some trail time on Sunday, Nov. 17—National Take a Hike Day! This is a special day that’s about more than taking a simple walk; it’s about taking a break from your daily work routine, being outdoors on a trail with family and friends, and connecting with nature. We are surrounded by beautiful trails here in the desert that are plentiful with wildlife right now, and you may be lucky enough to see something special. Being out on the trails is not only therapeutic, but also great exercise. Do you know that hiking can burn between 400 and 550 calories per hour? I can’t think of a better way to prepare for all the holiday cravings. Don’t forget to post your hike and use #NationalTakeAHikeDay when sharing on social media. I hope to see all sorts of cool pictures!
Most importantly, don’t forget to prepare for your hike by taking at least a liter of water for every hour. Wear proper hiking shoes and sun protection, too. Trekking poles are also great for the trails.
Here are two big annual outdoor events coming up:
• The Wild Turkey Trot 5K (3.1 miles) takes place from 8 to 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 28— Thanksgiving Day—in downtown Palm Springs, at the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive, in front of Starbucks. Make room for the extra helpings or a piece of pie by
joining the Palm Springs Marathon Runners and race director Molly Thorpe as they put on this themed race that’s friendly to runners, walkers, strollers and doggies, all in support of local charities. The course is flat and fast, through the beautiful neighborhoods of Palm Springs. All participants receive a long-sleeve tech T-shirt, a finisher medal, a finisher photo download, and a wild turkey hat, as well as Thanksgiving-themed knee-highs for this crazy-awesome race. Don’t be bashful! Feel free to show your holiday spirit by dressing up for the run as a turkey, a pilgrim, or anything else festive. Also, keep your eye out for Santa, who will make a special appearance to welcome the holiday season. The cost is $40, and a portion supports the Mizell Center’s Meals on Wheels Program, providing food for homebound seniors, as well as other important local causes. Register online today before this race sells out, as it has for the past three years, at pswildturkeytrot5k.racewire.com.
• The Santa Paws 5K and Elf Dash happens from 8:30 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at 332 W. Alejo Road, in Palm Springs. Each participant receives a Santa suit for the event—which is yours to keep. Following the 5K, a 200-meter Elf Dash for children 10 and younger is offered. Entry for the kids’ event at a cost of $15 (plus a $2.90 fee) includes a finisher medal. Join the Greater Palm Springs Lions Club, the presenting sponsor (and other various sponsors), and get into the Christmas spirit while supporting Guide Dogs of the Desert, nonprofit that provides trained guide dogs at no cost to the blind and sight-impaired, as well as assistance dogs for those with seizures, autism or PTSD. Register online today for $45 (plus an additional $4.70 fee) at runsignup.com/Race/CA/ PalmSprings/PalmSpringsSantaPaws5K. The cost will increase to $50 on Dec. 1 through race day. Participants can also sign up in person on Friday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Ruth Hardy Park, 700 Tamarisk Road, or on the morning of the race at 7:30 a.m. at 332 W. Alejo Road, the race site. Runners, walkers, strollers and dogs are all welcome to join this holiday cheer-filled event.
The sunset view from a section of the East Indio Hills Badlands Trail. Theresa Sama
OPINION KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
BY BONNIE GILGALLON
Many people talk about writing the “Great American Novel,’ but Rancho Mirage resident Michael Craft actually made it happen.
Born in Elgin, Ill., Craft did not have an early inkling that he would become a novelist— but when a number of his college instructors mentioned that he was a pretty good writer, it stayed in the back of his mind. His college degree is in graphic arts, which led to his first “real” job at the Chicago Tribune, where he served as art director for various features sections of the paper. During his 10 years at the Tribune, he rubbed elbows with many writers who encouraged him to try out his own literary skills.
In 1980, Craft was working at the Tribune and commuting by train from his home in Kenosha,
Wis.; he found himself sitting on the train with his briefcase in his lap for about four hours a day. Many people might spend that time reading, but he wanted to do something a little more productive.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t you try your hand at a novel?’” Craft said. “It seemed totally off the wall, but it’s something I wanted to do. So I picked up a couple of ‘how-to’ books on how to write the modern American murder mystery, and I thought ‘OK, I could do this.’”
He started first by developing an outline. This was before laptops and smart phones, so Craft worked using a legal pad and a ballpoint pen. He started sketching out ideas, and when the ideas were firm enough, he began outlining the novel that became his first Mark Manning mystery. There was a lot of rejection and revision; Craft would write the manuscript in long hand on the train, get home, transcribe it on a typewriter, and watch the pages pile up. Eventually, he had a completed manuscript.
Craft quoted an adage that he found to be true: “It’s often been said that great novels aren’t written; they’re rewritten.” Revising a novel back then meant lots of retyping, so he eventually purchased an early IBM personal computer. That changed everything in terms of facilitating the craft of writing and revising.
However, Craft still had a long time to wait before he became a published writer.
“It took 12 years to sell my first manuscript,” he said. “It was a slim paperback novel titled Rehearsing. It was picked up by a small gay press in San Diego and published in February 1993. It took four or five years for me to snag an agent in New York. Mitchell Waters has been my agent now for well over 25 years.”
Waters liked the next manuscript Craft had in hand—the Mark Manning project, about a gay investigative reporter for a large metropolitan daily newspaper. Waters suggested some revisions and indicated that he thought he could nail down a deal at Kensington Books in New York. That was an exciting prospect for Craft, since Kensington
had long been a respected publisher of murdermysteries. They did not have a gay series at that point, and Waters thought they were ready for it.
“I was definitely in the right place at the right time,” Craft said. “This was in the late 1990s, and gay murder mysteries were a ‘thing.’ It was sort of a Golden Age of gay murder-mystery writing, and they wanted someone. Suddenly, I had a contract for three books.”
After a magical Christmas trip to the Palm Springs area about 40 years ago, Craft moved to the Coachella Valley permanently in 2005.
“I remember when we got off the plane, there were mountains all around—nothing like the Midwest where I grew up,” Craft said. “I knew this was it.”
Craft was at a point in his life where he needed something new. He wanted to go back to school to finish an incomplete graduate degree; he found a master’s program in creative writing at Antioch University in Los Angeles, which recharged his batteries.
As for the characters in his books, Craft said he pieces together little bits of folks he’s known, and tries to never make anyone recognizable.
“And I always like to say that there is a bit of me in every character I write,” Craft said. “But no one character is me.”
He works on his writing for three or four hours every day, whether he’s thinking, planning, corresponding or promoting.
“I have found that when I’m in the heat of a draft, the act of writing is both physically and emotionally draining,” he said. “So I won’t force myself to try to write when I’m tired.”
What advice does Craft have for writers just starting out? “Network with other established or aspiring writers. A good option is the Palm Springs Writers Guild, an organization of about 300 writers at all levels of accomplishment. Or find a critique group or a writing class where people share their work.”
Craft is a member of/contributor to CVRep, the Rancho Mirage Library Foundation,
Meet Michael Craft, a novelist who made a big splash in the world of ‘cozy mysteries’ with a gay protagonist
Friends of the Artists Council, the Eisenhower Health Foundation and the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation.
His books have won numerous awards, including the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award. Four of the books in his Mark Manning mystery series were finalists for Lambda Literary Awards. In 2017, Craft’s professional papers were acquired by the Special Collections Department of the Rivera Library at the University of California, Riverside.
Craft’s newest book, Desert Reunion, is the third in the Dante and Jazz mystery series. It’s his 20th published novel, and is available in hard cover, paperback and Kindle. Craft’s website is www.michaelcraft.com.
Asked about his philosophy, about both writing and life itself, Craft’s reply is quick and emphatic: “Think for yourself.”
Bonnie Gilgallon also writes theater reviews for Independent and hosts a weekly radio show, The Desert Scene, on Mutual Broadcasting. Her website is www.bonnie-g.com.
FEBRUARY 13-23, 2025
Michael Craft: “I always like to say that there is a bit of me in every character write. But no one character is me.”
Photo by Monica Orozco. Sponsors as of October 21, 2024.
CANDIDATE Q&A
by Haleemon Anderson
Voters in Indio’s District 5 will choose between two homegrown City Council candidates on Nov. 5. Both Ben Guitron and incumbent Lupe Ramos Amith are Indio natives, and both have extensive roots in public service.
Lupe Ramos Amith, an Indio City Council member since 2004, is currently serving her fifth stint as mayor. Ramos Amith said she is seeking a final term because she wants to help complete the city’s master plan.
Ben Guitron has worked for the Indio Police Department for more than 40 years. As head of the Office of Community Safety, Guitron engages with a network of public, community and
business interests to communicate on important issues.
The Independent recently spoke with both of the candidates and asked them the same set of six questions. In print, we have space for two of the questions and answers; the entire slate, with the answers in their entirety, can be found at CVIndependent.com. The candidates’ answers have been edited only for clarity and style.
Ben Guitron
What do you think are the top two issues facing District 5 residents, and Indio as a whole?
I think Indio, as a whole—we’ve had some incredible growth in our city, and it’s not just in our housing or our businesses. It’s in our schools; it’s in maintaining our services because of the growth. So, in general, we need to continue, as the council is doing now, to
not just look at what we’re doing now, but how (Indio) will look 20 years from now.
I’ve gained those experiences working in (public safety) and representing the department on the Planning Commission and also the Development Review Committee, where developers work with staff to make sure that the standards of the city are being followed. (Even with) smart growth, our public services have economical challenges, for one reason or another. I have a good, clear understanding of how one impacts the other, (coming) from public safety and working with the business community, and with developers who are not just (bringing) businesses but also housing.
You know, a lot of challenges that the valley has also affect Indio. Being the largest city of the valley and the oldest, we are faced with some of the things of the past that have reached a point of their maximum—our power infrastructure, for example, and being able to maintain it, but also making sure that it doesn’t affect our future. It’s part of the infrastructure of our city, and some of the hurdles that we’re going through now, we need to take an approach, not looking at it at 10,000 feet, but looking at it at 35,000 feet. Being part of a body that implements policy, decisions are not easily done. They take time; they take (continuing) to work with staff and the collaborative partners that we have to make sure those things are done to the best of our ability.
What sets you apart from your opponent? Why would you be a better City Council representative?
I’m going to bring a new perspective. I want to do something that makes a difference. Not to challenge what was done by my opponent—it’s not to critique; everybody does their best—but it’s time for a fresh new perspective. What I bring is, the last 40 years of my livelihood, (working for) the Police Department and being homegrown, being born in Indio, my family having roots here between Coachella and Indio since 1919. I don’t just come here to learn. I come here to
hit the ground running.
I’ve been fortunate to be (involved with) the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District (CVMVCD), which gave me the privilege of being a seated representative with the same rules and conditions of a public agency, (but) by appointment, not by an election. I’ve also been fortunate to hold positions on some of the committees that I was appointed to. I was (chosen) president twice of CVMVCD, an 11-member body, public agency. I’m currently the vice president at Vector. And along with that, (I’m involved with) various other organizations. I’m a founding member of Volunteers in Medicine, and also part of the Desert Recreation District Foundation. Along with that, being a member of several other organizations gives me the diversity to really understand where we’re at right now, and the communication also with the business community. I just received an endorsement from the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, which Indio and a lot of our businesses, both large and small, are part of. So to me, having the privilege to be elected to a team where I can hit the ground running (means) I’m going to be able to help not just District 5, but the entire city.
Lupe Ramos Amith
What do you think are the top two issues facing District 5 residents, and Indio as a whole?
Indio as a whole and District 5 is going to be disrupted for about a two-year period of time, because we are building every backbone street and major thoroughfare to its ultimate design, just to be able to meet the needs of the travelers and the capacity issues that we have now. There are going to be a lot of red cones, a lot of construction, a lot of detours. Of course, we won’t do construction during the festivals, but it’s going to be a mess for a couple of years—but at the end of the two years, everyone’s going to be very pleased with the improvements that we’re making. That impacts all of the districts; there’s not one district that isn’t being touched. Another thing I want to add: When you drive into Indio (heading east), everything on the left of the freeway used to be nothing but sand dunes before I got on council. Since then, we’ve approved all of those projects (including) 20,000 homes over there. That’s how we doubled, basically, the size of Indio. That’s one thing that our residents are going to have to bear with. The other one is similar,
in that our freeway overpasses still do not have the capacity to connect the left side of town with the right side of town. I’m talking about Interstate 10. If you’re on that bridge trying to get across at 8 a.m. or 5 p.m., which is rush hour, you could be there 30, 45 minutes, just waiting to get over to the other side. And, of course, each bridge that we build is $80 million. We have one of them funded. We’re still trying to figure out how to fund the other one. So, it’s not only a challenge financially to gather all the different funding sources, but again, we’re going to be under construction further beyond the two years with those bridges.
What sets you apart from your opponent? Why would you be a better City Council representative for District 5? My background lends me a skill set that not very many people have the privilege of attaining, which is working in an engineering office. We are the windows of the future, because we are the ones who take the dirt, the ground, the raw land and create, to make something out of it. That’s what I’ve always done, and I’m able to project out and envision how we can make something really great. I think that my background in the development industry really lends itself to helping the city.
Of course, over the 20 years, I’ve become involved in regional and national committees, so I’m well-versed in procedures and how to pass legislation. I even worked, at one time, for the Sacramento Assembly office. I think that sets me apart. Not only do I know the construction part of it, but I also know the internal legislative part of it.
Indio City Council District 5 incumbent Lupe Ramos Amith faces challenger Ben Guitron
Ben Guitron.
Lupe Ramos Amith.
CANDIDATE Q&A
by Kevin Fitzgerald
Incumbent District 1 Palm Desert City Councilmember Karina Quintanilla has been in the local news quite a bit since 2019.
That year, she was one of the two plaintiffs who filed a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the city; ultimately, that lawsuit led Palm Desert to move from at-large City Council districts to two districts and, finally, five electoral districts. In 2020, Quintanilla ran successfully to become the first District 1 representative—and first Latina—on the Palm Desert City Council.
In August of this year, she again attracted the spotlight when she posted comments on an
official city social media account criticizing an article in a trade publication highlighting the East Valley Republican Women Patriots’ store on El Paseo; Quintanilla characterized the merchandise and overall theme as “extremist.” Her comments were met with a critical response from supporters of the store, which forced the city to issue an official explanation and apology.
Quintanilla—who is wrapping up her year as mayor in December—is seeking a second four-year term on the council. A Coachella Valley resident since 1984, she graduated from Cathedral City High School and the University of California, Riverside. She has lived with her two daughters in Palm Desert since 2002. Quintanilla’s political activism solidified when she attended the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Leadership Institute in 2015. According to her campaign website, “Passionate about education, (Quintanilla) has worked in various capacities as an educator, working with students in K-12, and in higher education, including those studying for their associates, bachelors, masters, credentials or Ph.D.” Endorsements listed on her campaign website include U.S. Congressman Raul Ruiz, Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein, Palm Springs City Councilmembers Christy Holstege and Lisa Middleton, Desert Hot Springs Mayor Gary Gardner and Palm Springs Uni-
fied School District Board President Madonna Gerrell, among others.
Her challenger, Chris Scott, has lived his entire life in Palm Desert, and attended its schools from kindergarten through high school; in fact, he first met the girl who grew up to become his wife, Brieana, at Palm Desert Middle School. They run a local real estate business together while raising their young son; they are expecting a second child in January.
Endorsements listed on Scott’s campaign website include Palm Desert City Council members Jan Harnik, Evan Trubee and Gina Nestande, along with retired Palm Desert City Councilmember Sabby Jonathan, Indian Wells City Council Member Dana Reed, the Inland Empire Business PAC and the Riverside Sheriffs Association.
The Independent recently spoke with both of the candidates and asked them the same set of six questions. In print, we have space for just one of the questions and answers; the entire slate, with the answers in their entirety, can be found at CVIndependent.com. Here, Quintanilla’s answer was edited for space, clarity and style, while Scott’s response was edited only for clarity and style.
Karina Quintanilla
What do you believe are the top two issues confronting all Palm Desert residents, including your District 1 constituents?
Of the issues impacting the whole entire city right now, public safety is first, and we need to be looking at whether we are using our funds appropriately.
On the issue of the tax measure, to me, it’s important that we clarify that, (because I’m) opposing the tax measure, (but that) does not mean that I’m opposing public safety and funding public safety. When we were told that the CAL FIRE union was changing its max hours allowed (per personnel shift) from 72 to 56, I was happy to hear that. No person should work and go without sleep for 72
Two candidates vie for Palm Desert’s District 1 City Council seat—amidst partisan turmoil
hours, and then be expected to be alert and strong enough to run into burning buildings. That’s a no-brainer.
I know that several years ago, the number of positions we had protecting the city were reduced. Also, I know that we increased the number of people who are volunteering for the Citizens on Patrol, and that’s absolutely wonderful. I’m so happy to see people engaged. However, I think it’s kind of risky that we have placed so much of this (responsibility) on the hands of our volunteers (when issues) need to be responded to by people who have law-enforcement training. For example, if there is a car accident, then our Citizens on Patrol will go, and they’ll cone things off and wait until the sheriffs arrive. That’s wonderful. But what happens if somebody doesn’t respect that, or if someone gets hurt? These are unpaid volunteers. They’re not covered by any sort of benefits, and I’m concerned.
Are we allocating our resources to maximize the impact and the quality of life for our residents? I’m concerned about how much has been spent in areas that are vanity projects. We have needs, and needs are not $1 million elevated crosswalks on El Paseo. We don’t need Lupine Plaza. So, I’m very happy that I was able to get some of those shop owners engaged and feeling heard when they were saying, “We don’t want Lupine Plaza.” So that was another $3-$4 million that the city was going to spend on a vanity project.
We need to look at (whether) we are allocating funds where they need to be. So, for example, when we looked at the budget, and we were formulating it back in February, everything seemed great and moving along. We trusted our staff was putting everything in, (until) I saw the inflated budget amount for the visitor center. … The budget allocation was increased so drastically that it gave me concerns over how many other things are over-inflated and padded to make it seem like we don’t have money.
I strongly oppose having a tax increase without an oversight committee. Other cities have it, and they’ve been very successful. If we’re going to raise the sales tax, we need to be sure that the community has input on how things are being run. Palm Desert has a history, and this is all public knowledge. There was a report issued by the State Controller John Chiang in March of 2011 (which) was an audit of cities across the state (about) how they were using their redevelopment money. … Palm Desert was cited in that 2011 audit of 18 cities for having misused funds. Palm
Desert used that money on Desert Willow (Golf Resort). It was, like, $16.7 million that could have gone to parks. … Palm Desert was specifically cited in a state report that talked about the misuse of millions of dollars to make the municipal golf course, that a lot of people don’t even use, at the expense of state taxpayers. Ultimately, the redevelopment agency funding was eliminated in the state of California, because they showed cities misusing it. To me, that’s a giant red flag.
Chris Scott
What do you believe are the top two issues confronting all Palm Desert residents, including your District 1 constituents?
No. 1 is public safety, because without public safety, we have nothing. I fully support our law enforcement and public-safety initiatives, so they have the tools and technology to do their job effectively. That impacts the entire city. What I like to include under that umbrella of public safety is the homeless crisis, which is certainly a factor in other districts, but significantly a factor in District 1. I’ve walked (to) every business on Highway 111, and each one of them has a story about how they are impacted more than once—frequently, certainly—with homeless activity. So, that is certainly No. 1.
No. 2 for the entire city: I look forward to restoring Palm Desert’s long-standing reputation as being a business-friendly and business-supportive city. I think that we rely so much on businesses to come here and invest in our city, so we must be able to offer not only support of them, but a place where they can feel empowered, and a place where they can feel like it’s easier to do business. That’s what I see for Palm Desert.
Chris Scott.
Karina Quintanilla.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
3:30 - 8:30 PM
At the Historic J&J Ranch 58300 Almonte Drive, La Quinta, CA 92253
Master of Ceremonies
Award Winning Broadcast Journalist & Author, Janet Zappala
Tickets Include
Light Appetizers, Catered BBQ Dinner, 1 Drink Ticket (Beer/Wine) DJ & Line Dancing, Photo Booth, Native American Fancy Dancerperforming a ceremonial horse blessing dance, and Silent Auction Advance Purchase Tickets: $100 $125 per person at the door Purchase
CIVIC SOLUTIONS
by Melissa Daniels
Desert residents who’ve cruised down Highway 111 are likely familiar with the former Desert Extended Stay in Cathedral City, tucked against the mountains on the south side of the highway near the Rancho Mirage town line. Soon, it will be transformed into permanent supportive housing for low-income residents, thanks to the latest round of Project Homekey grants from the state of California.
The 96-unit Desert Marigold project from developer Abode Communities was one of nine projects around the state to receive an award during the latest funding round. It received $21 million, with another $5 million kicked in from Riverside County toward construction. Beyond that, the
county has committed millions to keep the residents housed. Residents will receive on-site services from the behavioral health division of Riverside University Health System.
Holly Benson, president and CEO of Abode Communities, said housing people with supportive on-site services is important to solving the California housing crisis, because those services ensure that people are able to stay in their homes.
“Housing people without the right services means they can exist, but don’t necessarily thrive. Support services are crucial for real stability,” she said.
It’ll be a process to get the upgrades under way—and it could require the relocation of some residents. The property already has residents who lived there under the previous owner, she said, most of whom can choose to stay or relocate. Some will be moved to other units during renovations. (Some units don’t have full kitchens, for example, and the renovations will cover those upgrades.) Benson expects nearly all the residents who are there right now to qualify for the subsidized housing, and she said those who don’t qualify would receive stipends to move elsewhere. Any vacancies will be filled based on referrals from
Project Homekey comes to Cathedral City to create a renovated supportive-housing complex
the county.
Desert Marigold is an example of the kind of housing that can help the state’s most vulnerable populations: those who are unhoused and in need of mental health or other behavioral support services. And Project Homekey can be an efficient vehicle for making such housing happen. It grew out of Roomkey, a temporary program to give unhoused people shelter in vacant motels during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of August 2024, Homekey has supported 259 projects across the state, including 15,800 homes. As many as 172,329 households will be served over the life of the project.
But this new housing is a drop in an ever-expanding bucket. California has an estimated 181,000 people who are unhoused, according to the latest point-in-time counts, which is as much as a 7.5% increase from the year prior. Riverside County had a 23.3% increase, according to an analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Looking ahead, there could be similar supportive-service projects to come. In March, California voters passed a $6.4 billion mental health and housing bond. CalMatters reported that around $2.2 billion of those funds will go to Homekey starting in May 2025. The goal is to transform existing buildings into housing for people with mental-health and/or substance-use disorders.
But getting the projects to fruition requires good location scouting and significant cooperation from local governments. Developers first have to find the right properties that meet the program criteria, Benson said. “We’ve been very, very selective in that program,” she said.
The buildings can’t be so old that they’re beyond renovation or repair. The layout of the property has to make sense for unit-style living. Former extended-stay properties can be a good fit, because the rooms may already have space for kitchens. Desert Marigold will have 72 studio, 12 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom rentals that have air conditioning, a full bathroom and a kitchenette. “A typical hotel room often requires additional infrastructure, which can be a challenge,” Benson said.
On the plus side, reworking the right existing building can be more cost-efficient than starting from the ground up, lowering overall project costs.
There’s also a cost-savings that stems from how the program is set up: Homekey money comes to the developer upfront, compared to other programs that require developers to get interest-bearing construction loans and then
get reimbursed. Because of the upfront payment process, there are fewer attorney’s fees, Benson said.
“The simplicity of fewer financing sources means less expense, fewer legal fees and a faster development timeline,” she said.
While Homekey makes financing simpler, there’s the question of how the properties continue to stay operational. The Homekey program comes with five years of rental subsidies to help keep tenants’ rent covered. Benson said there’s uncertainty about what happens after those five years—and that’s why some developers are choosy about pursuing Homekey projects.
“We, as an organization, don’t take that risk without a solid takeout plan,” she said. “Without a clear plan beyond the initial subsidy period, we’re left wondering what happens to our residents and the stability of that building.”
In the case of Desert Marigold, Riverside County has committed more than 20-years of subsidy support, totaling more than $23 million in vouchers. Benson praised the housing-authority partners at Riverside County for their willingness to invest in the project and address the issues “head-on.” Without local governments willing to take a stake in the project, developers can’t create the properties needed to help the state’s most vulnerable populations.
“We’re continually pushing for more permanent supportive housing, which is critically needed, but that housing without services and subsidy is not feasible,” Benson said. “We need long-term rental subsidies and ongoing service funding, which are critical to making supportive housing viable after the initial subsidy period ends.”
The Desert Extended Stay in Cathedral City will become the 96-unit Desert Marigold. Courtesy of Abode Communities
CV HISTORY
HFrank
Bogert, the ‘cowboy mayor of Palm Springs,’ was a beloved figure—but concerns over his actions regarding Section 14 have tarnished his image
Bogert crammed a lot into his 99 years. He was a rancher, actor, naval officer in World War II, by greg niemann
e never shed the cowboy part of his Colorado heritage, but Frank M. Bogert was much more than a cowboy: He was a major force in the development of Palm Springs for more than three-quarters of a century.
resort-hotel manager, publicist, photographer, author, publisher, real estate agent and developer—and, most notably, he was a politician who led the city of Palm Springs for decades. He was mayor twice, from 1958-1966 and 1982-1988.
Born the youngest of eight children on New Year’s Day 1910, the independent son of a Mesa, Colo., cattle rancher came to Palm Springs in 1927. In addition to riding the local trails, he went to UCLA and got a job with RKO Pictures as a cowboy actor and stunt man, appearing in 26 Westerns, including John Wayne’s first film, The Big Trail. The head of Paramount was set to sign Bogert to star as Hopalong Cassidy, but called off the deal, instead casting Bill Boyd as “Hoppy.”
In Palm Springs, Bogert worked at the Tennis Club, becoming a close and lifelong friend with owner/pioneer Pearl McManus. He was also a publicist and photographer for the El Mirador Hotel and extolled the merits of Palm Springs through articles, public speeches and photos. His lens captured the reigning celebrities of the time.
Ralph Bellamy and Charlie Farrell hired Bogert in the mid-1930s to be general manager of the Racquet Club, a job he performed with resolve and flair. Once, while squelching a row caused by a mobster’s bodyguard, Bogert was summarily placed on a “hit list.” A message arrived saying Bogert should be out of town by nightfall, or he would be killed. “I was worried sick for Frank … but he was not frightened at all,” admitted Bellamy in The History of the Racquet Club of Palm Springs by Sally Presley Rippingale. Nothing ever happened.
Bogert served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during World War II, seeing action in the South Pacific, including Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and rising to the rank of lieutenant commander.
Bogert Developed Thunderbird
In 1946, Bogert bought a section of land in the Rancho Mirage area from Raymond Cree for $34,000 that he developed into the Thunderbird Dude Ranch. It later became the site of the Thunderbird Country Club, and Bogert became general manager. Early homeowners/ members there included Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, industrialist Leonard Firestone, Bob
Hope, Bing Crosby, Mary Pickford, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
Bogert went on to manage the El Mirador. In 1957, Desi Arnaz built a hotel at the new Indian Wells Country Club and hired Bogert to manage it for a while.
In Palm Springs, Bogert was the first manager of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the first Tramway Authority, and during his time as mayor, the city acquired the Palm Springs Airport, and developed City Hall and the police department.
As Palm Springs’ mayor, Bogert was photographed greeting and cavorting with luminaries including: Mary Pickford, Clara Bow, Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore, Rita Hayworth, Prince Philip, Prince (now King) Charles, and U.S. presidents Kennedy, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Reagan. He often rode horses with President Reagan and went bowling with Clark Gable.
In the 1970s, Bogert became a real estate partner of Muriel Fulton, forming Fulton and Bogert. Bogert also published the Palm Springs Villager, the forerunner to Palm Springs Life
In 1987, as Palm Springs’ most well-known citizen, Bogert wrote Palm Springs: First Hundred Years, a 288-page coffee-table book published by Palm Springs Heritage Associates. The Palm Springs Public Library, with assistance from the Palm Springs Historical Society, revised and updated it in March 2003. At the packed formal signing, the straight-talking Mayor Bogert quipped, “Hell, there were only
10 people at my first book signing, and all they wanted to do was see if their picture was in the book.”
In Bogert’s book preface, Bob Hope wrote in 1987, “I’ve been going to Palm Springs off and on for the past 50 years, and every time I looked up, Bogert was mayor again. … He was always doing something for the community, and he’s never stopped.”
Among Bogert’s contributions, he had served on the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors, the California State Board of Tourism and the California State Trails Commission. He was director of the Palm Springs Water Agency, the Riverside Board of Equalization, and Riverside County Flood Control.
Bogert was married to Janice Bibo, daughter of early pioneer Ruth Bibo, who ran the Acoma Indian Gift Shop. They had three daughters: Cindy Lamm, Donna Higueras and Denni Russell. Donna and her husband, José Higueras, a world class tennis player from Spain, have two children, Jordi and Jenna. Bogert’s second wife, Negie, was constantly by his side, including a 1984 visit to the Reagan White House. In introducing Negie at an event, Bogert once said, “I imported her from Mexico, and I’m going to keep her.”
He died on March 22, 2009, two months after his 99th birthday. So many people attended his final services at the Palm Springs Temple Isaiah that many had to park blocks away.
The Section 14 Controversy
Recognizing his many contributions, in 1990, a full-size bronze statue of Palm Springs’ most famous cowboy, astride a galloping horse, was placed in front of Palm Springs City Hall.
In 2021, the City Council voted to remove the iconic statue, citing Bogert’s role in the
forced evictions of the residents of Section 14. Against the objections of a group called the Friends of Frank Bogert, the statue was removed on July 13, 2022.
The unfortunate Section 14 evictions were decades in the making. The section was deeded by the government to the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who were unable to develop it, because the law did not allow longterm leases. They did rent a few lots shortterm, primarily to minority families with limited incomes. Squatters also moved in, and shacks were erected haphazardly. City leaders were embarrassed to have what they considered a slum downtown, and ordered that all substandard structures meet California sanitary requirements. In 1954, they hauled away 17 trailers, abandoned cars and heaps of trash. In 1956, the Palm Springs Fire Department burned 10 condemned trailers. When Bogert became mayor in 1958, he admitted he was concerned about the image of the slum with its “cardboard houses and horrible conditions.”
The tribe was finally allowed to sign longterm leases in 1959. After federal funds for low-cost houses were denied twice, the city took more decisive action, and the Fire Department demolished and burned 235 structures, displacing the residents. An ensuing state investigation concluded that the city had shown “civil disregard” for the rights of its minority residents, but did not say that any crime was committed.
Decades later, in 2021, the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission urged the City Council to pass an apology resolution and pay restitution for the city’s role in the Section 14 evictions. The commission also encouraged the City Council to remove the statue of Mayor Bogert because of his involvement with the evictions. The city has agreed to pay a group of Section 14 survivors reparations— but the amount has yet to be determined.
Sources for this article include The History of the Racquet Club of Palm Springs by Sally Presley Rippingale (U.S. Business Specialties, 1984); Palm Springs: First Hundred Years by Mayor Frank M. Bogert (Palm Springs Heritage Associates, 1987); Palm Springs: Why I Love You by Tony Burke (Palmesa, Inc., 1978); Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley by Jim Carr (American Geographic Publishing, 1989); Golden Checkerboard by Ed Ainsworth (Desert-Southwest Inc., 1965); A Troubled Oasis by Ronald Eugene Isetti (Outskirts Press, 2022); The Desert Sun, various articles, 2021-2024; The New York Times article by Audra D.S. Burch, May 21, 2024.
Frank Bogert, circa 1954. Conrad Hug/courtesy of the Palm Springs Historical Society
EXCELLENT AS EVER IN THE INLAND EMPIRE
Tied for #1 Regional Hospital plus quality awards in 17 specialties.
Thank you, U.S. News & World Report, for the honor and recognition. And thank you to our exceptional care teams, for your unwavering commitment to quality and dedication to our patients. Lastly, thank you to everyone in our community who choose us for their care. You are our motivation and our inspiration.
In addition to being tied for the Inland Empire’s Best Regional Hospital and also tied 19th Best Hospital in California, we are thrilled to be recognized for high-quality care in the following categories:
• Aortic Valve Surgery
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Colon Cancer Surgery
• Heart Attack
• Heart Bypass Surgery
• Heart Failure
• Hip Fracture
• Hip Replacement
• Kidney Failure
• Knee Replacement
• Leukemia, Lymphoma & Myeloma
• Lung Cancer Surgery
• Orthopedics
• Pneumonia
• Prostate Cancer Surgery
• Spinal Fusion
• Stroke
We look forward to continuing to provide the Coachella Valley with comprehensive, compassionate care. As a not-for-profit organization, we are committed to meeting the health needs of our community and remaining on the leading edge of medicine.
Learn more about our accreditations and recognitions at EisenhowerHealth.org/Awards
NOVEMBER ASTRONOMY
By Robert Victor
Venus is the brilliant evening “star” now shining at magnitude -4 in the southwest at dusk. In early November—five months after its passage behind the sun at superior conjunction on June 4—Venus finally sets in a dark sky, after twilight ends. Watch for an ever-more-impressive evening display for the naked eye, binoculars and telescopes, as Venus swings closer to Earth in coming months!
On Nov. 4, Jupiter, of magnitude -2.7, rises just before Venus sets. On what date will you first see these two brightest planets simultaneously? By Nov. 16, from the Coachella Valley, they’ll be 6° above opposite horizons about 1.9 hours after sunset. On that date, a lineup of six solar system bodies—Venus-Saturn-Neptune-Uranus-moon-Jupiter—will span 162°. On Nov. 30,
Venus-Jupiter will be 144° apart and 13°-14° above opposite horizons about 1.6 hours after sunset for the Coachella Valley.
There’s a new moon on Nov. 1 and another on Nov. 30, neatly bookending a visible cycle of lunar phases from start to finish within the calendar month. The full moon occurs near mid-month, on Nov. 15. During evenings Nov. 3-17, follow the moon past Venus, Saturn, the Pleiades, Aldebaran and Jupiter. On Nov. 3, find the 6 percent crescent moon within 9° to the lower right of Venus. At dusk on Nov. 4, the 12 percent crescent appears within 4° to Venus’ lower left. Coachella Valley residents can try for a daytime sighting of Venus earlier in the afternoon of Nov. 4 as it passes directly south two hours and 40 minutes before sunset, 4° above and slightly to the left of the lunar crescent. A telescope will show Venus presenting a disk nearly 15” (arcseconds) across on Nov. 4 and in gibbous phase, about 76 percent illuminated. A magnification of about 120x would make Venus appear the same size as the moon to the unaided eye. Venus must be much farther away from us than the moon in order to display a greater phase while appearing so close to the crescent moon in the sky.
On the afternoon of Nov. 5, the southernmost moon of this month passes just 27° up in the south, 1.8 hours before sunset. On Nov. 10, at about 5:55 p.m., the moon’s northern edge passes less than 0.5° south of the planet Saturn. Even on other nights, when Saturn isn’t so deep in the moon’s glare, the planet, at magnitude +0.8 to +0.9 will look fainter than usual. That’s because its rings are tipped only 5° from edgeon this month. This angle reaches a maximum before mid-November as Earth runs ahead of Saturn for a slightly better peek at the northern face of the rings. Saturn will fade even more in coming months as its rings close.
The moon, less than a half-day past full, will pass through the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, star cluster on the night of Nov. 15-16, occulting some stars, including its brightest member, third-magnitude Alcyone. Two hours after
sunset on the next evening, Nov. 16, the waning gibbous moon will appear in the east-northeast, within 8° above bright Jupiter. Aldebaran, eye of Taurus and follower of the Pleiades, will appear 10° to the right of the moon-Jupiter pair, forming an isosceles triangle. Follow this gathering overnight until sunrise the next morning, Nov. 17, or wake up an hour before sunrise for another look, and you’ll catch the moon and Jupiter only 5° apart in the western sky. Can you still spot Jupiter on Nov. 17 to the lower left of the moon in daytime, at or just after sunrise? It’ll be easy for binoculars!
The northernmost moon reaches its highest point in the sky during the early morning hours of Nov. 18, when it passes just 5° south of overhead in the Coachella Valley, 4.4 hours before sunrise.
Continue following the waning moon an hour before sunup through Nov. 29. On Nov. 19, the “Twin stars” Pollux and Castor, of magnitude +1.1 and +1.6 in Gemini, are 7°-8° above the moon. On Nov. 20, the Twins are 6°-10° to the moon’s lower right, while brighter Mars, of magnitude -0.3, is 5° to the moon’s upper left. On Nov. 22, Regulus, at +1.4-magnitude, the heart of Leo, the Lion, is about 5° to the lower left of the 55% moon, just more than half full and nearing last quarter phase. On Nov. 23, the fat crescent 45% moon is 7° to the lower left of Regulus. One hour before sunrise on Nov. 26, +1.0-magnitude Spica, spike of grain in the hand of Virgo, appears within 11° to the lower left of a 19% crescent moon. The next morning, Nov. 27, presents a very beautiful sight, especially for binoculars and small telescopes. About three hours before sunrise, the just-risen 13% crescent moon will be closely accompanied by Spica, only a fraction of a lunar diameter to the upper right of the moon’s Earth-lit edge. Watch the moon and Spica gradually separate as they rise higher, and dawn brightens. Farther east in the U.S., an occultation of Spica by the moon will be visible.
The waning moon is visible for two additional mornings. An hour before sunrise on Nov.
Planets and Bright Stars in Evening Mid-Twilight
For November, 2024
This sky chart is drawn for latitude 34 degrees north, but may be used in southern U.S. and northern Mexico.
Venus and Jupiter are prominent as the return to standard time brings earlier evenings
28, look for the 7% crescent 13° to the lower left of Spica. On the 29th, look for the 3% old crescent moon rising in the east-southeast, 25° to the lower left of Spica.
Evening mid-twilight occurs when the Sun is 9 below the horizon. Nov.1: 41 minutes after sunset. 15: 42 " " " 30: 42 " " "
Mars’ northern hemisphere has its spring equinox on Nov. 12. Telescopes will show the red planet’s north polar region appearing very bright while taking up a significant portion of the disk, as the North Polar Hood (cloud cover) breaks up, revealing the North Polar Cap of frozen carbon dioxide and water ice underneath. If you observe near these best times, you can also spot Mars’ dark surface feature, Syrtis Major. This plateau of volcanic rock will appear as a dark triangle near the center of Mars’ tiny 10”-11” disk on Nov. 14 at 12:38 a.m.; Nov. 15 at 1:16 a.m.; and 38 minutes later on each successive morning, until Nov. 23 at 6:22 a.m. Mars will brighten to nearly equal Sirius, and its disk will grow in apparent size to nearly 15” at closest approach and opposition in January 2025.
The Astronomical Society of the Desert will host a star party on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center; and on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Sawmill Trailhead, a site in the Santa Rosa Mountains at elevation 4,000 feet. For dates and times of other star parties, and maps and directions to the two sites, visit astrorx.org
Many events described in this column are illustrated in the Abrams Planetarium Sky Calendar, available by subscription from www. abramsplanetarium.org/skycalendar. For $12 per year, subscribers receive quarterly mailings, each containing three monthly issues.
Robert Victor originated the Abrams Planetarium monthly Sky Calendar in October 1968 and still helps produce an occasional issue. He enjoys being outdoors sharing the beauty of the night sky and other wonders of nature.
Stereographic Projection Map by Robert D. Miller
Aldebaran
Capella
Arcturus
Fomalhaut
November's evening sky chart.
ROBERT D. MILLER
Michael Childers snapped this iconic photograph of David Hockney circa 1978. Michael Childers
On Nov. 23, the Palm Springs Art Museum will open an exhibition of works by David Hockney, one of the world’s pre-eminent gay artists.
David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed: Prints From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is billed as the largest retrospective print exhibition of Hockney’s six-decade career, and features almost 200 pieces, spanning the breadth of the artists’ mediums, from early etchings in the 1950s and ’60s to colorful prints and collages and recent experimental drawings on iPad.
Now 87, Hockney is a salient choice to spotlight the Palm Springs Art Museum’s commitment to a comprehensive program focusing on the contributions of LGBTQ+ artists.
“It was so obvious to me, given the demographics of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, that the museum should have a concentrated effort on exhibiting and promoting the works of LGBTQ+ artists,” said Adam Lerner, the museum’s executive director, to the Independent.
Lerner—who does not identify as LGBTQ+—was director at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver before taking the helm at the PSAM in 2021. He said the museum plans to hire a curator to oversee the Q+ Art programming, which will include ongoing exhibitions, public events, awards and collection-building.
“We need to be the ones to take the lead nationally,” Lerner said. “No other general art museum in the country that I know of has a program like this. If we can’t do it in Palm Springs, then where else? We feel it’s important to send a message to the general public, especially today, where there is so much prejudice in the world. We think that museums can be important
forces in our culture, where we can affirm a plurality of voices.”
Lerner said the museum wants to send a message to the community that it’s committed to the Q+ Art program.
“We thought there was no better place to start than the most famous living gay artist in the world, so it was very intentional that we wanted the name that would be most familiar to our various audiences, especially those audiences in Southern California, because he had so much influence here,” Lerner said.
The Independent reached out to local arts luminaries Jim Isermann, Jonathan Carver Moore and Michael Childers to get their perspectives on both the Q+ Art initiative and Hockney’s influence and impact.
Jim Isermann is an American artist and an early devotee of David Hockney. Three of his works are on display in the inaugural Q+ Art exhibit, To Move Toward the Limits of Living: LGBTQ+ Works From the Collection, which runs through Jan. 13 He has exhibited in solo and group shows too numerous to mention, including most recently at the Pacific Design Center Gallery in Los Angeles.
Isermann recently retired as a professor of art at the University of California, Riverside. For the past 20 years, he has lived in Palm Springs in a Wexler home he and his partner refurbished.
He left his hometown of Kenosha, Wis., in the late ’70s and headed west to earn a master’s degree at the California Institute of the Arts—a move he credits largely to Hockney.
“I first became aware of his work probably 50 years ago, when I was an undergrad at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee,” Isermann said. “I was probably 19 years old, and somebody showed me his work in class—and honestly, it literally changed my life. I was so incredibly attracted to the way he captured the artificiality of design in California in the ’60s and ’70s, the palm trees and the landscaping. He captured something about California that was so entrancing and appealing to me.
thoughtfulness and tenderness and bravery that was all associated with that early work. It was something I’d never seen before.”
Isermann remembers writing to galleries, pre-internet, to collect color brochures of Hockney exhibits. When Hockney lectured at Los Angeles’ Otis College of Art and Design in the late ’70s, Isermann was there, but came away disappointed in the subject matter: Picasso and his latter works.
“It was probably the fall of ’78 or ’79, and there were all these students crammed in this room to hear him talk,” Isermann said. “It was so crazy, because I couldn’t have cared less about Picasso at that point. It seemed very old fashioned and uninteresting, but what he was obsessed about was the fact that this was an artist who was in his 80s. This was an artist who never stopped making work, and was looking at the world through 80-yearold eyes. So he had that vision (then), about what it would be to continue making work, as a long-lived artist. He’s such a model that he’s never stopped working, never stopped challenging how to make work, and has been fearless about taking on new technologies.”
The ideas of having visible role models and a language to talk about identity are things Isermann sees as both positive and complicated. He hopes the Q+ Art initiative can provide the kind of connective tissue useful in examining the span of an artist’s career.
“ I was probably 19 years old, and somebody showed me his work in class—and honestly, it literally changed my life. I was so incredibly attracted to the way he captured the artificiality of design in California in the ’60s and ’70s, the palm trees and the landscaping. ”
—Artist Jim Isermann, on David Hockney
“And then, of course, the other thing was just how queer the work was—and, you know, kind of unashamedly homoerotic. There was both a kind of freedom and celebration, and
“I mean, (Hockney) has got a 60- or 70-yearlong career making work,” Isermann said. “Early in his career, I think it was much easier to see (queer themes), because there were so many drawings of lovers and boyfriends and couples who he knew. And even though he was incredibly interested in portraiture, a lot of the people in these beautiful portraits were kind of gay icons themselves. There’s a very famous double portrait of Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy. There’s a really beautiful portrait of Henry Geldzahler, a curator in New York City who was influential in his career.
“There was even this famous incident, if you’ve read any of the biographies, where he famously was stopped going through
Customs (with) this material. He worked from photographs a lot, and so he had gay porn and physique pictorials that he would use to help render some of his images. This would have been probably in the ’60s or early ’70s. It seems unbelievable today; that work is so tame compared to what you can just find anywhere now, so I think those connections are really interesting. I think it’s a very complicated thing.
“I recently retired from teaching, and I work with a lot of gay and queer grad students. Obviously, I’m old enough to have lived through at least three definitions of the word ‘queer.’ So yes, the current definition is much more celebratory and kind of allencompassing, and a lot of people can claim a queer identity, and it has less to do with, necessarily, sexual orientation. I guess I would say, as somebody who grew up where everyone was so secretive about their orientation and … you didn’t have open role models, there’s something about (Q+ Art) that is really important for young artists and students, to see themselves reflected in groups of work in an exhibition. At the same time, it can be limiting, because (with) a lot of this work, the primary intention or read of the work isn’t necessarily queer, but there’s something inherent in each individual that informs the work they make. And so, regardless, there are ways of connecting (to) this work.
“(Queer art) has been made ever since art was being made, so it’s nice to see the through line made visible, and have it there for anybody who’s willing to do the work to see how these things connect to each other.”
Gallery owner Jonathan Carver Moore is a member of the Q+ Art advisory board. When he heard about Lerner’s vision to make PSAM the nation’s premiere cultural repository for queer art and artists, Moore knew he wanted to be involved.
That was in 2022, a busy year for Moore. He launched his eponymous gallery in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco and bought a home in Palm Springs. He said he sees Q+ Art as a catalyst for Palm Springs to become a bona fide arts hub.
“Q+ Art really wants to focus on being this premier national platform that can recognize the achievements of artists and creatives who identify as
LGBTQ+,” Moore said. “It just seemed like Palm Springs would be the perfect place, right? Considering the makeup, we often refer to it as being a destination for the LGBTQ+ community. I also think it’s great because of its proximity to Los Angeles.”
Moore said it makes sense for Palm Springs to become an LGBTQ+ arts hub.
“Art is not just about beauty, because sometimes art is not always beautiful; it’s really about changing or hoping to change someone’s mind,” he said. “(With) an entire collection of art centered around a marginalized community, (Palm Springs) can be that place people go to, not only for vacation or bachelor and bachelorette parties; it’s also a place where you can go to look at something in a different way, because of this huge collection soon to be existing, right? It’s starting to come about, so can we imagine what it’s going to look like in years to come.”
At Intersect Palm Springs earlier this year, Moore showcased a collection of works by queer African artists. The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art recently acquired 10 of those pieces for its permanent collection and will feature them at WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C. It’s the first show of its kind, said Moore, who takes great pride in representing artists who might have a hard time getting recognition elsewhere.
Accessibility is important to Moore, and when he was presented with the opportunity to open his gallery in the Tenderloin, the nation’s first nationally recognized transgender district, he jumped at the chance.
“As a gallerist operating through a Black queer lens, I recognize not only the importance and necessity to have underrepresented artists exhibit their works, but also the need to have people who look like them, with shared experiences, as gallery owners, directors, members of the sales team
and more,” he said. “I really care a lot about community, and because of that, it’s come back to me in many great ways. I want you to be able to walk in and feel welcomed in that art space. I want you to be able to see art on the walls that looks like you. I want you to be able to ask questions and not be fearful of sounding like you don’t know what you’re talking about, or you don’t belong in an art space. … People learn when you’re open to them, just like when we’re talking about various artists I put on display in Palm Springs. (You grow) when you can see or read a story and understand a queer artist’s background, even though you may not necessarily see the direct correlation of queerness in the painting. When you read about what Hockney was envisioning, your mind changes, and you learn, and you evolve.”
For Moore, the Hockney exhibit brings a cachet to the PSAM that only an artist of world renown could bring. He sees Q+ Art as a draw for new fans of art and culture to join Palm Springs’ more seasoned arts community in experiencing the scope of Hockney’s career.
“I understand why Hockney would be chosen because (of) his work in symbolizing the queer experience,” Moore said. “I feel like you can’t be talking about queer artists without talking about David Hockney. And I think it might be a great
way, when you’re talking about the audience that we have in Palm Springs, to have a historical reference point. He is an older artist, so I also think that it’s important to build upon the history of LGBTQ+ creatives, and not just think about our immediate contemporaries. (With) Hockney, we’re looking back at an artist in history and time. I think the PSAM, from what I’ve gathered from meetings and conversations, they’re going to take us on this journey of queer history and bring us up to the current day and talk about LGBTQ artists, and also about how younger artists are influenced by artists who came before them.
“I also think that Palm Springs—it’s evolving. I’m assuming it has a lot to do with this shift from the pandemic. Younger people have purchased homes here, me and my husband being (two) of them, and you can just see the difference. It’s a mixed community, and that’s great. But I also think if you’re going to start a museum collection like the Palm Springs Art Museum has, it’s great to do it with an artist like Hockney, and then to bring up current artists.”
Michael Childers is a contemporary and longtime friend of Hockney’s. In a storied career that saw him photograph Hollywood legends and icons of the art world from Jack Nicholson to Catherine Deneuve and Andy Warhol, Hockney is among Childers’ most famous subjects.
In 1978, Childers convinced Hockney to get into a pool fully clothed. From there, he snapped what would become one of the most enduring images of the then-rising arts icon. The image of the artist in black and white, gazing off in profile as he floats barefoot in a double-breasted bespoke on a white raft in an inky Hollywood pool, captures Hockney’s sense of style and his connection to California swimming pools.
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Jim Isermann at his home studio in Palm Springs.
Jonathan Carver Moore talks to a patron at Intersect Palm Springs. Haleemon Anderson
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“David liked the idea. I explained to him that it was in homage to (Jacques Henri) Lartigue, a famous French photographer about the turn of the century, who did a similar photograph of his cousin Zissou, who was an artist,” Childers said. “(Lartigue) put him in the pool in a suit. Several galleries in L.A. have said that it’s the most iconic photograph ever taken of David Hockney, the one floating in the pool.”
Hockney moved to Los Angeles in 1964. His painting “A Bigger Splash” (1967) is often credited with sparking a fascination among artists and photographers about what would become known as California pool culture. Hockney would return again and again to the theme, creating a series of paintings in vibrant acrylics.
“Hockney is now the most triumphant, celebrated, living gay artist in the world,” Childers said. “He is huge in France, big in England and in Germany. He had a house in Malibu at a time, and there is some connection with Palm Springs. His former business partner and lover lives here. David loved Palm Springs. He invented a swimmingpool culture of naked boys coming out of pools in the era of the early ’60s, which influenced a whole generation, and many, many photographers and painters have copied.”
Hockney also created paintings on actual swimming pools, covering the bottoms in curved slashes that mimic wave patterns.
A Childers’ photograph taken at Hockney’s Montcalm Avenue home in Los Angeles shows the durability of Hockney’s fascination.
“(In 2012), I had the good fortune to do an exhibition for the Getty (Foundation, at the Palm Springs Art Museum),” Childers said. “It was called Backyard Oasis. They chose my
photograph ‘The Hockney Swimmer’ (1978), a very famous photograph, as the cover for the catalog. … (The photo) is Hockney’s friend Ian Falconer, swimming in the pool that David Hockney had painted at the bottom.”
In 2000, when Childers published his photograph book Hollywood Voyeur, Hockney wrote the introduction.
Childers’ work is part of the permanent collection at the museum and can be viewed in a group show on the third floor. He remembers attending the Q+ Art kickoff in March and found the queer-themed show a refreshing change of pace. Childers said that with Q+ Art, the PSAM will more closely reflect the community it serves.
“I think it’s a great start,” he said. “Really, I think it’s about time—just really about time. Get rid of that clutter of Gene Autry, saddles and William Holden and Western furniture from 50, 60 years ago. It’s a step forward with the times. The times have changed, so step forward to represent the community (and) the population. … I’m a big fan of Adam Lerner’s vision of the future and his ideas. I think it’s very sophisticated, and I’m so anxious to see what they’ll follow this up with.
“This beautiful show, coming into Palm Springs—it’s (Jordan) Schnitzer’s collection, and he’s worked for years on it. He’s based in Portland, but he lives here part time.”
David Hockney: Perspective Should Be Reversed: Prints From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation opens Saturday, Nov. 23, with a day of special events beginning at 11 a.m. The exhibit runs through May 2025. The museum is located at 101 N. Museum Drive. Selected events are free. For ticketed events and more information, visit www.psmuseum.org.
Michael Childers and David Hockney in 1976 at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery, Los Angeles. Michael Childers
Renae Punzalan is the director of youth services at the Marsha P. Johnson Youth Drop-in Center in Palm Springs, which opened its doors in January 2024. It’s a service of the Transgender Health and Wellness Center (TGHWC) focused on young people struggling to feel secure in their gender identity.
“Our youth-services growth was catapulted two or three years ago, when we got a call from a counselor at a high school somewhere up in the high desert,” Punzalan said. A young trans girl had tried to take her own life.
“We were just so heartbroken,” Punzalan said. “I was sitting in my car talking to this counselor … about my experience, and how I, as a trans person, survived in my life. I’ve also experienced trying to (take my own life) when I was 16, because I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what was happening to me. I thought I was the devil.”
Similar thoughts and feelings confront a number of youth in our Coachella Valley communities, and before the arrival of “The MPJ,” as its staff and beneficiaries fondly call it, if a troubled young person could not confide in family members, there was no dedicated place to go to receive support.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California’s 2024 study of the state’s LGBTQ+ population, California “is home to the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population—2.8 million people. Texas is second … with an LGBTQ+ population of 1.8 million.” According to the study, 6% of the LGBTQ+ population identifies as transgender—roughly 168,000 Californians.
To better meet the needs of the Coachella Valley transgender community, the Desert Healthcare District in July 2022 granted the TGHWC nearly $130,000 to support its work.
“There was a small little office (in the TGHWC building) that was supposed to be for some administration purposes, but I said, ‘What about (putting) the drop-in center here?’” Punzalan said.
In the months since the drop-in center opened, Punzalan has built a varied list of programs and types of support to offer young visitors.
“Our mission is to support and assist LGBTQ+ youth in the Coachella Valley and
beyond (to help them) find their power, and to offer them resources to further the safe and healthy development of … their identities and, of course, their lives,” Punzalan said.
“And part of the mission is to focus on their mental health, so if youth want to come in to see somebody, because they're having issues identifying as trans or non-binary, and they don’t really know what that is, here at the center, they can get connected to one of our therapists. If they’re 13 and above, they can access that service without their parental permission.
“Youth can access the center as a safe space to just be affirmed. They can come here Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some of them come after school on a Friday, and they stay until 7 o'clock. I just have to be notified, so I can have the extra time to stay here for them. They get connected to this space, watch TV, play games, and they have access to the food pantry, hygiene products and new school supplies.”
The MPJ staff is determined to help participating youth in any way they can. The types of support offered also include mentoring, rapid re-housing to those fleeing domestic violence or sexual assault, and rental assistance.
Punzalan estimates that 20-plus youth have availed themselves of the drop-in center thus
far. Punzalan said the MPJ has faced two barriers in helping a larger number of younger people.
“One is transportation to come to the drop-in center,” Punzalan said. “On the west side of the Coachella Valley, a lot of youth are very supported by their parents and by the schools, so they don’t really need a place to drop in. We found out that the majority of the kids who need a safe space are in the east valley. We might open a location out there, and then have this space as a main office. We’re considering that, but we don’t know yet.”
middle and high schools. These organizations are also known as gay-straight alliance, SAGA (sexuality and gender acceptance) or rainbow clubs.
The MPJ has created an initiative to “sponsor their T-shirts, and their meetings (where) we offer nourishment and food like pizza and snacks to the kids.” Punzalan, who serves as a sponsor for the Palm Springs High School and Coachella Valley High School GSA clubs, notes: “If there’s a need for funding field trips or other student-related expenses, the MPJ would hope to help, if possible.”
Meanwhile, she and TGHWC CEO/founder Thomi Clinton are working to expand their reach. One priority is to sponsor GSA (gender and sexualities alliance) clubs at area
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality’s 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, “Nearly two-thirds of 16- and 17-yearold respondents (60%) who were out, or perceived as transgender in K-12, experienced one or more form of mistreatment or negative experience, including verbal harassment, physical attacks, online bullying, being denied the ability to dress according to their gender identity/expression, teachers or staff refusing to use chosen name or pronouns, or being denied the use of restrooms or locker rooms matching their gender identity.”
Said Punzalan: “Even though we're here in Palm Springs—which is supposed to be the gay mecca, right?—there are still students who face discrimination for being trans or gender-diverse.”
So far, she said, she’s had limited success in building partnerships with other schools in the valley.
“I have reached out to Indio High School, and I’ve been talking to Cathedral City High School, Rancho Mirage and Desert Hot Springs,” Punzalan said. “It’s just a matter of me getting approved to come in to do a
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Inside the Martha P. Johnson Youth Drop-in Center, the Rainbow Room is available for young LGBTQ+ visitors to enjoy and relax with staff members, friends or family members
Renae Punzalan is the director of youth services at the Marsha P. Johnson Youth Drop-in Center in Palm Springs.
Randy Shilts reads from Mayor of Castro Street on Feb. 18, 1982, at a Milk-related pop-up gallery at the old Paperback Traffic storefront in the Castro.
On Saturday, Nov. 16,
the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation will host a discussion featuring award-winning journalist Hank Plante interviewing Michael G. Lee, author of the recently released book When the Band Played On, a biography of Randy Shilts, one of the most respected gay journalists of the AIDS-epidemic era.
As the promotional flier for program explains, “Shilts, who worked for the San Francisco Chronicle, was the first openly gay reporter assigned to a gay beat at a mainstream paper and one of the nation’s most influential chroniclers of gay history, politics and culture. … Michael G. Lee conducted interviews with Shilts’ family, friends, college professors, colleagues, informants, lovers and critics. The resulting narrative tells the tale of a singularly gifted voice, a talented yet insecure young man whose coming of age became intricately linked to the historic peaks and devastating perils of modern gay liberation.”
“In total, I interviewed 73 people for this book,” Lee told the Independent. “The majority of those interviews, I did using an oral history style. That means that, before we would talk about Randy specifically, I would ask people to tell me a bit about themselves, and a bit about their lives, and walk me through their memories of where they were when they first encountered Randy, and what they remembered of those first encounters … It was really a transformational experience for me. Some of these interviews were as brief as 30 minutes, and over the phone or over Zoom, especially during the COVID lockdown. But during the initial phases, I would spend upwards of five or six hours at someone's kitchen table, or travel halfway across the country to spend time and let them get to know me a bit, because I knew that Randy's story had so much emotion to it.
gay newspaper of record, and Randy started freelancing for them in about 1975 or 1976. He caught my attention. I already knew who he was. I’d read The Mayor of Castro Street and And the Band Played On a couple of times before, and in the mid-’70s, here he was as a young freelancer, sounding the alarm on all of these pandemic-level conditions that urban gay communities were experiencing. He was doing stories on rampant alcoholism, drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, social isolation, loneliness—all the factors that we later came to recognize as being the comorbidities around AIDS in the 1980s and moving forward. Here he was, a half-decade before that first announcement from the (Centers for Disease Control), sounding the alarm on all of the conditions that make up the social disease of HIV and AIDS. I was astounded by his clairvoyance.”
“There were so many people who carry trauma from those early years of the AIDS epidemic, because that was 15 uninterrupted years when people were dying. I knew it would take a certain intentionality, and a certain display of compassion and a willingness to listen, to help people really tell the full story of how they came to know Randy.”
Lee discussed an interesting moment after he interviewed someone who was critical of Shilts.
“(The interviewee) said to me, ‘I think this is going to be a challenge for you to write, because you seem like you're very devoted to him, and I don't think you can be fully objective about him.’
So I took that as a personal challenge. … We work all the time with people who we are both devoted to and want to strangle—and Randy certainly had more than enough of those elements to his character. He was a complicated person. But it was a good challenge to have, because I wanted the book to not be fan fiction. I wanted it to be very true to the life that he led. … I wanted to acknowledge the criticisms of Randy that are out there, but I also wanted him to be seen as the whole person that he was.”
“ Since I first started working in HIV, older staff would often say to newer employees, ‘If you want to understand why things are the way they are around here, you have to read And the Band Played On. ’ ”
initial responses, people who knew and were close to Randy are very much appreciative of this book, but so are his critics,” Lee said. “Some of the strongest coverage I got was when I was in San Francisco, from media organizations that had a somewhat negative or hostile view of Randy. They gave the book a very strong response in terms of calling it very thorough, very insightful and very well researched. … It's always been a marvel to me that the further away I got from people who actually knew Randy, the stronger that animosity was. For people who had some sort of familiarity or connection with him, even if they weren't friends, there was still a level of affection and regard for him.”
What attracted Lee to telling the story of Randy Shilts in the first place?
—Author Michael G. Lee
Early feedback indicates that mission was accomplished.
“I feel like I've succeeded, because at least in what I'm seeing from some of the
“This goes back a dozen
years ago when I was a doctoral student here at the University of Minnesota,” Lee said. “I had worked for several years before going back for my Ph.D. in community-based HIV and AIDS services. … I (developed) a real fascination with the history and the culture of AIDS organizations. I was coming of age in the late 1990s as a young gay person myself. … I was taking a look at the experiences of gay and lesbian community services in the 1970s. Specifically, (I looked at) The Advocate, which at the time was considered the national
Lee decided to see what Shilts’ biography said … and discovered there wasn’t one. “Now, that (biography) has been the last ten years of my life,” he said.
Shilts had a difficult childhood, raised by an alcoholic mother with a violent temper. He went to school after absorbing a beltthrashing to his backside, only to face being teased by his classmates for being a sissy.
“When he came out at age 20 in Portland, Ore.,” Lee said, “he came out to his entire college classroom all at once. That’s a very bold thing for a young person to do in 1972. He then went to the University of Oregon and became one of the first openly gay elected student-government leaders in the country. From there, he parlayed that into becoming one of the most highly decorated and successful student journalists in the country, as an openly gay student writing stories about gay life. … After graduating from college in 1975 with the impressive resume that he had, he could not get hired in any mainstream newspaper’s newsroom. … He was so determined to make a career for himself as an openly gay journalist that I think today, the effects still reverberate in terms of the path that he cut for other people to follow.”
Lee has an intriguing life story himself.
“When I was an activist at Michigan State in the late ’90s, I started the university’s first LGBTQ publication,” he said. “It was based on the premise that people’s own stories were newsworthy. We created a really strong movement around that, and it helped to propel that campus forward. Eventually, that led me into HIV work, because I really strongly believe in community empowerment. It was the early 2000s before we had many of the innovations that we have today, with PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), for example, or people being able to be undetectable. So it wasn’t an easy time to do HIV-prevention work, even though the medications had come along that would save people's lives. … Since I
first started working in HIV, older staff would often say to newer employees, ‘If you want to understand why things are the way they are around here, you have to read And the Band Played On.’ There was always this recognition that our work, even though a lot of it was standard human servicetype work, was imbued with a certain political edge because of the process it took to get funding for AIDS research and community-based services. It was still a partisan topic, even into the early 2000s, and we continually had to press against opponents in legislative bodies. … Depending on what happens with the climate of this country, we could be revisiting those fights sooner than we think.”
Lee said he’s never visited Palm Springs before, and he’s excited about the opportunity to visit—and is very much looking forward to the discussion with Hank Plante.
“I'm really looking forward to meeting Hank Plante for the first time, because he was a very gracious source for my book, and since he read an advanced copy this past spring, he’s been one of my loudest champions,” Lee said. “So to be able to share the stage with him and have a conversation about my book and his friendship with Randy, I think is going to be a joy.
“In addition to that, I live in Minnesota, and in midNovember, it’s dark, and it’s going to get colder here—so the thought of visiting the desert and the West Coast sounds really nice.”
Hank Plante’s discussion of When the Band Played On with author Michael G. Lee, presented by the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, will take place at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets start at $27.27. Learn more at cvjf.org.
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presentation on the services we offer here. I don’t know if some parents or some staff might be opposed, because we are a trans-led organization, and I am a trans-woman. … I just want all these folks to know, particularly the advisers for these clubs, that we’re here for them as a resource. We’d love to help them out, or get them involved in any way we can in the future.”
The MPJ welcomes supportive family members as well.
“We do get whole families together,” Punzalan said. “We get mothers, fathers and siblings, who all come in. … We offer support groups for families and friends and allies that they can take advantage of every week. They can ask questions and get more knowledge on what it is to be transgender or non-binary, or gender-diverse, or LGBTQ+, or any of those things. … We’ve even had families who moved from really conservative states just to access our services here.”
Looking to the future, Punzalan is focusing on both expanding the MPJ’s services and reach.
“My goal is to do more youth-centric events, like social events, parties, maybe fundraisers, but fun little events for youth,” she said. “I would like to host a social event once a month for youth, so that they can come out, and everything will be free. … It’s important and vital that, to sustain the Youth Drop-in Center,
we obtain funding. I constantly work with our grant writers to propose grants, and write grants and get funding for events, so we can continue to do the work here.”
In November, the MPJ and the TGHWC will be representing their LGBTQ+ community in the Greater Palm Springs Pride parade. Next, they will host the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Palm Springs City Hall.
“It’s a candlelight vigil, and it is a sad day, honestly,” Punzalan said. “It’s the day to remember those people who we’ve lost in the transgender community due to antitransgender violence. These people are no longer with us in this realm, but we honor them by saying their names and coming together as a community to show support for one another.”
Punzalan had this message for valley youth who are confronting their own gender identity and looking for support: “I just want youth to take their time with their transition, or with (forming) their identities. Just, like, sit with it and enjoy who they are as a person, and know that there are people out there to support them.”
The Marsha P. Johnson LGBTQ+ Youth Drop-in Center is located at 340 S. Farrell Drive, Suite A106, in Palm Springs. For more information, call 760-464-0223, or visit trans.health/ mpj-youthcenter.
Michael G. Lee
For the past 40 years, a community of automobile lovers has been working to make car culture more accepting.
Great Autos, based in Southern California, is a car club for the LGBTQ+ community, friends and allies. Since the ’80s, the club has provided a safe space in a hobby that is usually dominated by hyper-masculine—and sometimes homophobic—personalities. The club has more than 1,000 members spanning all ages, and has many different groups all across California, including one in Palm Springs.
During a recent interview with Mike Parente, a Great Autos board member and the club historian, he explained how the club got started.
“It was formed in 1983, and basically, there were a number of gay guys in the Cadillac/LaSalle club of Southern California and the Thunderbird club of Southern California,” Parente said. “Our founding members were a couple, Herb Rothman and Ted Davidson, and they were a couple of old guys who had been together a long time and had a collection of classic cars, and were very active in both clubs. They were very wellknown and very well-liked in the Thunderbird club. However, at that time in the ’80s, some of the guys did sort of feel uncomfortable and experienced some homophobia, so Herb and Ted had the idea to get some guys together and just form their own club.”
That initial meeting featured 75 people, both men and women, and Great Autos was formed. Parente reflected on the club’s growth since 1983.
“We currently have about 1,200 members,” he said. “It’s the West Coast’s premier LGBTQ Car Club, and we’re very welcoming. We have a number of couples who are allies, who are straight as well, and we even have a straight board member, so we don’t discriminate, but we wanted to have a place where guys and gals who like cars could come together and feel more comfortable, and also have a great social club.”
only gay guy who liked cars,” Parente said. “I’ve always been a car guy and have collected cars and restored cars since I was in high school, and I finally, finally found my community.
“Great Autos has been a big part of my adult life. I’ve been on the board off and on. I’ve been president twice; I’ve been vice president twice, and I’m also the club historian at this point.”
Great Autos members can be found throughout California—but a large percentage of the members have retired or relocated to the Coachella Valley.
“We’ve always had a rapport with Palm Springs,” Parente said. “We used to have events here periodically. The overall club has one large event each month, and then the clubs divided into areas, and the Palm Springs area is very active. What’s happened over the years is basically the shift from the L.A. area to the Palm Springs area, where now, a lot of our members, like myself, have retired to the Coachella Valley. About 40% of the club is here in the Coachella Valley, so we’re very active here.”
Beyond monthly meetups to check out cars or just get coffee, one of the biggest events hosted by Great Autos is the Causal Concours Charity Car Show, an annual weekend event with brunch, awards and nine decades of vehicles. The club has raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits. You also may have seen, and/or will see, the club’s presence in the Palm Springs Pride Parade.
“We’re big supporters of the Pride Parade, and we not only have a group of our cars in the parade, but we also supply the cars for the dignitaries, and we really do enjoy doing that,” Parente said. “In addition to the Pride Parade, we also help out and supply cars to the Veterans Day Parade and the Festival of Lights Parade. We really like to do community outreach. We periodically do other smaller events. …
Just (recently), we did an event up at the Guide Dogs of the Desert. They invited us up, and we had just a little cruise-in, and they gave us a tour of their facility. We definitely want to be a part of the community.
it just makes people smile and laugh, because it’s a mirror Pinto. That’s been a fixture in the parade, and a lot of people know of the club through the Disco Pinto.”
Things, of course, have changed for the LGBTQ+ community over the past four decades.
“A lot of our members, when we first started, were closeted,” Parente said. “We used to send out the newsletter in a plain wrapper, (and members) didn’t want to be listed in our roster, because homophobia was such a bigger thing. I think younger people don’t necessarily feel the need to identify with an LGBTQ group, but with that being said, we do have younger members, and we encourage that, because it is a great hobby, and there are many, many layers to that.”
Great Autos is just one of many groups that have allowed the LGBTQ+ community to explore various hobbies without fear.
“A lot of gay men and women still don’t know that there is an LGBTQ+ car club,” Parente said. “We’ve been, over the last several years, going out and basically trying to promote the club, so people who want to know about it know, about it. One of the first events we did was about six or seven years ago. There’s a big car club event at the convention center in Los Angeles, and we were a little concerned, because sometimes the car hobby as a whole can be a bit homophobic and a bit hyper-masculine, but we decided to have a presence there—and it was great. Everybody was very, very receptive. I personally felt a real sense of pride and awakening in that. … It was nice that we could be there as an LGBTQ+ club as part of the bigger car community in Southern California—because, let’s face it, Southern California is the car place.”
While Palm Springs is an older gay community, and car collecting is a hobby with an older demographic, Great Autos is all about making things more accessible.
“We actively seek younger members and have expanded the scope of the club, because initially, the club was basically ’50s and ’60s cars, and the club was originally called Great Autos of Yesteryear (GAY),” Parente said. “Over the last 15 to 20 years, people just started calling us Great Autos, and we thought that the ‘of Yesteryear’ was sort of dated, so we rebranded ourselves just as Great Autos Southern California.
Parente personally discovered the club a few years after it was formed.
“I actually found it in West Hollywood when the founding fathers were driving their ’57 Thunderbird at the gay pride parade there, and I was all excited, because I felt like I was the
Look for Parente’s ’71 Ford Pinto, aka Disco Pinto, at this year’s parade.
“I own the club’s mascot, which is a ’71 Ford Pinto covered in mirror tiles,” said Parente. “… It’s like a driving mirror ball, and the club created that many years ago when we were doing a ’70s-themed event. It’s gone on to have a life of its own, and
“All cars are welcome. We have members who have Japanese stuff and imports and even newer special-interest cars, like newer Porsche cars. We’re also trying to come up with an event that focuses on electric vehicles, because it’s really about the friendships and the camaraderie based around the automotive hobby. A lot of our older members just like the Lincolns, Cadillacs and Imperials, which I like as well, but there’s a broader scope to the hobby, and we’re trying to reach out to that.”
For more information, visit greatautos.org.
DO-GOODER
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
By Cat makino
On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Hanson House Foundation will present its 21st annual gala at the Palm Springs Surf Club. Featuring a “vintage style” theme, the event will feature entertainment, auctions, food and drink, casino games and more, including the chance to win big prizes.
Since its founding, the nonprofit Hanson House has provided a “home away from home” for families and friends who want to be near patients in nearby hospitals, and outpatients receiving
care at nearby hospitals. Hanson House—adjacent to Desert Regional Medical Center, at 380 E. Paseo El Mirador, in Palm Springs—offers a tranquil, comfortable and affordable place to stay.
Patients’ outcomes are improved by having loved ones nearby. “We had a family whose 17-year-old son was in a bad car accident; he was in the trauma unit at Desert Regional,” said Ivonne Moreno, executive director of Hanson House. “Although he was in a coma, he said he knew his mom was by his bedside all the time. He could feel her, hear her. It made all the difference to his recovery.”
In this particular case, the mother had no car and couldn’t otherwise afford to stay in Palm Springs, so Hanson House was the only way she could be by her son’s bedside.
Other people staying at Hanson House are receiving cancer treatments, which can involve daily appointments over an extended period of time.
“We are next door to the hospital,” Moreno said. “For patients who have cancer treatment who live 25 minutes away or more, we provide a place for them to stay, especially if they don’t have reliable transportation. We make sure they make it to their treatments.”
One such patient, Margie Huckabey, credits Hanson House for her recovery.
“I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung and stomach cancer three years ago, and had chemo and radiation treatments, but afterward I was so tired, I couldn’t drive to my house in Twentynine Palms,” Huckabey said.
She has been cancer-free since June. “The care and compassion the staff showed me meant so much,” she said. “They always asked me, ‘How are you doing?’ I also loved the tranquility, walking in the gardens, seeing the flowers. The comfort helped me a lot.”
Hanson House opened its doors on Christmas Eve 2003. Dr. Frank Ercoli, the medical director of trauma and critical care services at Desert Regional Medical Center, had the idea to create a place that provided comfort and care to the families of patients. Lord James Hanson, a British industrialist and part-time resident of Palm Springs, made a generous
The Hanson House gives families of patients at nearby hospitals a place to stay
tions, holding hands or even praying.
Guests are encouraged to participate in activities. For Huckabey, this was a great help. “I liked all the activities they had,” she said. “I remember painting rocks and putting them around the garden. It helped me a lot, especially the care they showed me.”
The Nonprofit SCENE
DESERT ARC’S ANGELIQUE ONTIVEROS HONORED AS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR Desert Arc, a Coachella Valley nonprofit currently celebrating its 65th anniversary, is proud to announce Angelique Ontiveros, Desert Arc’s vice president of business development, was named Volunteer of the Year at the 2024 State of the City of La Quinta Business Awards and Expo, which took place on Thursday, Sept. 19.
donation to start the fund for the facility that is now named for him. Those staying at Hanson House are provided with a private casita with a patio, and access to a kitchen, pantry and dining area. Wireless internet, laundry facilities and a chapel/ meditation room are also available. Volunteer staffers work four-hour shifts and are available around the clock to help—answering ques-
Hanson House is dependent upon donations, grants and fundraisers such as the annual gala. Guests, who are referred to Hanson House, are charged, but pay only what they can. Moreno said no one is ever turned away on the basis of being unable to pay.
“We provide hope for families because they are by (their loved one’s) bedside every day,” Moreno said. “They can talk to their doctors, their nurses.” And for the patients, “Having their families nearby gives the patients the incentive to want to improve their health.”
Hanson House’s 2024 Annual Gala, “California Dreaming,” takes place from 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Palm Springs Surf Club, 1500 S. Gene Autry Trail, in Palm Springs. Tickets start at $250. For tickets or more information, visit www.hansonhouse.org.
Presented by the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce, this prestigious award honors outstanding achievements and notable contributions to the community by local business leaders.
“Everyone at Desert Arc is very proud of Angelique’s accomplishments, including her volunteer engagement and contributions to our community,” said Richard Balocco, president and CEO of Desert Arc. “Her leadership role in developing and growing our Business Services Program has been a driving force of our success. Desert Arc’s shredding and recycling, janitorial, landscape maintenance, and fulfilment divisions provide excellent service offerings to residents and companies alike, and … these micro-enterprises employ our clients: people with disabilities served by our mission.”
Ontiveros said she’s a proud resident of La Quinta who’s been with Desert Arc for 25 years. “My clients at Desert Arc inspire me each and every day, because working alongside people with disabilities is so rewarding,” she said. “They give back so much, and are such a strong part of our community. How could anyone not want to volunteer and become more involved?”
Ontiveros has led the development of Desert Arc’s social innovation initiatives under the umbrella of its Business Services Program. Ontiveros’ dad was her “giving back” role model. He served in the Rotary Club and the chamber of commerce for many years. She serves on the board of directors of the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce and the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. She is currently board president of the Rotary Club of Palm Desert, and serves as an ambassador for the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce. She is an alumna of Leadership Coachella Valley.
For more information on Desert Arc, call 760-346-1611. For information on Desert Arc’s Business Services, call 760-404-1370. For information on Desert Arc’s fundraising events, call 760-404-1368, or visit www. desertarc.org.
—Submitted on behalf of the nonprofit by Madeline Zuckerman
Hanson House opened its doors in 2003. Dr. Frank Ercoli, the
Margie Huckabey.
November 14 - 17, 2024 La Quinta Civic Center
Experience Amazing Art!
Join Us at the stunning lakeside setting of the La Quinta Civic Center Park, often called the most beautiful festival site in the country. 165 Artists will be exhibiting of which 49 are new to La Quinta.
Experience the finest in local culinary delights, Napa Valley wines, top-shelf spirits, Margarita Island and Live Entertainment throughout the park.
The La Quinta Art Celebration takes place in March and November each year, marking the opening and closing of the area’s winterseason.
#1 Fine Art & Craft Event in the Nation – Greg Lawler Art Fair Source Book 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024
#1: Favorite Outdoor Art Festival – Southwest Art Magazine Reader’s Choice Award 2023 BUY TICKETS NOW! www.laquintaartcelebration.org
FILM & TV
EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT
By MATT KING
For 11 years, a film festival has used the art of movies to spread awareness and raise funds for Planned Parenthood.
The Reel Women’s Film Festival screens thought-provoking films that serve to educate, inspire, entertain and uplift women through storytelling in cinema. At 9:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 10, the program of five films and a keynote speech, all at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, will benefit Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
During a recent phone interview with Jacque Casillas, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s donor relations manager, she explained why Palm Springs is a perfect host for this
meaningful film festival.
“Palm Springs has a rich history of having film festivals there, so it was very appropriate to create something like this, where we could tell stories from independent filmmakers and mainstream filmmakers about women, for women, and support Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest,” Casillas said. “I think we’re the second-largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the nation. We cover three counties—San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties—and we have 20 health centers. It’s really a way to connect stories through this beautiful art form and support an organization that helps make people’s lives better.”
Casillas has been involved with Planned Parenthood and the Reel Women’s Film Festival for a decade, as an attendee and an organizer, and she said she remains in awe of the work being accomplished.
“For me, it’s a real privilege to work with Planned Parenthood supporters who see the value of the sexual and reproductive health care that we provide in the community, and who have found a creative way to support that, to raise funds for the more than 120,000
patients that we see every year,” she said At the first festival Casillas attended, she quickly realized the power of filmmaking, and how poignantly movies can express the harsh realities of life as a woman. She said one of the films at that first festival was about a young working mother who was sexually assaulted by her employer.
“We are all humans going through so many things, so many problems, and reproductive health care and reproductive health access, and having that bodily autonomy—it weaves itself through all of our narratives,” Casillas said. “Every single person has sexual reproductive health, and it is so critical that you have not just access, but safety and security. Watching these films drives home for me—and they have always from the beginning to now—just how critical it is that we have organizations like Planned Parenthood supporting people through their lives. That film wasn’t about Planned Parenthood; it is about violence and having safety, and why it’s connected is because we have organizations like Planned Parenthood who do help survivors of abuse.”
Each year, the Reel Women’s Film Festival lineup manages to both move and educate audiences.
“Last year, we had a couple of films talking about trans youth,” Casillas said. “We showed a film called Mama Bears. After the first program, we had a panel of speakers, and we had a youth who is trans as one of the panelists, and they shared their personal story. We had people in the crowd who literally walked away and said, ‘I learned something today. I learned the importance of pronouns. I learned the importance of standing up for people.’ The film and the speakers, coupled together, have educated a room full of supporters on issues that some of them thought they knew about, and others had no clue. Everyone walked away with a better understanding of what it looks like to be supportive of our trans community.”
For this 11th edition of the Reel Women’s Film Festival, among films highlighting older queer women, Karyl Ketchum, department
The Reel Women’s Film Festival, supporting Planned Parenthood, shares women’s stories
chair of Women and Gender Studies at Cal State University-Fullerton, will provide a keynote speech titled “Health Disparities Among Older Lesbians: What Studies Tell Us.”
“Not to spoil the conversation, but what she has shared already is that this is a community—because of these different systems and societal pressures and stigmas— that will tend to have a disproportionate number of negative health outcomes, and that’s something that we should be aware of,” Casillas said. “Why is it that older lesbian women have a disproportionate number of heart attacks or heart disease and X, Y and Z?”
Planned Parenthood faces a lot of criticism because it offers abortion-care services, and a goal of the Reel Women’s Film Festival is to showcase films that empower women and destigmatize reproductive health care.
“The medium of film is one great way of getting and hearing stories, but it also supports the services that are provided at Planned Parenthood,” Casillas said. “A lot of
people don’t know all of the services that are covered at Planned Parenthood. Of course, there’s abortion care, which is the one that makes the most headlines; that is a small and important part of the services that we provide. We also provide (sexually transmitted disease) testing, life-saving cancer screenings and hormone therapy. We even provide complex procedures like colposcopies and vasectomies, and we provide services for men and women and nonbinary folks.
“What I would love for folks to take home is that while this is a great way to sit and be in community and listen to good stories and watch good stories, it’s all in service of real, tangible sexual and reproductive health care for our community.”
The Reel Women’s Film Festival will take place at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs. Tickets start at $25. For tickets and more information, visit rwff.festivee.com.
An image from Reel Women’s Film Festival selection Preconceived, which “explores the pervasive presence of crisis pregnancy centers throughout the U.S., and their role in furthering the anti-abortion movement.”
ARTS & CULTURE
TAUTHORS IN THE HIGH DESERT
By Eleanor Whitney
he high desert has long been a home and source of inspiration for numerous writers—but until last year, the area did not have a literary focal point.
The Twentynine Palms Book Festival is changing that. Now in its second year, the genre-spanning gathering will host 90 authors, local and national, for readings, book-signings, panel discussions and special events in downtown Twentynine Palms on Nov. 8 and 9.
“There wasn’t a book festival serving the high desert area, and there’s an impressive reservoir of authors who live here, full- and part-time, who can bring a lot of different voices to this event,” said Patrick Zuchowicki, the festival’s organizer and the owner of the Desert General shop.
The festival fills a need for local readers and writers while building on the rich artistic history of the area.
“For a long time, the only option writers have had is to go down the hill. This is the first time writing is centered and explored locally,” said romance writer and lifelong high desert resident Jayce Carter, who serves on the board of the Palm Springs Writers Guild and is part of the Desert Writers Guild and Mojave Sage Writers groups.
This year, the festival shines a light on crime and noir fiction. Fans can look forward to the Noir in the Boneyard reading on Friday evening at the Twentynine Palms Public Cemetery, and Mojave Noir on Saturday night, featuring Southern California crime writers accompanied by atmospheric music. There will also be a panel on transitioning crime fiction into film noir with authors, screen writers and producers, including Deanne Stillman, author of Twentynine Palms and Desert Reckoning
Other events highlight a wide range of genres and feature writers at many points in their careers. As to be expected, the desert’s role as a place of inspiration, fascination and study runs through many of the featured authors’ works, from desert gardeners to Marine veterans. Susan Lang, an award-winning novelist who grew up on a homestead in Pipes Canyon, will discuss how the desert has influenced her work.
Longtime music publicist and journalist Cary Baker, whose first book Down on the Corner is slated for a Nov. 12 release, will lead “Books and Beats,” a panel exploring music writing through the lens of Southern California.
Carter, whose spicy romances cater to adult audiences, will talk with young-adult romance author Ariella Moon about the wide spectrum of romance writing.
“I was enthusiastic that the Twentynine Palms Book Festival was not just accepting, but featuring romance,” Carter said, “Book festivals don’t always do a lot when it comes to the genre. I’m excited to help readers see that romance isn’t what it was 20 or 30 years ago.”
“Never Underestimate the Desert” is another important component of the festival. The allday event on Saturday focuses on the desert’s cultures, geographies and environments. It will feature a panel of contemporary Native writers from the Mojave, including Terria Smith, editor of News From Native California; Emily Clarke, a Cahuilla poet and artist; and Camaray Davalos, a writer and screenwriter.
Another panel will approach creative takes to the climate crisis with podcasters, artists, filmmakers and writer Claire Vaye Watkins, author of Gold Fame Citrus and I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness. Closing out the day will be a discussion between longtime desert writer, professor and former wildland firefighter Ruth Nolan and Obi Kaufman, author of The State of Fire: Why California Burns
The connection to Hollywood is a unique aspect of the book festival and reflects Zuchowicki’s experience in the film industry. He sold and produced film and television for 35 years, and previously organized events in Los Angeles that connected the entertainment and publishing industries. He has put together 19 desert stories that have the potential to be adapted into screenplays as part of the Shoot in 29 Palms initiative and organized a networking event for authors and filmmakers.
Overall, the festival builds on the deep artistic history and recent cultural renaissance of the area. “Twentynine Palms has become a destina-
The second-annual Twentynine Palms Book Festival includes a variety of events highlighting desert stories
tion,” Zuchowicki said, “but it has kept its desert character. There are so many stories about the desert, and we’re trying to bring out the richness of that history in the festival.”
Events 2023
With events and authors that span the paranormal to the ecological to the poetic, the festival reflects the diversity of the region’s writers.
“It’s a quirky desert thing,” Nolan said, “There’s nothing else like it in the literary world.”
DATE EVENT
Nolan concurred. “Twentynine Palms is one of the oldest cities in the high desert, and there’s always been a thriving arts community there, which laid a framework for new events like this one. The festival is showcasing the people who have laid down that groundwork and are bringing a fresh perspective and a new energy.”
Sept 10 Riverside’s Inland Empire Pride Festival 2023
Sept 20 2023 Business Expo & Taste of Palm Springs
The Twentynine Palms Book Festival takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9, primarily at the Twentynine Palms Community Center, at 6547 Freedom Way. Admission is free, but sign-ups are recommended. Learn more at www.29pbf.com
Sept 20–24 Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend
Sept 22-24 Gay Days Anaheim
Sept 23 8th Annual Aging Positively Conference
Oct 5-8 JoshuaTree Fall Music Festival
Oct 6 Singing with the Desert Stars
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Peter Jesperson—author of Euphoric Recall, detailing his 50-plus years working in music—is part of the “Books and Beats” panel moderated by Cary Baker.
CAESAR CERVISIA
JASON DAVID
By brett newton
his has been one of the most unkind summers that I can remember, from both a personal and a meteorological standpoint—so when my good friend James texted me back in near downtown San Diego, on Sept. 14, I quickly checked the brewery list and, seeing some
the thermometer topping out at 73 degrees. When James told me that he and his girlfriend, Meg, were to be married in a small ceremony in the Pacific Northwest the next weekend, the
that), Bennett departed, and we got prepped for the festival. We walked a couple of miles from Meg’s place on Banker’s Hill to the Marina Park North at the Embarcadero. When it’s that lovely outside, why wouldn’t you walk?
We arrived, and after a quick bite from one of the various of food trucks, we got down to business. The first tent I saw had bottles of Cantillon Gueuze being poured—and a shockingly short line for what I consider to be one of the most premium beers from one of the most premium breweries in the world. I dragged James over to try it, and it was as subtly beautiful and refined a lambic can
be. The organizers got two cases of the stuff along with many bottles of 3 Fonteinen’s gorgeous Kriek and Peche lambics (cherry and peach, for those unfamiliar with the Flemish and French words respectively). The Rare & Wild Festival had already pleased me, and I was one pour in.
After a semi-disappointing pour of The Chateau from de Garde (generally a brewer of sours), I shambled over to Sour Cellars to say hi to co-owner Chintya, whom I am always happy to see. I sipped on the Drinkitite—a blend of four separate years of barrel-aged sours that is re-fermented with blueberries. As we caught up, her line began to get deservedly long, and as she sold some merchandise, I stepped in to pour for those waiting (with my Cicerone knowledge actually being put to good use for once!). I always tell everyone the same thing about Sour Cellars: It’s a world-class sour brewery in an industrial
San Diego’s Rare & Wild Beer Festival offered gorgeous views and top-notch brews
area of Rancho Cucamonga. There’s no excuse not to go.
From there, the Sierra Nevada tent was calling. Their Oktoberfest collaboration with a Bavarian brewery called Gutmann is absolutely killer, especially on a clear, warm day by the sea. While not wild or rare, their “crystal wheat,” Old Chico, was being poured—and it was incredibly thirstquenching, crisp and delicious. They call it a pale bock, and I was surprised how much I loved it. Sierra may have pivoted with the Hazy Little Thing IPA stuff, but they know their roots and can still deliver.
In a line a few yards from the actual harbor, Everywhere Beer and a brewery perplexingly called There Does Not Exist stood. I took a pour of There Does Not Exist’s collaboration with Firestone called Temporal Illusion. It is a saison, and its yeast character is heavily reminiscent of pepper, a little citrus and a whole lot of bubble gum. Everywhere had a picture-perfect German-style pilsner and a West Coast IPA to sip on while I talked to one of its owners about another beer of theirs I had recently enjoyed.
Around this time is when I started to take in the view of the harbor, feel the cool breeze off of the sea, see the many boats out on the water, view the entirety of Coronado Bridge and the island itself, and hear the funk band with a full horn section playing ’70s music. I felt simultaneously pleased and then sad, because I live in a place where the summer
was particularly cruel, and where the beer culture is actually regressing somehow. Thankfully, I caught myself and focused on the sea as James and Meg rejoined me, and we hit a few more breweries before the festival’s end. That’s when I found Itza Brewing from Ocean Beach. The brewer, Javier, is from Mexico and described how they don’t even have a taproom yet. As soon as I tasted KAAMOS, the Baltic porter that Javier poured, I was sad there was no taproom: It was a truly delicious beer, brewed to style with a lovely dark fruitiness and toasty quality. You don’t see many Baltic porters brewed, but when they’re done well, they’re like smoother versions of an English porter, which can already be quite smooth. He had a hazy IPA that drank like a West Coast (a good thing in my book) and a Mexican lager which he fermented similarly to a sake. Keep an eye open for Itza Brewing to be sure. All in all, the Rare & Wild Beer Festival very satisfying festival experience. Were all the beers rare or wild? No. Did all the breweries listed on the website show? No. But was the setting, overall level of beer, entertainment and organization of high quality? Yes. I had a great time—and I’m hard to please in this respect.
Brett Newton is a certified cicerone (like a sommelier for beer) and homebrewer who has mostly lived in the Coachella Valley since 1988. He can be reached at caesarcervisia@gmail.com.
The Rare & Wild Beer Festival had a wonderful seaside vibe. Brett Newton
VINE SOCIAL
JASON DAVID HAIR STUDIO
By Katie finn
If you aren’t familiar with this budding platform, it was created by Karen MacNeil, the in direct response to “Sober October,” during which people abstain from alcohol for the month
The idea behind the “Come Over October” concept is to remember that wine historically has
wine.
Unlike beer and hard alcohol, wine is designed to be shared
October alcohol consumption debate, and I encourage everyone to read these articles, blogs and posts, because they are largely insightful. I’m not here to regurgitate the same sentiments, but I want to take this opportunity to share with my community why this issue is so important to me.
First, the choice to abstain from alcohol is a personal one, and I don’t know a single person in this business who looks down on or condemns someone who is trying to manage and live with an addiction, or deal with a health issue. Please know that the feelings expressed by those of us in the wine business who are against “Sober October” and “Dry January” are not anti-sobriety—and this is not a response to declining alcohol sales. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think most of my industry friends would agree that if you struggle with substance and alcohol abuse, we don’t want your business. We’re not here to profit off someone’s disease.
It’s the underlying concept behind these brief acts of on-again, off-again abstinence that I take issue with—Sober October, Bender Through December, Dry January, rinse and repeat. I find this mentality dangerous, because it changes our relationship with alcohol, and more specifically, wine. If the other 10 months of the year, you’re getting black-out drunk, having suffering relationships, or self-medicating and using alcohol as a coping mechanism, sobriety in October and January isn’t going cut it. This is where our personal relationship with alcohol comes into play.
I don’t drink hard liquor—not because I’m making some sort of stand; I just don’t like it. I don’t really drink beer, aside from the occasional Budweiser at the rodeo (go ahead, judge me), simply because if I’m going to have a drink, I want it to be something I really like.
Wine professionals will tell you there is a huge difference between spirits, beer and wine, and it’s that difference that is lost on these sober movements. All alcohol is not created equal. I could invite you over, and we could sip on tequila and soda, gin and tonic, or a vodka martini, and have a great time, I’m sure. But you could just as easily open that bottle of vodka, pour yourself a martini, and relax on the couch with a TV show all by yourself—and that bottle of vodka (or gin, or tequila, or whiskey) can sit on your bar for weeks or months without changing. You can keep coming back to it, over and over again, all by yourself, and that bottle of distilled spirit will be there just as it was the day you bought it.
You can go buy a six, 12 or 18 pack of beer; crack one open; and drink the whole thing. No biggie. That’s why it comes in 12-ounce cans. It’s designed for you to drink all by yourself.
I’m sure it must happen occasionally, but I’ve never seen anyone split a beer.
Wine, on the other hand, was solely created to be shared. That’s why the normal bottle size is 750 milliliters. It was never intended to be a single serving or for just one person. It has a very short lifespan once it’s been opened; therefore, if you’re going to open a bottle of wine, the idea is to have someone to share it with. It doesn’t have the ability to sit on your bar for weeks or months. It won’t let you come back to it to have one glass every now and then. Wine is different.
I’m not saying that having a cocktail is bad, and I’m certainly not implying that drinking wine is somehow exempt from overconsumption. But I do think it’s important to recognize that knocking back shots of tequila, crushing Jell-O shots, or drinking Jack Daniels out of the bottle is entirely different than sharing a bottle of wine with your community of friends and family.
For most wine lovers, it’s not about the alcohol content. In fact, a lot of wine drinkers have a disdain for big, high-octane offerings
and look for lower-alcohol, more-balanced wines. Instead of drinking to get “buzzed,” the joy that comes from drinking wine is less about the drink itself and more about the experience you have while drinking it—the people you choose to share it with, the meal it is served with, and your location, whether it’s a beautiful backyard, a comfortable living room, a formal dining table, or the vineyard where the wine is made. It’s about the sensory experiences that are unique to us: how you can stick your nose in the glass and smell your grandmother’s strawberry-rhubarb pie, or notes that remind you of the way your dad’s shirt would smell after he had a cigar. Wine is centered around people, and always has been: the people who grow the grapes, pick the grapes, make the wine, and share the wine.
Over the last seven years, I’ve watched this little wine shop/wine bar of mine create relationships that transcend the tastings. Every week, I see strangers meet in this little space. I watch them connect and leave as new friends. It has become a community of people
who are attending each other’s weddings, throwing birthday parties for one another, supporting each other at family funerals, and getting together for monthly dinners.
Just recently, we hosted a private party for a couple who wanted to celebrate their one-year anniversary here in the shop with a group of friends, because this is where they met—two strangers brought together over a glass of wine.
Now that October is behind us, and we move into the crazy, busy, holiday season, I hope you take the opportunity to think about your relationship with wine in a positive way, and use it as a tool to get to know that neighbor you haven’t met yet, catch up with that friend you haven’t seen in a while, or open that special bottle you’ve been saving—and reconnect with your loved ones.
Katie Finn is a certified sommelier and certified specialist of wine with two decades in the wine industry. She can be reached at katiefinnwine@ gmail.com.
the
FOOD & DRINK INDY ENDORSEMENT
We’re enjoying beverages at two great Cathedral City joints this month
By Jimmy Boegle
WHAT Iced vanilla latte
WHERE Hot Lips Coffee Shop, 68461 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City
HOW MUCH $5.50 for 12 ounces, as shown
CONTACT Hotlipscoffeeshop.com
WHY The charm.
2 Restaurants Unlimited Flavors
WHAT Green smoothie
WHERE Big Juice Bar, 35947 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City
HOW MUCH $8.99 for 16 ounces, as shown CONTACT 760-459-3334; big-juicebar.com
WHY It’s refreshing and delicious.
Tucked between Michael’s Café and Barrel District in Cathedral City is Big Juice Bar, a place serving up a wide variety of drinks and eats that go well beyond juice.
Before my career got complicated—with more phone calls and Zoom meetings and whatnot—I’d occasionally go to a coffee shop to work. It was nice to escape the office and write or edit in a place with a communal vibe, a nice buzz and lovely coffee odors in the air. I was thinking about these days gone by when I first entered Hot Lips Coffee Shop on a recent weekday morning. Despite the surprising location—a cramped Cathedral City strip mall also featuring a liquor store, a smoke shop and a tattoo joint—Hot Lips is a delight. Clean and bright with a variety of cozy seating, and art and mirrors hanging on the walls, the shop is welcoming and far from boring. “A daytime disco for your mouth and soul,” says Hot Lips’ website; other than a welcome lack of blaring music, that sounds about right.
The woman preparing your coffee is almost certainly Tara Uziel, a former attorney who decided she’d rather be a coffee-shop proprietor. When I asked her what I should order, I was mildly surprised when she suggested a vanilla latte; it’s not exactly the most exciting coffee drink. “I make them really well,” she said.
Turns out she was right: It was a damned good vanilla latte. The Equator Coffee was rich and not bitter, and the amount of vanilla syrup was just perfect. It hit the spot on a warm fall morning.
While I don’t work at coffee shops any more, the presence of Hot Lips is making me wonder if I should reconsider. Perhaps if I cancel the Zoom meetings and mute my phone for just a bit …
The menu offers smoothies, shakes, fruit bowls, various coffee drinks and “detox” regimens in addition to breakfast and lunch wraps, burritos, sandwiches and more. With such a large selection of offerings, I had no idea what to order. I wanted a smoothie, but I was otherwise stumped, so I asked the woman behind the counter for advice.
She suggested the “green smoothie,” with green apple, pineapple, kale, spinach, yogurt and honey. I normally prefer my spinach in salads, and my kale nonexistent, but I decided sure, why not?
When the smoothie finally arrived, I was shocked at the color: The name is accurate. It’s green. VERY green. I braced myself as I took my first sip … and OMG. It was SO good.
At first, I tasted apple. Then I tasted the tartness of the yogurt. Finally, I got just a hint of the pineapple, and then the honey. The kale and spinach did offer more than just color; they were there in the background, offering a vegetal earthiness, but no bitterness or kale nastiness (yeah, I said it). I was pleasantly shocked.
If I haven’t convinced you the green smoothie is worth a try, never fear; I guarantee they offer something you’d like. Again, there’s a LOT on the menu, from a dozen herbal extracts (milk thistle!) to 17 juice ingredients and even “activated charcoal.”
Hmm … I think I’ll take the kale instead.
If you like juice or smoothies or coffee or breakfast burritos, consider giving Fresh Juice Bar a shot. (Oh, by the way: They sell juice shots, too!)
Proudly Supporting and Serving Our Community
eight4nine.com 760-325-8490
williesrm.com
760-202-4499
Oct 31 - Nov 3 | Free Admission | Downtown Palm Springs & the Arenas District
Polar Bears | Ekonovah | DJ Suzy Cue | Doug Perry of the Perry Twins | Brian Justin Crum
Fire Island Pines x Utramaroon Takeover Featuring Scott Martin, Lupe Fuentes & Someone from Berlin
Fire Island Pines x WeHo Takeover with Aaron Elvis Madevza | Jesika Von Rabbit | Pretty Poison featuring Jade Starling Big Bang Blast-Off with MODGIRL - presented by KGAY 106.5 /92.1 | Jackette Knightley | Corday | MkX
Angelique VaGorgeous | Steven Michael’s Dance Machine | Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus | Z LaLa
Vanity Halston Presents - The Ex-Wives Club: A Drag Parody Tribute of Six the Musical | Madevza
DJ Eric Ornelas | DJ Galaxy | DISCO INFERNO with MODGIRL | DJ Dan Diego | DJ Jonnie Star | DJ Zareen | DJ Aaron C | Dante Luv | DJ Suzy Cue
NOVEMBER EVENTS INCLUDE ARMENIAN FOOD, LOTS OF WINE AND … SHAG!
The Armenian Cultural Festival returns to St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert, 38905 Monterey Ave., in Rancho Mirage, on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9 and 10. Enjoy a selection of traditional Armenian cuisine, Armenian coffee and other treats, as well as entertainment and cultural experiences. Admission to the festival is just $5; food and drink are not included in the admission price. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/y6rp4xyn.
The Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival is back at the Palm Springs Stadium Pavilion, 1901 E. Baristo Road, in Palm Springs, on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 9 and 10. This event features celebrity chef demos, local restaurants and wine tastings. One- and two-day passes and a VIP experience are available, with general-admission passes starting at $125. (Full disclosure: I help run this event.) Learn more at palmspringsfoodandwine.org.
On the Mark is collaborating with the Shag House for Taste of Shag House from 3 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16. See this only-in-Palm Springs property, at 660 S. Compadre Road, in Palm Springs, while enjoying the various boutique food and wine vendors featured at the store. General admission tickets start at $125. Get those tickets and find out more at Eventbrite.
RESTAURANTS CLOSING AND FOR SALE
Wangs in the Desert, at 424 S. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has closed yet again; if you are interested in the soap opera-like history, take a look at our archives. … The Haus of Poke at 111 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, is no more, although the Rancho Mirage location remains open. … The Beer Hunter, at 78483 Highway 111, in La Quinta, closed rather suddenly. … The owners of the French Miso Café, at 19 La Plaza, in Palm Springs, decided not to reopen after their summer hiatus. Good luck to them! … Peppers Thai in Palm Desert, at 72286 Highway 111, is closed and up for sale. The owners tell me the Palm Springs location will remain open, which is good news for me, as it is my go-to Thai restaurant. … Bubba’s Bones & Brews, in Cathedral City at 68525 Ramon Road, has been listed for sale.
IN BRIEF
Celebrity chef Richard Blais has opened Kestrel at the Indian Wells Golf Resort, 44500 Indian Wells Lane, in Indian Wells. Blais is known for his time on Top Chef and for being on Next Level Chef. The menu offers Blais’ spin on California cuisine, focusing on sustainability and local sourcing. Learn more at kestrel.kitchen. … Last month, I wrote that Detroit-style pizzeria Black Cat Pizza, at 72795 Highway 111, in Palm Desert, was opening soon. Well, “soon” ended up being Oct. 24. Watch instagram.com/blackcatpizza_pd for updates. … Monarca Mexican Restaurant has opened at 68100 Ramon Road, in Cathedral City. It looks like standard Mexican fare, although online reviews point out that they make their own tortillas and have some great salas. Get more info at www.instagram.com/monarca_mexrestaurant. Sol y Sombra at The Paloma Hotel, at 67670 Carey Road, in Cathedral City, has reopened. I’ve gotten conflicting information on when it’s open, although most of people I have spoken to at the resort agreed that the website was not correct as of this writing. Your best bet is to call 760-864-1177 before heading over for dinner. … The space formally occupied by Rio Azul Mexican Bar and Grill, at 350 S. Indian Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs, has a banner up for Desert Moon California Cuisine. The Alcohol Beverage Control website shows a filing for a beer and wine license in September. We’ll tell you more when we know more. … Chef Corey Baker has taken over the kitchen at Boozehounds, at 2080 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. The menu now has a pan-Asian bent, with Japanese, Korean and Filipino ingredients taking center stage. Get the details at boozehoundsps.com. …The Palm Springs location of Sprouts Farmers Market is about to open at 5200 E. Ramon Road. Known for offering affordable organic, gluten-free, plant-based, non-GMO products, Sprouts will be a nice addition to Palm Springs’ grocery-store options. The company plans a ribbon-cutting and giveaways on Friday, Nov. 8, starting at 6:45 a.m. Giveaways and product samples will continue all weekend long. Get more information at sprouts.com. Do you have a hot tip or news to share? Reach out: foodnews@cvindependent.com.
HILLARY CLINTON
MUSIC
A FLY FEST
By matt king
OGoldenvoice’s Desert
Air
brings
electronic-
music stars to the Palm Springs Air Museum
ne of Goldenvoice’s more unique music festivals is returning to the desert after a hiatus. Desert Air, a weekend music festival at the Palm Springs Air Museum, is making a comeback. In 2021, the festival put some of the hottest electronic artists at a Coachella Valley landmark, and on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, it’s back with performances by Kaytranada, Jamie XX, ATRIP and others.
This year, Desert Air is also hosting programming at Palm Springs Surf Club, which will serve as the “daytime outpost,” giving attendees more to do in a nonstop weekend.
“For Desert Air, we try to make it a weekend getaway vacation experience for people coming into town, and sort of curate Palm Springs in an interesting way, as much as it is a music festival at a venue,” said Desert Air founder Tyler McLean during a recent Zoom interview. “The Surf Club is just another cool layer to that, in that it allows us a daytime outpost—a place to have some programming, some wellness stuff, some popup experiences and just a cool place for people to kind of post up during the day. We’re not really programming it in a major way outside of just working with our partner in Midnight Lovers (an underground dance-event producer) to have some music over there. We’ll do some things like yoga, meditation or wellness, and maybe we’ll have some other kind of pop-up things like a record shop there, but otherwise, it’s just a cool place to hang, and it’s a cool place for people to meet up outside of the actual festival.”
Desert Air is similar to Splash House in terms of bringing festival-level talent to unique desert locations, but McLean said Desert Air caters to different kinds of electronic-music fans.
“It’s an electronic-music and dance-music program, and it’s also at the Air Museum … but the programming itself is definitely pretty different,” McLean said. “Electronic music is such a big umbrella term, but this is definitely your more kind of left-leaning, tastemaker, avant-garde lane of music.”
Talent buyer Becky Rosen-Checa said Desert Air represents the current state of electronic music from an alternative perspective.
“Tyler has worked on Splash House for many years, and we love house music, but we both felt like there was not a boutique festival that has more left-of-center acts that we’re seeing, and I think are really hot right now,” Rosen-Checa said. “Goldenvoice also does Portola, and that had its biggest year this year, and in general, we’re seeing a
lot of interest from fans in the more left-ofcenter electronic stuff. We didn’t think that there was an outlet for that in SoCal … so we thought this was a good opportunity to bring some of that music out to Palm Springs, and also bring some fans out there.
“A lot of the people who are going to come to Desert Air are not necessarily the same exact audience as Splash House. I think (Desert Air) has kind of expanded the reach of the Air Museum in a way, and introduced it to more people, and brought more people out to see all that Palm Springs has to offer. I think the programming fits really well with the architecture and history of Palm Springs.”
McLean explained how Desert Air is working together with other promoters— including Lights Down Low, Midnight Lovers, Por Detroit and Chapter One, hosting a pop-up record shop—to honor underground dance-music culture.
“Each (promoter) captures different sortof facets and audiences and lanes within underground dance music,” he said. “Before producing a major music festival and experience that is showcasing underground dance music, it was important for us to bring in and platform and equal-measure promoters that have been in this space and that have really been equal parts cultivating that kind of music in L.A. Midnight Lovers is basically programming the Surf Club, and will host with us on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.”
Also new this year is a second stage, the Hangar Stage, inside one of the hangars at the Air Museum.
“I think that stage has a defined personality, and it caters a lot to the LGBT community, which also ties in well with Palm Springs history,” Rosen-Checa said. “There is a lot of overlap between people who like this left-of-center electronic music and also this sort of pop-leaning stuff as well. I think both of the days have defined personalities, and I think the stages within the days also have defined personalities, so hopefully that comes through for everyone. We just wanted to make it a big, fun party with a lot of options.”
The other stage, the Terminal Stage, will further honor Palm Springs through its
architectural influence.
“(Desert Air) is a celebration of Palm Springs as an art and design center and capital, and we’re sort of infusing that into the show,” McLean said. “There’s a European architect who we hired to create this bespoke, hand-built environment for our main stage that we’re calling the Terminal, so it’s playing off of both aviation and Palm Springs architecture. We’re trying to build on that hopefully in the future with other larger-scale multimedia art installations.”
Desert Air is going beyond the music and hosting “Layovers”—curated experiences showing the beauty of our desert.
“(We’re) showcasing different local creatives and shops and restaurants and things to do in Palm Springs,” McLean said. “For example, in 2021, we had a partnership with Modernism Week and featured some events like architecture bike tours. We’ll try to
partner with some different local restaurants and shops and just some things to do. … Whether it’s nature hikes or architecture or food and beverage experiences, it’ll be things to do in Palm Springs before the show begins Saturday and Sunday.”
McLean, Rosen-Checa and the rest of the team are looking forward to cooler weather— and a really cool weekend of music and culture.
“Obviously there’s so much more going on, both in Palm Springs and in L.A. and So Cal in terms of other events,” McLean said. “We want people to come out and really enjoy Palm Springs and the Air Museum.”
Desert Air takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, at the Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N. Gene Autry Trail, in Palm Springs. Single-day tickets start at $99, and attendees must be 21+. For tickets and more information, visit www. desertairfest.com.
Desert Air is returning to the Palm Springs Air Museum after taking 2022 and 2023 off. courtesy of Desert Air
MUSIC
KEEPING JAZZ ALIVE
The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival features local greats and Grammy-winning vocalist Lalah Hathaway
by HALEEMON ANDERSON
Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lalah Hathaway will headline the 2024 Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival, returning Friday through Sunday, Nov. 8-10.
The series of concerts and accessory events features some of Southern California’s top jazzwomen for two nights of music at the Palm Springs Art Museum’s Annenberg Theater. The weekend celebration, billed as “a celebration of jazz + blues = soul!” kicks off on Friday with a meet-and-greet, poetry jam and open-mic night.
On Saturday, Hathaway performs two shows. Both sets feature opening act Jazz in Pink, led by musical director and pianist Gail Jhonson, before Hathaway takes the stage to perform signature
hits like 2015’s “Angel,” the award-winning “Something” with Snarky Puppy, and “I’m Coming Back” from her eponymous 1990 debut album.
On Sunday, Divas of the Desert will close out the weekend by performing a tribute to R&B standouts Anita Baker and Roberta Flack. Motown Heroes and Legends awardee Blinky Williams rounds out the bill.
Jhonson takes on the role of music director for the festival after a lengthy career as a touring pianist. She was usually the only woman in the band.
“You know, there was a time when I’d say, ‘There’s got to be other women out here doing what I’m doing,’” said Jhonson. “I was on the road with Grammy Award-winning guitarist Norman Brown for many years, and I’m like, ‘Where are all the women?’ I would run into women vocalists, but never instrumentalists and certainly not music directors. I knew about different women who were producing and things like that, but not being instrumentalists on the road and playing instrumental music. So (Jazz in) Pink was a way for me to showcase other women.”
She co-founded the all-female, all-star jazz ensemble more than 16 years ago and has fashioned the renowned, collaborative group into one of the most sought-after all-female bands worldwide.
It’s a testament to the power of teamwork, she said. “We’re writing; we’re producing; you know, we’re more than just moms and
carpoolers. We love what we do, and a lot of us are committed and educated as well. Coming from a family of six girls, it’s no wonder I would put together an all-female band.”
Jhonson recently completed a doctorate in education and leadership. She’s especially proud of that accomplishment, as well as her work to promote women in jazz. She said teaming up with the Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival as music director this year is “very exciting.”
Sunday’s Divas of the Desert show will be a highlight, according to Jhonson, with names known on the local music scene. Headliners for the noon showcase at the Annenberg include Rose Mallett, Hope Diamond and Patrice Morris.
“We’re really trying to promote local women who are keeping jazz alive, not only in the desert, but across the country and internationally as well,” said Jhonson.
The PSWJF has become something of a juggernaut, annually drawing hundreds of music-lovers from around the region to Palm Springs. A few special events are still in the works, and updated locations and schedules can be found at the PSWJF website. Other planned excursions include a spa day at the Spa at Séc-he and a tour of the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza.
Since 2013, the nonprofit Palm Springs Women’s Jazz and Blues Association has steered the jazz festival as part of its mission to preserve and foster an appreciation of jazz and blues music, and to support female jazz and blues musicians who traditionally struggle for recognition and employment.
The 2024 Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival takes place Friday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Nov. 10, primarily at the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N. Museum Drive, in Palm Springs. Selected events are free. Tickets start at $69 for Lalah Hathaway and $75 for Divas of the Desert. For tickets and more information, visit www.palmspringswomensjazzfestival. org/2024-jazz-festival
Lalah Hathaway.
MUSIC
DJ SHENANIGANS
By matt king
AClose
Friends Only mixes humor and music in hilarious electronic-music performances on Twitch and in person
group of local musicians have crafted a unique mix of hard-hitting electronic music and nonstop humor.
Close Friends Only, aka CFO, is a group of Coachella Valley creatives who have garnered viral attention via their frequent live streams. Angel Ortiz (Angeltiz), Francisco Felix (KEESCO), Jacob Guaydacan (JustJake), Gabriel Loustaunau (VelvetSent), Robert Navarro (Bobby Banz)
and Manuel Bautista (JR) make up the collective, and at 7 p.m., every Monday and Friday, you can see the group in front of a green screen—featuring video-game footage from the 2000s—cracking jokes and sharing intense bass drops and electronic remixes.
Clips from CFO have exploded on TikTok, gaining millions of views and tens of thousands of likes. One of my favorite clips features the line, “If your homeboy has a birthday countdown on his (Instagram) story, that’s your homegirl,” followed by a bass-filled EDM breakdown.
During a recent interview with Angel Ortiz, he explained how he formed the group— although he had different plans in mind.
“CFO, Close Friends Only, got started around late 2021,” Ortiz said. “I remember around this time, I was making music, and I was trying to build this sort of empire around what I was doing at the time. I knew I had to branch out to have something to be represented by, in a sense. It was initially going to be a clothing brand. … I announced it in January of 2022 as my label, my collective, and basically my group. From there, it kind of just did its own thing. The first few members were me, my boy (Miguel Bautista) and then KEESCO.”
Ortiz decided to focus on running things through his collective to uplift everyone’s careers.
“I was like, ‘You know what? I think we need to find some sort of a blueprint towards us as a group, and push things towards that way,’” he said. “I kind of proposed to them and said,
‘I should have you guys just join Close Friends Only, and that way, everything we do—because we’re already doing everything together—is all in one world.’ That way, we could push everything as a group, and have everyone ideally just benefit from it.”
A period of trial and error followed, Ortiz said.
“We started doing a lot of sets, for YouTube and stuff like that,” he said. “We started doing shows. The shows went well, and then eventually, we had this kind of roadblock. You know how the valley is; it’s hard to find venues to do stuff at, and all that type of stuff.”
The group was forced to think of new ways to explore their creativity, and CFO set their sights on Twitch.
“Jake (Jacob Guaydacan, JustJake) was doing research and found out Twitch was coming up with this new program for DJs,” Ortiz said. “You weren’t able to play music on Twitch because of some copyright issue, and then they finally did some partnership, or were able to get that enabled for people to start DJing on Twitch. Weeks before it even came out, we already knew about it, and Jake was kind of tapping the team in, saying, ‘We should prepare for this and try to start doing sets on Twitch.’”
If the members of CFO weren’t so damn good at remixing songs and making super-hype DJ sets, they’d perhaps have a future in standup comedy. Check out their TikTok page (www. tiktok.com/@theclosefriendsonly) to see the best of their hilarity and bass drops. You can catch a stream every Monday and Friday at 7
p.m. on their Twitch account (www.twitch.tv/ closefriendsonly).
“I remember the first stream I went to; I realized everyone was saying funny-ass shit on the mic in between,” Ortiz said. “I took it upon myself to basically think of ways to promote the stream, because at this time, there was nobody watching this shit. You know how Twitch is—that shit is hard as fuck. I was thinking of ways to promote the stream, so I made a teaser of a compilation of just the chaos in there, and from there, the guys picked up, and then everyone kind of started adding on to the formula. Eventually, we figured out a way to make it entertaining—and then from there, it just went crazy.”
CFO’s online presence is captivating and contagious. You can catch CFO hosting “BOOM BOOM ROOM HORIZON,” a live version of their online craziness, at Little Street Music Hall on Saturday, Nov. 9.
“We’ve been doing the show since before the stream … but now, we’re able to market it to a way wider audience,” Ortiz said. “The dynamic of the group is … to just be around, and then obviously, we’re going to record everything. We’re finding ways to make it cohesive with the stream and how well it’s going right now.”
As CFO deals with the attention they’ve received online, the group is also figuring out how to use the project as a vehicle to share their personal music.
“We’re building a platform for ourselves to put these things in front of people without being, like, ‘Listen to this; this is my song,’” Ortiz said. “I feel like everyone in the industry tries to figure out: How do you put something in front of people without telling them that you put it in front of them? We’re working on a lot of cool music to ideally mend all this together, because the end goal is the music at the end of the day. This is just a way to showcase how we are in general as a friend group. None of this shit is really staged or scripted; a lot of this is us just being us, and I love that people are getting to witness that. It’s something very organic, and I think that’s why they connect with it so much. … It’s cool to see so many people want to be a part of this community that we’re building.”
Close Friends Only will host “BOOM BOOM ROOM HORIZON” at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at Little Street Music Hall, 82707 Miles Ave., in Indio. Tickets are $15.85. For tickets and more info, find the event on Fanimal. Learn more at www.instagram.com/theclosefriendsonly.
November 2024
By matt king
Happy November! Cooler temperatures are ahead—and a cooler head will be needed to choose among the numerous great events this month. Stay safe!
Acrisure Arena features some notable concerts and basketball in addition to hockey. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, norteño kings Los Tigres del Norte will celebrate nearly six decades of songs transcending borders and amplifying the Hispanic experience. Tickets started at $77.10 as of our press deadline. Mexican music legend Marco Antonio Solís, of iconic group Los Bukis, returns to the desert at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9. Tickets start at $99.75. At 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13, Queen of Christmas Mariah Carey will ring in the season a little early, performing a series of yuletide bangers. Tickets start at $100.25. Get ready for nonstop rap at the How the West Was Won show, featuring an all-star hip hop lineup of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Too $hort, DJ Quik, Mack 10, MC Magic, Baby Bash and Lil Rob, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16. Tickets start at $63.70. At 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 24, have fun and say farewell to ’80s star Cyndi Lauper as she tours for a final time. Tickets start at $65.52. Ten NCAA men’s and women’s basketball teams will fill up four days with three-pointers and slam-dunk action from Tuesday, Nov. 26, through Friday, Nov. 29 for the Acrisure Series. Tickets start at $43.85 and are good for admission to all of the games that day. Acrisure Arena, 75702 Varner Road, Palm Desert; 888-6958778; www.acrisurearena.com.
The McCallum Theatre is back in the swing of things with a jam-packed schedule; here are some highlights. At 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6, check out Some Enchanted Evening, a jazz journey spanning iconic songs and modern hits with Emmy Award-nominated crooner Benny Benack III and social media sensation Stella Katherine Cole. Tickets start at $53. Tickets are moving fast for the Palm Desert Choreography Festival, a two-day event celebrating unique, original and captivating dancers, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9; and 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 10. Tickets start at $33. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, two legendary ’80s
Mariah Carey
Close Friends Only. Ken Larmon
artists, Rick Springfield and Richard Marx, will head to the desert for an intimate acoustic performance. Tickets start at $83. Bring the whole family out to the McCallum at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, for Encanto: The SingAlong Film Concert, where the movie will screen; Banda de la Casita will perform the music from the film; and you will be singing! Tickets start at $43. McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert; 760-340-2787; www.mccallumtheatre.com
Fantasy Springs has the goods for entertainment fans of all types. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, get your classic-rock fix with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Tickets start at $82. Check out a night’s worth of catchy corridos from Latin legend El Fantasma at 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3. Tickets start at $62. Falsetto king Frankie Valli, now 90, is still touring, and you can catch him performing with The Four Seasons at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8. Tickets start at $72. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe will perform a standup set after taking the world by storm this past year on his live comedy podcast, Kill Tony. Tickets start at $62. Immerse yourself in Native American culture at the 40th annual Cabazon Indio Powwow, starting at 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 29; and 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 30 and Sunday, Dec. 1 Admission is free. Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, 84245 Indio Springs Parkway, Indio; 760-3425000; www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
Here are some selections from a noteworthy November at Spotlight 29. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1, comedian, actor and entertainer extraordinaire Marlon Wayans brings the “Wild Child Tour” to Coachella. Tickets start at $26.85. Re-live the final decade of last century at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, with I Love the ’90s, a musical evening featuring performances by Vanilla Ice, Sugarhill Gang and Treach of Naughty by Nature. Tickets start at $52.60. If the ’80s are more your thing, check out ’80s Soul Jam at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, featuring performances by SOS Band, Midnight Star and Evelyn “Champagne” King. Tickets start at
The Venue REPORT
continued from page 35
$49.10. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22, comedian Russell Peters brings laugh-out-loud comedy to the desert. Tickets start at $54.25. Enjoy a night of Christmas classics and holiday harmonies from Engelbert Humperdinck at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30. Tickets start at $33.65. Spotlight 29 Casino, 46200 Harrison Place, Coachella; 760-775-5566; www.spotlight29.com.
Morongo features music and one cool comedy event. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, singer/ actor Ginuwine will grace the casino stage. Tickets start at $46.50. At 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 3, country artist Dylan Scott is set to perform. Tickets start at $50.60. At 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7, Latin act El Coyote (formerly of El Coyote Y Su Banda) will light up the high desert. Tickets are $79.24. Los Angeles radio show The Cruz Show is hosting Funny Fiesta, a night filled with comics and music, at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8. Tickets are $30.75. R&B musician Musiq Soulchild is set to perform at 9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15. Tickets start at $137.14. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, check out regional Mexican act Lenin Ramirez. Tickets start at $68.25. Morongo Casino Resort Spa, 49500 Seminole Drive, Cabazon; 800-252-4499; www. morongocasinoresort.com.
Things are busy at Agua Caliente in Rancho Mirage; here are just a few shows. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, Grammy Award-winning comedian/actor/writer Lewis Black brings his hilarious observations to town. Tickets start at $40. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas will perform an intimate desert concert, with proceeds going to the Sidewalk Angels Foundation, which supports and sponsors no-kill shelters. Tickets start at $125. Actor Kevin Costner’s country band (?!), Kevin Costner and Modern West, is slated to play at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22. Tickets start at $44.50. At 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23, catch legends of harmony and experimental pop the Beach Boys. Tickets start at $65. Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa Rancho Mirage, 32250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage; 888-999-1995; www.aguacalientecasinos.com.
Agua Caliente in Cathedral City is featuring some big names. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1, ’90s rockers Everclear will celebrate three decades of hits. Tickets start at $50. Take a “Slow Ride” with ’70s act Foghat at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2. Tickets are $50. At 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 30, rock ’n’ rollers Great White will attack the desert. Tickets are $50. You must be 21+ to attend these shows. Agua Caliente Cathedral City, 68960 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City; 888-999-1995; www. aguacalientecasinos.com/cc.
Residencies keep rockin’ and rollin’ at Agua Caliente in Palm Springs. Desert Blues Revival Wednesdays showcase a vocal and piano Carpenters tribute titled A Song For You (Nov. 6); 4 Kings, a tribute to the blues Kings, like Albert and B.B., from The Gand Band (Nov. 13); a six-decade journey through British pop by Acabbello dubbed Keep Calm and Sing On! (Nov. 20); a groovy evening from Funk Monks (Nov. 27); and The Gand Band’s Woodstock Immersive Concert Experience, a special Saturday edition featuring the Gand Band and ’60s Woodstock footage, on Nov. 30. Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start from $17.85 to $39.19, available at eventspalmsprings.com. Carousel Thursdays feature a bebop and swing mix from Pino Noir with Natalie Hanna Mendoza (Nov. 7); a tribute to iconic girl groups titled Lady Parts, featuring Lia Booth, Crystal Lewis and Adryon de Leon (Nov. 14); and the next generation of the Puente legacy from the Tito Puente Jr. Latin Jazz Orchestra (Nov. 21). Shows are at 7 p.m., and tickets start at $17.85, available at eventspalmsprings.com. Agua Caliente Casino Palm Springs, 401 E. Amado Road, Palm Springs; 888-999-1995; www.sparesortcasino.com.
Pappy & Harriet’s, per usual, has a stacked lineup, so here are just a few picks. Mexican rock and blues outfit Los Lobos is heading to the desert for a two-night stand, performing at 9:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9. Tickets are $112.83 for one show. Pappy’s is celebrating 40-plus years with punk-rock firepower from Unwritten Law at 6 p.m.,
Saturday, Nov. 9. Tickets start at $19.82. At 9 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, singer/songwriter JD McPherson brings his retro sound to the Pioneertown Palace. Tickets are $30. Experimental music sensation Yves Tumor will perform a unique and intimate set at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15. Tickets are $30. Check out the website for a complete list of shows. Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, Pioneertown; 760-228-2222; www.pappyandharriets.com.
Oscar’s in Palm Springs is hosting some events that you can definitely call unique. At 9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, check out MaDonna Summer, a drag and dance party celebrating Palm Springs Pride and paying tribute to Madonna and Donna Summer. Tickets are $20. Catch the debut of a new series named Strip Palm Springs, billed as “an old-fashioned strip show,” at 9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15. Tickets start at $25. At 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19, spend an intimate evening filled with stories and a Q&A with La Toya Jackson. Tickets are $89.95. Some Oscar’s shows include a food/ drink minimum. Oscar’s Palm Springs, 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 760-3251188; oscarspalmsprings.com/events.
The Purple Room is packed tight with great shows. At 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2, musical drag outfit Kinsey Sicks will bring a mock late-night show named Deep Inside Tonight! to Palm Springs. Tickets start at $50.85. Drag star Miss Conception celebrates 25 years of performing with a night of “Musical Movie Madness” at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9. Tickets start at $45.70. Entertainer Seth Rudetsky breaks down Broadway history at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Nov. 16. Tickets start at $45.70. An intimate evening with recording artist Brenna Whitaker (praised by Michael Bublé!) is set for 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22. Tickets are $45.70. All shows include 6 p.m. dinner reservations. Michael Holmes’ Purple Room, 1900 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs; 760-322-4422; www. purpleroompalmsprings.com.
MUSIC
LUCKY 13 the
Get to know the bassist for Whitewater and the frontman of Pancho and the Wizards
by matt king
MORE INFO Local rockers Whitewater have energized the Coachella Valley music scene, bringing a ’90s-rock edge and style to our eclectic desert. Electrifying guitar solos and grunge-heavy vocal runs combine with riff-tastic backing instrumentation and pounding drums to bring rock anthems to 2024. You can listen to a collection of the band’s demos on Soundcloud as they work on their live sound and prepare for studio recordings. I recommend the haunting and earthquaking jam “My Door” or the rippin’ rock frenzy of “Bill Collector.”
What was the first concert you attended?
Ramon Ayala at Acrisure Arena. I grew up watching bandas and grupos play in my backyard, which was where my love of music started.
What was the first album you owned?
Eye in the Sky by The Alan Parsons Project. It was given to me by an older cousin who was going through a prog-rock/pop phase. I would listen to it all the time, and it definitely started me on the journey of exploring other prog bands like King Crimson.
What bands are you listening to right now? Caifanes, Ribbon Fix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fuerza Regida, Los Enanitos Verdes and King Crimson are in rotation right now.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get? I can almost always find something I like in a genre or an artist, but a musical trend I don’t
understand is an artist speeding up a song they already released and re-releasing it. I think it’s weird.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Definitely Jeff Buckley; it would be an ethereal experience to hear his voice live. I mean, imagine listening to “Dream Brother” live!
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Shrek 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Genuinely so many bangers on there.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Fox Theater in Pomona. I got to see Panchiko play, and they had Wisp open for them. It was really cool. I would love to play with my band Whitewater there someday!
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true. When will you realize Vienna waits for you?” Billy Joel, “Vienna.” This line lingers in my head a lot. I struggle with finding my pace, and I feel like I’m about to burn out, or I’m not doing enough. This line helps remind me to just relax sometimes and temper my expectations; the path for me will be followed in due time.
What band or artist changed your life?
Red Hot Chili Peppers. The music they have created with (guitarist John) Frusciante is something that has truly changed the trajectory of my life. I blame Flea for giving me the music bug. His bass-playing made me want to start playing when I was 11. If “Can’t Stop” never played on the radio, I probably wouldn’t have begged my parents for a bass.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question and who are you asking?
Joe Dart: How do you not have severe whiplash?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
In my family, there are a few songs I can expect to hear at a funeral, and the song that I know
for a fact will be at mine is “Amor Eterno,” sung by Vicente Fernández. This song captures perfectly the grief one feels from death, and the way Chente sings with such passion and feeling allows the listener to share their pain and ease it, if only for a little.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Off the top of my head, it probably has to be OK Computer by Radiohead. That album made me think differently about the way music is made. There are so many different layers that create these really cool sounds. “Paranoid Android” is definitely one of my favorites songs of all time.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“Sky Blue Sky” by Wilco. It’s a beautiful song that has such a haunting quality that stays with you.
NAME Tristan Cole Wildey
GROUP Pancho and the Wizards
MORE INFO Few bands can explode your ear holes with psychedelic garage-rock quite like Pancho and the Wizards. Based in San Luis Obispo, these high-energy sonic warriors have been crafting breakneck rock jams for nearly a decade. Check out “Melting, Pt. 1” for frenzied, reverb-soaked punk, “Buzzard (Melted)” for sweaty garage rock, and “The Rift” for the Wizards’ take on electric blues. For more, visit www.instagram.com/ panchoandthewizards. The band heads to Pappy and Harriet’s on Saturday, Nov. 16, to open for Black Lips. For tickets and more information, visit pappyandharriets. com. Tristan Cole Wildey is Pancho and the Wizards’ frontman and guitarist.
What was the first concert you attended?
James Taylor when I was 2 with my mom. After that, probably a Christian rock band like Relient K or Switchfoot when I was around 12 or so.
What was the first album you owned?
Also probably something Christian. I wasn’t really allowed to listen to secular music growing up. I got into torrenting albums off The Pirate Bay in high school. Some big ones for me around then were Is This It by The Strokes, Doolittle by Pixies, Whatever People Say … by Arctic Monkeys, The Moon and Antarctica by Modest Mouse, and stuff like that.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, Neil Young, and Wire. Lots of great new albums this year too: Mannequin Pussy, High on Fire, Chat Pile, The Smile, and MJ Lenderman.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I can’t really think of anything! I have certain bands that I’m not crazy about, but nothing that seems super out of the ordinary.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live? Nirvana for sure.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Black Eyed Peas, Third Eye Blind, Pitbull, and that one Sam Smith and Disclosure song.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Garden Street SLO Brew, which died about 10 years ago, but maybe that’s just nostalgia. Teragram Ballroom, Troubadour, The Chapel, and the Henry Miller Memorial Library.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“I’ve got a houseboat docked at the Himbo Dome!” MJ Lenderman, “Wristwatch.”
What band or artist changed your life? Ovlov! One of the only bands I can think of in the last 20 years that I feel conveys emotion in a way that isn’t cringe while still being heavy and maintaining pop sensibility.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I work in live music and have spent a lot of time with a bunch of amazing artists. I’ve hardly had any bad experiences. But with that being said, sometimes I think it’s better for your faves to maintain the mystique.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Imma Be,” Black Eyed Peas.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Probably The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd. I’ve listened to that album more than any other album at this point.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
I’m currently on tour with my buddies in Meatbodies. Since I’m listening to the same songs every day for three weeks in a row, I’m going to say “They Came Down” off their album Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom
NAME Emanuel Torres GROUP Whitewater
Joseph Rodarte
OPINION COMICS & JONESIN’ CROSSWORD
precipitation from around the world?
Jones
42. ___Kosh B’Gosh (kids’ clothing line)
43. P’s somewhere on campus?
44. Limerick’s rhyme scheme
45. Sailor with a foot injury?
49. Stuck-up
50. Assistance
51. Annual milestone, for short
53. Author who’s a distant relative of Henry VIII’s last wife?
60. The trans pride one has light blue, light pink, and white stripes
61. “Birthplace of Aviation” state
62. Cobra’s foe
63. Cosmo rival
64. ___ doble (two-step dance)
65. K-pop hub
66. Musical with the song “Good Morning Starshine”
67. Emeril’s catchphrase
68. “___ Remember”
Down
1. 1998 baseball MVP
Sammy
2. Sea bordering Uzbekistan
3. Place for a planter
4. Keep watch while the owner’s away
5. Warhol and Williams
6. Composer Mahler
7. “Dies ___” (Latin requiem)
8. Old MacDonald’s home
9. Leave the premises
10. Stench
11. Animal den
12. “Unbelievable” band
15. Opera venue in Milan
21. Amtrak stop, for short
22. Canadian Olympic skateboarder and LGBTQ rights activist Annie
