Visit Palm Springs Gets What It Paid For

I wonder this morning what the tourism and modernism people in Palm Springs are thinking after they read this article in the Guardian. Penned by architecture critic Oliver Wainwright, it is about his recent visit to Palm Springs.

After talking about Bob Hope's house. he moves on to the Alexander homes in Palm Springs.  And this next paragraph certainly caught my eye.

“The architects had a sincere and modest agenda conceiving a remote suburban paradise for the lower middle class when they were built,” says architectural historian Nicholas Olsberg. “Now they are trophy homes for mostly gay Los Angelenos. People redo the kitchen, neutralise anything quirky, put in a few Bertoia chairs, rent them out and use them for a couple of weekend parties every year"

Gay Trophy homes? Pretty classic.

What makes the article even more entertaining is that Mr. Wainwright's travel from the UK for this piece was paid for by Visit Palm Springs, the local tourism bureau. While I have never liked the practice, it is common in the travel press and as long as it is properly disclosed, it meets accepted journalistic standards. Plus after these closing paragraphs, I doubt they will invite Mr. Wainwright back.

That so much period architecture remains intact here is something of an accident. The surrounding desert land was always so cheap that, when the modernist bungalows became unfashionable, developers simply built on plots further out. But such is the current fetish for 50s nostalgia, there seems to be little thought given to what’s coming next. A gargantuan mall and hotel complex is currently rising out of the ground in the centre of the city, in the form of a crass out-of-town box, while much recent development follows the clichéd Jetsons-meets-Flintstones desert vernacular, with stick-on boulders and angular canopies.

Still, perhaps it’s a fittingly lobotomised aesthetic for this strangely lifeless town, a place where little happens but stewing in the heat by the pool, cosseted from reality by a pristine blanket of midcentury design. As Dunning puts it: “It’s where LA comes to get over a hangover. And often doesn’t go back.

The man certainly knows how to turn a phrase. Lobotomised aesthetic!! Indeed! It is certainly a testimony to his integrity that Wainwright writes what will outrage some in Palm Springs. The official reaction to this will be of course to ignore it. Except for me, no one will link to it. Why it may not even merit a thumbs down from the Desert Sun's editorial page.

I am probably the only one brave, er stupid, er crazy enough to bring this to your attention. While I personally don't agree with all the author's conclusions, it is nice to see a different point of view once in a while.

Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or followed on Twitter @skellynj

Palm Springs Tribe Off To A Good Start

It was with keen interest that I read of last night's joint meeting of the Palm Springs City Council and Agua Caliente's governing council. It looks like the reset button is being pushed on relations between the 2 and that can only be a good thing. In recent years, it appeared to this observer that a combination of both arrogance and ignorance on behalf of the city and newer residents caused a rift between both.

It is imperative that the 2 entities get along. Squabbles over the Spa Hotel and the ludicrous complaints over a spotlight over the Spa Casino set relations back. I would bet that many recent arrivals have no idea that Palm Springs is also part of an Indian Reservation which limits the powers and scope of city authority. Some in the "Modernism Movement" need to realize that tribal owned property or buildings owned by tribal members are just that. And as such, not subject to city rules.

 I think it is vital that meetings between the 2 groups happen more regularly. Especially now with all the activity going on downtown. The possibility of a glut of downtown hotel rooms is one I am glad both sides are talking about. Plus cooperation on the homeless issue can only benefit both parties.

Thae Agua Caliente people have a sacred right to their land. They were here thousands of years before the first gluten-free Cosmopolitan was drunk by a fedora wearing hipster before he gets on the Buzz Trolley. The tribe will be here long after.

Mayor Moon and the new council should get kudos for reaching out. Well done.

Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or followed on Twitter @skellynj

Palm Springs Ethics Commission/Task Force Is A Joke

Updated 2:21PM Thanks tp PS Council member Geoff Kors. It is not an Ethics Commission but an Ethics Task Force. It has 55 members and is still a parody and has no real powers at all.

Just 2 weeks ago, the Denver Broncos took the field in Super Bowl 50 and defeated the Carolina Panthers. It was a total team effort, taking the talents of 53 players who worked as a unit to accomplish the task.

On March 8th, 55 people will take on the task of proposing and writing ethics guidelines for elected and municipal employees in Palm Springs. Yes, you read right. 55 people!! More people will be on the commission than on an NFL roster!! Utter fallacy and nonsense. New members to the council want to be inclusive. But they were elected for their judgement as well and they should be able to whittle down the list to a reasonable size after hearings.

I understand the need for an ethics commission. And of course, let's have a tip of the hat to all who joined. I have served on 2 municipal commissions in the my time. So I know it takes time. But those commissions had 10 and 7 members respectively. Not 55!! Are future meetings to be held at Palm Springs Stadium?

The large amount of members will dilute the pool and make it hard for the most glaring need to be addressed. And that of course is placing a limit on campaign contributions. The insane amount of money spent by Harold Matzner in the last election, even though some of his proxy's  lost , should never be allowed to happen again. With little work groups, split into sub sections, it is a recipe for disaster.

Perusing the list of members, I also see a few who want to run for council in 2017. Now I can guarantee you that some of these characters will at some point tout this "experience" when they run. Joining is a cheap way to pad the old resume for future elections.

Palm Springs needs a real functioning Ethics Commission. Not some Potemkin Village type of  Commission that satisfies the Desert Sun Editorial Board and ONE PS members but in reality accomplishes little. To quote Shakespeare, 55 people on one board constitutes, "Sound and fury, signifying nothing." 

Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com and followed n Twitter @skellynj

John Benoit And Socialism

In an interesting article today, Jesse Marx of the Desert Sun describes how the local GOP is passing a new resolution which condemns local GOP officials who sign letters of endorsements for Democrats. The Riverside County Republican Party vows that it will not support any candidates who commit this transgression in the future. This even includes endorsing Democrats for supposedly non-partisan offices. The measure was pushed by former GOP Riverside Chairman Bob Richmond and his wife Elise Richmond, a local talk show host. One of the officials targeted was John Benoit, the Coachella Valley Supervisor. Benoit had endorsed Democrats Richard Roth and Burke Strunsky. Roth is now a State Senator and Strunsky is running unopposed for a judgeship.

What I found interesting about the article is not what the GOP has done.I believe in party discipline and it is certainly in their purview to do so. What I did find illuminating were the positions John Benoit espoused in the article. Ones that he never seems to mention to constituents here in the Valley when running for office.

First he withdrew his endorsement of Strunsky because of Strunsky's being an advocate of gun control. Yes you read right. It seems 11 years ago Strunsky supported a proposed SF ban n handguns. Strunsky has since retracted that letter. He has however condemned the NRA and that is too much I guess for John Benoit. Benoit, a former CHP captain, has sided with the fringe elements in this country when it comes to sensible gun control.

Benoit later in the article says the GOP has to be more inclusive to grow their party. Makes sense. But this next paragraph is really interesting.

 “We’ve got some outstanding people who happen to have a ‘D’ instead of an ‘R’ next to their name. We should not draw lines like that in the sand and expect we’re able to prevail with our general philosophy of having a conservative or capitalist government in Sacramento. We just can’t do that.

Capitalist government? We have always had a capitalist government in Sacramento except when oligarchs like Leland Stanford were calling the shots. What threat to capitalism is being promulgated by the Democratic Party? This is a strange to say the least.

Political office holders need to be judged in totality for their positions. It will be interesting to see when Mr. Benoit runs in 2018 whether or not any challengers bring up these out of the mainstream stances.

Steve kellycan be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or @skellynj

Steve Pougnet Story Gets Weirder And Sadder

Thanks to Jesse Marx of the Desert Sun, more has come to light regarding the personal finances of former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet. As the feds continue to investigate the ties between Pougnet and developer Rich Meaney, we now find out that Pougnet was still working as a "consultant" to the PS Film Festival and also for a group looking to bring a PBS Station back to the Valley. Because of the nebulous nature of the reporting, the total amount of money he received from these gigs could be anywhere between 20 and 200k for the last calendar year.

The job of Mayor of Palm Springs pays about 40 grand plus gold-plated health care benefits per year. What has become painfully obvious is that Steve Pougnet used his office to secure outside work in order to supplement his income. It is a question for others to decide whether or not he went about it legally. For me, as one who has known Steve Pougnet for over a decade, this whole sordid chapter is sad.

I was very impressed by Mr. Pougnet when he first ran for council. I found him to be a breathe of fresh air. I was delighted that as Mayor, he implemented my suggestion that high school students be invited to Film Festival Gala. And to be quite specific, I liked him personally. But then came his 2010 loss to Mary Bono Mack. And something changed.

The fun loving guy became a little more withdrawn. He started moving away from that affable guy to one who started to hang out in the corridors of power and money. He became bitter when Raul Ruiz accomplished what he couldn't. A more arrogant, one could say almost entitled Steve Pougnet emerged.

The whole Yes On Measure J campaign reeked of elitism. The fact that revenue from the sales tax went to the general fund and not specific capital spending has quickly seen the promises of fixing infrastructure only give way to things like a party bus. I think Mr. Pougnet hit his nadir in those rants in the spring from the city council dais about his business relationships. He was preparing for a 3rd term and the party ended abruptly.

The former Mayor has his die hard supporters and they will continue to speak in his defense at all costs. For me, whatever the outcome, this is now becoming a sad vignette in Palm Springs history.

Steve Kelly can be reached at skelly@rrbroadcasting.com or followed on Twitter @skellynj