Palm Springs Mayor previews Thursday’s State of City address
Mayor Robert Moon is again set to deliver this year’s State of the City address Thursday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
Moon took a walking tour of downtown with News Channel 3’s Jeff Stahl where he said, “I always love to talk about our city of Palm Springs because it’s such an incredible place.”
KESQ News Channel 3 will bring you a complete in-depth report on that tour Monday at 6 p.m.
When we spoke to the mayor last year just before his address, the excitement was all about the Kimpton the Rowan Hotel. It was just a couple of months from its grand opening. It’s now open. And the mayor says there’s a lot more to talk about than just downtown Palm Springs. “I’m emphasizing things like the new park that’s going in, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and the theaters we have in Palm Springs, and arts and culture,” said Moon.
The mayor also hinted at a new grocery store downtown. We’ll hear from him directly on that on Monday. And he is now looking forward to the historic Town and Country Center’s planned revamp saying, “It’s going to be a gateway a segue between the new downtown over here, and the park, and all the shops downtown and the new cultural center the tribe is building and we’re all very excited about.”
On Homelessness, the mayor says after last June’s closure of Roy’s Desert Resource Center, getting people into housing first is now the priority so they can get them back on their feet. We will ask him Monday if the city is living up to the challenge, and what the mayor says the state needs to do with this statewide problem.
The mayor says the recently enacted Measure D half-cent sales tax is also paying off on its focus on public safety greatly helping with the purchase of many police and fire vehicles.
The mayor is also moving away from the Palm Springs corruption scandal involving former mayor Steve Pougnet and two developers Richard Meaney and John Wessman. Hear Monday what he’s saying about their impact on the current city governance now.
The city council has also put 11 million dollars into in a set-aside account to address pension funding deficits, according to Moon. The city has estimated its annual pension and retiree health care obligations could jump to $25 million dollars by 2022.
The public is invited to hear the mayor’s state of the city address Thursday at noon at the convention center. To reserve a spot for the event, visit www.pschamber.org or call (760) 325-1577.
See our KESQ News Channel 3 preview of that address where we’ll also ask the mayor about short-term vacation rentals, some new developments at the Palm Springs Art Museum, and transparency at City Hall.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
