Palm Springs will begin removing Frank Bogert statue today

The statue of former Palm Springs Mayor Frank Bogert will be removed from the front of city hall on Tuesday.

The statue will be moved to storage in the City Yard.

Bogert was one of Palm Springs' most famous cowboys and a major figure in the city's history. He served as the city's mayor from 1958 to 1966. He returned for a second term as the city's first-ever directly mayor from 1982 to 1988.

Bogert died in 2009 at the age of 99.

For nearly two years, Bogert has been the subject of controversy with public outcry for his statue to be removed following accusations that he was part of the removal of hundreds of people from a one-square-mile block of property in downtown Palm Springs referred to as Section 14.

From 1954 to 1966 about 200 structures were demolished and burned. The actions displaced hundreds of low-income residents and people of color to make room for hotels and further tourism. The city did not have a plan to relocate the residents, forcing many of them to move to the north part of town and throughout the county.

Check Out: City of Palm Springs Citywide Historic Context Statement & Survey Findings

The demolition of Section 14 was described in a later California Department of Justice report as "a city engineered holocaust."

In April 2021, the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission voted to recommend the city council remove the statue from city hall. In Sept., the City Council voted to begin the process to remove the statue and issue an apology for the city government's role in the destruction of Section 14.

The process to remove the statue was a lengthy process, as city hall is a Class 1 (Landmark) historic resource.

On February 1, 2022, the City’s Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) voted 4-2 (with 1 abstention) to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the removal of the statue. The board added a strong recommendation that the City Council ensure relocation of the statue to a suitable, publicly accessible site in perpetuity.

Days after the board's decision, attorney Rod Pacheco filed an appeal of the decision on behalf of his client, the group "The Friend of Mayor Frank Bogert." The group advocated for keeping the statue where it is. Frank Bogert's widow, Negie Bogert, said the campaign to move a statue of her husband is full of slander and lies.

"I don't think that he was perfect but he was not by any means what they portray him as being," Negie told News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia in Sept. 2021.

The appeal was broken down into three categories:

• The City did not follow the municipal code in approving the Certificate of Appropriateness;
• Appellant’s assertion that the issuance of the Certificate of Appropriateness
  violates the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and
• Appellant’s assertion that federal and state laws regarding visual art on public
  display bars the proposed City action.

Check out the full appeal here

On Feb. 24, the city council unanimously voted to deny the appeal and upheld the HSPB's decision.

Councilmembers directed staff to work stakeholders to identify an appropriate location, not on City property, for the Bogert statue within 60 days. If no alternative location was found, the Bogert statue would be removed to secure storage until a new home is found.

City officials said the council authorized City Attorney Jeff Ballinger to enter into an agreement to extend the statute of limitations by 30 days, but the Friends of Mayor Frank Bogert group did not request any such extension. As a result, during that time, City staff made arrangements for the removal of the statue, in accordance with the City Council’s February 24 decision.

On Friday, Pacheco filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent the removal of the statue, city officials said.

Despite plans to remove the statue on Tuesday, a hearing on that motion is scheduled for Wednesday.

"The City has been, and remains, willing to work with the group to find an appropriate location to place the statue. It will be safely stored until a new location has been determined," reads a notice by Palm Springs city officials.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.