Palm Springs City Council voids decision on Frank Bogert statue relocation

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) - The controversial statue of former Palm Springs mayor Frank Bogert will remain in storage after the city council voided a recent decision by the Art Commission on its new location.

The decision came in a closed session meeting. City Attorney Jeffrey Ballinger said the commission's vote is considered void as a previous discussion by the council was in violation of the Brown Act because it wasn't on the agenda.

"Based on the advice of the city attorney, the city council is of the opinion that a potential violation of the Brown Act in that November meeting," Ballinger said. "As such, and in the interest of transparency in the spirit of the Brown Act, the city views the January 7 action of the arts commission as void."

The issue was discussed by the council at the end of the Nov. 12, 2025 meeting. Ballinger asked whether council wanted the issue to come back in a future meeting, but declined. Ballinger advised the council to stop discussion the issue and have staff bring it back at a later date.

Last week, after a long discussion, the Palm Springs Art Commission voted move the statue from storage to the Village Green in downtown Palm Springs.

The Frank Bogert statue was removed from outside City Hall after a recommendation from the Human Rights Commission in 2021. The decision came as the city reckoned with the mayor's alleged role in evicting Section 14 victims from a plot of land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.

Section 14 survivors have argued against the relocation, saying Bogert's statue glorifies a painful part of their history.

The Friends of Frank Bogert have also supported the relocation, while refuting claims that Bogert played a role in Section 14's mass displacement. The group believes Bogert worked with leaders in the Black community to find alternative homes and place eviction moratoriums.

Former Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton oversaw the statue debate and recommended it be placed at the Village Green.