Leading off: Nothing prevented COD from keeping donated land

Following last week's offer from the city to buy back land in northern Palm Springs it donated to College of the Desert (COD) for a West Valley campus in 2010, some residents wondered why the land didn't go back to the city when the campus wasn't built. 

What we know: In the property transfer agreement between the city and COD there was no a stipulation that the college had to return the land to the city if it failed to build a campus there.

• “What you are referring to is sometimes called a reversionary clause,” City Attorney Jeff Ballinger wrote Monday when asked about the transfer of 119 acres off Tramview Road and Indian Canyon Drive. “There is no express reversionary clause in the 2010 agreement between the City and COD.”

• The latest plans state the Palm Springs campus will be in the design phase until spring of 2024, with construction concluding in fall of 2027.

• If the college accepts the city’s offer, taxpayers will have paid a total of $7.8 million to buy the land twice.

• The forum starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, on Zoom, It will also be broadcast live on the COD YouTube channel.

In brief: PSPD looking for a few good residents

The Palm Springs Police Department's Community Police Academy starts on Sept. 20.

The mission: PSPD says the academy offers a chance for members of the community to meet and interact with officers and other staff members to see who actually makes up the department. 

What you’ll learn: Across the academy’s 12 sessions, participants will learn about each of the bureaus and what they do. They’ll also go in-depth on subjects like the Homeless Outreach Street Team, traffic stops, K-9 officers, crime scene investigation, and crime prevention.

Details: Each session will convene on a Tuesday and run from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the evening .

Qualifications: To attend, you must be 18 years or older, live or work in the Greater Palm Springs area, have no prior felony convictions, as well as some other requirements listed here.

• The department selects participants on a first-come, first-serve basis, so before you apply make sure you  can commit to attending each session. 

Applications can be found here.

🤠 AM Roundup: Grab a cup & catch up 

🦠 California declared a state of emergency over monkeypox. (AP News)

🏠 A well-known real estate and development professional in the city, Bob Fey, has passed away. (The Desert Sun)

🛍 The next time you need to buy a gift, why not branch out and try a local museum gift shop? (Palm Springs Life)

📅 On Tap

Tickets for the four-day version of Modernism Week, slated for Oct. 13 through 16, went on sale Monday, and they include an important event for the Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS).

On tap: “Welcome to the MODERN Neighborhood Home Tour,” which takes place on Saturday, Oct. 15, is the sole fundraising event of the year for ONE-PS.

Details: Tickets to the ONE-PS event can be found here (for $65). Make sure to check out tickets to the 50+ other events here.

📅 On Tap today:

• Jazz on the Second Floor takes place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, starting at 5 p.m.

• The local Toastmasters group meets at 6 p.m.

• A community meeting on the dormant Dream Hotel project is planned for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

• The Palm Springs Public Library hosts a virtual author talk Wednesday at 11 a.m. with Pulitzer Prize Winner Dr. Marcia Chatelain, author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America.

• The Palm Springs Equity & Social Justice Committee meets Wednesday at 5 p.m. on Zoom.

•  PALS (Planning Ahead for LGBTQ Seniors) holds its "Death Cafe" event Thursday at 2 p.m.

And finally ...

Travelers from Palm Springs to Las Vegas have long known the quickest (and most scenic) route is through the Mojave Desert. But that route has been cut off following recent storms.

The news: Kelbaker Road, Cima Road, Essex Road, and Morning Star Road are closed until further notice, according to Mojave National Preserve staff. The roads are simply too damaged to traverse following intense monsoonal storms over the weekend.

• "Park staff continue to assess the damage," Preserve staff wrote in a Facebook post Monday. "When conditions are safe, the preserve will reopen roads."

• “It’s monsoon season for SoCal,” Casey Oswent, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, told The Los Angeles Times. “We’re getting a lot of moisture being pulled up from the Gulf of California.”

• Make sure to check out this landmark when you pass through Baker.

🍑 Kendall recommends having peach cobbler for breakfast and dinner like she did.

🕷️ Mark will miss dodging tarantulas driving the back road to Vegas.

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