The Palm Springs Cultural Center Needs Help Recovering From a Fire; California’s New Budget–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: June 29, 2026

Indy Digest: June 29, 2026

When a friend sent me a KESQ News Channel 3 story about the fire at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on Saturday night, I was crestfallen.

Here’s an update the folks at the Cultural Center, sent earlier today:

On Saturday night, June 27, our beloved Palm Springs Cultural Center (PSCC) experienced a devastating fire. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown, but our café was destroyed. The fire also resulted in water damage to both Theatre 2 and Theater 3. Our largest theatre, the Historic Camelot Theater (Theater 1), the lounge and the lobby were thankfully spared from the flames, and luckily no one was injured. The entire building currently smells of smoke, and all programing has been suspended until further notice. 

We are extremely thankful for our staff and volunteers who ensured the safe exit of everyone in the building. We are also tremendously grateful to the members of the Palm Springs Fire Department (Station Two) for their swift actions in controlling and extinguishing the blaze.  

The outpour of love and support from the community has given us so much hope. We thank everyone who has already made donations in response to the fire. We will continue to keep you informed as we learn more, and we appreciate any additional donations during this time. 

With gratitude,

Michael Green, Executive Director and the Palm Springs Cultural Center Team

Thank heavens that Palm Springs firefighters responded quickly, and nobody was hurt. The fire damage could have been much, much worse.

I’ve been to countless shows and events at the Cultural Center: films, plays, cabaret events, fundraisers and, of course, the Palm Springs Certified Farmers’ Market. It’s truly a special place—a hub that brings together members of our community to be entertained, to be nourished, and to enjoy the talents of other members of our community.

Please consider sending the nonprofit Cultural Center a donation, if you can afford to do so, by clicking here.

The sooner the Cultural Center re-opens, the better. We’ll keep you posted.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states—like California—can continue counting mail-in ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day, if they arrive after Election Day. The New York Times (gift link) says: “Time and again, Mr. Trump has run into barriers in the Constitution, which grants no authority over elections to the executive branch. The Supreme Court made note of this in its 5-4 opinion, in which Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court’s three liberals. … Mr. Trump has already exerted enormous pressure on Republicans in Congress to enact the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship in person upon registering to vote, and also to present a government-issued photo ID at polling places. The bill also adds new ID restrictions to mail voting. … He doubled down on his demands after the ruling. ‘In light of the tremendous loss in the Supreme Court today concerning Voter’s Rights, and the fact that “people’s” votes are allowed to be counted LONG AFTER an Election is over, it is more important than ever to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,’ Mr. Trump wrote Monday on social media.”

• The U.S. Supreme Court also angered the president by refusing to revisit a ruling that he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll. NBC News explains: “The justices turned away Trump’s appeal, meaning the 2023 jury verdict and a $5 million civil judgment remain in place. The case arose from a federal lawsuit Carroll filed in New York City alleging that Trump assaulted her in the dressing room of a department store in 1996. The defamation claims relate to statements he made about her after his first term in office, in which he described her claims as a ‘con job’ and ‘hoax.’ Trump blasted the ruling on social media and vowed to keep fighting the case ‘with all of my power and strength,’ even though the justices seemed to shut the door on the verdict. … ‘This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be!’ he said. He added that ‘this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!’”

• On the flip side, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave the president heretofore unprecedented power to fire most government-agency leaders. The Associated Press says: “The Supreme Court on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding President Donald Trump’s firings of the heads of independent federal agencies with one important exception: the Federal Reserve. The justices allowed Fed governor Lisa Cook to stay in her job while she fights the Republican president’s effort to fire her over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied. But other than at the nation’s central bank, with its role of setting interest rates, the court held that presidents have free rein to fire agency heads at will, despite federal laws that require a cause for such dismissals and a 91-year-old decision that had limited executive authority. With the six conservative justices in the majority, the nine-member court jettisoned its unanimous decision in Humphrey’s Executor that had limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members—in part to try to ensure decision-making free of political influence.”

• The governor and legislative Democrats have agreed on a state budget. Our partners at Calmatters report: “Following weeks of negotiations, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders have agreed on a $351.7 billion budget next year that raises some taxes, sets aside $6.4 billion for the year after and softens or delays billions of dollars in planned social service cuts. The budget, Newsom’s last, will leave the California budget balanced for two consecutive years and reduce future year deficits significantly, state leaders say. … ‘This budget demonstrates responsible choices that protect our fiscal strength while continuing to invest in what matters most,’ Newsom said in a statement. The state faced a steep funding cliff in January amid ballooning costs of Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income Californians, and the threat of losing tens of billions of federal dollars under President Donald Trump’s budget bill. But since then, tax revenue has grown faster than expected, thanks to the artificial intelligence-driven economic boom. The final budget agreement largely relies on that windfall and new taxes Newsom has championed, along with delayed healthcare cuts and suspended payments to K-12 schools and state reserves to balance the books and slash future deficits.“

• Today’s recall news involves … heart and kidney medicine! People.com reports: “A pharmaceutical company has recalled more than 900,000 bottles of prescription heart and kidney medications after reports of ‘unexpected foreign matter’ in some of the bottles. In a recall announcement shared by the California State Board of Pharmacy, Amgen, Inc. initiated the recall after several different types of Corlanor and Sensipar tablets were found to have been contaminated with an ‘unexpected foreign matter.’ The company said that it recalled the tablets after informing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). ‘The unexpected foreign matter was localized on the exterior tablet surface, over the coating,’ the Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based company wrote in its announcement. ‘Therefore, as a precautionary measure, all lots within expiry that were processed in AML Building 23 packaging area, where the condition occurred, are being recalled.’” As Dave Barry would say: Unexpected Foreign Matter would be a good name for a rock band!

• And finally … a crocodile killed a man on a beach in front of a Puerto Vallarta resort. Eek! ABC News says: “A 28-year-old man was killed in a crocodile attack on a popular beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Friday evening, according to state authorities. The victim was on the beach in front of the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa when he was allegedly attacked by the reptile and dragged out to sea, Jalisco State Police said in a statement on Sunday. … The victim’s body was recovered Saturday morning about 300 meters offshore after an overnight search and rescue operation at sea and on land. Local authorities are reminding the public to obey warning signs and avoid entering the water where wildlife is known to be present, particularly in estuary and mangrove areas.” Of course … but at a Marriott?!

Support the Cultural Center!

To repeat what I mentioned above: I urge you to support the great folks at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, if you can afford to do so. As always, thanks for reading!