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Friday, Oct. 2 | ☀️ 98°/75°
Happy Friday, everyone, where we’ve got a reminder about an event you won’t want to miss! Civic Center Park will be full of neighbors, deputies and firefighters on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. for National Night Out, where you can check out emergency vehicles and equipment up close, enjoy a live DJ and a food truck, and pick up some giveaways. It's a great excuse to bring the family out and meet the people who help keep Palm Desert safe!
🎶 Setting the mood: "Love in the Library" by Jimmy Buffett
Leading Off
Plans for the exterior of the new Palm Desert library are at left. A patron reads in the current library at right.
Library sees surge in cardholders, digital demand in past year
Palm Desert library staff reported sharp gains in cardholders, circulation and programming in the 2025-26 fiscal year. Staff also set accessibility and digital literacy among their priorities for the year ahead as efforts continue to build a new city library.
Driving the news: A quarterly update delivered to the city's Library Advisory Committee and scheduled for review Monday showed digital demand surged, with holds for e-books and e-audiobooks rising 151.8%. The average digital hold wait increased from 17 days to 24.1 days.
Total library cardholders rose 60.5% to 20,849, library visitors increased 6.3% to 117,892, and website users climbed 105.1% to 75,265.
By the numbers: Total circulation rose 19.4% from 200,431 to 239,401. Physical checkouts were up 19.8% to 212,706, and digital checkouts were up 51.1% to 26,695.
Incoming Link+ requests more than doubled, increasing 117.4% to 5,519.
Programming: Adult programs increased from 210 to 302, a 43.8% rise, while attendance grew 27.7% to 5,810. Young adult programs rose 21.6% to 118, and attendance increased 25.2% to 1,166.
Children's programs were nearly flat, but attendance rose 21.4% to 3,502.
Summer reading: The presentation said 719 community members participated, and 125 programs drew 3,279 in attendance. The library gave away 1,440 grab-and-go craft kits and provided 1,200 books to help residents build home libraries.
Where things stand: The library is temporarily located on the College of the Desert campus while a new, city-owned library is built at Civic Center Park.
What we're watching: Staff identified customer service, accessibility, and digital literacy and community education as 2026-27 service priorities.
Examples listed in the presentation included autism certification, homebound and senior center outreach, multiple class offerings and the purchase of a class set of devices.
Briefly
DSRT Surf in Palm Desert is finally seeing members of the public take to the waves. (Photos: DSRT Surf)
🏄 DSRT Surf wave pool opens for public
DSRT Surf, a wave pool more than a decade in the making, opened to the public Sept. 26 at Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert, bringing surf sessions to the city for the first time.
A Learn-to-Surf Experience, with 30 minutes of land instruction and a 60-minute guided water session, costs $100 for the general public and $75 for Coachella Valley residents. Advanced sessions cost about $290 an hour for larger waves and turns, and about $370 to $380 an hour for barrels. Renting the pool for an hour costs about $19,000.
Details: The lagoon holds 9 million gallons and uses Wavegarden Cove technology, with each of its two sections accommodating up to 28 surfers. The facility operates from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. A second phase is expected to add a 139-room hotel and 57 villas.
A MESSAGE FROM
CV LAKERS
ALL GAMES. ALL SEASON. ALL CV LAKERS.
The wait is over! Coachella Valley Lakers tickets are officially on sale now. Get ready to experience the excitement of NBA G League basketball at Acrisure Arena and see the next generation of Lakers stars take the court.
📅 Featured Events
TODAY
Pacifico Dance at McCallum Theatre at 7 p.m. ($15)
SATURDAY
College of the Desert Street Fair at 43-500 Monterey Ave. at 8 a.m.
The Doo Wop Project at McCallum Theatre at 8 p.m. ($50)
Observatory Public Exploration Night at 8 p.m.
TUESDAY
Palm Desert Parks and Recreation Committee at City Hall at 8:30 a.m.
Palm Desert Planning Commission at City Hall at 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Domestic Water and Storm Water Tour at Coachella Valley Water District at 8 a.m.
Iyengar Yoga for Healthy Aging - A Gentle Yoga for Older Adults at 73875 Highway 111 at 10 a.m.
The Judgment of Paris Wine Dinner - Mastro's Palm Desert Steakhouse at 7 p.m. ($325)
THURSDAY
Corazón Latino- Hispanic Heritage Celebration Mixer at 72559 Hwy 111 at 4 p.m.
Palm Desert City Council at City Hall at 4 p.m.
Board Game Night at The Dragon Den at 5 p.m. ($10–$20)
✨ And Finally …
A scene from a highlight reel shown during the city’s annual State of the City event shows new housing under construction.
Palm Desert officials used this year's State of the City event to argue that growth, fiscal caution, and a good playground can all be part of the same plan.
Driving the news: In a video shared at the Sept. 18 event, held at at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort, councilmembers Gina Nestande, Jan Harnik, Karina Quintanilla, and Joe Pradetto shared their messages of pride and progress in the city over the past year.
Growth in the north: Nestande said more than 1,000 new homes have been built in North Palm Desert since 2023, and that the new Fire Station 102 will relieve demand on Station 71 and strengthen emergency response citywide.
On the budget: Harnik said the city's repeated financial awards reflect good accounting practices and a commitment to sharing information with residents.
"We trust our community, and we work to make sure they trust us," Harnik said.
On community: Quintanilla described the new playground at Civic Center Park as a free, centrally located space for families, and noted it's where her daughters learned to walk.
Pradetto said more than 500 people turned out for a World Cup viewing at the mall on a 110-degree day, and that the city aims to bring global events to the local stage.
Why it matters: Officials tied new fire service, careful budgeting, and public gathering spaces to the same goal: Measure G dollars and city planning showing up where residents can see them.
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