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Thursday, July 8 | ☀️ 110°/81°
Happy Thursday! The Coachella Valley Animal Campus is asking for help after its busiest intake weekend of the year, with dog kennels now over capacity by 238% and pets arriving daily. But there's good news, we promise! Fee-waived adoptions are happening now through July 26 thanks to BISSELL Pet Foundation's Empty the Shelters national event, with every adoption including spay/neuter surgery, vaccines, a microchip and an ID tag. If you've been waiting for the right time to bring home a new best friend, this is it — details at rcdas.org/adopt.
🎶 Setting the mood: "Harvest Moon" cover by Poolside
Leading Off
About 50 residents attended the seminar and learned how to protect themselves from sophisticated scammers.
Assemblymember brings state agencies to valley for scam seminar
Assemblymember Greg Wallis and representatives from four state agencies warned local seniors about escalating financial scams during a seminar on Wednesday. The event carried extra urgency after a Bermuda Dunes woman died in a suspected murder-suicide after being targeted by a romance scammer earlier this year.
Driving the news: Wallis hosted the eighth installment of his senior scam-awareness seminar series at the Palm Desert Community Center, bringing in presenters from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, the Contractors State License Board, the Department of Insurance and the California Privacy Protection Agency.
Topics ranged from romance scams and contractor fraud to insurance schemes and AI voice-cloning, with presenters recommending families set a "safe phrase" to verify relatives' identities.
Why it matters: Karen Whitaker, 79, was scammed by someone posing as actor Tom Selleck before she and her husband died in a suspected murder-suicide in May.
A friend, Joy Miedecke, said Whitaker couldn't be talked out of believing the relationship was real, even after intervention from family, Adult Protective Services and sheriff's deputies.
By the numbers: Americans over 60 lost $7.7 billion to fraud in 2025, a 30% increase from the prior year. Romance scams alone cost Americans an estimated $1 billion annually.
Practical tips: Starting Aug. 1, California's Delete Act takes effect, letting residents request removal of their data from the state's 585 registered data brokers through a new platform.
What they're saying: Wallis said these scams can happen to anyone regardless or income or education level, and urged residents to check on neighbors and rebuild "face to face" connections rather than relying solely on technical fixes.
Briefly
Even though it seems like summer just started, for local kids school is right around the corner and many are in need of basic school supplies.
🎒 Rescue mission collects backpacks for valley kids
The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission has launched its annual Backpack Bonanza & School Supply Drive, collecting backpacks, school supplies and donations to help local children prepare for the new school year.
Donation boxes are placed at nearly 20 Indio businesses and civic locations across the valley, including Indio Taphouse, Fiesta Ford, City Hall and the Indio Senior Center and the supplies will be picked up Aug. 4. Donors can also shop CVRM's online list, use its Amazon registry, or ask staff to fill a backpack on their behalf.
Details: A drive-thru distribution event is set for 7 a.m. Aug. 8, open to valley residents on a first-come, first-served basis until supplies run out. Children up to age 17 must be present to receive supplies. Separately, CVRM's Street Outreach Team is asking for bottled water donations to help unsheltered residents during rising temperatures.
🏥 Indio's Zone 6 healthcare board seat up for election this November
Coachella Valley voters will decide five seats on the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board on Nov. 3, including the Zone 6 seat covering much of Indio, currently held by board president Kimberly Barraza. The rest of Indio is covered by Zone 7. Check your zone on the district’s interactive map.
Other seats on the ballot include Zone 1, vacant since Greg Rodriguez's June resignation; Zone 2, held by Carole Rogers; Zone 4, held by Evett PerezGil; and Zone 5, held by Anyse Smith.
Details: Nomination papers open July 13 for new candidates, with an Aug. 7 filing deadline; incumbents have until Aug. 12. The district, formed in 1948, serves more than 400,000 Coachella Valley residents.
📅 Featured events
The Connection Table: The Power of Relationships
Today | 11:30 a.m. | Dune Room
The Dune Room will host a session on building professional relationships and identifying community and business opportunities, including lunch and a beverage. ($30)
Summer Supper Club
Today | 6 p.m. | Cork & Fork
Monthly gathering for foodies and friends featuring a rotating theme and menu each month. ($70)
Indio's Food Truck Fridays
Friday | 5 p.m. | Downtown Indio (Towne St. & Bliss Ave.)
Indio's weekly food truck tradition returns with a rotating lineup of local vendors, live music, and family-friendly activities. Family and pet-friendly.
CANNA Mixer at The Dune Room
Friday | 6 p.m. | Dune Room
The Coachella Valley Cannabis Alliance Network hosts a summer networking mixer for the Eastern Coachella Valley's cannabis community, featuring a presentation from the Center for Employment Training on its Cannabis Agriculture Program and more. ($15)
5k Run
Friday | 7 p.m. | El Tranvia, Coachella
Part of the UPALV Summer Series, a lineup of sunset runs held in collaboration with local businesses throughout the summer.
Carlos Escobar Comedy Show
Friday | 8 p.m. | Spotlight 29 Casino
An evening of stand-up comedy with comedian Carlos Escobar. ($17)
Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast
Saturday | 8 a.m. | Santa Fe Restaurant, Coachella
The Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce hosts a legislative breakfast with Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez and Coachella Mayor Dr. Frank Figueroa, including networking on legislative updates and economic development.
"Back to the Future” screening
Saturday | 3:30 p.m. | Indio Public Library
A family screening of the classic time-travel adventure film.
Razor J & Porsia Camille Live Music
Saturday | 6 p.m. | Indio Brewing
A live performance by Razor J and Porsia Camille featuring R&B, pop, and classics.
Y2 Slay: All Ages Drag Show
Saturday | 6:30 p.m. | East Valley location provided after RSVP
The Center hosts an all-ages drag show featuring performances and pop music from the Y2K era; performer tips collected benefit The Center.
Open turntables
Sunday | 4 p.m. | Rosemary HiFi
An open turntables session inviting DJs to bring an hour of deep-cut music for one-hour spin sets.
📣 And Finally …
The Oasis on Miles has served as a rehearsal and performance space for the AMP program. (Photo: AMP)
Downtown Indio's community-run music venue is playing its final set after one last show this week. Oasis on Miles is closing its doors, alongside the Academy of Musical Performance's (AMP) music program.
Driving the news: Dunes Booking, Music House Indio and SNS Entertainment are presenting "MIRAGE: The Farewell Show at the Oasis on Miles," an all-day celebration of music featuring more than two dozen performers at the venue, located at 82713 Miles Avenue.
The show runs from 2 p.m. to midnight, with $10 tickets at the door.
Who's playing: Organizers are lining up local bands, singer-songwriters, alumni of the Oasis, and students and instructors from AMP, plus a few surprises.
Why it matters: The Oasis on Miles has served as a rehearsal and performance space for the AMP program and a gathering spot for the desert's local music scene.
The AMP program is pausing operations, ending a multi-year effort to train up young local musicians in the art of performance.
What they’re saying: Matt King, writing for CV Independent, learned AMP’s board had recently lost important members and the rest of the leadership was struggling to keep up with the demands of the program.
The board wrote in a message to supporters, “We want to be clear: this is hopefully not the end of AMP. The organization will remain a registered non-profit, and we are taking this time to thoughtfully consider what the next chapter could look like.”
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