Rebuild Palm Springs money will buy a police mobile command vehicle
About $33,934 left from the $159,876 raised after the May 2025 downtown bombing will go to the Palm Springs Police Foundation for a mobile command unit, closing out the fundraiser.
PALM SPRINGS: More than $33,000 donated by the community to aid victims of the deadly May 2025 bombing in downtown Palm Springs will instead buy new equipment for the city's police department, The Desert Sun reported.
The city's police department announced Monday, September 21, on Facebook that the Palm Springs Police Foundation had received a donation from the Rebuild Palm Springs fundraiser for a mobile command vehicle, a bus or trailer police use as a control center during emergencies.
We are incredibly grateful for this investment in the safety and preparedness of the community. Partnerships like this demonstrate what can be accomplished when Palm Springs comes together with a shared commitment for our city.Palm Springs Police Department, on Facebook, via The Desert Sun
How the money was raised and spent
After the bombing, which injured four people and killed the bomber in May 2025, a group of Palm Springs entrepreneurs joined together to raise money to help small businesses and homeowners recover from the damage. Known as Rebuild Palm Springs, the effort eventually raised $159,876 from hundreds of individual donors, groups and companies like Southern California Edison, The Desert Sun reported. The campaign was so successful that its leaders raised the target from $100,000 to $250,000, the Beacon Journal reported at the time.
By contributing to the police foundation, the money directly supports the purchase of a mobile command unit that will enhance public safety responses for years to come.
Throughout 2025 and 2026, Rebuild Palm Springs reimbursed victims whose property had been damaged for the cost of repairs. The group gave $82,008 to seven businesses and residents, while some of the rest went to boutique hotels near the blast zone, The Desert Sun reported. The group also gave $5,000 to provide emergency preparedness workshops for small businesses. The roughly $33,934 sent to the police foundation closes out the campaign, The Desert Sun reported.
Rebuild Palm Springs fully accomplished its mission. The fund was established to deliver immediate relief following the bombing, and it successfully identified and reimbursed all financially impacted entities. Only after every single claim was paid in full did the committee evaluate how to deploy the remaining dollars to benefit the broader community.City Councilmember Ron deHarte, who helped lead the effort, in a text to The Desert Sun
Supporting our local first responders who served our residents so courageously in the immediate aftermath of the bombing was a fitting and meaningful use of those remaining funds. By contributing to the police foundation, the money directly supports the purchase of a mobile command unit that will enhance public safety responses for years to come, ensuring the entire Palm Springs community benefits from this lasting investment.Ron deHarte, via The Desert Sun
A separate effort from the city's fund
DeHarte noted that the Rebuild Palm Springs fundraiser operated separately from the city's official recovery fund and another fundraiser led by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce.
Both the City and Chamber funds were launched independently after Rebuild Palm Springs, operated under separate leadership, and remained entirely distinct from our grassroots efforts.Ron deHarte, via The Desert Sun
The decision to donate to the police foundation was made by the fundraiser's leaders, who included Bob Smiland, Liz Ostoich, Willie Rhine, Bill Sanderson and Gregory Goodman, all prominent business owners in Palm Springs, The Desert Sun reported.
The Desert Sun noted that the fundraiser's website indicates all funds would be spent on aid to victims, and that some donors may be surprised to learn their contributions went toward a police vehicle. So far, the donation has generated no public criticism: the American Reproductive Centers, which was destroyed by the bombing, praised the move in a Facebook comment, writing, "This is the best and most resilient community to live in!" and "Congratulations to the police department." The department's post did not say what kind of command vehicle it plans to buy or what the total cost will be, The Desert Sun reported.
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