Nine months after the State of the City, Palm Springs has a new mayor, a retiring manager and three seats on the ballot
Ron deHarte's December address promised a city moving forward. Since then, the leadership has turned over and the open files have piled up.
PALM SPRINGS: Nine months ago, Ron deHarte, then mayor of Palm Springs, delivered the annual State of the City address at the Palm Springs Convention Center under the theme “Palm Springs Forward.” The December 2 event featured a community fair, a 3 p.m. presentation and a free ice cream social.
We Can and we are moving forward! Our path to progress is forged in working together, maintaining unwavering focus on our strategic goals, and letting the voice of our community be our compass.Ron deHarte, in the city's State of the City announcement
Since then, the city's leadership has turned over significantly. The mayoralty rotated to Naomi Soto in December 2025 under the council's rotating system. City Manager Scott Stiles announced he will retire November 1. And three of the five council seats, Districts 1, 2 and 3, are on the November 3 ballot.
DeHarte seeks another term
DeHarte, who served as the city's 27th mayor from 2024 to 2025 and was first elected to the council in 2022 with 64.7 percent of the vote, is running for re-election in District 3, which covers west and central neighborhoods between Vista Chino and Ramon Road. He previously served on the Human Rights Commission and on nonprofit boards including Safe Schools Desert Cities, the LGBTQ Archives of the Desert, USA Prides and Palm Springs Pride.
We can and we are moving forward.
If re-elected, he would return to a council choosing a new city manager, a process in which his experience as a former mayor would carry weight.
Reading the speech now
State of the City speeches are the council's annual chance to set the narrative, and the December address leaned into consensus goods: major accomplishments, ongoing projects and future plans. Nine months later, the test of that narrative is the city's open files: the Dream Hotel's missed deadlines, the Highway 111 warehouse review, and a data-center moratorium adopted in August.
The voters get their say on the direction soon enough. Ballots for the November 3 election go out in early October, and three seats will decide whether the “Palm Springs Forward” agenda continues under new leadership or takes a different direction.
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