Local & Community
Palm Desert Planning Commissioner Launches District 5 Council Campaign
John Greenwood has entered the race for Palm Desert City Council's District 5 seat, holding a campaign kickoff event Thursday evening at the Desert Willow Golf Resort.
Greenwood, a lifelong Palm Desert resident, has served as a city planning commissioner for 14 years. He's a licensed California architect who owns an architectural firm in the Coachella Valley and has been involved in various local planning efforts, including work related to the city's General Plan. He has also served on the Rancho Mirage Architectural Review Committee.
The District 5 race is part of Palm Desert's ongoing shift to a five-district council system. The city adopted the new structure in January 2024, with Districts 1, 2, and 3 electing representatives last November. Districts 4 and 5 will hold their first elections in November 2026, completing the transition. Until then, two council members elected under the previous system continue serving out their terms.
Palm Desert's council elections take place during the general municipal election, held on the first Tuesday in November of even-numbered years alongside statewide races.
By: NBC Palm Springs
January 16, 2026
Latest Instagram Posts
🚨 Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is speaking out after California lawmakers decided to destroy ballots from the 2025 special election, ending his investigation into possible ballot miscount. What do you think the decision means for election transparency, accountability, and the ongoing questions surrounding election integrity? Let us know in the comments. #ChadBianco #RiversideCounty #CaliforniaPolitics #electionnews
Should Palm Springs residents elect their mayor directly? The city is asking residents to weigh in on whether to change its current system, where the mayor rotates annually among the five City Council members. Community meetings are scheduled for Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at ALO Palm Canyon and Monday at Palm Springs High School. Residents can also complete an online survey in English or Spanish. Share your input before next Monday at EngagePalmSprings.com. #PalmSprings #PalmSpringsNews #CoachellaValley #LocalGovernment #CityCouncil CommunityInput NBCPalmSprings
Indio is waiving a potential $48,000 curfew fine for Head Trip Festival promoter Goldenvoice after Swedish House Mafia played until 12:12 a.m. Sunday. City officials say the decision comes after weather disruptions forced Saturday’s festival to shut down early, including the cancellation of Calvin Harris’s set. Harris was added to Sunday’s lineup. #HeadTripFestival #SwedishHouseMafia #CalvinHarris #Indio #CoachellaValley Goldenvoice NBCPalmSpri
Theater season is back in the Coachella Valley! 🎭Check out my review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Palm Canyon Theatre. Full review on nbcpalmsprings.com ➡️ Programs ➡️ Mann on the Aisle! #mannontheaisle #palmsprings #palmcanyontheatre #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings
President Donald Trump brought up the idea of renaming the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean during a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee.
A Level 3 of 4 threat of flooding rainfall has been issued for parts of Southern California to southern Nevada, southwest Utah and northwest Arizona, including San Diego and Las Vegas.
BREAKING NEWS 🚨: Calvin Harris officially rescheduled for Head Trip day 2 #headtripfestival #calvinharris #severeweather #tropicalstorm #indio
Attendees are returning to the Empire Polo Grounds for day 2 of the EDM festival, ‘Head Trip’, after performances were stopped last night due to severe weather. Stay tuned with NBC Palm Springs to see how the weather is affecting festival goers’ plans. #headtripfestival #severeweather #flashfloodalert #760 #nbcpalmsprings
Overnight Flooding Hits Palm Springs Heavy rain brought flooding to Palm Springs overnight, prompting police to shut down Indian Canyon due to flooding. Much of this video shows conditions along the Indian Canyon corridor as water inundated roadways. Drivers are urged to use caution and watch for changing conditions.
BREAKING NEWS: Head Trip Festival in Indio suspended its show Saturday night due to approaching severe weather and lightning. A message displayed on the stage screens announced: “Attention in the festival, this is a lightning alert. The show is suspended due to lightning.” Festivalgoers were told to leave the Empire Polo Club venue and return to their cars and camps. The festival was expected to draw approximately 70,000 attendees overall, though the number asked to leave Saturday night has not been confirmed. It remains unclear when attendees will be allowed back inside or whether scheduled performances, including headliners Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia, will proceed as planned. The suspension comes as Tropical Storm Rachel brings rain and potential flooding concerns to Southern California. Stay with NBC Palm Springs for updates. #BreakingNews #HeadTripFestival #Indio #CoachellaValley #TropicalStormRachel WeatherAlert CalvinHarris NBCPalmSprings