Tonight’s Roggin Report covers a lot of ground, but there’s a common thread running through several of these stories: Who’s watching, who’s paying, and who’s making sure things work the way they’re supposed to?
Part two of the Desert Regional investigation follows allegations involving more than $1 million in public funding, state grants and resident salaries. The lawsuit filed against DPMG raises questions about who applied for the money, who received it, who paid doctors in training and whether the same costs were counted twice. Desert Regional says it did not receive some of the money described in the lawsuit, while questions are also being raised about record keeping and oversight. The defendants have not been found liable, and the hospital says it does not comment on active litigation.
In Palm Springs, the City Council decided to keep an election on the ballot even though Jeffrey Bernstein was the only candidate who qualified for District 2. Canceling the election could have saved about $22,000, but the council chose to let voters have their say.
In Indio, TODEC updated the City Council on immigration enforcement in the Coachella Valley. The discussion focused on what residents are seeing locally and where local government responsibility begins and ends when federal immigration enforcement is involved.
Then there’s 911. After five service disruptions in three years, officials are pursuing a dedicated data line designed to improve reliability. The big question is pretty simple: How does a system people depend on in an emergency keep going down?
The Desert Symphony also faces an uncertain future after announcing it will not present a 2026–27 season following funding and economic challenges, declining ticket sales and an aging audience.
And finally, another scam warning: A viewer nearly fell for a convincing fake Spectrum equipment-upgrade email. He stopped, called Spectrum and discovered it was a scam. Sometimes the best technology is still the pause button.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
August 20, 2026
