Palm Springs | How they spend your taxes, Part 2; glossy mag to boost tourism -- but not booty calls

When we last visited that pit bull of a government watchdog, The Desert Sun, Corporate was lauding the newspaper's series about how local tax dollars are spent -- and, presumably, misspent -- in the daily's backyard: the winter golf resort of Palm Springs, Calif., and surrounding Coachella Valley. Indeed, Executive Editor Rick Green was named one of the top three winners of the annual President's Ring awards last week, partly on the basis of that series.

Now, courtesy of one of my readers, we can add to our list yet another sketchy government deal where the valley's tax dollars are getting funneled to -- yes! -- the Desert Sun itself.

In late March, the city of Palm Desert agreed to spend $100,000 a year on a new quarterly magazine aimed at tourists, and produced by the newspaper. The glossy In Palm Desert quarterly will replace a previous magazine, 92260, which crashed and burned two years ago when the economy headed south. That magazine also was produced by the Sun.

Under this new scheme, Palm Desert city employees will produce several pages of advertorial copy, the Sun reported, in a story about the deal. The newspaper -- presumably the newsroom itself -- will write and edit the rest. The plan is to produce 40,000 copies for each issue, then distribute them (apparently for free) to residents and to guests staying at local hotels.

Don't expect to see any hard-hitting watchdog journalism, however. "This magazine has the potential to advertise everything in the city that is good," Mayor Cindy Finerty told the newspaper.

What's more, Finerty and Councilwoman Jean Benson, the Sun reported, "stressed that the magazine should not raise political or city issues, but focus on promoting the city."

And just in case the newsroom didn't get the message, Benson added: "A visitor coming into the city doesn't want to know if somebody's sleeping with someone else."

[Image: yesterday's paper, Newseum]