September 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to our September newsletter! Here’s what happening this month:
Film series launches; get tickets for “The Insider”
Join us for Happy Hour September 29 at Lola Rose
CVJF founder makes headlines as the new leader of a Bay Area media nonprofit
CV Independent to host informational sessions about November election
Investigative reporting session offered to local reporters
Cheer on CVJF at Desert Fast Pitch
Save the date for the 2027 Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame
Let us know if you have any feedback by emailing at [email protected].
‘Bylines, Broadcasts and the Big Screen’ movie series draws enthusiastic crowd for 'Citizen Kane'! Get your 'Insider' tickets today.
We couldn’t be happier with the launch of our “Bylines, Broadcasts and the Big Screen” movie series on Sept 13. An audience of nearly 200 journalism and film aficionados joined us in the main theater of the Palm Springs Cultural Center for a screening of “Citizen Kane” and an entertaining Q&A afterward with the grandsons of the movie’s co-screenwriter, Herman Mankiewicz. “Dateline NBC” correspondent Josh Mankiewicz and Ben Mankiewicz, the host of “Turner Classic Movies,” relayed behind-the-scenes insights into their grandfather’s Hollywood history and his testy relationship with Orson Welles, the movie’s star, producer, and co-writer.
CVJF board member Jason Ball with “Dateline NBC” correspondent Josh Mankiewicz and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz
Inside The Palm Springs Cultural Center
The next movie in the series, “The Insider,” starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, screens Oct. 11. Our special guest is “60 Minutes” producer Lowell Bergman, who is portrayed by Pacino in the film that recounts his fight to bring a tobacco industry whistleblower’s claims to light. Tickets for “The Insider” and six other remaining movies in the series may be purchased here. We hope to see you there!
Enjoy happy hour with us at the Thompson hotel’s Lola Rose Grand Mezze
Drop in for a special happy hour at the Lola Rose Grand Mezze restaurant in Palm Springs on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and give CVJF a boost at the same time!
The restaurant, inside the Thompson Palm Springs Hotel at 414 N. Palm Canyon Drive, is generously sharing food and drink proceeds of the event with CVJF as part of its Tuesdays That Give Happy Hour. We can’t thank them enough!
Be sure to come between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and let the restaurant know you’re there for the Tuesdays That Give Happy Hour.
You are also invited but not required to make reservations directly with the restaurant at lolaroseps.com or by calling (760) 778-1234, option 5. When booking your table, tell the host (or use the “reservation notes” function online) to indicate you are there for Tuesdays That Give.
The more people we bring, the greater the percentage of sales we receive!
CVJF co-founder Julie Makinen takes the helm of Bay Area media nonprofit
CVJF founder Julie Makinen
Julie Makinen, a CVJF founder and its current secretary/treasurer, has been named publisher and chief executive officer of the nonprofit Embarcadero Media Foundation.
Embarcadero operates seven publications in the San Francisco Bay Area, including The Palo Alto Weekly, where Makinen was once an intern during her student days at Stanford University. Since then, she’s worked as a reporter and editor at some of the nation’s most prestigious news companies, including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and the International New York Times. More recently, Makinen served as editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Standard and executive editor of the Desert Sun.
“Although my newspaper career took me around the world, local journalism is where I have found my greatest sense of meaning and connection,” Makinen said in an interview published in Embarcadero media outlets. “At the Desert Sun, I relished helping residents understand not only what was happening, but why it mattered. Local news helps foster civic participation and provides a common foundation of facts in an increasingly fragmented information environment."
Makinen will remain on the CVJF board.
Valley media outlets team up with CalMatters to offer symposium on November ballot measures
The Coachella Valley Independent and the Palm Springs Post are partnering with CalMatters to host a community conversation on the November elections, particularly the 14 state propositions confronting voters on the ballot.
The free event, “VotingMatters,” takes place Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m. on the patio of Willie’s Modern Fare, 69830 Highway 111, in Rancho Mirage.
Dan Hu, CalMatters’ director of partnerships, will be on hand to answer questions about ballot propositions in a conversation centered on the latest edition of the CalMatters Voter Guide.
While the event is free and open to all, the Independent’s editor, Jimmy Boegle, is asking people to register by emailing him at [email protected].
Investigative Storytelling Workshop with KESQ’s Kade Atwood
KESQ news director Kade Atwood
KESQ’s award-winning news director, Kade Atwood, recently attended the Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) Conference with support from the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation—and now he’s bringing what he learned back to journalists across the Valley.
Join Kade and CVJF for an interactive storytelling workshop focused on creating journalism that is accurate, compelling, and impactful.
The session will explore the attributes of strong investigative storytelling, techniques for finding and verifying accurate information, and the rapidly evolving role of artificial intelligence in journalism, including how AI can be used responsibly as a reporting tool.
Participants will also examine examples of exceptional investigative journalism and break down what makes those stories resonate with audiences and create meaningful impact. This free workshop takes place 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 9, at La Quinta Brewing Co., 74-714 Technology Drive, Palm Desert. Register here.
CVJF is in it to win it at Desert Fast Pitch Oct. 1
CVJF founder Julie Makinen presenting at the preliminary round of the Desert Fast Pitch competition.
CVJF Board Member Julie Makinen is among six nonprofit leaders who have advanced to the final round of the Desert Fast Pitch competition sponsored by the Palm Desert-based RAP Foundation. This Shark Tank-style contest includes an eight-week bootcamp where participants learn valuable skills for advancing their nonprofit missions and receive 1:1 coaching on a 3-minute fundraising pitch.
The program culminates Thursday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. Makinen and the other contestants will deliver their pitches and compete for over $40,000 in prize money. U.S. military veteran, actor and “Dancing With the Stars” champ J.R. Martinez is the featured speaker, and the program includes a buffet dinner.
Tickets are $55. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] and we will try to arrange seating from the wait list.
Desert Hot Springs Historical Society, a CVJF partner, invites you to its Fall Welcome Back Season Sneak Peek
CVJF partners with local historical societies because together, we fulfill a vital mission: Recording our community’s stories and preserving and celebrating them as part of our local history. The Desert Hot Springs Historical Society has an exciting year ahead, and you are invited to learn more at their Fall Welcome Back Season Sneak Peek on Sunday, Oct. 4 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Mission Lakes Country Club, 8484 Clubhouse Blvd., Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240.
The program includes:
A sneak peek at the Oral/Video History Series highlighting DHS city founders and residents, produced with Nicole Maury of The Project Curator.
A book talk & signing featuring Lydia Kremer, author of 100 Things to Do in Palm Springs Before You Die (3rd Edition)
A first look at the History Speaks 2026–2027 lecture series.
Learn more at dhshistoricalsociety.org
Save the Date for the Media Hall of Fame!
You’ll want to save the date for the next Coachella Valley Media Hall of Fame. The luncheon ceremony will take place on Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa. Tickets to go on sale soon at www.cvjf.org.
Randy Lovely, Board President Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation