The other day I was having lunch with an acquaintance downtown at one of the many sidewalk cafes when she asked, "Why is there a statue of Sonny Bono?" First I was confused as to why she would make such an inquiry then I wondered if maybe enough time has gone by for his legacy to begin to fade.
My earliest memories of Sonny and Palm Springs are way back in the 80's when we would have
brunch at Bono's restaurant on Indian Canyon Drive. It seemed like he was always there greeting guests and making sure the patrons were happy. I remember admiring him as he seemed to be a very caring and sincere man. It was obvious he loved the town and he loved living here. Ultimately he ran for mayor and won. Today the restaurant is abandoned and was excluded from the multimillion dollar Riviera renovations. It sits behind locked gates overlooking long forgotten tennis courts. When I stopped by to take a look a raven flew out from beyond the roof line and its ominous presence took on an almost haunted feeling.
But remember all the hoopla when Sonny was running for and while he was mayor of Palm Springs? It was great publicity for the area as his mayoral title was announced no matter where he showed up. It is written that he decided to enter politics because of all the bureaucracy involved with opening the restaurant but I also remember a story he told about the remodel of his house in The Mesa. He said he wanted to put in a big picture window to capture the mountain views but was told by the city the window was too large and against current building codes. He said it puzzled him that such building codes would exist to restrict a view. He won the office of mayor and set out to make changes. I'm not sure if he ever did change residential building codes back then or if he made it easier to open a restaurant but I do remember the Sonny Bono Years in Palm Springs.
It was four short years of many changes. The most controversial change of course was that he banned thong bikinis in public and seriously curtailed the "cruising" of Palm Canyon Drive during Spring Break. Those two changes ultimately killed Spring Break festivities and the college kids turned to other sun-filled destinations.
Palm Springs in the 80's seemed to prosper. Our downtown was home to legendary shopping such as Sak's Fifth Avenue, Gucci, Yves
St. Laurent and more. It was an age of glamour (and lots of marble and brass) and we dressed up to go out. It was a time when a commercial vacancy was a rarity. It was a time when Cabazon outlet shops didn't exist.
He began The Palm Springs International Film Festival and I remember attending the first year but I don't remember much about that first year. It was new and so we didn't get the caliber of films other festivals did and at that time we were a far cry from Sundance. I'll admit I was a big critic and thought the film festival would eventually fade away but I was wrong. Today it is one of the world's premier festivals attracting celebrity talent, extraordinary talent, well regarded films, red carpets and even TMZ and Entertainment Tonight.
As mayor he also once annouced The Desert Classic. He said there was going to be a residential development and world class golf course constructed on the empty parcel of land at the corner of Vista Chino and Gene Autry Trail. I remember thinking, "Is he nuts? Who on earch 
would live there let alone play golf there?" Although it took twenty years and has a different name, today that site boasts a popular course open to the public and residential development is happening around it. Once more, Sonny eventually proved me wrong.
He also promoted and began The Palm Springs Grand Prix? Remember that? Cities streets would close for a long week end to encompass races for different types of automobiles. My office was on the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Avenida Caballeros and during the race that intersection became a hairpin curve. All week end long I would listen to the sound of gunning engines and my desk maintained a constant vibration. The air was thick with gas fumes and exhaust and I loved it. It was one of my favorite times in the desert but sadly that event didn't make longevity. The high cost of producing such an event mixed with the growing number of complaints from residents who didn't like the noise and inconvenience sent The Grand Prix into the history books.
After his term as mayor ended, Sonny ultimately ended up as our area congressman. Although he represented a much larger geographic area, Palm Springs remained his home. It was not uncommon to run into Sonny while strolling Palm Canyon Drive. He was a frequent visitor to Village fest and quite often I would see him dining with his family. My last
memory of Sonny was at Edgar's Veracruz which used to sit on the corner of Alejo Road and North Palm Canyon. He was there with his children and of course he said hello to every patron with a continual smile. Sonny always seemed happy.
Although many a celebrity has made the desert area home, few have taken the kind of action Sonny Bono was compelled to take. He did a lot for the area and while he was alive we seemed to have media attention and focus... With his help Palm Springs regained popularity and a town that had begun to tarnish suddenly shined. Although he gained a new national personal popularity when he was elected as mayor I don't believe he did it for that reason. Sonny obviously entered politics to make a difference and to set a course of success for the city that he loved. And that is why we have a statue of him downtown.
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