Iconic homes.
Extraordinary neighbors.

Bryan and his wife have lived in many places, but always loved visiting Palm Springs. Vista Las Palmas biking tours were a highlight of their frequent trips, so after winding down their professional careers they bought a home in Vista Las Palmas in 2024. Bryan has volunteered for numerous organizations, and looks forward to advancing the mission of the Vista Las Palmas Neighbors Foundation.

Leda Potente was born in Germany and grew up in Milwaukee, WI.  She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Although thoroughly “Americanized” she became a volunteer with the International Institute of Wisconsin, a non-profit organization that assisted immigrants with assimilation while maintaining their cultural roots.

After owning and selling a couple of businesses in Milwaukee, Leda and her husband of 40+ years, Pete, and their two children moved to Centerville, OH to pursue other business opportunities. While living there, Leda became president of their HOA.

In 2011 the opportunity arose to move to Vista Las Palmas and own the Vista Las Palmas home built by Pete’s grandfather in 1958.  After volunteering in the past as Treasurer for a couple of non-profits in the desert, Leda now joins the VLPNF Board and looks forward to helping VLP maintain the neighborhood feel.

Leda enjoys playing tennis and walking Robby (who thinks he is the VLP Canine Ambassador) in our neighborhood.

Joe Vassallo and his husband Doug have been regular visitors to Palm Springs since 1990, part-time Coachella Valley residents since 1997, and more recently, they are happy to be planting some roots here in Vista Las Palmas.

Joe describes himself as a "reformed techie". After 2 decades of successfully working in software engineering and corporate executive management, Joe discovered the importance of community and civic engagement by volunteering in governance roles at not-for-profit organizations focused on community economic development and public education reform, two areas he feels passionate about.

As a certified green building professional, he is committed to bringing sustainability to our community. He has developed a niche specializing in helping the many vacation homes in Palm Springs become more environmentally sustainable and better neighbors. A challenge he’s both overwhelmed by and motivated to impact.

You might meet Doug and Joe exploring the Palm Springs foodie and craft cocktail scene or walking their Weimaraner Kaia either in the neighborhood or on the Lykken Trail.

Joe and his husband Doug of over 30 years split their time between San Francisco, Palm Springs, and Puerto Vallarta.

Paul has regularly visited Palm Springs for over 30 years, drawn by its iconic architecture, rich cultural history, and close-knit community. In 2013, he and his husband of 28 years, Bob, fulfilled a dream of theirs when they purchased their home in Vista Las Palmas. Always a strong advocate for preserving Palm Springs’ unique character, Paul has enjoyed volunteering as a docent for Modernism Week and sharing his passion for mid-century design and Palm Springs’ rich cultural history with family and friends.

Professionally, Paul is currently a venture capital and private equity partner with over 25 years of experience building and leading e-commerce, media, and software businesses. His career includes leadership roles on company boards and as an executive at public companies and start-ups.

Paul divides his time between Venice, CA, and Palm Springs with Bob and their labradoodle, Schatzi.

David Weis and his husband, Mark, first met in San Diego and made Palm Springs their full-time home in 2018 while developing The Cole Hotel. Now in their third home in Vista Las Palmas, their connection to the neighborhood has grown through friendships, shared projects, and getting involved.

As a board member of the Vista Las Palmas Neighbors Foundation, David manages the foundation’s website and helps with neighborhood communications and events. He enjoys the work behind the scenes that makes it easier for neighbors to stay informed, participate, and get to know one another. His community involvement also includes serving as a San Diego chapter leader for Gay For Good, participating in ONE-PS’s neighborhood awards committee, and volunteering with the Village Garden Club of La Jolla.

A Broker Associate with Compass, David brings hands-on experience in property renovation, ownership, and hospitality. From developing and operating The Cole Hotel to his work at Querencia Palms, he has learned how much care and collaboration go into creating places people love. He brings that same practical approach to supporting the neighborhood’s architectural character and sense of community.

David and Mark divide their time between Palm Springs and San Diego, with trips to their Big Bear cabin for snowboarding in winter and time on the lake in summer. Their two Border Collie mixes, Elsey and Sybil, are part of the adventure.

The year was 1991. The July temps were in the 110s. The place was the Harlow Club, a small gay resort on El Alameda. This is where two 20-somethings from Ohio, Rick Distel and Kevin Comer, fell into a torrid love affair with Palm Springs. They vowed that if they ever had the opportunity to live here someday, they would consider it a dream come true…

Back to reality, they moved to NYC in 1993 where Rick received his MBA in Finance and Real Estate from New York University. After getting a taste of commercial real estate while consulting at Ernst & Young, he began a thirty-plus year career encompassing various dimensions of the field in both New York City and Connecticut including luxury marketing, brokerage, and private equity. In 2008 he made the move to residential brokerage at Sotheby’s International Realty where he became a go-to broker for properties of architectural importance, representing homes designed by noted architects including Richard Neutra, Marcel Breuer, John Johansen, and many more. In 2018 he became a Founding Agent for a growing NYC brokerage firm called Compass.

21 years after that first visit, Rick and Kevin made their Palm Springs dream a reality when they purchased a 1959 Krisel in Vista Las Palmas from the original family and have been here ever since. They spend most of their time in Palm Springs but also enjoy escaping to their cabin in the rugged desert landscape of Pioneertown. They have two rescue pups, Cooper and Dodger.