RANCHO MIRAGE — A politico, a best-selling author and a Hollywood icon will bring themselves and their thoughts to the Coachella Valley next year as part of Rancho Mirage's lecture series, officials announced Tuesday.

Author Scott Turow, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and actress Lauren Bacall will headline the 2010 Rancho Mirage Speakers Series to be held at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Their participation was announced during Tuesday's Speakers Series Commission meeting.

The city is spending $115,000 on the guests, who were chosen based on a survey by commissioners last year to determine the topics that appeal most to residents.

The most popular topics were the economy and politics.

“The input reflected a sign of the times,” chairwoman Christine Hughes said after the meeting.

Turow is the author of eight best-selling novels, including 1987's “Presumed Innocent.”

Since 1986, he has worked on white-collar criminal defense at a national law firm in Chicago.

He will speak on Jan. 13.

Reich is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and a former secretary of labor for President Bill Clinton.

He is scheduled to speak on Feb. 16.

The series wraps up on March 24 with Bacall, the Tony award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress who has appeared in more than 50 films since the 1940s.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 2, and residents will be assigned seats for the first time in series history.

Organizers say this was done to encourage people to buy tickets sooner and prevent them from worrying about arriving at the event early to find a good seat.

Nonetheless, “the (500-seat) auditorium was designed so that no matter where someone sits they have a good view of the stage and the acoustics are very good,” Hughes said.

Commissioners have yet to iron out their plan to arrange assigned seating and Tuesday's meeting got heated as officials discussed the process.“It's become 10-times more complex than it has in the past,” City Director of Management Services Catherine Mitton said during the meeting.Commissioners also brainstormed names they may consider for the 2011 series, depending on their availability, cost and appeal to residents.Names include actor Tim Robbins, ABC News chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos and journalist Carl Bernstein, who broke the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.Commissioners also will consider director Oliver Stone, who Commissioner Sonia Levinthal called “controversial” for his portrayal of political and cultural issues.“Controversial is good,” Commissioner Nick Procaccino said in response.

Go to mydesert.com today to find out who officials are considering for next year's series.