New Mayor Hunt In Coachella Valley Following Disgraced Mayor's Exit

COACHELLA, CA — Members of the Coachella City Council were in the process of identifying suitable candidates to fill the mayor's seat following the resignation of ex-Mayor Steven Andrew Hernandez, who admitted to perpetrating a felony.

Interim City Manager Gabriel Gonzalez spoke on the matter on Wednesday.

"While an unfortunate situation for the people involved, the council and city staff remain committed to providing the best quality of service to our community," Gonzalez said.

Hernandez, 43, formally submitted his resignation on Tuesday.

The action followed his guilty plea to a felony conflict-of-interest charge in a government contract.

The admission was part of a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, which in turn dropped eight related charges against the defendant, including perjury and conflict of interest by a public official. Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini sentenced Hernandez to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service.

He is now prohibited from holding elected office in California.

Coachella's four City Council members will decide how best to fill the vacancy until an election can be held and residents can vote for a replacement.

Councilman Frank Figueroa said the council's "focus is on a smooth transition and continuing to serve our community."

The charges against Hernandez were revealed in October after a Riverside County Grand Jury indictment was unsealed.

"The conflict-of-interest charges relate to Hernandez's vote to approve a contract between ... Coachella and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments' 'Housing First Program,' as well as his votes and advocacy related to downtown Coachella development programs," according to a District Attorney's Office statement in October. "The perjury charges relate to claims made by Hernandez on his `Statement of Economic Interests' public disclosure forms."

Those documents fall under the designation Form 700 by the California Fair Political Practices Commission, which says they're necessary for the public to know "about an official's personal financial interests, to ensure that officials are making decisions in the best interest of the public and not enhancing their personal finances."

According to the indictment, the first offense occurred in November 2021 and involved Hernandez's efforts to direct federal American Rescue Plan Act relief funds toward a rehabilitation project involving the downtown fire station, "in which the defendant knew, or had a reason to know, he had a financial interest."

The document leveled the same allegations regarding a January 2022 vote on the Fountainhead Plaza, a May 2022 vote on the Tripoli Mixed-Use Project, the May 2023 vote on CVAG's Housing First Program and a July 2023 vote on Sunline Transit Agency Hub upgrades.

The perjury charges were tied to prevarications stemming from "gross income received (from) 52280 Calle Camacho," according to court papers. That property is a single-story house, in which the defendant was apparently invested.

The direct monetary or other benefits Hernandez reaped from the activity were not disclosed. Soon after the charges were announced, Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez confirmed that Hernandez, who had been his chief of staff for about a decade, had been placed on "indefinite" leave.

Hernandez was first elected to the council in 2006 and elected mayor in 2014.