The San Bernardino City Council on Monday rejected a proposal that would have rotated the mayor’s position among council members and altered how local elections are handled, while also voting to revive the city’s charter review committee to address potential changes through a resident-led process.
More than 200 residents and members of labor and community groups packed the meeting at the Feldheym Central Library, many speaking in strong opposition to eliminating San Bernardino’s directly elected mayor. The proposed charter amendments would have allowed the council to select a mayor from within its ranks, imposed term limits on council members and eliminated the city’s mayoral election.
Several Inland Empire cities operate under a council-manager form of government where the mayor is selected by fellow council members and typically rotates on an annual basis.
Much of the public frustration was directed at Theodore Sanchez, who several speakers accused of advancing the proposal without public vetting.
Longtime resident Tim Prince, who previously served on the city’s charter review committee, said charter changes should go through that formal review process, which he noted has been inactive for more than a year.
“Don't waste taxpayer money. You didn't even have a backup to tell us how much of our dollars this is going to cost. It's probably in the tens of thousands. That's not your money, that's our money. Vote no,” Prince told councilmembers.
Prince also criticized the city for previously removing elected positions such as the city clerk and city attorney, warning against doing the same with the mayor’s office.
“And now you want to cross off our mayor…the center of this city,” he said.
The meeting also drew support from regional leaders, including Gabriel Reyes, the mayor of Adelanto, who attended to speak in support of maintaining a directly elected mayor.
Reyes said rotating the mayor’s role would undermine stability and accountability in city government.
“The mayor is essentially the chairman of the board,” Reyes said in an interview. “When you rotate that position every year or two, you create instability and open the door to more political games. Cities grow with consistency, not inconsistency.”
As the council deliberated, Councilmember Treasure Ortiz motioned to reject the charter amendments and revive the charter review committee, calling for any future reforms to go through a resident-led public process.
Sanchez countered with a motion to move forward with placing the proposal before voters as a referendum. The council initially voted 4–3 to continue the hearing.
Mayor Helen Tran vetoed the continuance, and the council then voted 5–2 to reject the charter amendments.
After the vote, Tran thanked residents for turning out.
“You showed up strong because we work for you,” Tran said. “Tonight the people of San Bernardino were heard.”
The council also voted to revive the charter review committee, reopening a formal public process for residents to review and recommend potential changes to the city’s charter.
