Council must decide whether to appoint Jeffrey Bernstein or allow District 2 election to move forward
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) August 20, 2026 – Palm Springs voters are watching City Hall today as the City Council faces an unusual decision that could determine whether District 2 residents will actually cast ballots for their next council representative in November.
At the center of the issue is current District 2 Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein, who is the only candidate who qualified for the November 3, 2026, municipal election.
Because only one candidate qualified, California election law requires the City Council to take action rather than simply proceeding as though there were a contested race.
According to the City of Palm Springs election calendar, today, August 20, is the date for the governing body to act when there are insufficient nominees for an office.
The council essentially has three choices: appoint Bernstein to the seat, appoint another eligible individual, or allow the District 2 election to proceed.
That third option is particularly important to Tad Iwan, a District 2 resident who did not qualify during the regular nomination period but says he wants to seek the seat as a write-in candidate.
Speaking with NewsChannel 3 reporter Luis Avila ahead of today’s decision, Iwan questioned whether the choice of District 2’s representative should be made by the council rather than voters.
“This meeting tomorrow will basically put this decision in the hands of City Council, and I don’t really think it’s appropriate,” Iwan said in the interview, which aired Wednesday night.
Iwan said that candidates who are not incumbents can face challenges gathering the required signatures and navigating the qualification process without the established connections that come with already holding public office.
He said he relied largely on-going door-to-door seeking signatures but was unable to qualify during the regular nomination period.
If the City Council allows the election to continue, however, the story may not end there.
The City’s official election calendar states that qualified individuals may begin the process of filing as write-in candidates on September 7, with the write-in period continuing through October 20.
That would potentially give Iwan another route into the race and give District 2 voters a choice between Bernstein and a qualified write-in candidate.
There is also a financial consideration.
According to the NewsChannel 3 report, Riverside County estimates that keeping the District 2 contest on the ballot would cost approximately $22,000.
For Iwan, however, the larger issue is whether the cost of conducting the election should determine whether residents have an opportunity to vote.
“What’s the cost of a fair election?” he asked.
Bernstein is currently serving as the District 2 councilmember and filed his nomination papers on July 27. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters verified them the following day, according to the City’s candidate roster.
The situation creates an unusual moment in Palm Springs politics: an election in which the central question today is whether there will be an election for the seat at all.
The Palm Springs City Council is scheduled to address the matter today, Thursday, August 20.
Whatever the council decides will determine the next step for District 2, an appointment or a path toward a November vote.
The Hollywood Times will update this story following the City Council’s decision.
By Valerie Milano
