Council votes 3-1 to keep District 2 race on the November ballot rather than appoint sole qualified candidate Jeffrey Bernstein
Palm Springs, CA (The Hollywood Times) August 20, 2026 – Palm Springs District 2 voters will get the opportunity to cast their ballots for their next City Council representative after the Palm Springs City Council voted Thursday morning to move forward with the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election rather than appoint incumbent Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein to another four-year term.
The decision came during a special City Council meeting on August 20 called after Bernstein emerged as the only candidate to qualify for the District 2 ballot during the regular nomination period.
The council voted 3-1 to proceed with the election, with Bernstein abstaining because the decision involved his own council seat, according to a post-meeting statement issued by District 3 Councilmember Ron deHarte.
The vote means the election process remains open and potential write-in candidates will have an opportunity to qualify during the official write-in filing period, which runs from September 7 through October 20.
Among those interested is District 2 resident Tad Iwan, who told NewsChannel 3 before Thursday’s meeting that he hopes to run as a write-in candidate if the election is allowed to continue.
The issue arose after the August 10 close of the regular nomination period, when City Clerk Brenda Pree notified council members that Bernstein was the only candidate who had qualified for District 2.
Under California Elections Code Section 10229, when there are not enough candidates to create a contested municipal race, a city council may appoint the sole candidate rather than conduct the election.
Palm Springs officials were therefore presented with a choice: appoint Bernstein, appoint another eligible person under the provisions of the law, or allow the election to proceed.
Councilmember Ron deHarte strongly advocated for the latter.
In his account following the meeting, deHarte said he had opposed the idea of canceling the election from the moment council members were first asked whether they wanted to hold a special meeting.
“With the other D2 individual expressing interest in a write-in effort, I don’t see how we can take that opportunity away from him or anyone else,” deHarte wrote to city leadership on August 11. “We need to let the voters have a voice.”
During Thursday morning’s meeting, the debate included both democratic-process and fiscal considerations.
Riverside County has estimated the cost of conducting the District 2 portion of the election at approximately $22,000.
Mayor Naomi Soto indicated during the meeting that she was open to appointing Bernstein, citing the potential savings and noting that appointments in races with insufficient candidates are a process available to cities and other governmental entities.
“When we talk about really kind of respecting our careful budget, this is like one example where the county tries to make it as simple as possible for us to make our elections as affordable as possible,” Soto said, according to deHarte’s account of the meeting.
Councilmember Grace Garner also addressed the financial considerations while discussing the value that an election can have in generating public awareness and participation in local government.
DeHarte countered that the question went beyond the expense of administering an election.
“This is about a basic principle of democracy,” he told the council. “This is the most valuable right our citizens have, to go to the ballot box and vote.”
DeHarte also questioned whether the race could fairly be described as uncontested before the official write-in period has even begun.
“Calling this an uncontested election is premature,” he said. “The write-in period has not even opened.”
He argued that conducting the election gives District 2 residents several options: voting for Bernstein, voting for a qualified write-in candidate, or choosing not to vote in the race.
“An election lets voters affirm Councilmember Bernstein’s candidacy, write in someone else, or leave their vote blank, providing at least some measure of electoral support,” deHarte said. “Appointment today provides none. It may confer the office, but it does not confer the same democratic mandate as an election.”
The debate followed a NewsChannel 3 report Wednesday night in which Iwan said he believed District 2 residents, rather than the sitting City Council, should determine who represents them.
Iwan did not qualify during the regular nomination period and said non-incumbent candidates can face significant challenges gathering the necessary signatures and establishing the connections needed to mount a campaign.
He told NewsChannel 3 that he relied largely on going door-to-door seeking signatures.
With Thursday’s council action, Iwan, as well as any other eligible person who meets the requirements, now has an opportunity to pursue a write-in candidacy when that filing period opens.
Bernstein, who currently represents District 2, was elected to his first four-year council term in November 2022 and previously served as mayor. The City of Palm Springs lists him as the current District 2 representative, with deHarte representing District 3, Garner District 1, Soto District 4 and David H. Ready District 5.
Thursday’s vote resolves an unusual election question that only 24 hours earlier left District 2 residents uncertain whether they would have a City Council race on their November ballots at all.
Now they will.
The General Municipal Election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, and the write-in candidate filing period is expected to open September 7.
For District 2, the focus now shifts from City Hall back to the voters.
By Valerie Milano
