Council keeps unopposed District 2 contest on the November ballot despite $22,000 price tag
Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein was the only candidate to file, but the council voted 3-1 to let voters decide rather than appoint him to another term.
PALM SPRINGS: The City Council voted 3-1 at a special meeting August 20 to keep the District 2 council contest on the November 3 ballot, rejecting the option of appointing the unopposed incumbent, Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein, to another four-year term.
Bernstein, who was elected to the seat in November 2022, was the only candidate to file nomination papers before the August 7 deadline. City Clerk Brenda Pree told the council that state election law permits the council to appoint an unopposed candidate and cancel the election, and that holding it would cost the city an extra $22,000.
Bernstein abstained from the vote, though he said the city attorney told him he legally could have participated. Mayor Naomi Soto cast the lone no vote, arguing the cost was difficult to justify. Councilmembers Ron deHarte, Grace Garner and David Ready voted to hold the election.
The most valuable right our citizens have is to go to the ballot box and vote.
$22,000, for some, might not seem like that much money to have this election, but $20,000 here, $40,000 here, I think when we talk about really respecting our careful budget, this is one example where the county tries to make it as simple as possible for us to make our elections as affordable as possible.Mayor Naomi Soto, at the August 20 special meeting
The debate
Supporters of holding the election framed it as a matter of voters' rights, with one councilmember calling the ballot box the most valuable right citizens have. Jerry Granata, an educational and sales director, told NBC he supported keeping the election, pointing to a similar situation in 2020 when Lisa Middleton ran unopposed and the council also chose to hold an election.
I am a firm believer in the democratic process.Jerry Granata, to NBC Palm Springs
Granata also questioned whether a city council should have the authority to cancel an election involving one of its own members, saying he would rather see the race go before voters to avoid even the appearance of improper influence. Artist Drewvy took a different view, suggesting the expense could seem wasteful when there is only one candidate and the outcome is essentially predetermined.
Palm Springs is not alone in facing the question. According to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, Temecula and Calimesa confronted the same issue this cycle: Temecula considered canceling races for two council seats, while Calimesa canceled two uncontested races outright at an August 17 meeting. The region's cities are discovering together that uncontested races are a feature of district elections, not a bug.
The situation is not new to Palm Springs. In 2020, when Lisa Middleton ran unopposed for the District 5 seat, the council voted 4 to 0 to hold the election rather than appoint her outright, with Middleton abstaining as Bernstein did this time. In 2024, District 5 went uncontested again, though that time the city could not cancel the election because a citywide ballot measure was also on the ballot.
The race could still change shape: the city opened a write-in candidate window running September 7 through October 20, so Bernstein may yet face a challenger. The Post's voter guide, publishing in October, will cover the contest.
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