Three council seats on the November 3 ballot as Palm Springs votes by district
Voters in Districts 1, 2 and 3 will choose their council representatives November 3. Districts 4 and 5 return to the ballot in 2028.
PALM SPRINGS: Voters will fill three of the five Palm Springs City Council seats in the November 3 general election. Districts 1, 2 and 3 are on the ballot; the District 4 and 5 seats return in 2028.
Palm Springs elects its council members by district, a system the city adopted after facing the threat of a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit over its former at-large elections. District elections have been held in 2020, 2022 and 2024; this November continues that cycle for the three seats whose terms expire this year.
How district voting works
Under the district system, the city is divided into five geographic districts of roughly equal population, and each council member must live in the district they represent. Voters cast ballots only for the council seat in their own district. The mayor is selected by the council from among its members on a rotating basis; there is no separate mayoral election.
Three of the five council seats are in play, and the winners will shape the city's next four years.
The change was designed to give every neighborhood a direct voice at City Hall. In practice, it means campaigns are smaller, more local affairs: candidates knock on doors in a fifth of the city rather than running citywide media campaigns.
What the ballot looks like
In District 1, covering the northern end of the city, Grace Garner faces Donald J. Soja. In District 2, which includes downtown and the Uptown Design District, incumbent Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein is unopposed on the printed ballot after the council voted to keep the race before voters; a write-in window runs September 7 through October 20. In District 3, covering west and central neighborhoods between Vista Chino and Ramon Road, former mayor Ron deHarte faces Charles A. Brown.
Candidate filing closed in August, and the Riverside County Registrar of Voters will mail ballots to every registered voter in the county beginning in early October. In-person voting locations open in the days before Election Day, with vote centers operating across the Coachella Valley. Voters who prefer to vote in person can do so at any vote center in the county, not just in their own neighborhood.
Why this election matters
The winners will join a council facing a full agenda: the long-delayed Dream Hotel, the Plaza Theatre's first full season under its new operator, a new city manager search, and the ongoing buildout of the city's Section 14 restorative justice commitments. With three seats in play, the election could reshape the council's direction for the next four years.
The turnover is compounded by the city manager transition. Scott Stiles retires November 1, days before the election, which means the new council will play a central role in choosing the person who runs the city's day-to-day operations for years to come.
Voters can check their district and registration status through the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. The Post will publish candidate profiles and a voter guide in October.
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