A sweeping proposal to restructure San Bernardino’s city government was halted Monday night, Feb. 2nd, after Mayor Helen Tran vetoed a 4–3 City Council vote that would have moved a charter amendment toward the June 2, 2026 ballot.
The last-minute special meeting, held at Feldheym Central Library, drew more than 200 residents who overwhelmingly opposed the proposal, which would have ended the city’s directly elected mayor’s office and replaced it with a mayor chosen from the council. The measure also proposed City Council term limits of three consecutive terms beginning with officials elected in 2026.
Despite hours of public testimony warning against what speakers described as a rushed and anti-democratic process, Mayor Pro Tem Kim Knaus and Councilmembers Theodore Sanchez, Fred Shorett and Juan Figueroa voted to move the measure forward…