Indicted Coachella mayor attends special city council meeting

COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) - The recently indicted mayor of the city of Coachella was at City Hall tonight attending a special city council meeting, one of his first appearances since being indicted, and News Channel 3 was able to catch up with him.

The meeting got underway at 5:30 p.m.

News Channel 3's Shay Lawson caught up to Mayor Steven Hernandez as he arrived. She took the Coachella community's concerns directly to him, demanding answers; however, he did not respond to any questions.

Prosecutors charged Hernandez with nine criminal counts:

• Four felony counts of perjury, tied to alleged false statements on required financial disclosure forms known as Form 700s
• One felony count of conflict of interest, tied to a city council vote on a contract with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG)
• Four misdemeanor conflict-of-interest counts, tied to other city votes and advocacy

The special meeting gave councilmembers the opportunity to privately meet with attorneys to discuss possible litigation.

We've reached out to the city about the specifics of that litigation. Shay Lawson asked each council member about the litigation tonight as they were arriving, and she got no comment.

Mayor Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

News Channel 3 has obtained nearly 500 pages of grand jury testimony alleging the mayor used his position for personal gain.

We dug into those records and our special report breaks down the 9 count indictment.

You can find that here.

Thursday's special meeting also included another major item in closed session.

A discussion on appointing a city manager.

Bill Pattison, the acting city manager, confirmed he remains in the role.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.