Election 2026: Palm Springs City Council

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) — Three Palm Springs City Council seats are up for election, with incumbents running for reelection across Districts 1, 2 and 3.

District two incumbent Jeffery Bernstein is running unopposed, while District one incumbent Grace Garner faces challenger Donald J. Soja and District three incumbent Ron DeHarte is challenged by Charles A. Brown.

District 1

Garner is running for her third term on the council. Garner, an attorney and former member of the Palm Springs Planning Commission, was first elected to the City Council in 2019.

Raised in Palm Springs attending local public schools, she became the first Latina elected to the City Council and served as the city's first Latina mayor in 2023.

Garner stated that she intends to focus on solving constituent problems and supporting the expansion of municipal libraries, the convention center and affordable housing.

Challenging Garner in District one is Soja, who is seeking his first term on the City Council.

Soja relocated to Palm Springs nearly two decades ago and served as vice chair of the City of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission before concluding his term in June. Soja stated his campaign focuses on neighborhood-first leadership and maintaining long-term financial health for the city.

District 3

In District 3, incumbent DeHarte is seeking reelection. DeHarte has served as a District three council member since 2022 and held office as the 27th mayor of Palm Springs from December 2024 to December 2025. He also serves as president and CEO of Greater Palm Springs Pride.

Charles A. Brown, known as Charlie Brown, is challenging DeHarte for the District three seat. Seeking his first election to the City Council, Brown highlighted 20 years of executive leadership, pointing to past experience managing large teams and balancing multi-million-dollar budgets.

District 2

Bernstein is seeking another term on the Palm Springs City Council. Bernstein was elected as a District two council member in 2022 and served as mayor of Palm Springs from 2023 to 2024.

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