Leadership concerns grow in Coachella as Mayor misses another council meeting
COACHELLA, Calif. (KESQ) - Leadership concerns in the City of Coachella are mounting after Mayor Steven Hernandez was again absent from Wednesday night’s city council meeting — an absence that forced key agenda items to be postponed.
Three items, including the selection of a new mayor pro tem and appointments to council subcommittees, were pushed to a future date due to Hernandez’s no-show.
Since being arraigned in October on perjury and conflict-of-interest charges, Hernandez has noticeably reduced his public appearances, raising frustration among residents and community advocates.
One of them is Alan Carvalho, a local social advocate and frequent speaker at Coachella City Council meetings. He says the mayor’s continued absences amount to a failure in leadership and a disservice to constituents.
“This doesn’t serve the public. The distractions don’t serve the public. Not attending — you’re paid to be there to serve the public. For whatever reason, you don’t show up — out of fear, the inability to address the situation…”
Alan Carvalho, Social Advocate
Carvalho insists that the mayor’s absence should not prevent the city from conducting its business. He says the remaining council members must confront the issue directly and continue moving the city forward.
“They really need to spend more time reassuring the public that there’s four — there’s still four members of council and those four are more than qualified to move the city forward without a mayor.”
Alan Carvalho, Social Advocate
In an effort to obtain clarification on how the council plans to proceed, News Channel 3 reached out multiple times to Mayor Pro Tem Denise Delgado and the city. Delgado was ultimately unavailable for comment.
As questions remain about the city’s next steps, residents hope action comes sooner rather than later.
Last month, the city council stated they were discussing the possibility of censuring the mayor.
Stay with New Channel 3 for more.
