Coachella Mayor who committed felony due for $224K payout from county
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - Ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, who was also former chief of staff to Riverside County Supervisor Manuel Perez, is due to receive a payout of almost $225,000 from the county, mostly owing to his accrual of unused vacation leave spanning more than two decades, according to county officials.
Hernandez officially resigned his position with the Board of Supervisors on Thursday, two days after formally resigning as mayor of Coachella in the immediate aftermath of his plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, in which he admitted felony conflict of interest in a government contract.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped eight related charges against the defendant.
According to the county Executive Office, Hernandez was added to the county payrolls on June 17, 2004, when he began working for then-Supervisor Marion Ashley, who retired in 2018. Hernandez later went to work as Perez's right-hand man, following the latter's appointment, then election, to the
board.
"Hernandez accrued annual leave at 12 hours per pay period, over 26 pay periods,'' according to an Executive Office statement released to City News Service. "His separation includes a leave accrual payout of $178,846, and an at-will severance payment of $45,591.''
The aggregate amount is $224,437.
The EO said the payments are in accordance with employment resolutions approved by the board.
"The county is not able to confirm how these amounts compare to other separation payouts,'' the agency stated.
Officials did not confirm whether the money will originate directly from the county General Fund, from Perez's office budget, or another account.
Hernandez's gross annual salary for 2025 was $180,580, the EO said. It was unclear what, if any, payments the felon may be in line to receive from Coachella.
He was first elected to the City Council in 2006 and elected mayor in 2014.
On March 24, Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini sentenced Hernandez to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service. He's now prohibited from holding elected office in California.
Coachella's four City Council members will decide how best to fill the vacancy created by Hernandez's conviction and resignation until an election can be held and residents can vote for a replacement.
Councilman Frank Figueroa said last week that the council's "focus is on a smooth transition and continuing to serve our community.''
The charges against Hernandez were revealed in October after a Riverside County Grand Jury indictment was unsealed.
"The conflict-of-interest charges relate to Hernandez's vote to approve a contract between ... Coachella and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments' `Housing First Program,' as well as his votes and advocacy related to downtown Coachella development programs,'' according to a District Attorney's Office statement. "The perjury charges relate to claims made by Hernandez on his `Statement of Economic Interests' public disclosure forms."
Those documents fall under the designation "Form 700" by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
The indictment said that the first offense occurred in November 2021 and involved Hernandez's efforts to direct federal American Rescue Plan Act relief funds toward a rehabilitation project involving the downtown fire station, ``in which the defendant knew, or had a reason to know, he had a financial interest.''
The document leveled the same allegations regarding a January 2022 vote on the Fountainhead Plaza, a May 2022 vote on the Tripoli Mixed-Use Project, the May 2023 vote on CVAG's Housing First Program and a July 2023 vote on Sunline Transit Agency Hub upgrades.
The perjury charges were tied to prevarications stemming from ``gross income received (from) 52280 Calle Camacho,'' according to court papers. That property is a single-story house, in which the defendant was invested.
The direct monetary or other benefits Hernandez reaped from the activity were not disclosed.
