San Bernardino Mayoral Candidates Set Competing Visions as SBVC Forum Turns Tense

Six candidates running for San Bernardino mayor in 2026 laid out competing visions on housing, homelessness, public safety and City Hall leadership during an April 30 forum that revealed sharp differences over how the city should move forward.

The Mayoral Candidate Forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters at San Bernardino Valley College’s Greek Theater, featured Ivan Garcia, Ronnika Ngalande, Amy Malone, incumbent Mayor Helen Tran, Rick Avila and former Mayor John Valdivia. Candidates were asked how they would address regional housing needs, improve quality of life and guide a city still facing long-running concerns over homelessness, infrastructure and government stability.

The evening was largely focused on policy, but it also turned tense at moments, including heckling from the audience and pointed exchanges between Tran and Valdivia over each other’s records.

Garcia, a planning commissioner, general contractor and local business owner, said San Bernardino has “real potential” but is being slowed by instability, outdated planning documents and delays in development.

“I’ve worked on development and planning here in the city,” Garcia said. “I’ve seen firsthand what slows things down and what works.”

Garcia said the city needs to update its general and specific plans, fill vacant commissions and advisory boards with more residents, and improve communication about public projects. He said residents deserve clearer information about timelines, permitting and construction progress.

“As a general contractor, I understand what is required to deliver projects,” Garcia said.

Ngalande, a longtime resident and planning commissioner, said the mayor’s primary responsibility is to unify the City Council and represent San Bernardino professionally. She said the city will struggle to advance affordable housing without stronger leadership at City Hall.

“We’re never going to have affordable housing unless we have a leader who’s able to bring unity to the council,” Ngalande said.

Ngalande also criticized what she described as “toxicity and unprofessionalism” in local government, pointing to heckling during the forum as an example of the conduct she said the city must move beyond. She also called for greater transparency in homelessness funding and nonprofit oversight.

“It’s time that we have bold and honest conversations so we can deliver real change,” she said.

Malone, a public relations professional, homeowner and business owner, framed her campaign as a call for new leadership and said City Hall must repair internal relationships before San Bernardino can make meaningful progress on housing, homelessness and development.

“We can’t take care of anything else when we are not in agreement together as a city,” Malone said. “It’s the responsibility of the mayor to make it work.”

Malone said the city must become easier to work with for developers and businesses, while also changing what she described as a difficult culture at City Hall.

“We want people to know that San Bernardino is open for business,” Malone said.

She also said the city should not wait for the long-discussed navigation center to address homelessness, arguing that vacant buildings could be repurposed more quickly to help families and individuals.

Tran, who is seeking a second term, defended her administration’s record and said the city has made progress on homelessness, housing, infrastructure, public safety and economic development. She said the mayor’s job is to advocate for funding, build regional relationships and hold staff accountable for results.

“As mayor, you have to continue to advocate, go out for funding, seek funding, build relationships,” Tran said.

Tran pointed to recent affordable housing efforts, including federal funding announced by Rep. Pete Aguilar, the Waterman Gardens redevelopment and other projects expected to bring new affordable units to the city. She also said homelessness in San Bernardino has dropped nearly 24%, citing the county’s recent point-in-time count of 1,172 unhoused residents in the city.

“We are making results happen in our city,” Tran said.

Avila, a general engineering contractor who described himself as born and raised in San Bernardino, said the city needs practical leadership from someone with business and construction experience. He called for charter changes, high-density housing downtown and a stronger welcome for investors.

“When investors come to your city with a pocket full of money, throw the red carpet out, not the red flags,” Avila said.

Avila said he wants high-density housing near the former Carousel Mall site, along with restaurants and sit-down eateries. He also said the city needs immediate cleanup efforts and a closer review of trash pickup contracts.

“The first day, I’m going to get in my car and I’m going to go to the city yard,” Avila said, adding that available crews should begin cleaning up the city.

Valdivia, who served as mayor and previously represented the Third Ward on the City Council, pointed to housing and infrastructure projects he said moved forward during his time in office. He cited work with the San Bernardino County Housing Authority, improvements in mobile home communities and a 99-home project.

“When I was a city councilman from 2012 to 2018, I was instrumental in the development of several projects,” Valdivia said.

Valdivia criticized Tran’s administration, saying residents have heard “platitudes and excuses” without enough visible progress. He also called for stronger public safety resources, including a new police helicopter, and criticized delays tied to the city’s navigation center.

“There’s not one brick built at the navigation center,” Valdivia said.

The sharpest exchanges came as Tran and Valdivia challenged each other’s records. Tran said she ran in 2022 “because of you, Mr. Valdivia,” adding, “You hurt women staffers on your team” and “cost taxpayers $3.5 million.” Valdivia, in turn, argued that San Bernardino needs a mayor who can better attract development, move projects forward and deliver results.

Despite the tension, the candidates shared broad agreement that San Bernardino must do more to address housing shortages, homelessness, public safety, infrastructure and public trust. Their differences centered on how to get there — through continuity, new leadership, council unity, charter changes, faster project delivery or a return to prior development strategies.

“San Bernardino has real potential,” Garcia said. “But right now, we’re not delivering.”