San Bernardino 4th Ward Candidates Split on Homelessness, Fire Service and Mayor’s Power

San Bernardino’s 4th Ward City Council candidates debated public safety, homelessness, city leadership and community engagement April 23 during a League of Women Voters forum that drew about 120 residents to Spirit of Our Saviour Lutheran Church.

The forum featured incumbent Councilman Fred Shorett and challengers Jesus Medina, Joseph Salas, Erick Marquez and Vincent Laster, each outlining different approaches to improving city services, strengthening communication with residents and addressing long-running concerns in the ward.

Shorett, who has served on the City Council for 17 years, leaned on his experience in city government and said San Bernardino’s challenges require a clear understanding of the council’s role.

“I know my role as a policymaker,” Shorett said. “My job is to work with my council members and to try to bring them along to decide on what we’re going to do. We are policy setters.”

Shorett said the city’s frequent turnover in city managers is tied to what he called “toxic politics,” which he said has made it difficult to keep strong leadership at City Hall. He said his focus has been on working with city managers willing to collaborate and move the city forward.

Salas argued that San Bernardino’s instability in leadership has stalled long-term planning and left the city without a clear roadmap.

“You cannot have any long-term vision if you’re constantly changing the CEO of your business, of your city,” Salas said. “Right now, the city of San Bernardino doesn’t even have a General Plan. It’s 20 years old.”

Salas said accessibility would be central to how he would govern, saying residents should expect direct communication from their council member. He said he has placed his phone number and home address on campaign materials and has returned nearly every email and phone call he has received as a candidate.

“The best ability is visibility,” Salas said. “If you’re not listening to what the people are doing, that’s not governing.”

Medina also focused on public engagement, saying many residents and business owners feel disconnected from City Hall and do not know who represents them.

“We need to have better engagement with every single one of you,” Medina said. “If you need something, you need to have the freedom to call your city council.”

Medina said residents also have a role in improving the city, pointing to his work as a co-founder of a community cleanup effort that removed large amounts of trash from neighborhoods.

“If we want a better city, we as residents also need to put our two cents to it,” Medina said.

Marquez said the role of council member should go beyond attending meetings twice a month. He called for council members to be regularly present in their wards and proposed creating offices on city properties in each ward so residents can bring concerns directly to their elected officials.

“We need to be made accessible,” Marquez said. “It needs to be in our job description to be on the ground in our ward regularly, so that way we can hear the voices of our constituents.”

Laster said neighborhood associations should be more meaningfully included in city decision-making, especially on issues that directly affect residents.

“I have never been asked by my council person what my opinion was,” Laster said. “That engagement is important and necessary for good governance.”

Homelessness was another major topic, with candidates agreeing the city must do more but differing on how resources should be used.

Shorett said the city has expanded its Peace Team from one team to two through police department management and said the city’s navigation center is expected to open by Dec. 31.

“Throwing money at the problem is not going to solve the problem,” Shorett said. “We’ve got to make sure that the money’s going to really effectively help these homeless people that are on the street and get them housed.”

Salas also pointed to the Peace Team as a program worth expanding, saying it has contacted about 1,100 people and made nearly 600 referrals for services.

“When we spend tax dollars, we should go with what’s most effective and what’s working best,” Salas said.

Medina said the city must balance compassion with accountability and ensure funding for homelessness programs reaches the people who need help.

“We need to have the compassion but also the accountability to see where the money is going,” Medina said.

Marquez said the city must invest in projects such as the navigation center and develop more shelter and housing options to meet state standards.

“We need more like that so that way we can meet state housing standards,” Marquez said.

Laster proposed working with warehouse operators in the southern part of the community on a community benefit agreement that could help create a tiny home community where unhoused residents could receive services.

“We need a certain place for them and not just all over our neighborhoods,” Laster said.

The candidates also addressed fire service, a long-running issue in San Bernardino since the city contracted with county fire services during bankruptcy.

Shorett said he preferred having a city fire department but defended the decision to contract out fire service as necessary at the time.

“We were negotiating with a gun to our head at that time in order to get out of bankruptcy,” Shorett said. “The fire service has actually improved.”

Medina said the city should not rush into bringing back its own fire department without a full assessment of the costs and impact on residents.

“Before we move to any conclusions about bringing back the fire department to the city, I think we need to make a real assessment,” Medina said.

Marquez said the city must focus on evacuation planning and wildfire prevention in the north end, including coordination between police, county fire, public works and other agencies.

Laster said the Fourth Ward’s fire response times are unacceptable and should be addressed through a closer review of station placement and service control.

“The Fourth Ward has the slowest response time of any other ward, and that’s unacceptable,” Laster said.

Candidates also split on city governance and charter reform.

Shorett said he supports the council-manager form of government approved by voters and said council members should focus on policy, not day-to-day operations.

Marquez called for term limits, while giving Shorett the side eye, and said the city should allow broader discussion of charter changes, including the possibility of a stronger mayor system.

Laster said a strong mayor could provide the city with a unified vision.

“We need one solid vision, and having a mayor with that vision would be the right thing to do,” Laster said.

Medina said any charter changes should come from residents, not solely elected officials.

“The people of San Bernardino spoke, and we need to listen,” Medina said.

As the forum closed, the candidates’ responses reflected a central contrast in the race: whether the Fourth Ward is best served by experience, stronger public engagement, structural reform or a more aggressive approach to city services and neighborhood quality of life.