San Bernardino City Council Sparks Outrage Over City Manager Hiring Process, Unusual Closed Sessions Without Full Council

In a pair of contentious closed-session meetings on April 25 and 27, San Bernardino City Council moved forward with interviewing candidates for the city manager position despite the absence of Mayor Helen Tran and Councilmembers Dr. Treasure Ortiz and Mario Flores, drawing sharp criticism from constituents and some elected officials.

Both special meetings, held unusually on a Friday evening and a Sunday evening at the city building on 201 N E Street’s third floor — rather than the customary Feldheym Library — were publicly called on April 24. Many residents criticized the timing, location, and absence of the full council, calling the process rushed and lacking transparency.

At the April 25 meeting, resident Stephanie Liggins urged the council to reconsider proceeding without all eight elected officials present.  

“It is important for all eight members of the elected body to have a say in interviewing a city manager because the city manager plays a critical role in implementing policies, managing public resources, and overseeing city operations,” Liggins said. “This approach would promote transparency, fairness and accountability and help build consensus and trust in this process. It reduces the risk of bias, favoritism and ensures that the final decision is well informed and balanced. It is really disheartening to me that this body would go forward without the mayor and other council members present.”

Alan Stanly, owner of The Enterprise Building in downtown San Bernardino, echoed concerns about representation.

“You all scheduled this meeting purposefully so that the mayor and Councilmembers Ortiz and Flores could not be here,” Stanly said. “We the people demand our representation. Although I am from Ward 1 and my representative is here—I still don’t feel well represented. This needs to be a team effort.”

David Friedman, co-owner of Realicore Real Estate, warned of potential liability.

“I believe you all are creating a liability for the city. The last several city managers sued the city on their way out,” Friedman said. “The lack of leadership starts with you all; this is another situation where you are not being transparent with the community.”

He continued, “The Mayor and two other councilmembers should have their opinions and voices heard—so I ask that you cancel this meeting. It is weird that you are hosting this meeting in a different location and weird that three of the other members of this council are not here.”

Friedman noted the significance of the public turnout, saying, “A Friday evening normally would not get dozens of residents and constituents to come out and make public comments, but it shows that the community is engaged and outraged over this meeting being held without everyone in the community being represented.”

After facing public backlash, Mayor Pro Tem Juan Figueroa read a prepared statement at the end of the April 25 closed session.

“I do have a statement on the city manager selection process that was approved by the council majority; with Councilmember Flores dissenting,” Figueroa said.

He added, “The City of San Bernardino has been without a permanent city manager for almost 12 months. This process has not been rushed. Every step has been deliberate, lawful, and carefully considered.”

“This is not a secret meeting; while the meeting is confidential, that confidentiality exists to ensure fairness and integrity for all candidates involved,” he said. “Every council member has had the opportunity to review all candidates. The council made the right decision to move the council forward in service to the community.”

Figueroa acknowledged concerns about timing but defended the urgency. “We understand that timing may not be ideal and the council has a duty to see this process through. Delaying this decision would mean pushing it back 5 weeks and risk losing qualified candidates. We want to be clear, this decision was not about sidelining any member of this body; it was about fulfilling our responsibility,” he said.

The following day, Councilmember Dr. Treasure Ortiz publicly distanced herself from Figueroa’s remarks.

“For those asking, the statement that was read at the end of the special meeting for city manager interviews last night was prepared and voted on by only the Councilmembers who were present,” Ortiz wrote on her social media. “That is not a statement that the Mayor and full Council put together or voted to put out. I don’t stand by or support the message that was issued. I support what our residents were saying. I hope that clears things up.”

Mayor Helen Tran released a video statement on the morning of April 27, stressing the importance of full council participation.

“Per the city charter voted by the people, the city’s manager selection and appointment process is not solely in the hands of the council,” Tran said. “The mayor, your mayor, also has a vote and an active role.”

She continued, “Choosing a city manager is one of our most important responsibilities and it requires the participation of the entire elected body. Moving forward without that full participation undermines the integrity in the process and the trust the public puts in us.”

Tran addressed her absence, explaining, “My recent absence was due to a death in my family—a deeply personal and unforeseeable matter—which was shared with my colleagues. As soon as I learned staff was pulling for dates, I immediately provided them with several available options.”

She disputed claims that her absence would cause a delay. “Suggestions that this would cause a 30-day delay are misleading and false,” she said. “Our community deserves a fair, thoughtful, and united process.”

Despite the pushback, the council moved forward with a second special closed session on April 27, prompting further public criticism.

During public comment, resident Mike Hartley expressed frustration.

“I’m a little disappointed in this meeting especially when the mayor is not here and my councilwoman is not here,” Hartley said. “This is just another secret squirrel meeting that you are pulling off. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve flubbed up the last couple of city managers which has cost the city over 1 million dollars and I feel you are rushing the process again.”

He added, “Everyone needs to be involved. If you guys do pick the wrong city manager, at least I can point my finger at someone; I hope to God you all think about this before you do anything you will regret.”

A surprising moment occurred when Councilmember Sandra Ibarra left the dais to deliver a public comment herself, revealing a private text exchange with Councilmember Ortiz.

“We have comments made that my colleague from the 7th Ward had a death in her family and the mayor also made a comment about also going through a death in her family. However, when I asked if that is the case let us know so we can share our condolences with you,” Ibarra said.

Reading Ortiz’s response to her condolances, Ibarra quoted, “As for the passing of the loved one in my family or anything happening in my personal life, it is not my obligation to share it with you. I do not want your condolences and I’m not asking for them. The thought that you would suggest I or the mayor would lie about this is beyond disrespectful and disgusting of you. You should be ashamed of yourself for even taking the time to type it out.”

Ibarra added, “That is Treasure Ortiz—someone with a Ph.D. talking like that. It’s no surprise to me since I came into office, she has called me all sorts of names and I have to take it. I’m a public servant, we all have private lives, but when you become a public servant, your private life becomes public.”

She concluded, “We haven’t had a city manager since last May and it’s costing a lot of delays for the city and miscommunication for the city.”

Former Councilwoman Kim Calvin immediately rebuked Ibarra’s remarks.

“Councilwoman Sandra Ibarra, I don’t think that anything you stated is relevant to anything that is happening here,” Calvin said. “To then attack your colleague through sharing a personal email to her colleagues—I don’t think that was appropriate at all.”

Calvin criticized the urgency of the meeting. “Special meetings are only able to be called by council members and the mayor. This special meeting has been called and requested by Councilman Ted Sanchez. Was the recruiter not able to call a meeting? Would the recruiter have called a meeting on a Sunday?” she asked.

“With 4 or 5 staff members having to take time from their families, what was the urgency, Councilmember Sanchez?” Calvin asked. “The city is not on fire, and I’ve seen the city on fire and you didn’t call a special meeting at that time. I’ve seen things in your ward being on fire and you didn’t call a special meeting to discuss anything in your ward.”

Calvin ended her remarks by questioning council priorities. “Why would city councilmembers Shorett, Sanchez, Ibarra, Knaus, and so sadly Mayor Pro Tem Juan Figueroa take action after hearing the plea of the community to not be hasty? Why would you do that? Because you don’t care about community.”

Following closed session on April 27, Councilmember Ted Sanchez attempted to read a statement from Mayor Pro Tem Figueroa’s phone but struggled when the phone froze mid-speech.

“The City of San Bernardino has been without a permanent city manager for nearly 12 months, since May 22, 2024,” Sanchez read. “This process has not been rushed and every step has been deliberate, lawful, and carefully considered. This is not a secret meeting; while the meeting is confidential, the confidentiality exists to ensure fairness and integrity for all candidates involved.”

After Sanchez’s difficulty, Figueroa retrieved the phone and finished reading what appeared to be a nearly identical statement to the one he read after the April 25 meeting.

The emphasis on confidentiality comes amid a history of breaches; during the previous recruitment in September 2023, multiple candidate names leaked, costing the city a settlement to former City of Salinas City Manager Steve Carrigan after his candidacy was exposed.

The city has two upcoming meetings scheduled: a special budget workshop at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at 201 N E Street on the third floor, and a regular City Council meeting on Wednesday, May 7, at 5 p.m., with the location yet to be publicly announced.