Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez arrested
Steven Hernandez has been an elected official in Coachella for nearly 20 years and the city’s mayor for a decade. A look at his history.
(This story was updated with new information and a video.)
Coachella Mayor Steven Andrew Hernandez was arrested Tuesday morning on felony charges of conflict of interest and perjury, according to jail records and a city spokesperson.
Hernandez, 42, was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on Oct. 28, 2025, at 10:35 a.m. Riverside County jail records show he was arrested on five counts of conflict of interest, one of which was a felony, and five felony counts of perjury. His bail was set at $112,500, and he was released later Tuesday.
City of Coachella spokesperson Risseth Lora confirmed Hernandez had been arrested. She said the city is fully cooperating with authorities.
Hernandez remains mayor, she said, and has not communicated any intention to resign. Hernandez could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and it was not clear whether he had an attorney. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, Oct. 30, according to the jail records.
Further details of the allegations against him were not immediately available. A case number is listed in jail records, but the case was not viewable Tuesday in Riverside County Superior Court’s public online portal, which responds “access denied” when searching for that case number.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is listed as the agency that arrested Hernandez, according to jail records. The agency declined to comment on the arrest but said it would provide more information in the future.
No member of the Coachella City Council responded to inquiries about the impact the arrest could have on city administration.
Hernandez also serves as the chief of staff for Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. Perez’s staff did not respond to questions about whether Hernandez is still serving in that role or whether the investigation leading to his arrest involved the supervisor.
Long career in politics
Hernandez has been on the Coachella City Council for nearly two decades, having been elected in 2006 at age 23. He was first elected mayor in 2014.
He has spoken broadly during his tenure in politics of being a native son of Coachella, born and raised in the east Coachella Valley city known for its deep ties to the region’s agriculture industry.
Hernandez was raised by his grandparents, who were migrant workers, and graduated from Coachella Valley High School. He earned degrees from the University of California, Riverside, and the University of Southern California.
Hernandez is among a tight-knit group of east valley politicians who have often swapped roles at various levels of government. He began interning in his early 20s with then Riverside County Fifth District Supervisor Marion Ashley.
Hernandez’s predecessor as Coachella mayor was Eduardo Garcia, who then was elected to the California State Assembly. The assembly seat Garcia won had been filled by Perez, who went from the assembly back to the Coachella City Council before being elected to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
Hernandez currently works with Perez, who is still a county supervisor. Biographical information about Hernandez on Perez’s county website states that he advises the county on policies related to its executive office, county counsel, transportation and land management, the grand jury and the county’s budget.
Growing city budget and growing tensions
Coachella has bolstered its budget considerably in recent years. It earned tens of millions of dollars in funds to address climate change and improve infrastructure and housing in the area.
Hernandez has served as mayor while many of those grants were awarded. It’s too early to know if the current allegations will adversely impact any of those city achievements or if the scheme he’s charged with involves any of those funds.
Hernandez has cited that economic progress when campaigning last year to be reelected as mayor.
“We have made tremendous progress in the city of Coachella. We’ve gotten over $200 million of outside investment and other people’s money into our city,” Hernandez told The Desert Sun.
The growth has been accompanied by political controversy as City Manager Gabriel Martin was fired earlier this year. Hernandez voted against firing Martin during the Jan. 14, 2025, meeting. Councilmembers Yadira Perez and Frank Figueroa and Mayor Pro Tem Denise Delgado voted for the motion that ultimately removed him from the job.
The executive committee of the Coachella Valley Association of Governments held a closed-door meeting Monday afternoon to discuss potential litigation against it. A CVAG official said Hernandez, who is a member of the executive committee, was not present at the meeting, although Perez was.
It’s not clear if the charges Hernandez faces are related to CVAG’s work. Erica Felci, the CVAG deputy executive director, did not answer when asked whether the investigation of Hernandez was a topic of Monday’s closed meeting.
Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system for The Desert Sun. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com.
