San Bernardino holds closed-session city manager interviews amid public demands to postpone

San Bernardino’s City Council convened closed-session interviews for city manager candidates Friday evening after multiple residents urged the council to postpone the process until all elected officials could attend. The council’s city attorney reported that interviews were held and that “there’s no reportable action or any action that was taken in closed session.”

Public commenters repeatedly said the meeting should be delayed so the full council and the mayor could participate in selecting the city’s chief executive. “It is important for all eight members of the elected body to have a say in interviewing a city manager,” said Stephanie Liggins, identifying herself as a Fourth Ward resident. “Having input from all elected representatives ensures that the hire reflects the collective vision, not just the vision of some.”

Several speakers invoked transparency and representation. David Friedman told the council it was “creating a liability for the city” by moving forward without all members present, saying past city managers had sued the city when departures followed allegations of favoritism. Faye Aldridge, who identified herself as a Seventh Ward resident, said she felt unrepresented because her councilmember was absent.

Other public speakers raised similar objections and asked for reasons the meeting was scheduled when many elected officials were not available. John Shellenberger, also identifying himself as a Seventh Ward resident, said Councilmember Treasure Ortiz was teaching at California State University, San Bernardino, and that Ortiz had a recent family bereavement; Shellenberger said those reasons could have supported postponement. Christian Sobrano Thomas Shaughnessy said the city manager selection “is perhaps the single most important thing that each and every single one of you will do” and urged postponement to avoid impressions of impropriety.

The transcript of the meeting shows the council conducted the closed-session interviews and returned to open session, where the city attorney reported the lack of reportable action. The Mayor Pro Tem then read a prepared statement “on the city manager selection process” that the council approved by majority, with Councilmember Flores recorded as dissenting. The statement said, in part, “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.” It also said delaying the decision would risk losing highly qualified candidates.

The council announced a special joint meeting — the next regular meeting of the mayor and city council in several capacities — set for 04/27/2025 at the boardroom located at 201 Northeast Street, Third Floor, San Bernardino, California; closed session will begin at 5:30 p.m. The city attorney’s report and the mayor pro tem’s statement were the only reportable items made after closed session.

The meeting record shows a mixture of public concern about process and a council majority choosing to proceed with candidate interviews in closed session. The council did not report any formal hiring decision or other action resulting from the interviews.