San Bernardino council holds closed session on city manager search amid public criticism of timing and transparency

The San Bernardino mayor and city council convened a special closed session Sunday evening to continue the recruitment of a permanent city manager, and later said the closed session produced no reportable actions.

Council members moved to closed session shortly after public comment began; the meeting was called to order at about 5:32 p.m., closed session began at 6:06 p.m., and the council announced after the closed session that there were "no reportable actions from closed session." The council also set a special meeting for April 29, 2025, at the multipurpose conference room at 201 B Northeast Street, San Bernardino.

The meeting drew several speakers during the public-comment period who criticized the council for holding the special session while Mayor Gloria Tran and Councilmember (Treasurer) Ortiz were absent and urged a slower, more transparent hiring process. The council and its supporters countered that the city has been without a permanent city manager for about 12 months and that delaying the process would risk losing qualified candidates.

"I am here in speaking in opposition to this meeting strict strictly for the fact that my councilwoman, doctor Treasurer Ortiz, in the Seventh Ward is not here to be heard and her opinions heard in this, hiring or interviewing process," said John Schallenberger, a Seventh Ward resident, during public comment. Several other speakers echoed the complaint that key elected officials were not present for the recruitment discussions.

Other public commenters raised operational concerns they tied to the prolonged vacancy in the city manager post. "We have a really big problem right now not having our city manager," said Linda Magallanes, who said she was representing neighbors around Nunez Park and the adjacent canal and raised health and safety concerns for children and elderly residents nearby. Ivan Garcia, a volunteer resident, said the city needs a permanent manager "ASAP," citing long delays in pothole and light repairs, unfinished CRM casework and an uptick in street homelessness.

One public commenter raised questions about the city's outside legal counsel: "Her absence at the dais and her tendency to operate behind closed doors is deeply concerning," said a speaker who identified herself as Sarah, referring to City Attorney Sonia Carvalho and the firm BBK. That speaker urged the council to consider the city attorney's role as the council selects a new city manager.

Councilmember Ted Sanchez read a statement and the mayor pro tem read a subsequent statement on behalf of a majority of the council saying the process to hire a permanent city manager "has not been rushed" and that confidentiality around candidate interviews exists to protect the integrity of the search. The statement said every elected official "has had the opportunity to thoroughly review all candidates" and that delaying action would mean pushing the decision back five weeks and "increasing the risk of losing highly qualified candidates." The council described the closed sessions as necessary to preserve fairness for candidates and said the actions taken were in service of the community.

After the closed session the council announced there were no reportable actions to disclose. The meeting notice and a council statement reiterating the length of the vacancy and the need to proceed were read into the record before adjournment.

The public speakers who testified included residents who said interim managers have led to inconsistent enforcement—citing one case where enforcement produced a $4,000 citation after prior assurances to the contrary—and neighborhood concerns such as canal conditions near Nunez Park, homelessness in parks, and slow municipal repairs. Speakers alternated between urging the council not to proceed without all members present and urging a rapid appointment to restore continuity in city operations.

The council scheduled a special meeting for April 29, 2025, and said closed session would begin at 5:30 p.m. The council provided no additional formal actions or votes on candidate selection during the session and reported no reportable outcomes when the closed session concluded.

The selection of a permanent city manager will continue to be handled in closed session under confidentiality rules the council said are intended to preserve fairness for candidates; the council has said publicly that the process has been deliberate and lawful.