San Bernardino council authorizes initiation of litigation over short‑term rental challenge

The San Bernardino City Council voted unanimously after closed session to authorize the initiation of litigation in response to a letter the city received challenging its proposed short‑term rental ordinance. The city attorney said the matter met the threshold for reportable action and that more specific details would be disclosed when related filings are formally submitted.

The city attorney told the council the closed session discussion centered on "anticipated litigation" tied to the short‑term rental ordinance and said copies of the challenge letter were available on a public table in the chamber. He later reported that the council had authorized initiation of litigation on the agenda’s closed‑session item and that the more detailed records will be released once the matter is filed.

The council’s action was procedural only: the report introduced the fact that the city intends to initiate litigation, but did not include filings, pleadings, or a schedule for next steps. No motions or vote tallies beyond ‘‘unanimous’’ were provided by the city attorney in the public report.

The council’s action does not itself change the ordinance. City officials told the council the substantive details of the legal challenge and the city’s planned pleadings remain confidential until formal filings are made public. The meeting packet indicated the closed session topic as "anticipated litigation," and the city attorney framed the authorized action as the council’s direction to begin the litigation process. For further particulars, the council said it will provide documents or a public update once the city formally files its response in court.