San Bernardino officials on Wednesday appointed Telicia Lopez to the city clerk position.
Mayor Helen Tran and the City Council approved an employment agreement with Lopez, who had been interim city clerk since April.
“Few people know the inner workings of the City Clerk’s office better than Telicia Lopez,” Tran said in a statement. “The Council and I believe she has the knowledge and expertise to effectively lead the Clerk’s office.”
Under San Bernardino’s charter, the city clerk is one of three positions hired directly by the mayor and council. The other two posts are city manager and city attorney.
Lopez has served as chief deputy city clerk since 2021. Her career with the city began in 2003, with the past two decades in the City Clerk’s Office.
“When I first stepped into the City Clerk’s Office 20 years ago, I never imagined that one day I would have the honor of serving as the City Clerk,” Lopez said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and humbled to follow in the footsteps of the remarkable clerks who came before me.”
The three divisions of the City Clerk’s Office are Administration, Elections and Records Management. The office’s responsibilities include processing ordinances and resolutions, coordinating required legal advertisements and preparing all agendas for council meetings. The clerk also serves as the city’s filing officer for statements of economic interest, campaign statements, appeals while also offering passport services.
The San Bernardino City Charter also requires the clerk to keep all books, papers, records and other documents. The official must also attend all meetings of the mayor and City Council and keep minutes of council meetings.
Tran and the council voted 6-1 in favor of approving Lopez’ contract. Councilwoman Treasure Ortiz cast the “no” vote, and Councilwoman Sandra Ibarra was absent.
Otiz said concerns over recruitment transparency and city finances prompted her “no” vote.
“We did not have an open and transparent recruitment,” she said in an email to HeySoCal.com.
“Not one elected official reviewed a resume or asked an interview question before being called on to vote.
“Additionally after a decision was made by a majority of the council to hire her and announced publicly, we were then provided her resume a week later,” Ortiz said. “While she has 20 years of experience in the city with business registration and licenses, she only truly has 4 out of the 7 years of actual direct experience working in the city clerk’s office that we require in the job description; which made me want an interview even more to verify that she was truly prepared for this position.
“All of that in addition to the council raising the salary of the clerk by 22% after we just made every department take a 5% budget cut and froze hiring on essential positions,” Ortiz added. “I had to vote no.”
Lopez’s salary will be set at $161,000 initially and increase $169,000 next year starting Jan. 5, city documents show. On Aug. 4 and annually after that, Lopez’s salary will go up based on increases in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index with a maximum annual raise of 3%. Lopez’s contract also calls for a $750 monthly personal vehicle allowance and other nonsalary benefits.
Updated Oct. 20, 2025, 9:15 a.m.
