Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of perjury and alleged conflict of interest relating to government contracts and decision-making, Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced.
A county grand jury returned a nine-count indictment against Hernandez, who also is chief of staff for District 4 county Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. Hernandez was placed on indefinite leave from his county position, Perez said.
The conflict-of-interest charges stem from his vote to approve a contract between the city and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments’ Housing First Program and his votes and advocacy related to development projects in downtown Coachella. The perjury charges relate to claims Hernandez made on financial disclosure documents known as Form 700.
According to the indictment, the mayor’s allegedly corrupt City Council votes on projects in which he had a financial interest involved using federal American Rescue Plan funds to refurbish the fire station in downtown Coachella, to OK the Fountainhead Plaza project, the Tripoli mixed-use project and Sunline Transit Line funding.
The perjury allegations stemmed from income Hernandez received from 52280 Calle Camacho, a single-story house in which he was apparently invested, according to court documents.
If convicted as currently charged, Hernandez, 42, would be barred for life from holding public office and face more than seven years in state prison.
The current mayor and Coachella City Council member surrendered to Riverside County Sheriff’s Department officials at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on Tuesday and was released after posting $112,500 bail.
The grand jury indictment was unsealed Thursday when Hernandez was arraigned at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The DA’s office and court documents did not reveal the total amount of money Hernandez allegedly gained as a result of the votes or financial disclosure lapses.
A trial readiness conference is scheduled for Feb. 23.
Officials issued statements following Hernandez’s indictment.
“The city is aware of allegations made regarding Coachella Mayor Steven A. Hernandez, and the city’s administration is fully cooperating with authorities. There is no additional information available to share at this time,” Coachella officials said Tuesday.
“The allegations against Steven Hernandez are serious, and he has been placed on indefinite administrative leave from the County of Riverside,” Perez said in a statement. “Although we are still waiting on more details, it’s our understanding that the charges are unrelated to his role in our office.”
According to Perez’s office, Hernandez has many years of local and regional government experience. He has worked for former 5th District Supervisor Marion Ashley and currently works on constituent and policy issues related to the county agencies that include the Executive Office, Human Resources Department, County Counsel, Transportation and Land Management Agency, Grand Jury and work related to the energy issues, county budget and legislative advocacy. Hernandez manages Perez’s entire staff and the District 5 budget, while overseeing media and outreach efforts.
Hernandez was initially elected in 2014 and has worked for Perez for about the same amount of time.
Updated Oct. 31, 2025, 9:27 a.m.
