Coachella Mayor Steven Andrew Hernandez pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony corruption charge involving a government contract in a pretrial deal with prosecutors and was expected to announce his resignation, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Hernandez, 43, immediately received a sentence of two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service for his conviction on one felony count of violating Government Code section 1090, a conflict-of-interest law that prohibits public officials from participating in government contracts in which they have a financial interest.
As part of the plea bargain, the District Attorney’s Office dropped eight related charges against the mayor including perjury and conflict of interest by a public official.
The guilty-plea agreement was announced during a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, where Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini certified the terms and issued the stipulated sentence.
State law prevents Hernandez from holding elected office in California, and he was expected to announce his resignation following his guilty plea. As of Wednesday, he remained pictured and listed as mayor on the city’s website.
The charges against the mayor surfaced in October after a Riverside County Grand Jury indictment was unsealed. Hernandez had been free on a $112,500 bond between then and Tuesday, when the court lifted his bail requirement.
“The conflict-of-interest charges relate to Hernandez’s vote to approve a contract between … Coachella and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments’ ‘Housing First Program,’ as well as his votes and advocacy related to downtown Coachella development programs,” according to a District Attorney’s Office statement in October. “The perjury charges relate to claims made by Hernandez on his ‘Statement of Economic Interests’ public disclosure forms.”
The California Fair Political Practices Commission designates such documents as “Form 700” that disclose officials’ personal financial interests to ensure that they make decisions in the public’s best interest instead of to enrich themselves.
The first offense occurred in November 2021 and involved Hernandez’s efforts to direct relief funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act toward a rehabilitation project involving the downtown fire station, “in which the defendant knew, or had a reason to know, he had a financial interest,” according to the indictment.
Prosecutors leveled the same allegations regarding a January 2022 vote on the Fountainhead Plaza, a May 2022 vote on the Tripoli Mixed-Use Project, Hernandez’s May 2023 vote on the Coachella Valley Association of Governments Housing First Program and his July 2023 vote on improvements for the Sunline Transit Agency Hub.
The perjury charges were tied to lies he told about “gross income received (from) 52280 Calle Camacho,” according to court documents. That property is a single-story home, in which Hernandez apparently owned a stake.
Prosecutors did not disclose direct money or other benefits Hernandez received from the corruption activity.
Thirteen witnesses testified before the grand jury.
Hernandez was first elected mayor in 2014, and he has been chief of staff for Riverside County District 4 Supervisor V. Manuel Perez for over a decade.
City officials and Perez did not respond to requests for comment on Hernandez’s guilty plea.
“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 following the announcement of the indictment. “It’s our understanding that the charges are unrelated to his role in our office.”
According to Perez’s office, Hernandez has worked for years in local and regional government. He was on the staff of former 5th District Supervisor Marion Ashley and had worked 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 managed Perez’s entire staff and the District 4 budget, while overseeing media and outreach efforts.
