At least 113 candidates will vie in the 47 mayoral and city and town council races to be held in San Bernardino County in the November 5, 2024 election.
In Upland and Yucca Valley, no one is challenging the incumbent mayors or officeholders up for election in that city and that incorporated town.
Five other current council members throughout the county are not facing any opposition and will have a cakewalk back into office in November.
At the same time, five incumbents from throughout the county due to run for reelection in November in order to perpetuate their time in office are calling it quits, and have opted out of running.
In Adelanto, Daniel Ramos, an incumbent, has taken out papers to run for city council as have two hopefuls, Jullien Pineda and Edward C. Reyes.
An incumbent, Joy Jeannette, is not seeking reelection.
In Apple Valley, Skylar Craig and Kenneth Edmon are running against incumbent Mayor Scott Nassif. Ted Bohanon is vying against incumbent District 1 Councilman Larry Cusack and Incumbent District 2 Councilman Art Bishop is being challenged by LaKerie Williams.
In Barstow, Ben Rosenberg, Carmen Hernandez, Darrin Fikstad, Timothy Silva and Vivian Jordan have taken papers out for mayor, Incumbent Barbara Rose is seeking reelection and Leonard Williams is seeking election in District 3 and John “Tex” Williams, Loretta “Sarah” Johnston, Rodney Brand and Virginia Brown are running in District 4.
Barstow Mayor Paul Courtney and District 4 Councilmember Marilyn Dyer-Kruse are not seeking reelection.
In Big Bear, District 5 Councilwoman Bynette Mote, who left the council on February 14, 2024, is not seeking reelection. Chuck Hicks is running unopposed for the District 5 position.
Jim Eakin and Kendi Segovia, the incumbent, are competing against one another in District 1.
In Chino, Mayor Eunice Ulloa is being opposed by Paul Rodriguez. Incumbent Christopher Flores in District 1 and Karen Comstock in District 4 have no confirmed opposition as of today.
In Chino Hills, incumbent Art Bennett and Tyler Shields are running in District 3 and incumbent Cynthia Moran and Jim Gallagher are running in District 5
In Colton, District 1 Councilman David Toro is running unopposed. In District 2 incumbent Kelly Chastain is facing Kyle Koperski.
In Grand Terrace, incumbent Jeff Allen and appointed incumbent Michelle Sabino are running against four challengers: Matt Brown, Shad Boal, Ken Steward and Terry Keiser.
In Fontana District 2 Councilman Peter Garcia is unopposed and the incumbent in District 3, Jesse Sandoval, is up against Joe Armendarez and Gabriel Sanchez.
There are nine candidates in Hesperia, with incumbent Rebekah Swanson vying to hang onto her District 1 post against Jon Dunbar and Chris Ochoa. Larry Bird is not seeking reelection in District 5, which has prompted six to run, those being James Roberts, James Blocker, Roman Aguilar, Tia Loya, Joshua Pullen, and former Councilman/Mayor Bill Jensen.
Loma Linda municipal elections are held in correspondence with the primary election rather than the general election. Those races were decided in March.
In Ontario, incumbent Councilman Ruben Valencia is not seeking reelection and incumbent Councilwoman Debra Dorst-Porada is. She is vying in District 1, in the city’s first by-district election, against Raquel Valencia, Luis Suarez Chocoteco and Joseph Angel Sandoval. In District 4 Norberto Corona, Jessica Hernandez, Andrea Galvan, Jose Nikyar, Daisy Macias, Celina Lopez and Mary Galvez have all taken out papers to run.
Five candidates are vying in Montclair, including incumbents Ben Lopez and Tenice Johnson, former Councilwoman Carolyn Raft, Xavier Mendez and Matthew Castro-Wheaton.
In Needles, Mayor Janet Jernigan is seeking reelection as are councilwomen Tona Belt, Kirsten Merritt and Jamie McCorkle.
In Rancho Cucamonga, Luis Cetina is vying against incumbent Ashley Stickler in District 1 and Tracy West, Steven Lacy and Nichole Perry have taken out papers against incumbent Lynne Kennedy in District 4.
Six candidates are featured in the Redlands Municipal Election this year with incumbent Eddie Tejeda, who is currently serving as the appointed mayor, taking on challengers Jennifer Maravillas and Andrew McIntosh in District 2. Jesus Cisneros and Planning Commissioner Marc Shaw are looking to unseat incumbent Jenna Guzman-Lowery in District 4.
In Rialto, where a total of 9 ran for mayor and city council in 2020, there are 15 candidates this year including ones vying for mayor, city council, city clerk and city treasurer. City Clerk Barbara McGee said she was not going to identify who the applicants for office are until the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters determines which of those filing papers qualified their candidacies. This year, Mayor Deborah Robertson and councilmen Rafael Trujillo and Andy Carrizales are due to stand for reelection.
In Twentynine Palms, District 2 Councilman Joel Klink is not seeking reelection, while incumbent District 1 Councilman Steve Bilderain has qualified his candidacy for this year. The filing period for District 2 has been extended until August 14.
In San Bernardino, the initial contests for the council in Ward Two, Ward Five, Ward Six and Ward Seven were held in March, at the time of the California Presidential Primary. The elections in Ward 2 and Ward 6 were decided when incumbent Councilman Juan Figueroa won the former contest and newcomer Mario Flores won the latter. The November run-off in Ward 5 is between Kim Knaus and former Councilman Henry Nickel, while the final round in the Ward Seven race pits Treasure Ortiz against former City Attorney Jim Penman.
In Upland Mayor Bill Velto and District 1 Councilwoman Shannan Maust drew no competitors.
In Victorville, which initiated its transition to by-district elections in 2022, the new voting mode will pit two incumbents elected at large in 2020, Blanca Gomez and Elizabeth Becerra, against each other in District 3. Six non-incumbents – Leyda Fernandez, Tiffany Gaudin, Robert Lucero, Valentin Godina, Lionel Dew and Frank Kelly – will duke it out in District 1. In District 5, incumbent Leslie Irving is being challenged by former Councilman Eric Negrete.
In Yucaipa, Georgeann Hanna and Lyle Vick are to vie to replace Bobby Duncan, who will not seek reelection in District 3. Kristine Mohler is taking on incumbent District 4 Councilman Justin Beaver, who is currently serving as appointed mayor. Incumbent District 5 Councilman Jon Thorp must contend with Timothy Mullins in District 5.
In Yucca Valley, District 2 Councilman Jeff Drozd and District 4 Councilman Robert Lombardo are running, it appears at press time today, to be running unopposed this year.
-Mark Gutglueck