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City of Palm Springs · Statewide General Election

Palm Springs City Council, District 2

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person holds your district's seat on Palm Springs's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term. The council chooses one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each year by a council vote -- the titles rotate rather than being separately elected citywide.

Jeffrey Bernstein, a small-business owner and former mayor, was the only candidate nominated for the District 2 seat, so he runs unopposed on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

This person holds your district's seat on Palm Springs's 5-member City Council: city ordinances, the budget, and land use. A 4-year term. The council chooses one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each year by a council vote -- the titles rotate rather than being separately elected citywide.

Bernstein's nomination was verified July 28, 2026; no one else qualified when the filing period closed Aug. 7. On Aug. 20, 2026 the City Council voted 3-1 (Mayor Naomi Soto dissenting) to hold the district's November election rather than appoint Bernstein and cancel it -- a step that would have saved roughly $22,000 in election costs for the district's approximately 6,700 registered voters. Councilmember Ron deHarte argued for keeping the vote: "This is the most valuable right our citizens have: to go to the ballot box and vote." Bernstein, though not required to recuse himself, abstained from the vote. Registered District 2 voters may still file as write-in candidates from September 7 through October 20, 2026; a qualified write-in's votes would be counted even though they won't appear on the printed ballot.

Jeffrey Bernstein

Jeffrey Bernstein owns the Destination PSP retail shop on North Palm Canyon Drive. First elected to the council in 2022 with 54% of the vote, he served as mayor from December 2023 to December 2024. During his term he points to opening the city's Navigation Center for homeless residents, leading the committee that removed the sunset provision on Measure J (preserving more than $20 million a year in city revenue), and overseeing five new playgrounds, library renovations, new pickleball courts, and three completed affordable-housing developments with two more planned. If reelected, he plans to focus on economic development in healthcare, clean energy, arts, culture, and technology, plus a citywide shade-and-heat-mitigation plan and a city tech plan. He is endorsed by the Palm Springs Police Officers Association, the Police Management Association, and the Firefighters Association.

Strengths

A full term of specific, sourced accomplishments (Measure J's sunset removal, the Navigation Center, completed housing and recreation projects) plus prior mayoral experience.

Trade-offs

Running unopposed means voters have no head-to-head contrast to weigh his record against this cycle; his campaign's economic-development priorities are stated goals, not yet delivered results.

Keep in mind

Public-safety-union endorsements (police and fire) are a data point on his relationship with those departments, which some voters weigh as a plus and others want to scrutinize given the council's role in setting those departments' budgets.

Source review: Strong (86/100) · 6 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with several source types checked for context.

  • voteinfo.net (opens in a new tab)Riverside County Registrar of Voters — 2026 Annual Election Calendar (lists every November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election office by city, including "City of Cathedral City: City Council District 3 / District 4 / District 5 / City Treasurer")
  • thepalmspringspost.com (opens in a new tab)The Palm Springs Post -- "Two challengers join three incumbents in Palm Springs City Council race" (Mark Talkington, Aug. 13, 2026; names all five qualified candidates across Districts 1, 2, and 3 with nomination-verification dates, challenger occupation/background notes, and the Nov. 3, 2026 general-election date)
  • thepalmspringspost.com (opens in a new tab)The Palm Springs Post -- "Naomi Soto sworn in as Palm Springs' 28th mayor, pledges inclusive city for all" (Mark Talkington, Dec. 10, 2025; states Soto "became Palm Springs' 28th mayor through a unanimous City Council vote" for a one-year term, with David Ready appointed Mayor Pro Tem -- confirms the rotating, council-selected Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem structure)
  • en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia -- "Palm Springs, California": infobox lists the current City Council as of retrieval -- Mayor Naomi Soto, Mayor Pro Tem David Ready, and Councilmembers Grace Elena Garner, Jeffrey Bernstein, and Ron De Harte -- corroborating the five-person roster and confirming Garner/Bernstein/deHarte (the three Nov. 2026 candidates' shared incumbency) hold no Mayor/Mayor Pro Tem title this cycle.
  • thepalmspringspost.com (opens in a new tab)The Palm Springs Post -- "Palm Springs council votes to hold District 2 election over appointment option" (Mark Talkington, Aug. 20, 2026; confirms Jeffrey Bernstein was the only candidate nominated for District 2 when the nomination period closed Aug. 7, 2026, the council's 3-1 vote to hold the Nov. 3 election rather than appoint him, the ~$22,000 cost/~6,700-voter figures, and the resulting write-in nomination period running Sept. 7-Oct. 20, 2026)
  • thepalmspringspost.com (opens in a new tab)The Palm Springs Post -- "Bernstein formally announces reelection bid for Palm Springs City Council District 2 seat" (Mark Talkington, Oct. 15, 2025; Bernstein owns the Destination PSP retail shop, first elected in 2022 with 54% of the vote, served as mayor Dec. 2023-Dec. 2024)

Last updated August 31, 2026.