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City of Palm Springs · Statewide General Election

Palm Springs City Council, District 3

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.

Incumbent Ron deHarte, a former mayor now seeking his first reelection, faces first-time candidate Charles Brown, a former Palm Springs high-school teacher, for the District 3 seat.

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.

DeHarte's nomination was verified July 28, 2026; Brown's was verified Aug. 9. The Palm Springs Post is the only independent roster-and-biography source reached for Brown in the time available for this profile -- no campaign site, second news source, or official candidate-statement document was found.

Ron deHarte

Ron deHarte is the District 3 councilmember, elevated by his colleagues to serve as the council's rotating mayor from December 2024 to December 2025 (succeeding Jeffrey Bernstein in that role); Naomi Soto succeeded him as mayor in December 2025. As mayor, deHarte described his priority as reassessing the city's numerous in-progress projects -- "My big, bold initiative is to put the brakes on" -- with a stated focus on quality of life, economic development, homelessness, crime reduction, and housing. No independent biography of his pre-council occupation or background beyond his time in office was found in the time available for this profile.

Strengths

A full council term including a year as the city's rotating mayor, giving him direct experience setting citywide priorities rather than only district-level ones.

Trade-offs

This is his first reelection bid, so voters have only one term's record to judge, and no independent reporting on his pre-council occupation or background was found in this pass.

Keep in mind

His stated mayoral priority -- reassessing the pace of city projects -- is a governing philosophy voters may want to weigh against Bernstein's project-completion-focused record in the neighboring District 2 race.

Charles Brown

Charles Brown is a Baristo-neighborhood resident and former Palm Springs high-school teacher, making his first run for elected office. He is running on what the Palm Springs Post describes as a "CARE" platform: community, affordability, responsible government, economic vitality, and sustainability. No independent biography, campaign site, or additional platform detail beyond that was found in the time available for this profile.

Strengths

A former educator's direct, longtime residency in the district he seeks to represent.

Trade-offs

No prior elected or appointed public service, and no independently reported platform detail beyond the five broad CARE priorities named above.

Keep in mind

As a first-time candidate challenging a sitting former mayor, voters may want to weigh how much detail is publicly available about his specific positions before the election.

Source review: Strong (86/100) · 5 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 welcomes new mayor, councilmembers during mostly ceremonial meeting" (Post Staff, Dec. 12, 2024; Ron deHarte sworn in as mayor, succeeding Jeffrey Bernstein in the rotating role; Naomi Soto sworn in as Mayor Pro Tem alongside newly elected councilmember David Ready)

Last updated August 31, 2026.