The City Council voted 4-0 to hire Gustavo Romo, currently Beaumont’s deputy city manager, as Coachella seeks stability after months of leadership turnover and public controversy.
After more than a year without a permanent city manager, Coachella has hired Gustavo J. Romo to take over the city’s top administrative post, filling a key leadership role at a moment when City Hall is navigating political turnover, public scrutiny and some of the most consequential policy questions facing the east valley city in years.
The City Council voted 4-0 at its May 27 meeting to appoint Romo, currently deputy city manager of Beaumont, as Coachella’s next city manager. He is scheduled to begin June 15 under a three-year employment agreement.
The appointment gives Coachella a permanent chief executive after a stretch of interim leadership that began when former City Manager Gabriel Martin was dismissed in January 2025 by a split-council vote. Since then, the city has relied on interim administrators, including longtime former city official Bill Pattison and, most recently, Gabriel Gonzalez.
Romo’s hiring also comes during a broader reset at City Hall. Former Mayor Steven Hernandez resigned in March after pleading guilty to a felony conflict-of-interest charge. The council later appointed Councilmember Frank Figueroa to serve as mayor, leaving Figueroa’s former council seat vacant while the city works through a separate appointment process.
The city manager is not an elected position, but it is one of the most powerful roles in local government. The manager oversees day-to-day city operations, directs staff and implements the policy direction set by the City Council. In practical terms, Romo will arrive as the person expected to stabilize the city’s administrative side while elected leaders confront a crowded agenda.
That agenda now includes the city’s controversial municipal utility and data center strategy, which drew several hours of public comments in opposition at the same May 27 meeting. Council members directed staff to prepare a possible moratorium ordinance on data centers and related projects for future consideration, underscoring the political climate Romo will inherit.
A Veteran Administrator For A High-Pressure Moment
According to the city staff report, Romo brings more than 32 years of local government experience in Southern California. In Beaumont, he has served as deputy city manager and recently served as interim city manager. His prior experience also includes work as deputy city manager in Bell Gardens and as a community development and economic development director for other Southern California cities.
City officials described Romo as an experienced administrator with the specialized skills needed for the role.
Under the agreement approved by the council, Romo will receive an annual salary of $300,000, an annual contribution to a retirement plan equal to 6% of his base salary, and use of a city vehicle. The agreement runs for three years, though Romo will serve as an at-will employee at the pleasure of the City Council. His performance will be reviewed at least annually.
Councilmember Denise Delgado said before the vote that Romo was not a late or rushed selection, noting that he had gone through multiple interviews and vetting rounds.
“We didn’t just get someone all of a sudden; he’s been one of the top candidates throughout the three months that we’ve been looking for a city manager,” Delgado said.
After a resident questioned the city vehicle provision in the agreement, Delgado also said Romo had given up benefits that previous city managers had received, including a relocation bonus and car and technology allowances.
A Leadership Reset Takes Shape
Romo’s appointment is the latest in a series of leadership changes in the Coachella Valley’s city halls this year.
Cathedral City appointed Andrew “Andy” Firestine as city manager in February. Indio’s City Council voted earlier this month to promote Deputy City Manager Jonathan Nicks to city manager. In Coachella, however, the appointment carries additional weight because it follows months of political instability and comes as the city faces intense public pressure over growth, energy and development policy.
The council had previously been scheduled to consider appointing Gonzalez, the interim city manager, to the permanent role in April. That appointment did not move forward after Delgado cited unspecified “serious concerns,” and Gonzalez withdrew himself from consideration at the same meeting.
