After months of turbulence at City Hall, Coachella is moving toward two decisions that could help stabilize its government: hiring a permanent city manager and setting the next step for filling a vacant City Council seat.
At its May 27 meeting, the City Council is scheduled to consider appointing Gustavo J. Romo as city manager under a proposed three-year employment agreement. The same night, council members are also expected to discuss how to proceed with the vacancy created when former Mayor Steven Hernandez resigned in March and council member Frank Figueroa was made mayor based on a vote of the three other council members.
Together, the items amount to a significant governance reset for a city that has spent much of the spring navigating vacancies, public scrutiny and major policy questions without a full council or permanent top administrator.
A Permanent Manager Comes Into View
The Coachella City Council is poised to hire Gustavo Romo as its new city manager.
Romo’s proposed appointment would bring in a veteran municipal executive with more than three decades of local government experience in Southern California. Romo most recently served as interim city manager in Beaumont and currently serves as that city’s deputy city manager. His earlier posts include deputy city manager in Bell Gardens, as well as community development and economic development roles in multiple Southern California cities.
If approved, Romo would begin work in Coachella on June 15. The agreement calls for a $300,000 annual salary, a city contribution equal to 6 percent of his base salary into a retirement plan, use of a city vehicle and an annual performance review.
The appointment would mark an important step for a city that has been searching for a permanent city manager for several months. Interim City Manager Gabriel A. Gonzalez has been serving through the transition while the council has continued to take up major items, including budget discussions, water utility problems, a controversial data center the city has voted to partner on, housing development issues and public service contracts.
Romo’s background in community development and economic development is likely to draw attention. Coachella is balancing long-standing needs, including housing, roads, water, wastewater and park improvements, with new economic opportunities and public questions about the city’s future.
The leadership transition comes after a difficult period for Coachella politics.
A Council Vacancy Takes Shape
Hernandez’s resignation left the mayor’s office vacant and set off weeks of debate over how the city should fill the post. Frank Figueroa was appointed mayor on April 22 after a tense period in which council members had divided over the process. His elevation then created the council seat vacancy.
The May 27 agenda shows the city is now attempting to address the opening on the city council through a defined process. On May 13, the council voted to open an application period for residents interested in the vacant seat. The application window ran from May 14 through 5 p.m. on May 26, with staff expected to update the council on the number of applications received.
Appointment or Election
The council must act within 60 days of the vacancy’s effective date to either appoint someone or call a special election. The staff report identifies June 22 as the deadline. If the council chooses an appointment, it may select an eligible resident by majority vote. That would require three affirmative votes.
The appointment would be short-term. The vacant seat runs only through November 2026, when it will appear on the ballot for a new four-year term at the Nov. 3 general municipal election. In practical terms, any appointee would serve for several months before voters decide who should hold the seat for a full term.
The alternative, a special election, appears unlikely to offer a separate path. The staff report notes that a special election would normally have to be held on the next regularly established election date at least 114 days after the election is called. Because the next date is already the November general election, a special election would effectively be absorbed into the regular municipal election. If the council does not appoint someone, the seat will remain vacant until voters fill it in November.
That makes the appointment question more immediate than a procedural one. A four-member council can still conduct city business, but vacancies can complicate major decisions, especially if members divide 2-2. Recent public reporting and city discussions have already shown the strain of operating during a leadership transition. Without a fifth council member, important items can become harder to advance, delay or resolve.
A Broader Push for Stability
The city has also been handling other sensitive matters, including discussion of a municipal utility development agreement with Stronghold Power Systems, Inc., a proposed third-party legal review of that agreement and ongoing budget work. Those items speak to a broader theme at City Hall: Coachella is trying to restore confidence not through a single vote, but through a sequence of process decisions.
The Romo appointment, if approved, would give the city a permanent chief executive. The council vacancy process, if completed, would return the dais to five members. Together, those actions could give Coachella a more stable governing structure heading into the second half of the year and the November election.
That does not erase the political and legal events that brought the city to this point. Nor does it resolve every public concern about transparency, development, infrastructure or fiscal priorities. But it does suggest a city government attempting to move from crisis management toward normal order.
Why the Decisions Matter
For residents, the most visible question may be who fills the council seat. For city staff, the arrival of a permanent manager could be just as consequential as the city manager sets expectations within the organization, manages department heads, prepares recommendations and serves as the point person for translating council policy into day-to-day action.
For businesses and investors watching the eastern Coachella Valley, the leadership decisions also matter. Coachella’s growth depends not only on land, location and market demand, but on whether City Hall can provide clear direction, consistent administration and a predictable public process.
The May 27 meeting will not close the book on Coachella’s recent turmoil. But it may mark the clearest sign yet that the city is trying to put the pieces of its government back in place.
