DA: Coachella mayor tied to developments, programs, he voted on

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez was criminally charged Oct. 24 on four misdemeanor counts of voting on developments he was financially tied to, one felony count of making a contract he had a financial interest in and four felony counts of perjury by lying about his income from rental properties.

The indictment alleged Hernandez committed the misdemeanors on five specific dates and topics: on Nov. 15, 2021, the rehabilitation of the downtown Coachella Fire Station; on Jan. 26, 2022, the Fountainhead Plaza; on May 11, 2022, the Tripoli Mixed-Use Project; and on July 26, 2023, the Sunline Transit Hub funding. The felony charge, for making a contract he had a financial interest in, is in regard to the May 10, 2023, contract with the government planning agency Coachella Valley Association of Governments. The city voted to give the agency $100,000 annually for three years to operate a housing program known as CV Housing First.