Jeffrey Bernstein Shakes Up Status Quo

Jeffrey Bernstein Announces He Will Seek 2026 City Council Seat

PALM SPRINGS — When it comes to announcing one’s intention to seek public office, Jeffrey Bernstein has upended the status quo. When he announced his candidacy last week on the steps of City Hall, it signaled a new era in local politics.

Gone are the days when candidate-hopefuls pulled papers in August and September. A shift in those dates slowly started to emerge in 2018 when Waymond Furman publicly announced he would seek a seat on the Indio City Council — nearly a year ahead of the election. Furman went on that year to unseat longtime incumbent Michael Wilson.

In 2019, former City Councilmember Geoff Kors officially announced his intentions on the steps of City Hall on Jan. 28 for the District 3 seat. The election was in November. Kors went on to win.

Bernstein’s announcement comes more than a year before the election, really setting fire to the status quo. In short, he’s put potential candidates in District 2 on notice that the seat is his. Bernstein has already locked in the endorsements of the Palm Springs Firefighters Association, Palm Springs Police Management Association and Palm Springs Police Officers Association. They are powerful groups to have on your side.

Who will be next to announce and when.

Bernstein said he wants constituents to know he’s committed to seeing projects through to completion.

When I first ran for election, I spoke about the importance of developing new revenue sources for our local economy.  Since then, I have been focusing on our economic development strategic plan to ensure there are good paying jobs for our residents and graduating students, Bernstein said in announcing his intention to seek another term. Working with a new city department, we have identified four potential economic drivers for our city; Arts & Culture, Tech, Clean Energy and Healthcare.  I look forward to working to develop these into thriving new sectors that will support a year-round economy.

“Two other initiatives that I believe are critical to move our city forward are:  a city-wide shade and heat mitigation plan and a city tech plan,” Bernstein said.  “We have made progress on shade initiatives in our sustainability departments, planning and parks departments. However, shade and heat mitigation are also essential for our economic development.  A comprehensive action plan will safeguard the future of Palm Springs.  While I have been very focused on tech as an economic driver, a city tech plan can help us to streamline operations within the city and improve constituent services.

“I remain committed to continuing to work as hard as I can for Palm Springs, together with all of you,” he said. ” I believe that my experience in the last three years, my long-tenured community involvement, and role as a small business owner provide me skills and a perspective that I can use to benefit our city.”

For the list of endorsers, click here: Jeffrey Bernstein Endorsers