# Fontana (local, San Bernardino County)

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/local/fontana

- title: Fontana
- type: city
- jurisdiction: City of Fontana
- region: West Valley

## Key findings
- **Mayor Acquanetta Warren (since 2010) faces Joz Sida**, a Democratic Socialist endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who leads a progressive slate running for council and treasurer. [^1]
- **Warehouses are the record to judge.** Fontana approved several dozen warehouses totaling about **16 million sq ft** in south Fontana over five years. In 2021 the state Attorney General **sued the city** over a 205,000 sq ft warehouse next to Jurupa Hills High School. The 2022 settlement produced what the AG called some of the strictest warehouse rules in California. [^2]
- In a 2023 enforcement sweep, the regional air district found **more than 49% of Fontana's warehouses** in violation of at least one air rule. [^3]
- Voters approved a **1-cent sales tax (Measure T) in 2024 with 51.5%**. [^4]
- In 2023 the council cracked down on street vendors, then passed a ban on protests within **300 feet of a home** after protesters showed up at the mayor's house. [^1]

## Mayor
Seven candidates filed: Acquanetta Warren (incumbent), Jocelyn "Joz" Sida, Mylinda Carrillo, Salvador Casillas, Lourdes Goni Garcia, Jaqueline Heredia and Nicholas Ortega. Warren and Sida are the two with a real campaign in the coverage I found. [^3][^1]

### Acquanetta Warren (incumbent)
- **Key findings:** Mayor since 2010, the city's first Black mayor. Credited with Fontana's economic growth, largely through logistics. [^1]
- **Warehouses:** Calls them "economic advancement." Her nickname among critics is "Warehouse Warren." The 2021 state lawsuit and the 2022 settlement (new citywide warehouse standards; $210K from developer Duke Realty for school buffers and air filters for up to 1,750 homes) happened on her watch. [^2][^3]
- **Street vendors and protests:** Led the 2023 vendor crackdown ("now it's time to grab a couple of hammers. Done.") and backed the 300-foot residential picketing ban. [^1]
- **Endorsements:** the region's two largest carpenters' unions and Teamsters Local 1932, which represents county workers and Amazon warehouse workers. [^1]

### Joz Sida
- **Key findings:** 37; moved to Fontana as a teenager; lost a school board race in 2012; spent about a decade organizing progressive campaigns elsewhere (reproductive and immigrant rights) before moving back from Chicago in 2023. No elected experience. [^1]
- Platform: more public input at City Hall, ending the vendor crackdown, and stopping warehouses near schools. Endorsed by Bernie Sanders. [^1]

## Council District 4
### John Roberts (incumbent)
- Re-elected in 2022. The Sentinel calls him the county's longest continuously serving local elected official. [^5][^3]

### Ben Vasquez
- On Sida's progressive slate. [^1]

### Luz Perez
- Listed as a candidate by GoodParty and Run for Something. I found no independent reporting.

### Rayman Martinez
- I found no independent reporting on this candidate. [^3]

### Karen Contreras
- I found no independent reporting on this candidate. [^3]

## Council District 1
### Phillip Cothran (incumbent)
- Re-elected in 2022. [^5]

### Nubia Diaz
- I found no independent reporting on this candidate. [^3]

## City Clerk and City Treasurer
- Both offices are on the ballot this year; the treasurer race includes a candidate from Sida's slate. [^6][^1] I couldn't confirm the full candidate lists from public sources.

## Sources
[^1]: KQED, progressive challenge to Fontana's mayor (Oct 2026). https://www.kqed.org/news/12105710/progressive-candidate-challenge-fontanas-longtime-mayor
[^2]: CA Attorney General, Fontana settlement (Apr 18, 2022). https://www.oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-announces-innovative-settlement-city-fontana-address
[^3]: SB County Sentinel, mayoral and council match-ups (Aug 7, 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/08/more-clarity-on-november-mayoral-and-city-council-match-ups/
[^4]: CaliforniaCityFinance, Nov 2024 local measure results. https://www.californiacityfinance.com/Votes2411final.pdf
[^5]: Fontana Herald News, Cothran and Roberts re-elected (Nov 2022). https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/election-phillip-cothran-and-john-roberts-are-reelected-to-fontana-city-council/article_26bf8c5e-5fea-11ed-ab7b-8f0988bc415f.html
[^6]: SB County ROV, offices up for election. https://uploads.rov.sbcounty.gov/ROV/Elections/2026/1103/Report_OfficesUpForElection.pdf
[^7]: SB County Sentinel, "Warehouse Warren" (Apr 2026). https://sbcsentinel.com/2026/04/facing-environmentalists-fontana-mayor-still-standing-proud-as-warehouse-warre/
[^8]: GoodParty, Fontana council candidates. https://goodparty.org/elections/ca/san-bernardino-county/fontana/position/city-legislature/candidates