Sanchez Concedes to Perez in Riverside County's 4th District Supervisor Race

La Quinta City Council Member Steve Sanchez has conceded to incumbent Supervisor V. Manuel Perez in the race for Riverside County's Fourth District supervisor seat. Sanchez announced the decision on Facebook Monday night, acknowledging the outcome with a message focused on civic service rather than the campaign itself.

"The election is over, and the people have spoken," Sanchez wrote, adding that "the mission continues."

With roughly 38% of ballots counted in Riverside County, Perez leads with 61.51% of the vote to Sanchez's 38.49%, a margin of more than 22,000 votes. Perez has represented the Fourth District for the past nine years.

The Fourth District covers a wide stretch of the Coachella Valley and beyond, including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Indio, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, La Quinta, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Blythe, and dozens of surrounding communities stretching to the Colorado River.

During the race, Sanchez pointed to his experience on the La Quinta City Council and raised concerns about Perez's former chief of staff, ex-Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez, who pleaded guilty to a felony conflict of interest charge earlier this year. Perez terminated Hernandez following that plea. 

Perez, for his part, highlighted infrastructure improvements, the relocation of farmworker families to safer mobile home communities with access to clean water, and more than $5 million secured for the Palm Springs Navigation Campus as part of his record in office.

Sanchez, in his concession message, said he remains grateful to the community and committed to his ongoing role on the La Quinta City Council.