Fontana voters will decide in November whether to end Mayor Acquanetta Warren's 16-year run in office, as 37-year-old challenger Joz Sida — a self-described democratic socialist endorsed by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders — tries to become the city's first Latina mayor. The Inland Empire city of more than 218,000 residents, where 66% of the population is Latino and 59% of residents are under age 40, has become an unlikely proving ground for the national progressive movement's push into local politics.
Sida is running as part of the Fontana United slate, which also includes council candidates Nubia Diaz, Ben Vasquez, Kamal Namou and Joe Alvanez, according to the San Bernardino Sun. Diaz is running for a council seat, while Sida faces Warren in the mayoral race. Warren, who became Fontana's first African American and female mayor, has not lost a reelection campaign since taking office in 2010 and moved to Fontana in 1993.
Sida describes herself as a democratic socialist and previously served as the first-ever Chapter Director of the Sierra Club San Gorgonio Chapter, according to her campaign website. She has worked on campaigns nationwide before returning to Fontana in 2023. Sida graduated from Fontana's Kaiser High School and says her ties to the city run deep.
Sanders Endorsement Brings National Attention
In May, Sanders formally endorsed a slate of 61 progressive candidates nationwide, specifically naming Sida for Fontana Mayor, according to Common Dreams. Sida is one of eight California candidates on that list. She said the endorsement gave her chills, per the Sun's reporting. Her other endorsers include the California Working Families Party, the Inland Empire Democratic Socialists of America, Ulises Cabrera and Clarissa Cervantes.
Warren, meanwhile, has drawn support in the race. The subtitle of the Sun's report frames Sida's run against Warren as coming amid a winning streak for democratic socialists — the story cites Zohran Mamdani's win in New York City's mayoral race, Katie Wilson's win in Seattle's mayoral race, Janeese Lewis George poised to become Washington, D.C.'s next mayor, Nithya Raman advancing from Los Angeles's June primary to challenge Karen Bass, and Angela Dixon winning a Democratic primary for a Florida senate seat.
A Steep Fundraising Gap
Money remains a stark divide in the race. Warren has raised more than $93,000 for her reelection campaign and reported more than $220,000 in campaign funds, while Sida has raised more than $50,000, per the Sun's reporting. That fundraising gap has made the race difficult for challengers.
That financial advantage comes as Fontana's warehouse-driven economy continues to churn. In March, a 113,930-square-foot distribution warehouse at 6260 Mango Avenue sold to a New Jersey apparel company for $30.2 million, according to a prior Hoodline report. Warren's 16-year tenure has centered on turning Fontana into a Southern California logistics hub, and the industrial growth has fueled both revenue and political friction.
The city's logistics planning and earlier industrial proposals illustrate the scale of development in Fontana.
Warehouse Growth Sparks Regulatory Pushback
That friction became a legal matter in April 2022, when California Attorney General Rob Bonta reached a settlement with Fontana requiring the city to pass a stringent warehouse environmental ordinance, according to the Los Angeles Times. Then in September 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 98, which takes effect January 1, 2026, and establishes statewide standards for new logistics warehouses in concentration regions like Fontana, including buffer zones and a transition to zero-emission forklifts by 2030, per Holland & Knight.
Sida has pointed to broken streets, parks lacking bathrooms or shade, fewer bus benches and increasing homelessness as evidence the city needs new leadership, and she has said Fontana needs a trustworthy city council that puts people first. Warren has countered that critics have not actually met with her to seek solutions, according to the Sun. Fontana's per-capita income sits about $16,000 below California's statewide average.
A Capital Improvement Program Budget provides a longer-term framework for municipal capital projects.
Warren Points to Public Safety and Health Investments
Warren has continued to make public appearances tied to homelessness and addiction treatment ahead of the election. San Bernardino County and seven cities, including Fontana, are planning to convert a vacant warehouse into the 200-bed West End Regional Navigation Center, with service anticipated to begin in early 2027, according to CBS News. And in July, Warren joined regional health leaders to break ground on a $30 million, 70-bed expansion of the Cedar House Life Change Center in nearby Bloomington, funded by California's Proposition 1, as Hoodline previously reported. Homeless services may include street outreach, homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing and HMIS.
The current city council consists of Warren and four male council members. Fontana was incorporated in 1952, and John Roberts took office as mayor in 1992, years before Warren's tenure began.
Voter Registration Trends and What Comes Next
Voter-registration trends in San Bernardino County and California provide broader context for the race. Warren's reelection record remains part of the context for challengers.
The Fontana United slate is running in the November 3 general election, setting up a test of whether Bernie Sanders' national progressive coalition-building can translate into a win in a nonpartisan Inland Empire municipal race.
