Indio's police officers union has thrown its support behind two City Council challengers instead of the sitting incumbents who helped build the department's new public safety campus, setting up a pointed fight over law enforcement credibility ahead of the November 3 election. The Indio Police Officers Association Political Action Committee endorsed Gloria Hernandez in District 2 and Andrea “A.J.” Dolan Bouchard in District 3, passing over incumbents Waymond Fermon and Mayor Elaine Holmes.
The endorsements, first reported by Uken Report, land in a race where Indio voters will fill three four-year district seats — Districts 2, 3 and 4 — in the city's November 3 election, according to the City of Indio. Current Councilmember Glenn Miller has joined the union PAC in backing the challengers, saying, per the Uken Report, that “A.J. and Gloria are very well-qualified and have a skill set that will help bring Indio to the next level.” Indio councilmember Ben Guitron is also supporting the pair, telling the outlet that “The city needs to be looking forward. It’s time for a change.”
Two Incumbents With Deep Law Enforcement Ties
The union snub is notable given both incumbents' own backgrounds in public safety. Fermon, first elected to the council in 2018, went on to become Indio's first Black American mayor, per the Uken Report's reporting, and previously served as a public safety officer for the State of California. He graduated from Indio High School in 1998 and completed the College of the Desert's first Public Safety Academy before working as a state correctional officer at Calipatria State Prison and serving on regional gang task forces, according to the City of Indio. He also chaired the Coachella Valley Association of Governments Public Safety Committee for six years.
Fermon says his tenure speaks for itself. “His record reflects his commitment to public safety,” the Uken Report reported, adding that he helped deliver Indio's new public safety campus and invested in police staffing, training and equipment. He has picked up endorsements from Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz, Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, Karin Eugenio and Ron Oden, per the same report, and says he plans to keep running “a positive campaign and engaging directly with residents.”
Holmes, who represents District 3 covering the northeast and southeast sections of Indio, has an even longer municipal résumé. She was first elected to the council in 2010 in an at-large election and won re-election in 2014, 2018 and 2022, according to LegiStorm. She has served as mayor in 2013, 2017 and 2021 and began her latest term as mayor in December 2025. The Uken Report reports Holmes has stood behind the K9 program and supported the new police department campus, but she declined to comment for the story.
The Public Safety Campus Backdrop
The endorsements arrive against the backdrop of one of the city's largest recent capital projects. The initial 43,000-square-foot phase of Indio's Public Safety Campus — housing Fire Station No. 1, a regional dispatch center and a public safety services building — was completed in October 2024, according to Tilden-Coil Constructors. In June, the city held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new $45 million Police Headquarters, the final phase of the campus, per a report shared by NBC Palm Springs; the facility is expected to be finished around winter 2027 or 2028. Both incumbents have pointed to that pipeline of projects as evidence of their commitment to law enforcement, even as the union looks elsewhere.
Who The Challengers Are
Hernandez, who is challenging Fermon in District 2, brings 25 years of city service and lists the IPOA and the Police Command Unit Association among her top endorsements in a questionnaire dated August 18, per the Uken Report. Her campaign focuses on public safety, neighborhood investment and financial responsibility.
Bouchard, challenging Holmes in District 3, is an attorney and law professor who practices at Dolan Law Offices, according to Dolan Law Offices. Her campaign centers on public safety, strong neighborhoods and responsible governance.
Bouchard practices at the firm built by John Patrick Dolan, whose defense work has drawn scrutiny in the campaign. Dolan Law Offices was built around death penalty defense work, and Dolan represented the man convicted of murdering Palm Springs officers Gil Vega and Lesley Zerebny, the Uken Report noted. The Uken Report also discussed the firm’s history. That firm history has become a point of political commentary as the police union's endorsement of Bouchard draws attention.
Questions Over the Endorsement Process
Fermon has raised concerns about how the union arrived at its picks. He said he received no further communication or interview opportunity from the IPOA after submitting its questionnaire, according to the Uken Report, and said “all candidates deserve a fair opportunity to be heard.” Indio 4 Change, described as a community watchdog group dedicated to transparency and accountability in Indio city government, has called for a transparent and fair police union endorsement process, saying voters deserve a transparent process behind the IPOA PAC's public-safety endorsement claim.
The political fight is unfolding as Indio continues to grow. The city, the largest municipality in the Coachella Valley, was recently awarded a share of $11.3 million in Prohousing Incentive Program grant funding from California state housing officials, as Hoodline reported in August. Council members have also been weighing changes to city rules on massage establishments in recent weeks, part of the broader municipal agenda incumbents and challengers alike will inherit after the November 3 vote. Campaign-finance filing requirements apply as the race heads into its final stretch.
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