Helen Tran

Helen Tran

Nonpartisan

Mayor of San Bernardino

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

Predecessor

John Valdivia

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of California, Santa Cruz, 2004

Personal

Birthplace

San Diego, Calif.

Profession

Risk Management Department Director

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Helen Tran is the Mayor of San Bernardino in California. She assumed office on December 21, 2022. Her current term ends in 2026.

Tran ran for election for Mayor of San Bernardino in California. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Tran completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Helen Tran was born in San Diego, California. Tran's professional experience includes working as a human resources and risk management department director for West Covina. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2004.

Elections

2022

See also: Mayoral election in San Bernardino, California (2022)

General election

General election for Mayor of San Bernardino

Helen Tran defeated James F. Penman in the general election for Mayor of San Bernardino on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Helen Tran (Nonpartisan)	62.8	16,869
		James F. Penman (Nonpartisan)	37.2	10,002

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,871
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of San Bernardino

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of San Bernardino on June 7, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Helen Tran (Nonpartisan)	41.7	7,310
✔		James F. Penman (Nonpartisan)	20.0	3,510
		John Valdivia (Nonpartisan)	16.9	2,970
		Treasure Ortiz (Nonpartisan)	13.5	2,375
		Henry Gomez Nickel (Nonpartisan)	4.1	728
		Gabriel Jaramillo (Nonpartisan)	2.6	459
		Mohammad Khan (Nonpartisan)	1.1	197

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,549
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Tran's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Helen Tran completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Tran's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a public servant, non-profit leader, and mother of three. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees in search of the American Dream, I grew up in San Bernardino. After graduating from Cajon High School, I was first in my family to graduate from college, earning my bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz.

My professional experience started in high school, when I worked as a grassroots organizer, helping elect candidates across Southern California. In 2006, I began working for the City as the Executive Assistant to the Director of Human Resources. Ten years later, I became the youngest Director of Human Resources for the City of San Bernardino.

I am passionate about giving back to my community, and understand the importance of reciprocity and engagement. I devote much of my time to civic leadership, taking on numerous roles in the city, including: School-Site Councilmember for Bob Holcomb Elementary; member of the Verdemont Revitalization Project; member of San Bernardino League of Women Voters; member of the National Women’s Political Caucus; member of the Rotary Club of San Bernardino; member of Kiwanis; Board Member of Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino; and member of the County Trails Committee. I've served as a member of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Commission.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Restoring Trust in Local Government: I want to build a transparent and visible functioning local government to help rebuild years of lost trust after the bankruptcy and other scandals. This will require bringing together important community leaders and practicing good governance in the city. Additionally, I want to develop partnerships with the County of San Bernardino and the State of California to facilitate shared services throughout the city, which would allow for improved services and savings. I want to focus on simple good governance in the form of expanding parks and open space, rebuilding streets and sidewalks, and removing trash and other blight from our streets.
• COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of businesses closed their doors, and thousands of residents lost secure jobs. Much of the progress made since the Great Recession was wiped out in a matter of months. I understand that changes are necessary for San Bernardino to attract high-paying jobs, which is why I will fight to invest in infrastructure using federal and state dollars to rebuild roads and telecommunications infrastructure to attract growing companies. I will streamline permitting for businesses that are building and expanding. I will work to revitalize downtown San Bernardino by reducing homelessness, incentivizing new business development, and hosting additional community multicultural events.
• Reducing Homelessness: As Mayor, I will work to build housing and emergency accommodations fast by identifying new funding and cutting red tape to ensure that there are places for people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness to go. I will expand mental health services within the city, county, and state levels to create new comprehensive mental health care so that those with severe mental illness are in treatment, not on the sidewalk. I will work with drug and alcohol treatment service providers to help unhoused people transition to stable life and employment and break destructive patterns of behavior.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about budgeting. In the past I have witnesses and been present as the City of San Bernardino went through the crisis of a very painful bankruptcy. In the court process I attended all of the meetings. These were "Judge Jury". Ultimately they resulted in a multi-million dollar decision where I got to play my role in saving the city $300 million. It is with the combined knowledge of running a department budget and much larger problem solving that I know I am ready to dig and do my part.

I am also heavily focused on economic recovery. Not just from COVID-19 but even before. I will work to attract more businesses to San Bernardino. We need to bring in a variety of businesses to bolster the economy and wake up the sleeping giant that San Bernardino is.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My parents made the decision to escape Vietnam in hopes of making it to America. In such a dangerous situation this was honestly a small hope. They were separated from each other and had to do everything they could to bring themselves and my sister back together to not just America, but El Cajon. Probably the most different place you can think of from Vietnam. It’s is just big. Eventually, with my family finally in tact, my parents made their way to San Bernardino, California. Another huge change. They had me and my brother. All the while they faced change after change. Move after move. Never slowing down. Never giving up. How could I not look up to my parents? They didn’t just teach me perseverance. They taught me hope, courage, kindness, and so much more. All in the face of change and what could be the worst days. All so that I can glow on my best days.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

It is extremely important than an elected official be able to stay calm, especially during the most stressful of times. There will be no shortage of them, so, an even demeanor will be needed when thinking through difficult problems. This not to say that this person should be soft spoken. They should be firm enough to get the point across and keep everyone else calm enough to think. That is what real leadership is.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would love to have the legacy of a thriving San Bernardino. If everyone has an improved quality of life from food to housing then my legacy will be more than I could ever dream of.

A mayor is a leader in his or her city. What does that mean to you?

The mayor should be a bridge builder within the city. Helping the City Council to reach a decision without it being a personal issue. Reaching out to bring business in. Working with programs for community growth. The mayor is not a person to boss people around but rather a person to bring people together. Unite them around their common goals and find ways to work towards it in a way that makes sense for all.

What do you love most about your city?

San Bernardino has a rich and vibrant life. I call it the sleeping giant for a reason. Yes, the roads have fallen into disrepair and the homeless population is up but these are just signs that we need to take care of our city. We still have the historic Route 66 that is, and should be celebrated. We have hosted Presidents, Wyatt Earp, and even the first McDonald's. What I really love is the people we have now. They are so very specific to the city and they make proud. The food scene here is also amazing, too. I am constantly in awe of the many talents in this city. It really is the sleeping giant. And the more the City puts in the them the more the giant will wake up.

What do you perceive to be your city's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The biggest challenge will be re-building trust. So much of that has been lost between scandals, bankruptcy and generally feeling unsafe. The bankruptcy is behind us. The scandals will largely be handled between a combination of change in administration and full transparency. One of my major goals is to execute a forensic audit. As for safety, it is my hope that we can work with the police department to attract more applicants to our police department and get our numbers up to where they were before the bankruptcy.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by John Valdivia	Mayor of San Bernardino 2022-Present	Succeeded by -