Helen Tran, 44 years old, secured re-election by winning 12,165 votes, or 54,49%, in the primary election for mayor of San Bernardino, the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States.
She significantly outpaced five other rivals in the race, with the second-place finisher, Rick Avila, receiving 2,308 votes, or 10,34%, according to vote counting results released by the San Bernardino County government.
According to San Bernardino electoral law, a candidate securing more than 50% of the votes in the primary election wins outright. If no one reaches this threshold, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election in November.
Helen Tran was elected Mayor of San Bernardino in November 2022, becoming the first Vietnamese American female mayor in the US. With this new result, she will continue to lead the San Bernardino city government for another four years.
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Helen Tran at an event in San Bernardino, California. Photo: *Facebook/MayorHelenTran* |
"Re-election is not just an honor, but a responsibility. To the families who have entrusted me with your streets, your parks, and your future: I do not take a single vote lightly. You have given me the opportunity to continue to be there for you, and I will not waste it," Helen Tran stated after her re-election.
Helen Tran was born and raised in San Bernardino. She began as an assistant city human resources manager in 2006. 10 years later, she became the youngest human resources manager in San Bernardino's history, a position overseeing recruitment, compensation, labor relations, and public employee administration within the government. She first ran for Mayor of San Bernardino in 2022 and earned the trust of 62% of voters.
San Bernardino operates under a council-manager model, where the City Manager is responsible for the daily operations of the government.
The mayor serves as the city's representative, presides over, and participates in discussions at City Council meetings, but does not vote in ordinary circumstances. The mayor only casts a decisive vote to break a tie in the council or when considering appointments for key positions and has the power to veto certain council decisions.
Duc Trung
