Leadership & How the City Runs

Learn how San Bernardino city government works and discover practical ways to speak up, get involved, and shape your community.
About this Event

Your voice matters in shaping San Bernardino’s future.

Local decisions influence our neighborhoods, public services, and community resources. Understanding how those decisions happen is an important step toward making your voice heard.

Join us at the Garcia Center for the Arts for Leadership & How the City Runs, a workshop designed to help residents understand how city government operates, who makes decisions, and how to get involved. Whether you want to speak up about a community need, better understand the city budget, or find out who to contact for help, this workshop will give you a place to start.

Event details

Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
Time: 12:00–2:00 PM
Location: The Garcia Center for the Arts, San Bernardino

Happening in the Auditorium marked (6) on the map below.

What you’ll learn

• Who does what: Explore the roles of the mayor, City Council, city manager, and city commissions.
• How decisions happen: Understand how local policies, budgets, and city services are shaped and put into action.
• How residents make a difference: Learn how individual participation and collective community action can influence local government.
• Where to get connected: Find your elected representatives, access public meeting information, communicate concerns, and request city services.

Who should attend?

San Bernardino residents, youth, community leaders, and anyone interested in learning more about local government and strengthening their role in the community.

Leave ready to take a next step.

You’ll identify at least one practical way to participate in local decision-making or advocate for a community need—from contacting your representative to attending a public meeting or working with neighbors around a shared concern.

Register to join us and build the knowledge, tools, and confidence to help shape your city.

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Thank you to CIELO Fund (@cielofund) for supporting an inland civic engagement initiative to engage our communities with nonpartisan workshops and voter information they need to participate confidently and meaningfully in our democracy.