The Rialto City Council consists of five members — a mayor, a mayor pro tempore, and three council members. The Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Meetings are held in the Civic Center Council Chambers at 150 S. Palm Avenue. Supporting the Council are eight commissions focusing on areas such as the recreation, human relations and planning.
Mayor Deborah Robertson’s visionary and distinctive leadership style has thrust the City of Rialto into the national spotlight as a recognized leader in the areas of public-private partnerships, business development and job creation.
Mayor Robertson was elected Mayor in November 2012 – the latest achievement in a distinguished public service career that has included 12 years on the Rialto City Council, leadership positions at the Southern California Association of Governments, the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SCAG), and more than 20 years with the California Department of Transportation.
Under her tenure as mayor, Rialto has fortified its economic future at a time when many cities in California are experiencing serious financial problems. Economic growth is up, passage of initiatives such as Measure U have created millions of dollars in additional revenue streams, and Rialto is at the forefront of public-private opportunities.
Mayor Robertson has spoken before congressional committees, served as an advocate for environmental remediation due to environmental contamination, and has received recognition from the County of San Bernardino’s Public Health Department as “a visionary among city leaders in adopting healthy programs.”
In 2014, Mayor Robertson was instrumental in heralding the City of Rialto as the first e3p3 Model City that has since received state and federal recognition for area programs and services that address Environmental Sustainability, Economic Development, and Equity issues that are supported by Public-Private Partnerships.
Mayor Robertson is a leading voice on regional and national infrastructure issues. She has previously served as the Environment and Energy Chair, the Community Human, and the Public Health Subcommittee Chair for Southern California Association of Governments Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy. She is a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Water Council and Metro Economies, and a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
Councilman Joe Baca, Jr. is committed to the city of Rialto. He is a 39 year resident of the city, attending Rialto schools and graduating as an Eisenhower Eagle Class of 1987. Joe is a teacher at Rialto High School. He is also the Head Coach of the Rialto High School softball team. He is proud of the success his players have had under his leadership, including winning league championships in 2013 and 2015. Teaching and coaching at Rialto High School has helped Councilman Baca get to know many of the young people growing up in our city, and has helped him implement programs to help our youth. He and his wife Jennifer have been married for 15 years. He has three children (including a new baby) and two lovely grandchildren. He is a member of St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Rialto.
Councilman Baca, has served on the Rialto City Council since 2006. Prior to serving on the City Council, he was a member of the California State Assembly. With his legislative experience, he now serves on the Agua Mansa Executive Committee (AMIGA). He also represents the City of Rialto as a SCAG General Assembly Representative with the other local representatives, and represents the City on the Community Development Block Grant Ad Hoc Committee. Infrastructure improvement and service to the community are passions of Councilman Baca. As a Councilman he has served on the Bud Bender Ad Hoc Committee which brought to Rialto two of the only Dodger’s Dream Fields in San Bernardino County. He currently serves on the Ad Hoc Committees for Frisbie Park Project and Cactus/Randall Park Project. His passion for strong communities allowed him to be appointed to the Council Ad-Hoc Subcommittee in order to help develop the design of Phase II Citywide Parks improvements. In addition, Joe’s experience as a public school teacher helps him foster relationships and create partnerships while serving on the Rialto School District Committee.
Councilman Baca brings a wealth of experience and home grown expertise to the Rialto City Council. As he was raised in the City of Rialto, he attended local schools, including Boyd Elementary, Morgan Elementary, Frisbie Junior High, as well as Eisenhower High School. During his childhood, he was a regular participant in various youth activities, such as basketball and baseball in our community, activities that left a lasting impression on him. Councilman Baca’s strong presence and support for our youth programs and park services in the city of Rialto come from those experiences as he enjoyed participating in many of those same programs in his youth.
Councilman Baca stayed close to the community after graduating from high school. He attended our local colleges receiving his AA degree from San Bernardino Valley College, BS degree from Cal State San Bernardino, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Cal State San Bernardino, and a second Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University. His educational experience is supplemented with a six-year career in law enforcement and 12 year experience of teaching in our local classrooms, as well as his service in the California State Assembly from 2004 through 2006, where he is proud to have had nine bills signed by the Governor. He worked hard on a variety of issues he felt important to our state, including veteran benefits, education, public safety, and local government improvements, including downtown revitalization efforts.
Councilman Baca believes in giving back to the community that has been so good to him. Since he was elected to the Rialto City Council, Councilman Baca has worked diligently to increase funding for senior programs, implement after-school programs for our youth, and increase funding for our Police and Fire Departments to help make Rialto a safe city for its residents. Councilman Baca’s love for the city he has called home for 39 years is shown by his regular presence at civic events throughout the city. He is proud of his service to the city of Rialto, and thankful to the citizens for giving him the opportunity to serve the city he calls home.
The primary responsibilities of the City Clerk’s Department are to plan and manage the operations of maintaining official records and documents, conduct all municipal and general elections, prepare agendas and minutes for the Rialto City Council and performs special assignments as assigned by the Mayor and City Council. The City Clerk is the liaison to the Human Relations Commission, the Cable Advisory Commission and the Mobile Home Rent Review Commission. The City Clerk’s Department provides services to Rialto Residents, community groups, current and future Rialto Business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as other cities. The City Clerk position is an elected four (4) year term office.
Current term expires 2020 — City Treasurer Edward J. Carrillo, resident of Rialto since May 1990, is Owner and CEO of a State Farm Insurance Agency in Rialto, CA. He was appointed to the office of Treasurer in October 19, 1999 to complete then-City Treasurer Tom Hallum’s term in office. He was first elected to office in November 7, 2000, re-elected 2004 and 2008.
Stephen Erlandson graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a BA in Business Administration (concentration in accounting) and an MBA (concentration in accounting). He is also a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Stephen’s career began in the private sector as a Cost Accountant and Controller, specifically in manufacturing and aerospace. Asked to commit fraud at both of his private sector employers, Stephen decided he wanted to catch “the bad guys” and made a career transition into public accounting at a local independent accounting firm specializing in audits of local government, not-for-profit, and special district entities. Not finding one instance of fraud on any of his engagements, Stephen accepted a position with the City of Redondo Beach as Accounting/Licensing Manager where he was responsible for the City’s financial accounting and reporting, grants management, business licensing, animal licensing, and film permitting. After almost five years in the South Bay, Stephen returned home, so to speak, and accepted a position with the City of Laguna Niguel as Director of Finance/City Treasurer with Citywide responsibility for accounting, long-term financial planning, investment portfolio management, and information technology, in addition to serving for a half year as Interim City Manager.
Stephen has a passion for learning and teaching, which is why he decided to enter the field of academia part-time teaching courses in financial accounting while concurrently maintaining his full-time position with the City of Rialto.
With the very little spare time that he has, Stephen loves travelling, movies, music, playing pool, golf, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.
