Five Desert Healthcare District Board Seats Will Be Open for Election in November 2026
Coachella Valley voters will have an opportunity on November 3 to elect five Directors to the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board.
The open seats are the result of four Directors' terms ending and another Director's resignation. The Board consists of seven Directors, one for each of the District's seven geographic zones encompassing the entire Coachella Valley.
The 2026 ballot will include the following seats:
Zone 1: formerly occupied by Riverside County executive Greg Rodriguez who resigned in June 2026.
Zone 2: occupied by Carole Rogers, RN, MPH, who has served on the Board since 2014.
Zone 4: occupied by Evett PerezGil, a community health worker and volunteer, who was first elected in November 2018.
Zone 5: occupied by attorney Anyse Smith, who was appointed in January 2026 to serve the remainder of Arthur Shorr's term. Shorr passed away in 2025.
Zone 6: occupied by consultant Kimberly Barraza, who was elected in 2022 and currently serves as Board president.
The remaining Board seats are occupied by Dr. Daniel Logsdon (Zone 3), a cardiothoracic surgeon, and Leticia DeLara (Zone 7), CEO of the Regional Access Project Foundation. Their terms are not ending this year.
For valley residents who are interested in seeking election to the Board, the nomination period is July 13 - Aug. 7. However, incumbents have until Aug. 12 to file their papers to run again.
New candidates may obtain nomination documents in two ways. The first way is from the Riverside County Registrar of Voters at 2720 Gateway Drive in Riverside. Learn more about the election requirements.
Another option is to make an appointment with Andrea Hayles, Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board Relations Officer, at 1140 N. Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. Her email is ahayles@dhcd.org.
Appointments may be made between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the following dates: July 14-July 17 and July 27-31.
To see which zone you're eligible to run in, check out the interactive District map (Please select the "Hummingbird Plan.").
About the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation
The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to improve health access and outcomes for all District residents through strategic funding and partnership-building to advance resilient communities. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral healthcare. Learn more.