Desert Sands Unified School District elections (2016)
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Three of the five seats on the Desert Sands Unified School District Board of Education were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. This election finalized the district's switch to using by-district elections, which was started in 2014. Because of the switch, two incumbents—Wendy Jonathan and Matt Monica—faced off for the Trustee Area 1 seat, and Jonathan won. In his bid for re-election to Trustee Area 3, incumbent Gary Tomak defeated challengers Christin Castellanos and Robert Sylk. The Trustee Area 4 seat was left open for a newcomer when both Jonathan and Monica filed for the Trustee Area 1 seat. The race for the seat featured candidates Cheryll Dahlin and Linda Porras, and Porras won.[1][2]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Desert Sands Unified Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Two seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and three seats were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[3]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Desert Sands Unified Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[4][5]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[6] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[7]
Candidates and results
Trustee Area 1
Results
| Desert Sands Unified School District, Trustee Area 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Wendy Jonathan Incumbent |
57.65% | 6,438 |
| Matt Monica Incumbent | 42.35% | 4,730 |
| Total Votes | 11,168 | |
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Presidential Election Official Results," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Wendy Jonathan 
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Matt Monica | ||
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Trustee Area 3
Results
| Desert Sands Unified School District, Trustee Area 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Gary Tomak Incumbent |
36.63% | 4,364 |
| Christin Castellanos | 33.62% | 4,005 |
| Robert Sylk | 29.75% | 3,545 |
| Total Votes | 11,914 | |
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Presidential Election Official Results," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Gary Tomak
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Christin Castellanos | Robert Sylk | |||
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Trustee Area 4
Results
| Desert Sands Unified School District, Trustee Area 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Linda Porras |
57.44% | 3,677 |
| Cheryll Dahlin | 42.56% | 2,725 |
| Total Votes | 6,402 | |
| Source: Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Consolidated Presidential Election Official Results," accessed December 2, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Cheryll Dahlin | Linda Porras
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with a number of statewide ballot measures as well as elections for the following offices:[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[9][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
Endorsements
The Riverside County Democratic Party endorsed Trustee Area 4 candidate Linda Porras.[11] Porras was also endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest and by the Central Labor Council AFL-CIO of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.[12]
The community organization Evolve endorsed Trustee Area 1 incumbent Wendy Jonathan and Trustee Area 3 challenger Christin Castellanos.[13] The Desert Sands Teachers' Association endorsed Porras, Jonathan, and Castellanos.[14] Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Young endorsed Jonathan and Trustee Area 1 incumbent Matt Monica. Jonathan was additionally endorsed by Palm Desert Planning Commissioner John Greenwood, Indian Wells Mayor Dana Reed, and Cathedral City Mayor Stan Henry. Monica was further endorsed by state Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-56).[12][15][16]
Indio Mayor Glenn Miller endorsed Jonathan, Trustee Area 3 incumbent Gary Tomak, and Trustee Area 4 candidate Cheryll Dahlin. La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans endorsed Jonathan and Tomak.[16]
Tomak and Dahlin were also endorsed by La Quinta City Council member Robert Radi, Indio City Council member Lupe Ramos Watson, and Palm Desert City Council member Van Tanner. Tomak was also endorsed by Dahlin as well as state Sen. Jeff Stone (R-28) and La Quinta City Council members Lee Osborne and Kristy Franklin.[12][15][16]
Dahlin was further endorsed by Jonathan as well as CCSA Advocates, state Assemblyman Chad Mayes (R-42), and Coachella City Council member Betty Sanchez.[12][16][17]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[10]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[10]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[10]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $31,731.78 and spent a total of $30,949.78 in the election, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.[18]
Trustee Area 1
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy Jonathan | $2,459.00 | $12,999.00 | $12,217.00 | $782.00 |
| Matt Monica | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Trustee Area 3
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Tomak | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Christin Castellanos | $0.00 | $14,288.00 | $14,288.00 | $0.00 |
| Robert Sylk | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Trustee Area 4
| Candidate | Existing balance | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheryll Dahlin | $0.00 | $4,444.78 | $4,444.78 | $0.00 |
| Linda Porras | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014Trustee Area 2
Trustee Area 5This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Trustee Area 5 incumbent Michael Alexander Duran won re-election by default. 2012
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What was at stake?
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About the district
The Desert Sands Unified School District is located in Riverside County in southern California. The county seat is Riverside. Riverside County was home to 2,361,026 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[19] The district was the 40th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 29,156 students.[20]
Demographics
Riverside County underperformed compared to California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2010 and 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 20.8 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Riverside County was $56,592, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 17.1 percent, compared to 16.4 percent statewide.[19]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Desert Sands Unified School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Desert Sands Unified School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List ," accessed August 19, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County, "Consolidated Presidential Election," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Desert Sands Unified School District, "Board Members," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ Desert Sands Unified School District, "BB 9220 Board Bylaws: Governing Board Elections," accessed July 7, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Contest/Candidate Proof List: 2016 General Election," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Democratic Party, "2016 Endorsed Non-Partisan Candidates," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 The Desert Sun, "Insider: School board endorsements," September 30, 2016
- ↑ Evolve, "Endorsements: November 8, 2016 General Election," accessed October 13, 2016
- ↑ The Desert Sun, "Teachers choice: Unions endorse school board candidates," October 4, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 The Desert Sun, "Insider: School board candidate endorsements," September 16, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 The Desert Sun, "Insider: School board endorsements," October 6, 2016
- ↑ CCSA Advocates, "Our Endorsements: November 2016 Elections," accessed October 27, 2016
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "County of Riverside Public Portal for Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed February 15, 2017
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 United States Census Bureau, "Riverside County, California," accessed July 6, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Riverside County Registrar of Voters, "Past Elections," accessed July 3, 2014
| 2016 Desert Sands Unified School District Elections | |
| Riverside County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Trustee Area 1: • Incumbent, Wendy Jonathan • Incumbent, Matt Monica Trustee Area 3: • Incumbent, Gary Tomak • Christin Castellanos • Robert Sylk Trustee Area 4: • Cheryll Dahlin • Linda Porras |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
