Only two local districts need election to fill seats

The number of local agencies with seats on the November ballot has winnowed to two from possibly three. Only the Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) and the Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) will have candidates this fall. the Idyllwild Water District (IWD) will no longer need an election to fill the two seats whose terms expire in December.
If an incumbent board member, commissioner or trustee chooses not to seek reelection, the deadline for filing is extended for possible new candidates. HUSD, IFPD and IWD have an incumbent retiring. Consequently, the deadline for anyone else to file candidacy papers for seats on those boards was extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17.
No new candidates stepped up to challenge the already qualified candidates. But HUSD already had three candidates for two seats. So HUSD will have voters choosing trustees for Area 7 (the Hill and Anza).
Besides IWD, Pine Cove Water District (PCWD) will not need an election.

HUSD
Vic Scavarda, one of HUSD’s Area 7 (which includes the Hill, Garner Valley and Anza) trustees, chose to retire, which is why the filing deadline for HUSD was extended to Aug. 17. No new candidate filed, but there already were three candidates qualified to fill one seat. Last spring, a redistricting of the trustee areas resulted in just one seat in Area 7 whereas before spring, the area was called Area 5 and had two seats.
Incumbent trustee Megan Haley, Al Fernandes, a retired educator, and Jeremy Parsons, a law enforcement officer, are the three candidates who previously filed and qualified to be on the November ballot.

IFPD
Four candidates will be on the November ballot for three IFPD commission seats. Commission President Henry Sawicki, Rhonda Andrewson, Dan Messina and Stephanie Yost, president of the Idyllwild Community Center, will be the four people seeking one of three seats.

IWD
Two candidates — Steve Olson and Gene “Geno” Schneider — have qualified for the two seats whose terms are expiring in December.
Olson was appointed to the board in June 2021 to finish the term of former Commissioner David Hunt who had resigned. Schneider is a longtime Idyllwild resident.

PCWD
Three seats have terms expiring in December and all three incumbents — President Robert Hewitt, Lou Padula and Rose Venard — will be reelected. No one chose to challenge them, so an election is not necessary and later this fall the board of supervisors will officially appoint them to new terms.