The Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board will conduct interviews and appoint a new director to represent zone five, which includes a portion of Palm Desert, at a special public meeting on Jan. 8 at 4 p.m.
The appointment follows the Nov. 30 resignation of Director Arthur Shorr, who announced his departure in a letter dated Nov. 18. The board voted at its monthly meeting last week to fill the vacant seat through appointment rather than calling a special election.
The new director must reside in zone five. Residents can verify their eligibility by checking the district's zone map here (choose the Hummingbird Plan) or contacting the Riverside County Registrar of Voters at 951-486-7200.
Interested zone five residents have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 5 to submit a cover letter and résumé to Desert Healthcare District & Foundation CEO Chris Christensen. Applications may be sent by email to [email protected].
The special meeting will take place at the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation offices at 1140 North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs.
The appointed director will serve approximately 10 months before the seat appears on the ballot on Nov. 3, 2026. The election winner will complete the remaining two years of Shorr's four-year term, which ends in November 2028.
Shorr first joined the board in May 2019 as an appointee, replacing Director Jennifer Wortham. Voters elected him to serve in 2020 and again in 2024.
"Serving alongside a dedicated staff and elected representatives has been both an honor and privilege," Shorr said in his resignation letter. "The level of commitment and dedication to the ideal of maximizing the quality of life has been the guiding light that has manifested itself in a wide variety of positive impacts supported by district funding."
The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948 that serves more than 400,000 residents across the Coachella Valley.