# Morongo Unified School District (local, San Bernardino County)

URL: https://www.californiapeople.org/local/morongo-usd

- title: Morongo Unified School District
- type: district
- cities: [twentynine-palms, yucca-valley]
- areas: [Joshua Tree, Morongo Valley, Landers]

## Key findings
- **Two contested board seats.** Several candidates say they're running because of parents' frustration over **school closures, executive pay and transparency**. [^1]
- **Area 1** (parts of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree; 2-year term after Karalee Hargrove resigned in May): appointed incumbent **Melissa "Missy" Bond** vs. **Ruben Rodriguez** and **Vadim Altschuler**.
- **Area 5** (parts of Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley): incumbent **Roberta Meyers** vs. **Juan Carlos Pineiro** and **Linda Hamilton**.
- Area 4 (board president Christopher Claire) is unopposed. [^1]

## Trustee Area 1
### Melissa "Missy" Bond (incumbent, appointed)
- Appointed to fill the seat until this election. [^1]
### Ruben Rodriguez
- Answered the Desert Trumpet's questionnaire. [^1]
### Vadim Altschuler
- Answered the Desert Trumpet's questionnaire. [^1]

## Trustee Area 5
### Roberta Meyers (incumbent)
- Current trustee. [^1]
### Juan Carlos Pineiro
- Has a campaign site. [^1]
### Linda Hamilton
- The Desert Trumpet couldn't reach this candidate. [^1]

## Sources
[^1]: Desert Trumpet, Morongo Basin candidate and measure list (2026). https://www.deserttrumpet.org/p/local-elections-the-morongo-basin