Incumbents face challengers in Divisions 1, 3 and 5
Hesperia, Calif. (Our Hesperia) – Eight candidates are running for three open Hesperia Recreation and Park District Board of Directors seats on Nov. 3, 2026, including all three incumbent directors elected in 2022. Shawna Irish, who represents Division 1, faces off against challengers Rhonda June Young and Sherri Louise Kastilahn. Jose Gonzalez, representing Division 3, faces Don Bartz. In Division 5, James Roberts III is defending his seat against challengers James Michael Rodrigues and Gary “Griz” Drylie.
The election will be critical in determining how the Hesperia Recreation and Park District will manage its growing workload of park development, renovations, recreation programming and maintenance in the coming years. HRPD may appear to be connected to the City of Hesperia, but it is actually a different entity — an independent public agency with its own five-member elected board, administration and service jurisdiction. Directors serve four-year terms and establish policies for HRPD.
A park district that pre-dates incorporation of the City of Hesperia
The Hesperia Recreation and Park District has operated since 1957 — 31 years before the City of Hesperia became a city on July 1, 1988. HRPD says that the district was formed as the community grew to form the community recreational parks and facilities we see today. Originally, HRPD provided playgrounds and athletic fields, but has expanded to include sports facilities, community centers and aquatic facilities.
Today, HRPD covers roughly 100 square miles. The district’s service territory includes the City of Hesperia, along with parts of Oak Hills, Summit Valley and Phelan, that lie outside the city’s borders. The district provides maintenance and landscaping of parks and streets in the district. The district also provides aquatics, camps, classes, dance, music, health and fitness programs, and sports programming. Sources of revenue include property taxes, grants, developer dedication/in-lieu fees, lighting and landscape assessments and community facilities districts.
Robert Hernandez serves as the district’s general manager. Current HRPD staff include Frances Schauwecker, executive district clerk; David Quiroz, finance manager; DanYell Johnsen, recreation manager; and Mayra Padilla, human resources specialist. District headquarters are located at 16292 Lime Street in Hesperia.
Division 1
Shawna Irish — Incumbent
Irish is listed first because she is the incumbent Director from Division 1. Irish was elected in 2018 and appointed in lieu of election to another term in 2022, having almost eight years of board service by the 2026 election.
According to HRPD, Irish has resided in Hesperia for over 40 years and works as an office manager. Irish’s committee assignments for 2026 include Foundation, Finance, Event, Recreation and Development, including chair of the Event Committee and vice chair on several other committees.
Public contact: directorirish@hesperiaparks.gov; Hesperia Recreation and Park District, 760-244-5488.
Rhonda June Young — Challenger
Young is seeking the District 1 seat and is not a current member of the Hesperia Recreation and Park District Board of Directors. No reliable public information has been found on this candidate without speculation.
No public information was directly found for this candidate.
Sherri Louise Kastilahn — Challenger
Like Young, Kastilahn is seeking the District 1 seat and is not a current member of the Hesperia Recreation and Park District Board of Directors. The State Bar of California’s records list Sherri Louise Kastilahn as an active attorney practicing in Hesperia. She was admitted to the California Bar in December 1995, giving her over 30 years of legal practice.
Public professional contact: 760-948-0927; SherriLKastilahn@aol.com. No separate verified 2026 campaign contact information was found.
Division 3
Jose Gonzalez — Incumbent
Gonzalez is listed first because he is the incumbent District 3 director, and also has the most HRPD board service experience of the three incumbents seeking reelection in 2026.
Gonzalez has served on the HRPD board since 2015. Board records show that Gonzalez was appointed in 2015 and 2017, elected in 2018 and appointed in lieu of election in 2022, giving him almost 11 years of board experience at the time of the November election.
HRPD says that Gonzalez has resided in Hesperia since 1980, attended Hesperia schools and Victor Valley College, and played HRPD baseball, soccer and recreation as a youth. His committee assignments for 2026 include Foundation, Tri-Agency, Event and City Relations committees.
Public contact: directorgonzalez@hesperiaparks.gov; 760-244-5488.
Don Bartz — Challenger
Bartz comes to this race with many years of special district management experience. Bartz is the general manager of the Phelan Piñon Hills Community Services District, which provides water, park and recreation, solid waste and street lighting services to an adjoining portion of the High Desert. Bartz has managed PPHCSD since its creation in 2008.
Bartz also holds the Certified Special District Manager designation and serves on the California Special Districts Association Board of Directors, as secretary according to the association’s current leadership list. According to a candidate information sheet that CSDA compiled for the 2026-28 board term, Bartz has served the district for 17 years as of the preparation of the sheet.
Previous information from CSDA also shows Bartz serving at that time as an appointed member of Hesperia planning commission. This should be distinguished from the current commission, as he is not listed here as a current Hesperia planning commissioner.
Public professional contact: 760-868-1212; dbartz@pphcsd.org. No separate verified 2026 campaign contact was found.
Division 5
James Roberts III — Incumbent
Roberts is listed first because he is the incumbent Director from Division 5, as well as having served as the board president in 2025. Roberts was first elected in 2020 and was re-elected in 2022, giving him almost six years of board experience in 2026. HRPD says that Roberts has a law enforcement background in his biography.
Roberts served as the board president in 2025 and was again identified as president in March 2026 district agenda. Roberts’ committee assignments for 2026 include Development Review, Safety, Security and Maintenance, Recreation, and Personnel, and vice chair of Policy Review committee.
Public contact: jroberts@hesperiaparks.gov; 760-244-5488.
James Michael Rodrigues — Challenger
Rodrigues is seeking the District 5 seat and is not a current HRPD director. A publicly accessible campaign site identifies James Michael Rodrigues specifically for the Hesperia Recreation and Park District Division 5 race. However, reliable biographical information, clearly attributable to this individual, is sparse, and records that pertain to other people with the same name have not been considered.
Contact: No verified public campaign contact information was directly found for this candidate.
Gary “Griz” Drylie — Challenger
Drylie is also seeking the District 5 seat, but is not a current HRPD director. HRPD records show that Drylie was appointed to the Hesperia Area Recreation District Foundation on Feb. 23, 2006. He has been the Foundation’s chair and vice chair. HRPD continued to list him as vice chair of the Foundation in 2024. He also serves as the Historical Preservation Committee’s facilitator, helping with projects such as Junior Historians, Hesperia trivia, geocaching and museum events.
Drylie is also known for his contribution to the preservation of Hesperia’s history. He authored the 2010 book Hesperia, and was identified as the curator of the Old Town Hesperia Museum and historical collections held in Harrison Exhibit Center. HRPD also notes that he received Greater High Desert Chamber of Commerce Accolade Award in 2023.
The public contact that was previously identified for Drylie in connection with his historical activities is OldTownGriz18@gmail.com. It was cited in a 2021 publication of High Desert California Writers Club, but it has not been independently verified as the 2026 campaign email.
Four years of projects and accomplishments of the district
Irish, Gonzalez and Roberts were first elected in 2022 and reelected that year. During this term, HRPD has pursued an ambitious plan of capital projects. These accomplishments belong to the district as a whole, including decisions by the board, staff work, public funding and contractors, and not solely to any of the incumbents.
The first major accomplishment was approved in April 2024 when the board unanimously voted to approve the district’s application for $2 million in Budget Act grant funds from the state for the purpose of relocation and construction of the modernized district corporation yard. All three incumbents — Irish, Gonzalez and Roberts — voted for this resolution.
HRPD has also been working on projects related to Proposition 68, namely continuing the work at Lime Street Park. The current list of HRPD’s projects include the dog park and skate park construction at Timberlane Park, Maple Park Phase II, Power Play Center parking and event center, interior revitalization of Percy Bakker Community Center, and a sports park construction at Hesperia Community Park. Projects for HRPD as a whole include HVAC upgrades, solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations.
In June 2026, the district started the improvements of Palm Street Park, with plans including construction of free shaded splash pad, dog park, walking trails, and new restroom facilities.
Emergency recovery from disasters has also been one of the major accomplishments of the current term. HRPD experienced a winter storm in December 2025, causing damage to Percy Bakker Community Center, Timberlane Park and Hesperia Lake Park. HRPD is pursuing recovery funds at county, state and federal level, with several facilities reopening in 2026 during the recovery process.
Another major accomplishment of the current term has been the transition to a .gov domain of the district’s primary website to HesperiaParks.gov in March 2026.
Hesperia and district statistics
It is important to distinguish the differences between Hesperia boundaries and the service area of the HRPD. While Hesperia Public Works describes Hesperia as covering about 73.2 square miles, HRPD says that the park district operates within an area of roughly 100 square miles because HRPD service territory goes beyond the city’s boundaries into unincorporated areas.
According to Hesperia, the city’s population as of 2025 was 100,964 with the High Desert trade area population exceeding 550,000. Hesperia’s labor force was around 43,000 people, with 6.5% unemployment rate in 2025. The city estimated over 32,000 housing units, and had average daily traffic at I-15 and Main Street exceeding 135,000 vehicles in 2026.
Rachel Molina serves as Hesperia city manager, while Hernandez is the manager of the Hesperia Recreation and Park District. This means that HRPD directors do not control municipal police services, city roads and other departments of Hesperia City Hall.
What voters will decide Nov. 3
Three separate races will be decided by Hesperia voters on Nov. 3, 2026. In Division 1, Irish, with eight years on the HRPD board, is competing against two challengers. In Division 3, Gonzalez, with nearly 11 years on the board, is competing against Bartz, who has nearly two decades of special district management experience. In Division 5, Roberts will defend his six years of board service against challengers Rodrigues and Drylie, both of whom have been involved in the district and Hesperia’s history for nearly two decades.
San Bernardino County will start distributing mail ballots to the US Post Office beginning Oct. 5, which is also when early voting begins. The regular voter registration deadline is Oct. 19. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. The county has until Dec. 3 to conduct official canvass and certify results of the election. The Registrar of Voters can be contacted at 909-387-8300.
The three winners of these elections will help shape the course of the upcoming 70 years of history of the HRPD while facing challenges of balancing new projects, maintenance, disaster recovery, safety and many other issues.
