College of the Desert board election: Former candidate Nestande endorses Aurora Wilson

Former state Assemblymember Brian Nestande has endorsed Aurora Wilson in her race to defend a College of the Desert board seat against the school's former superintendent/president Joel Kinnamon.

Nestande had been a challenger for Wilson's seat before announcing in August that he was ineligible to run in her district. He lives just blocks outside of Trustee Area 4, which includes a sliver of Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, some of Indian Wells and most of Palm Desert. The college had posted on its website a map of trustee areas that incorrectly displayed the boundaries.

More: Map mix-up knocks Brian Nestande out of COD trustees race, months after he launched campaign

More: Brian Nestande says he'll pursue seat on COD Board of Trustees, challenging Aurora Wilson

"I think the board is going in the right direction," Nestande told The Desert Sun on Monday, citing an in-depth presentation on the long-proposed Palm Springs campus the board heard at its last meeting in September.

Whether the college should spend over $300 million of bond money to build that campus and what types of programs it should offer there has become a central issue in two COD Board elections this fall. Fundraising for those races is far outpacing that for previous COD board elections and even some local city council seats with candidates raising over $200,000.

"Aurora understands the need for the Palm Springs campus, and she's also been prudent and given careful consideration to listening to various points of views and looking at the data," Nestande said. "I think she's taking a good approach to it, and is committed to building out not just Palm Springs but the whole district."

Since Nestande dropped out of the race, the COD board has reviewed multiple reports on the proposed Palm Springs campus and its other locations. A study prepared by an independent consultant warned the college it might not be able to afford $1.5 million annual operating costs to support the Palm Springs campus if built as planned.

Meanwhile, elected officials from the City of Coachella, including Mayor Steven Hernandez, and members of the Coachella Valley Unified School Board have called on COD to expand its facilities on the east side of the valley.

Of $65,000 Nestande raised for his aborted bid, campaign records filed in September show that he had contributed $4,500 to Steven Hernandez's campaign to remain mayor of Coachella and another $1,000 to Greg Wallis' campaign for Assembly District 47, which includes much of the Coachella Valley and extends into Yucaipa and Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County. Nestande says the rest of the money has been returned to donors, and the account is closed.

Endorsements across the aisle

Of the two candidates that Nestande contributed to, Hernandez is a Democrat and Wallis is a Republican.

Wallis' opponent for state Assembly, Democrat Christy Holstege of the Palm Springs City Council, has endorsed Kinnamon in this race.

Holstege recently exchanged barbs with Hernandez: Each accused the other of participating in backroom real estate deals with the college.

Although the COD board seat is a non-partisan office, Nestande, a Republican, received a $500 campaign contribution from the East Valley Republican Women Patriots.

Wilson, a registered Democrat between 2002 and 2010 and again since May was a Republican between 2010 and 2021 and briefly again in 2022. She has received a $1,000 campaign donation from the Democratic Women of the Desert. Wilson, a trustee since 2013, switched her political affiliation from Republican to no party preference last year. This year, between March and May she changed back to Republican and then to Democrat. Her late husband, Roy, represented the Coachella Valley as a Republican on the county board of supervisors from 1994 until shortly before he died in 2009.

“Why does it matter?” Wilson told the Uken Report in July. “It’s a nonpartisan office. I will continue making good decisions as I have for the past eight years.”

Nestande said Wilson's political philosophy is closer to his own than Kinnamon's. Kinnamon is a Democrat, as well.

"I don't see this as necessarily a partisan race, but I do think she aligns more with my thinking in that regard, understanding see switched parties for whatever reasons," Nestande said.

Prominent Democrats have endorsed Wilson, including state Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. She also has received an endorsement from a top nonpartisan county official, Riverside County Board of Education Superintendent of Schools, Edwin Gomez. A full list of her endorsements can be found on her campaign website: aurora4cod.com/about.

Kinnamon has received endorsements from several members of the Palm Springs and Cathedral City councils, among other officials across the valley, mostly Democrats. A full list of his endorsements can be found on his campaign website: joel4cod.com.

Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com or @Writes_Jonathan.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Former COD board candidate Brian Nestande endorses Aurora Wilson