CVUSD Candidate Calls on Jocelyn Vargas to Resign

CVUSD School Board Candidate Calls on Board Vice President Jocelyn Vargas to Resign and Withdraw from Political Race

MECCA. – Less than 24 hours after Uken Report broke the news that Jocelyn Vargas, a Coachella Valley Unified School District Trustee does not live in the District she represents, a candidate for seat on the board is calling for her to resign and withdraw from the race.

“I believe that that is the right thing for her to do in this situation,” Carissa Carrera, CVTA President Carissa Carrera told Uken Report. “Based on the evidence that’s been shared about her new home.”

Candidate Adrian Rodriguez does not stop with a call for her resignation.

“Later today, I will formally submit a complaint to the Riverside County Public Integrity Office of the District Attorney’s Office, calling for a full investigation into this matter,” he said.

Vargas did not return two calls from Uken Report on Thursday. Two attempts to reach her on Friday were unsuccessful. There was no ability to leave a message.

In a statement to Uken Report, Rodriguez, a candidate in the upcoming March election, said he is calling on School Board Vice President Vargas to immediately resign from her position at Coachella Valley Unified School District and withdraw from the March 4, 2025, Special Election.

“Recent evidence reported by the Uken Report reveals that she has established her primary residency outside of Area 4 and even beyond the school district’s boundaries,” Adrian Rodriguez, CVUSD School Board Candidate for Area 4, said in a statement. “Our students, teachers, and staff deserve honest and accountable leadership from board members who live within the district and are committed to representing their best interests—not those of special interests.

“As CVUSD faces a severe budget deficit and the threat of hundreds of staff and teacher layoffs due to her poor leadership and decision-making, we need lawful and transparent governance.”

According to property records and a Deed of Trust, Vargas owns a home in Indio and resides in the Desert Sands Unified School District. As a CVUSD Trustee in Area 4, she is required to live not only within the school district boundaries but also specifically within the Mecca trustee area. Vargas currently serves as vice president of the board. She has served on the board since running unopposed in 2020.

As reported earlier, in 2017, Coachella Valley Unified School Board member Frank Becerra was charged with felony perjury for allegedly providing a false address on his election paperwork so he could win in a voting district where he did not actually live.