I often err with beetles, but I'm almost certain this is Agroporis from the excellent visual match-up with Alice's post below (and others):

 

...but I couldn't get a hold of the 1980 revision of Agroporis by R. L. Berry to help verify the genus ID and try to ascertain species.

There are just two curated posts on BG by M. Caterino placed to species:

  A. apicalis       ...and A. bicolor

It's subtle but I think the dorsal shape & width of the thorax in the apicalis post is closer to mine (and Alice's) than is that of bicolor. Furthermore, it appears the bicolor post has head black with red anteriorly (perhaps the source of the epithet?)...which would also work against it for both Alice's and my post (which, in addition, were both taken in the general vicinity of Borrego Springs, CA...i.e. in the Anza-Borrego region where M. Caterino's apicalis reference post came from). Of course there may be other candidates...but A. apicalis seems the best so far.