Voter Petition Forces Vacancy Of MVUSD Trustee Seat

MURRIETA, CA — The Murrieta Valley Unified School Board’s decision to appoint a trustee instead of holding an election has been overturned after residents gathered enough signatures to legally challenge the move.

The petition seeking to overturn the provisional appointment of a trustee to the district's governing board was officially certified, triggering the immediate vacancy of the seat, organizers announced.

The petition was certified on Dec. 19, according to One Temecula Valley Political Action Committee. Of the 329 signatures submitted, 255 were verified as valid, surpassing the 200 signatures needed to qualify the petition.

Under state law, once a petition challenging a provisional appointment is deemed sufficient, the appointee must step down immediately.

Earlier this year, the MVUSD Governing Board appointed Josefine Hartley to serve as trustee for Area 3 following the resignation of Yvonne Muñoz, which became on Sept. 15.

“This certification is a clear affirmation of community engagement and the public’s right to have a direct voice in who represents them on the school board,” representatives from The Murrieta Schools Team and Support Murrieta Schools said in a statement. “The voters of Trustee Area 3 organized, participated, and followed the process outlined in law — and that process worked.”

With the seat now vacant, the next steps will move forward in accordance with California law to ensure Trustee Area 3 is represented through a transparent and democratic process, as directed by the Riverside County Registrar of Voters and the Riverside County Office of Education.

Organizers thanked residents of Trustee Area 3 for their civic participation and the registrar’s office for conducting what they described as a full and thorough verification of signatures.