Recall Of 3 Temecula Valley USD Trustees Gains Local, National Support

TEMECULA, CA — More than 200 people turned out in Temecula Wine Country this weekend to show their support for a recall of three local school board members whose ideology has altered classroom instruction and marred the reputation of what is, historically, a prestigious public school district.

Temecula Valley Unified School District trustees Dr. Joseph Komrosky, Jennifer Wiersma and Danny Gonzalez are facing a growing call for their ouster, which was on display at Saturday's recall rally at Maurice Car’rie Winery. Organized by One Temecula Valley PAC, and spearheaded by co-founders Jeff Pack and David Matics, the event featured national organizations and respected local leaders who encouraged the community to get behind the recall effort.

Former Temecula City Council member Maryann Edwards spoke at the event. The longtime city leader, who also served on the TVUSD governing board, said the three trustees knowingly lied and used fear-mongering to hoodwink their supporters.

"The children are the innocent victims in this sickening scenario," Edwards said. The trio is a "cancer in this community and must be removed from office."

In their short tenure — just over eight months — Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez have banned any murmur of critical race theory; held a controversial and costly critical race theory "panel" that many TVUSD teachers dubbed "indoctrination camp"; they censored education about California's gay rights movement; have defied the state's education code; fired the district superintendent; hired their own team of attorneys at taxpayers' expense to defend against ongoing lawsuits over their actions; have sparked numerous TVUSD student protests; and put the district in a negative national spotlight.

A website, recallall3.org, has been established by One Temecula Valley PAC in an effort to get out the recall message, recruit volunteers and solicit donations for the cause.

The three trustees have maintained they are simply trying to protect TVUSD students and protect the rights of parents and legal guardians. They were elected to the TVUSD board in November after financial backing from the Inland Empire Family PAC led by Pastor Tim Thompson of Murrieta's 412 Church. The PAC works "to stop the indoctrination of our children by placing candidates on school boards who will fight for Christian and Conservative values."

Jeff Comerchero, who served on the Temecula City Council for more than a decade, told Saturday's crowd, "We have a group of people who are trying to take over this city."

The former city council member likened the efforts by Thompson and the Inland Empire Family PAC to the Nazi party's transformation of Germany into a dictatorship.

"I don't think I'm overreacting," Comerchero said, warning that the "extreme" ideology of Thompson and his adherents will move from "one city to the next" if the community is complacent.

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District has already been targeted. The PAC backed two candidates during the last election. One of them, Nick Pardue, won.

Thompson, Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez have successfully created boogie monsters intended to scare, critics say. When the three TVUSD trustees took office, their first order of business was to "rid" the TVUSD of critical race theory. The theory examines racial inequality and racism, and suggests they are systemically embedded in American institutions.

Trouble was, critical race theory was not being taught in the district nor is it part of any state mandate for K-12 public education.

During Saturday's event, Edwards shamed the three "hand-selected and groomed" TVUSD trustees for their "big CRT lie."

The CRT ban was followed up by several controversial moves by the three trustees, including more fear-mongering: that TVUSD students were being "indoctrinated."

California law passed more than a decade ago requires school districts to include instruction in history-social science about the role and contributions of people with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans; and other ethnic and cultural groups. Senate Bill 48, otherwise known as the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, was signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011.

Two small references in a proposed TVUSD elementary social sciences curriculum were considered too much by Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez. The references — about the history of California's gay rights movement — prompted the three trustees to rid the district of materials containing LGBTQ discussion. Simultaneously, the three trustees used words like "pedophilia" and "pornography."

"It was lies piled upon lies," Edwards said.

Dr. Kristi Rutz-Robbins, a current TVUSD teacher and a former TVUSD board member who served for 12 years, told those gathered Saturday that she and 14 other former district leadership officials signed a letter in support of the recall.

The letter highlights the dozens of state and national awards bestowed upon the TVUSD over the years, and how property values have remained high in the city in large part due to top-notch K-12 public schools.

Among the letter's signers is Dr. Jodi McClay, who served as a well-liked TVUSD superintendent prior to a closed-door firing earlier this year by Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez.

Rutz-Robbins and others urged recall supporters to take action by volunteering to knock on doors and get the message out in order to preserve the TVUSD's high standards.

Svante Myrick, president of People For The American Way, was on hand for Saturday's event. Founded by television producer Norman Lear more than 40 years ago, the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit works to defend against authoritarian threats.

Myrick — who also served a 10-year stint as mayor of Ithaca, New York — said the 2-million-member-strong People For The American Way supports the local recall because the national organization does not want to see deserving Temecula students turned away by colleges. He warned Saturday's audience that the country's top universities will look down on applicants from the TVUSD if the students show "shocking ignorance" of history and culture.

The nonprofit Grandparents For Truth, which is organized by People For The American Way, was also on hand Saturday. The newly formed grassroots coalition now has more than 1,200 volunteers battling political leaders who promote authoritarianism, white nationalism and Christian nationalism. The TVUSD's Komrosky, Wiersma and Gonzalez are now in the organization's crosshairs.

The New York-based nonprofit Defense of Democracy also committed to join the recall effort. Local mom Jenn Reaves serves as a regional director for the organization that advocates for an inclusive public education system. She was on hand Saturday to ensure the "extremist school board members" are ousted.

A small number of protesters turned out at Saturday's event waving American flags and carrying signs reading, "Stop the Recall."

But local teacher and pastor Deon Hairston disagreed. He told Saturday's audience that what is happening in the TVUSD sends "a chilling message."

"History should not be sugarcoated," Hairston said.

Arguably, one of the most emotional addresses at Saturday's event came from 19-year-old Jack Murphy, a TVUSD graduate who now attends the University of Southern California studying political science and social justice. He identifies as gay and recounted bullying. He credited Dr. McClay for helping him successfully navigate the bigotry.

"We deserve to be talked about as much as straight people," Murphy said.