TVUSD Board President Dr. Joseph Komrosky to face recall

Dr. Joseph Komrosky. Valley News/Courtesy photo

TEMECULA — The Riverside Registrar of Voters has certified a petition with enough valid signatures to trigger a recall election for Temecula Valley Unified School District President Dr. Joseph Komrosky. This action follows the concerted effort by One Temecula Valley PAC to challenge what they perceive as a divisive agenda under Dr. Komrosky’s leadership.

On Monday, Jan. 22, officials confirmed the validation of 4,884 signatures from voters in Komrosky’s Trustee Area 4, surpassing the required threshold by 604 signatures. The movement to recall Komrosky gained momentum amid accusations of his promotion of a conservative agenda and the implementation of policies that critics have found controversial.

Komrosky, in response, staunchly defended his tenure and actions, asserting that he has faithfully executed the duties for which he was elected. He emphasized his commitment to upholding traditional family values and parental rights within the educational system. Additionally, Komrosky criticized the recall effort, labeling it as baseless and accusing its proponents of using deceptive tactics to gather signatures.

The recall initiative also originally targeted Trustee Jennifer Wiersma and former Trustee Danny Gonzalez. The latter resigned last month after what was described as constant harassment against him, his family and his business, leaving his seat vacant and prompting the TVUSD board to seek a replacement through a special appointment.

The controversy surrounding the conservative board members began immediately after their election in November 2022, partly because they ran on a pro-parent platform with specific promises, which they started immediately to accomplish.

They passed a parent notification policy for when there is a change with a student’s gender identity and that was cast by recall volunteers as hate and “outing” students.

Their very first vote to make CRT a theory if taught in the classroom was cast as racist, even though CRT separates people by color and casts all white people as oppressors and all people of color as victims.

Their vote against pervasive obscenity, vulgarity, pornography and erotica riled some teachers and residents.

Their decision to replace the TVUSD superintendent also upset some teachers and administrators.

The board faced more backlash when they brought the district into compliance with Ed Code calling for American and State flags to be in each classroom and they made it harder for teachers to have political and ideological flags like Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ flags in their classrooms.

These decisions have also drawn ire from state leaders, however the courts have ruled recently in favor of Dr. Komrosky’s parental notification position. Parents and teachers in two separate lawsuits sued their districts who had policies against parental notification and were actually hiding the student’s gender change, and the parents and teachers won.

Jeff Pack, co-founder of One Temecula Valley PAC, hailed the certification as a victory for the community’s collective effort and a rejection of what he described as Komrosky’s divisive policy making. “This is a big day for One Temecula Valley PAC and our crew, but a bigger day for the community that came together to collect signatures, and the residents who signed the petitions. It sends a message that the community rejects the divisive, destructive, and wasteful policy making embarked upon under Komrosky’s leadership.

“It shows that our community wants good governance and will seek to remove partisan political maneuvering from these nonpartisan elected positions. It should serve as notice that Temecula is engaged and eager to ensure the best possible governance for the city and region. Failure to do so in the best interest of the city, can and will result in recall efforts like this.”

Komrosky responded by saying, “I have fulfilled my campaign promises to my constituents and have done exactly what I was elected to do. I’ve represented the voices in my community by fighting for traditional family values, such as parental rights. I’ve also reinforced, time and time again, that these values are to be taught in California’s public schools according to Education Code 233.5: ‘Each teacher shall endeavor to impress upon the minds of the pupils the principles of morality, truth, justice, patriotism, and a true comprehension of the rights, duties, and dignity of American citizenship…’”

He continued, “As TVUSD board president, I will continue to fight for you and your children’s educational rights. Moreover, I will rigorously seek out and stand against any evil such as pervasive obscenity, vulgarity, pornography, and erotica here at TVUSD. I will continue to resist these harmful things with every ounce of my being.

“That said, I would urge voters to vote No on this asinine recall, especially since many of the signatures gathered were based upon lies. Those have already been and will continue to be exposed.”

With a recall election to be announced, it will set the stage for a significant ideological and electoral event in Temecula’s education and political landscape.

Julie Reeder
Julie Reeder