Dear CalMatters reader,

A conservative school board trustee who was recalled in June from the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board could regain his seat if his narrow lead at the polls holds.

Preliminary returns Tuesday showed Joseph Komrosky ahead of opponent David Sola by nearly 200 votes, with more than 92% of votes counted in Riverside County.

Before the recall, Komrosky was school board president, leading a conservative majority on the board. They passed a rule last year that would have required teachers to notify parents when students use names or pronouns that differ from their school records, or when they ask to participate in programs or activities that don’t align with their gender on record. 

Komrosky argued that would protect parents’ rights but detractors said it would jeopardize LGBTQ students' safety. 

The board also voted to reject social studies textbooks that include references to former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay public official. And the board banned teaching critical race theory, which seeks to analyze American history in light of structural racism. 

Students staged walkouts to protest the transgender notification policy, and a transgender student launched a campaign to distribute rainbow flags on his high school campus. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued to block the rule, saying it violated students’ rights. 

State lawmakers rendered the issue moot in June when they passed AB 1955, the Support Academic Futures & Educators for Today’s Youth — or SAFETY — Act. Introduced by Chris Ward, a San Diego Democratic Assembly member, it forbids schools from requiring teachers to tell parents about their child’s gender or sexual identity.

CalMatters could not reach Komrosky for comment. On his campaign website Komrosky said that if elected, he would fight for “age-appropriate curriculum” and oppose critical race theory and comprehensive sexual education. The World Health Organization says comprehensive sex education covers “respect, consent and bodily autonomy; anatomy, puberty and menstruation; contraception and pregnancy; and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.”  

Komrosky also said he wants to limit Wi-Fi in classrooms to reduce what he calls harmful electromagnetic fields.

The close election results reflect conflicts in a variety of California schools over gender identity, racial justice and parental authority. And they follow Republican gains in some state and federal political offices, including three Coachella Valley races where Republican incumbents are prevailing over Democratic LGBTQ challengers.

Jeff Pack, a spokesman for One Temecula Valley — a political action committee that supported Sola — said Komrosky “is utilizing a national partisan political playbook meant to defund and dismantle public education.” 

The Inland Empire Family PAC, which backed Komrosky, cites on its website objections to critical race theory and what it calls “transgenderism encouraged, forced LGBTQ+ acceptance (and) perverted sexual training.”

Sola, a Marine veteran and special education technology manager, said he does not see the school board contest as a referendum on national political issues. He wants to focus on local classrooms and hopes Komrosky reconsiders some of the divisive issues he championed in his first term.

“There's about half a community here that doesn’t feel heard by Dr. Komrosky,” Sola said. “I hope that he listens. I hope that he hears that, and I’m here to help in any way I can.”

Steve Schwartz, a Temecula Valley school board trustee, said there will probably be new clashes but the board should focus on improving learning.

“I’m not interested in fighting political battles,” Schwartz said. “My goal is to have the best schools we can for the kids and make sure they have the best education they can get.”

As local leaders weigh the economic benefits and environmental drawbacks of distribution centers in western Riverside and San Bernardino counties, developers are eyeing Palm Springs for a mega-warehouse complex, the Palm Springs Post reported.

The Palm Springs Planning Commission is considering a 739,360-square-foot fulfillment center project for a 38-acre parcel east of Interstate 10. City officials said it complies with zoning rules, so it doesn’t need a permit.

But a former planning commissioner said that doesn’t mean the city has to greenlight the environmental review for the project, which cites “significant and unavoidable” greenhouse gas emissions and transportation effects.

More than 60 years ago, Black and Latino residents of Palm Springs’ Section 14 community were forced out of their homes, which were burned and bulldozed for future development plans. This month the Palm Springs' city council approved paying many of those residents and their descendants a $5.91 million cash settlement for taking down about 200 homes in what was one of the few places people of color could legally live in the racially segregated city.  

In addition, the city also plans to spend $21 million affordable homeownership for first-time buyers, a community land trust and support for small businesses. The city council voted in 2021 to issue a formal apology its role in the evictions.

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