Victory for Newsom as Conservative Temecula School Board President Recalled

California Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his revised 2024-25 state budget during a news conf
Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Voters in Temecula, California, have narrowly recalled Temecula Valley Unified School District board president Joseph Komrosky, who led a conservative backlash against a left-wing curriculum backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Komrosky was one of many conservative school board members elected in suburban Southern California during the November 2022 elections, when many parents rebelled against Critical Race Theory and transgender indoctrination.

Newsom had targeted Temecula in particular when he asked the Democrat-dominated state legislature to grant him the authority to fine local school districts who rejected the state curriculum. He signed the law in September 2023.

As Breitbart News noted at the time:

Newsom sought the power to punish dissenting school districts in conservative communities and backed a bill, AB 1078, that would let him do that regarding LGBTQ+ issues and “ethnic” studies.

The bill was failing in the California state legislature, where Democrats hold supermajorities in both houses, until Newsom, seeking a tool against local school districts, jumped into the debate and backed the legislation, saving it.

Newsom hoped to punish one school district in particular, in Temecula, California, where a new conservative majority won school board elections and rejected LGBTQ+ materials, including on the late Harvey Milk.

The opposition to Komrosky was led by the “One Temecula Political Action Committee,” whose website says that it was formed to oppose “political and religious extremist views.”

The local Redlands Daily Facts reported:

In the end, 51.09% of voters chose to oust Komrosky, while 48.91% voted to keep him in office. The election had a 45.01% turnout, with just under 10,000 ballots returned.

Komrosky, a Christian conservative who was elected in November 2022, was targeted by foes who said his words and actions were divisive.

They also opposed actions taken by Komrosky and the then-conservative board majority, such as banning critical race theory and approving a policy requiring parents to be told if their child identifies as transgender. Supporters said Komrosky kept his promise to restore parental rights and protect children from pornography and liberal indoctrination.

Komrosky says that he intends to run again in November, but it is unclear whether he is legally allowed to do so.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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