The recall election against Temecula school board President Joseph Komrosky appears to have succeeded, election results show, but Komrosky alluded Tuesday night, June 11, that he hoped to return to public service in November.
At what could have been his final board meeting, Komrosky made a point in his comments to thank the public for its support before referring to his future.
“I look forward to serving my community again in November,” Komrosky said.
The remaining board members could call for a special election or appoint someone to fill the open seat. If that happens, an election to replace Komrosky would likely take place later this year.
Komrosky could not be reached for comment Wednesday, June 12.
There was no direct mention of the recall election by the public or Temecula Valley Unified School District board members at Tuesday’s meeting.
Komrosky is 213 votes shy of avoiding ouster from the school board, election results posted Wednesday show.
There are 104 vote-by-mail ballots still to be counted, the Riverside County Registrar of Voters stated on its website. “Cured ballots” will be accepted until Tuesday, June 18.
Yes votes on the recall comprise 51.10% of those counted, while 48.90% of ballots so far are opposed to the recall. The turnout is 44.9%.
The remaining ballots have signature verification issues, said Elizabeth Florer, spokesperson for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters. In these instance of “cured ballots,” voters must be contacted and given an opportunity to “cure” their ballot, which means they need to verify that they turned in a ballot, she said.
Komrosky took his seat in December 2022 as part of a Christian conservative majority but came under fire from critics who said he and the board were making irresponsible financial and policy decisions.
Komrosky, along with Jen Wiersma and Danny Gonzalez, drew the ire of critics with moves such as a ban on critical race theory, approving a policy requiring parents to be told if their child identifies as transgender and starting a feud with Gov. Gavin Newsom over a social studies curriculum with materials that referenced LGBTQ civil rights leader Harvey Milk.
Critics of Komrosky and conservative board policies are celebrating Komrosky’s apparent recall.
“The successful recall of Joseph Komrosky sends a clear message that divisive and discriminatory policies have no place in our schools,” Myles Ross, a representative from the NAACP President Branch 1034, said in a news release. “We stand with the parents, educators, and community members who have worked tirelessly to bring about this change. Together, we will continue to advocate for policies that support all students, regardless of their background.”
Komrosky has been criticized by the LGBTQ community for what it considers anti-LGBTQ measures such as the parent notification policy and because of his reference to Milk as a “pedophile” during a public meeting. The board also fired former Superintendent Jodi McClay, an ally to the district’s LGBTQ+ students, staff, and families, Tony Hoang executive director of Equality California, a LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, said in a news release.
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“Over the past couple of years, LGBTQ+ youth have been under attack by extremists like Dr. Joseph Komrosky seeking to advance hateful agendas that put their health and wellbeing at risk,” Hoang said. “Anyone who uses their position to attack LGBTQ+ youth is unfit to serve in public office, and we are pleased to see Dr. Komrosky’s political career come to an appropriate end.”
Jeff Pack, founder of One Temecula Valley PAC, which spearheaded the recall, said the group had just started and the recall of Komrosky was one step in making “Temecula boring again.”
“…The recall effort has ALWAYS been about removing a BAD GOVERNANCE elected official, never about one side or the other,” Pack, said in a Tuesday Facebook post on the group’s page. “We aimed to remove the bad governance elected official and replace him with someone who will put students, teachers, staff, and parents first and above their personal political or religious ideologies.”
If election results hold and the recall is successful, Komrosky will need to step down when election results are certified Thursday, June 20. The board would then be down to three members, Steven Schwartz, Jen Wiersma and Allison Barclay.
Mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day, which was Tuesday, June 4, had to be received by Tuesday, June 11, to be counted.
The next elections update is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, June 13.