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Riverside County Nonprofit Roundtable announces $14.5M in grants up for grabs
Unincorporated Riverside County community Carver Tract to get sidewalks PG 28
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M O N D AY, J U LY 17- J U LY 23, 2023
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Governor vows action against Temecula school board for rejecting textbooks
Suspects in death of man found in burning vehicle plead not guilty
By City News Service
By Kristy Ramirez, City News Service
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ov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday vowed that the state will deliver new social studies textbooks to students in the Temecula Valley Unified School District, and make the school board foot the bill, after a majority of its members rejected the books over questionable content. Newsom and other state officials renewed their calls for the TVUSD Board of Trustees to repeal a 3-2 decision in May to decline use of a state recommended — not mandated — K-5 social studies book, “Social Studies Alive.” The governor referred to the board members who opposed the tract as part of “cancel culture,” a phrase popularly reserved for the rampaging mobs involved in destruction and desecration of statues on college campuses and elsewhere in the 2010s. “Radicalized zealots on the school board rejected a textbook used by hundreds of thousands of students, and now children will begin the school year without the tools they need to learn,” Newsom said. “If the school board won’t do its job by its next board meeting to ensure kids start the school year with basic materials, the state will deliver the book into the hands of children and their parents — and we’ll send the district the bill and fine them.” Newsom implied penalties would stem from the district’s failure to provide learning materials under the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive & Respectful — FAIR — Act of 2011, which holds that broad viewpoints, without prejudice to sexual preference or orientation, should be taught in K-12 schools. The district’s current K-5 social studies curriculum relies on textbooks from
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Gov. Gavin Newsom. | Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
2006, but there aren’t any known findings that the books’ content is in violation of state law. “I am glad to join in this action with Gov. Newsom and thank him for his leadership in calling for Temecula’s school board to reverse course to prevent further harm to students,” California Superintendent of Instruction Tony Thurmond said. “Inclusive education promotes the academic achievement and social development of our students. School districts should not ban books in California, especially as it harms students of color and LGBTQ+ youth.” TVUSD board President Joseph Komrosky, along with trustees Danny Gonzalez and Jennifer Wiersma, voted against adoption of “Social Studies Alive” for the K-5 curriculum based in part on its celebration of gay San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, whom Komrosky referred to as a “pedophile” for his documented inter-
actions with a teenage boy from another state when Milk was in his 30s. “My remarks about Mr. Milk are not based upon being a homosexual,” Komrosky said publicly last month. “But rather, based upon an adult having a sexual relationship with a minor. I’ll ask you one simple question, governor: Do you approve of any 33-year-old person, regardless of their gender identity or sexual preference, having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old?” Gonzalez joined Komrosky, saying that he couldn’t understand the need to highlight Milk in “Social Studies Alive” when there “are plenty of historical figures who made great strides in the (gay) community that are not associated with inappropriate sexual relationships with children.” “Discussing matters of sexuality with children under 10 in a public school setting is inappropriate,” the trustee said. “As a parent, this is not a conversation (I
want my kids to have with) anyone else but me, and especially not before we even learn about the birds and the bees.” When the TVUSD board held its meeting to finalize a vote rejecting “Social Studies Alive” on May 16, the majority of attendees, mostly parents, were supportive, according to published reports. Trustees Allison Barclay and Steven Schwarz voted in favor of adopting the book, which was recommended by the Temecula Valley Educators Association. Gonzalez characterized allegations by the governor that K-5 school kids would be bereft of appropriate social studies reading material because the new textbooks were turned down as hype. “Our teachers and students will have what they need at the start of (the academic) year, and (we’ll) continue to work through this,” he said. The fall term in TVUSD begins on Aug. 14.
hree Coachella residents suspected in the death of a man found inside a burning vehicle in Thermal re-entered not guilty pleas to felony charges Wednes-
day. Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 44, was charged with one felony count each of murder, arson on property, and having a fire explosive, according to court records. He also faces a misdemeanor count of violating a domestic violence court order. Ireneo Dominguez Lagunes, 57, faces one felony count each of committing arson on a property, having a fire explosive and being an accessory aid, according to court records. Daisy Cabrera Gil, 34, was charged with being an accessory to the crime. The charges stem from the July 14, 2022, death of Jesus M. Hernandez, 35, whose body was found around 2 a.m. inside a burning car in the 83000 block of Avenue 60 in Thermal. Following the preliminary hearing June 24, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stafford Hawkins ruled that there was sufficient evidence to hold all defendants to answer on their respective charges, which they initially pleaded not guilty to in early August 2022. They reentered not guilty pleas to the charges Wednesday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. They’re due back in court Aug. 11 for a trial-readiness conference. During the preliminary hearing, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Daniel Cline said he inter-
See Burning vehicle Page 28
Report: Countywide property tax roll reaches $404 billion By City News Service
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roperty values throughout Riverside County rose nearly 10% last year to $404.2 billion, with houses and commercial structures making up the largest share of the valuation, according to a report the Assessor-ClerkRecorder’s Office released Thursday. “Surpassing the $400 billion mark is a historic achievement for Riverside County,” Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Peter Aldana said. “It signifies the remarkable growth of our county and reflects the confidence individuals, businesses and investors have in our region.” The county’s property tax assessment roll for the most recent base year, valued as of Jan. 1, was 9.4% higher than in 2022, when the roll totaled $369.62 billion, according to the Assessor-Clerk-Recorder’s Office. The assessment roll represents the composite value of all See Tax roll Page 02