Ex-con accused of supplying deadly dose of fentanyl to teen arraigned
Anti-mosquito spraying to prevent spread of West Nile virus in Nuevo
Pg 16
Pg 17
VISIT RIVERSIDEINDEPENDENT.COM
Local. Relevant. Trusted.
Thursday, July 27-AUGUST 02, 2023
VOL. 9,
NO. 131
Temecula school board approves previously rejected textbook
Riverside program assists inmates at risk of homelessness
By City News Service
By City News Service
A
fter twice rejecting a social studies curriculum some members deemed "inappropriate," the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Education has unanimously approved the materials with a key critic absent and under threat of a $1.5 million fine for "willful violation" of state education policies. The approval was part of a compromise suggested by board member Jennifer Wiersma with the trustees agreeing to postpone inclusion of one lesson for fourthgraders until it undergoes further review. The 4-0 vote came during a special meeting Friday to reconsider the curriculum after the initial rejections drew the condemnation of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials. Board member Danny Gonzalez was absent, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. Gonzalez was one of three board members who questioned whether a supplemental reference to San Francisco politician Harvey Milk — the first openly gay person elected to public office in California — should be included when teaching the history of civil rights movements to fourthgrade students. He was joined by board President Joseph Komrosky and Wiersma in voting against the Social Studies Alive for the K-5 curriculum on May 16 and again Wednesday, citing a reported relationship between Milk, then in his 30s, and a 16-year-old as the primary
R
The TVUSD board with, at far right, former district Superintendent Jodi McClay. | Photo courtesy of the Temecula Valley Unified School District/YouTube
reason. Komrosky, who referred to Milk as a "pedophile" later said, "My remarks about Mr. Milk are not based upon being a homosexual, but rather, based upon an adult having a sexual relationship with a minor." Gonzalez joined Komrosky, saying he couldn't understand the need to highlight Milk 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. 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." Trustees Allison Barclay
and Steven Schwarz consistently voted in favor of the curriculum and textbook, which was recommended by the Temecula Valley Educators Association following a pilot phase district officials said involved 47 teachers and more than 1,300 families. Newsom welcomed the Friday decision. He had threatened to impose the $1.5 million fine, announced plans to have the curriculum distributed by state officials in time for the Aug. 14 opening of the school year and promised a civil rights investigation into the board's tactics. "Fortunately, now students will receive the basic materials needed to learn," Newsom said in a statement. "But this vote lays bare the true motives of those who opposed this curriculum. This has never been about parents' rights. It's not even about Harvey
oughly a half dozen detainees released from the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside without a place to sleep and at risk of homelessness have received assistance under an outreach program implemented earlier this year, officials said Friday. Project Connect was approved by the Riverside City Council in January, leading to an agreement with Victory Outreach Church to manage "reentry services" for eligible inmates released from the downtown jail. "When I became mayor, I launched a multi-pronged approach to the homeless crisis — an approach that includes intervention, as well as prevention," Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson said in a statement. "If we can focus on preventing people from becoming homeless, we've addressed the issue at its core, and Project Connect does just that." Officials said that since the program went into full swing during the first week of May, five inmates signed up to receive assistance. According to the city, a total of 25 people were contacted by Victory Outreach staff, but the majority of them declined services.
Milk — who appears nowhere in the textbook students receive. This is about extremists' desire to control information and censor the materials used to teach our children. "Demagogues who whitewash history, censor books, and perpetuate prejudice never succeed," the governor said. "Hate doesn't belong in our classrooms." Congressman Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, who represents Temecula, accused Newsom of "bullying" the board members and concerned parents. Komrosky said he and other opponents had a duty to make sure no "vulgarity, profanity, obscenity, erotica" or other objectionable material is included in the curriculum. "Despite our continuing work and commitment
local assistance center will soon open to help residents who were displaced from the Country Squire RV Park fire that destroyed nine mobile homes in Desert Hot Springs, officials announced Monday. The Riverside County Emergency Management Department and other county departments, Desert Hot Springs city officials and state partners will coordinate to open the center this week in an effort to help residents transition from the shelter that was set up in Desert Hot Springs High School, according to a statement from Supervisor V. Manuel Perez. "Our county departments as well as other agencies in our community are assisting residents through the response and recovery from this fire, and I want to thank the Palm Springs Unified School District for making the high school available to support the community," Perez said in a statement. Firefighters responded at 12:34 p.m. July 18 to the fire in the 66400 block of Dillon Road, according to the Riverside County
See Temecula Page 31
See Fire Page 32
See Homelessness Page 32
Assistance center to open for those displaced by DHS mobile home fire By City News Service
A