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Settlement reached in free speech suit against Temecula school district
VOL. 8,
NO. 168
Transient charged with setting fire that destroyed 4 Palm Desert businesses
By City News Service
By City News Service
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(Left) Temecula school board President Joseph Komrosky. | Photo courtesy of DrK4TVUSD/Facebook. (Right) Julie Geary. | Photo courtesy of Julie Geary/X
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federal civil rights lawsuit stemming from a “penalty card system” used by the president of the Temecula Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees to boot attendees from meetings, impacting their free speech rights, was resolved in an out-of-court settlement, the plaintiffs announced Tuesday. According to the First Amendment Coalition and the ACLU of Southern California, the civil action against the TVUSD board and its president, Joseph Komrosky, ended after the plaintiffs received concessions from the defendants that there would be no further use of penalty cards to substitute for verbal warnings that a person’s behavior could result in removal from a meeting. The settlement further stipulates that Komrosky or his designated representative can no longer justify ejections from meetings based solely on opposition to a speaker’s point of view, according to the plaintiffs.
TVUSD teacher Julie Geary, one of the principal litigants, said the agreement underscores “that our rights to petition the government and air grievances shall not be infringed by a school board president on a power trip.” “My hope is that the Temecula school board goes back to supporting students’ academic excellence and stops trampling on our constitutional rights,” she said. The other lead litigant, Temecula Middle School Parent-Teacher-Student Association President Upneet Dhaliwal, expressed hope the agreement would “ensure our elected representatives, including Joseph Komrosky, respect the law and refrain from silencing critical opinions.” In a statement released to City News Service, Komrosky called the settlement “great news for the district.” “TVUSD celebrates our community’s First Amendment right to speak,” he
said. “We also expect adults to act like adults and follow proper parameters of decorum at the meetings. Activists are consistently weaponizing law-fare and victimhood while draining district resources meant for our students.” The suit, filed last December in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleged Komrosky engaged in conduct that led to the “deprivation of the plaintiffs’ federal and state constitutional and statutory rights,” specifically the First Amendment guarantee to freedom of speech, and the California Brown Act provision for the ability to attend and express thoughts and concerns during public meetings. The plaintiffs said that after the defendant in June implemented an “expulsion process,” later approved by the entire board, he began using it to “chill the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs” by having them booted
from meetings whenever they said or did something that caused him discomfort. The process entailed use of a “penalty card system loosely borrowed from soccer matches,” according to the suit. Komrosky explained at the outset of the process that the system was a means to save time. One card was yellow for a warning; the other card red for “you’re out,” he said. “A disruption can be a loud outburst, or even something like constant talking in the rear that causes one of the board members and staff here to lose the ability to concentrate and thus govern properly,” Komrosky said. “Also, when people are commenting, no yelling. There’s going to be controversial comments coming from both sides. Be respectful and let people talk.” Those red-carded were expected to self-escort themselves to the exit, but in instances where they didn’t
See Temecula school district Page 27
30-year-old transient accused of igniting a fire that destroyed four businesses in a Palm Desert strip mall was charged Wednesday with recklessly causing a fire resulting in property damage and other offenses. Natalie Ann Marie Radu was arrested Sunday following a Cal Fire arson investigation at the Plaza de Monterey Shopping Center. Along with the felony count, Radu is charged with a sentence-enhancing allegation of perpetrating arson in an area under a state of emergency. Radu pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Melissa Hale, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for April 26 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. The judge ordered Radu held in lieu of $50,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. The strip mall, located near the intersection of Country Club Drive and Monterey Avenue, sustained massive damage in the fire that erupted shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. According to county fire officials, multiple engine crews were sent to the two-alarm blaze and encountered flames raging in one business, spreading rapidly to three neighboring ones in the 30,000-square-foot single- story building. Along with county personnel, firefighters from the See Fire Page 28
SoCal home sales cool as prices continue to rise By City News Service
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ome sales dropped in Southern California and across the state last month, while prices continued to increase, according to figures released Wednesday by the California Association of Realtors. Unadjusted raw sales decreased on a year-over-year basis in all major regions except the Central Coast, and sales in Southern California experienced the second-biggest drop from a year ago, declining 7.8%. Statewide, existing, single-family home sales totaled 267,470 in March on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, down 7.8% from 290,020 in February and down 4.4% from 279,700 a year ago. The statewide decline followed increases in January and February. “While home sales lost momentum in March, the housing market remains competitive as we’re seeing the statewide median home price reaching the highest level in seven months, and homes selling quicker than last year,” CAR President Melanie Barker said. “On the supply side, the
See Home prices Page 27