The reelection bid of Val Verde school trustee Matthew Serafin — who was recently arrested on suspicion of a third alcohol-related offense — is looming large in the Nov. 5 election.
Serafin, 32, faces a challenge from two first-time candidates — Dolores “Lola” Holmes and Hector Jimenez — for his Trustee Area 2 seat on the board of the Perris-based Val Verde Unified School District. Both of his foes are making an issue of Serafin’s arrests and behavior while on the board.
“His actions and personal choices are affecting the school board’s ability to work effectively,” said Jimenez, a 26-year-old Moreno Valley resident and software engineer.
Holmes said: “I agree that we all make mistakes in life, however repeatedly making the same mistakes while representing our community, especially knowing that future generations are watching, should give anyone pause.”
Reached via a text message Tuesday, Oct. 1, Serafin — who was once the board president — said that, if he’s reelected, he would “continue to do the good work representing his community.”
“The people are empowered to decide,” he wrote.
Serafin did not respond to later requests seeking comment about his latest arrest on Thursday, Sept. 27.
With two prior DUI offenses, Serafin, whose full name is Matthew Pierre Guevara Serafin — remains on probation. He was arrested a third time in late September, on suspicion of public intoxication outside a Riverside nightclub.
Serafin was arrested in August 2018 on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and pleaded guilty to the offense a year later, Riverside County district attorney spokesperson Thalia Hayden has said.
In August 2023, Serafin was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after he was accused of striking a parked car on Redding Way in Perris, and police said he tried to flee.
Serafin resigned as Val Verde’s board president in November 2023, weeks before his time holding the post was set to expire.
However, he resisted pressure to resign from the board and now his four-year term is set to end shortly.
In addition to his arrests, Serafin faced accusations of starting heated debates with his board colleagues, preventing several votes on a motion to remove him from his honorary position of board president and accusations that he cursed during public meetings.
More concerns about Serafin’s behavior have been sparked by his most recent arrest, which has caused residents and one board member to call at the board’s Tuesday, Oct. 8, meeting for him to quit.
Jimenez acknowledged in a statement that Serafin’s actions played a part in his decision to run. But he said his primary goal is to “ensure that school policy is made without the inclusion of personal opinion, politics and controversy.”
If elected, Jimenez said he hopes to see a decrease in student suspensions/behavioral incidents while increasing student attendance. He seeks to accomplish this by enacting policies to prepare more students for careers and higher education.
“A high school diploma alone is not enough,” Jimenez said in a Monday, Oct. 7, statement, adding “I want students to have skill sets and knowledge to access opportunities and be successful the moment they graduate, without anyone falling through the cracks.”
Val Verde school board candidate Dolores “Lola” Holmes, speaks Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, at a school board meeting in Perris. She’s challenging board member Matthew Serafin for his Trustee Area 2 seat in the Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, election. (File photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
As for Holmes, the 42-year-old marriage and family therapist said her main reason for running is because “district decisions must focus on the students, not on personal agendas.”
Related links
Val Verde school board trustee arrested again for alleged alcohol-related offense
Val Verde school board president faces public backlash after second DUI arrest
Val Verde school board president blocks third attempt to strip him of his position
Dolores “Lola” Holmes, Val Verde School District, Trustee Area 2, 2024 election questionnaire
Hector Jimenez, Val Verde Unified School District, Trustee Area 2, 2024 election questionnaire
Holmes also said “student needs and success should always come first, whether it’s me sitting on the board or someone else.”
With four children who have attended middle and high schools in the Val Verde district now and in the past, Holmes said she has a personal connection to the district as well.
The 22-campus Val Verde Unified School District serves more than 19,000 students in Riverside County, including Perris, Moreno Valley and the Mead Valley area.
Trustee Area 2 covers an area of the district that straddles the west and east sides of the 215 Freeway. It runs roughly from Clark Street east almost to Evans Road/Lasselle Street. It runs approximately from Iris Avenue south to the Ramona Expressway.
