Joseph Komrosky, the former Temecula school board president, is eligible to run for election in November after his recent recall, county officials said.
The county elections office has been researching the issue for several weeks since voters ousted Komrosky.
RELATED: Recalled Temecula school trustee to be replaced in November election
“The candidate can run based on our analysis of recently revised election law,” Elizabeth Florer, spokesperson for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, wrote in a Wednesday, June 26, email. “The current law does not block a candidate from running in a special election to fill their vacancy.”
At a Tuesday, June 11, Temecula Valley Unified School District board meeting, Komrosky thanked supporters and said he would look to run again in November.
Komrosky represented Trustee Area 4, which includes locations between Temecula Parkway and Rancho California Road and extends into Temecula Valley Wine Country.
Komrosky, a Christian conservative who was elected in November 2022 alongside two other conservatives, had two years left on his term.
Komrosky could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday, June 27.
In the Tuesday, June 4, special election, 51.09% of voters in Trustee Area 4 chose to oust Komrosky, while 48.91% voted to keep him in office, final results show. The recall was approved by 212 votes, with 4,963 voting yes and 4,751 voting no.
The recall election cost the district$75,000. As of May, both sides of the recall had raised more than $143,000 for the campaign since Jan. 1.
“The voters of Trustee Area 4 have spoken, they rejected and recalled Komrosky, and we are confident voters will ensure Komrosky doesn’t return to the seat in November, especially because he is running on a legal technicality,” Jeff Pack, co-founder of One Temecula Valley PAC wrote in a Thursday, June 27, email.
The PAC spearheaded the recall campaign against Komrosky over what Pack said was bad governance.
Critics opposed actions taken by Komrosky and the then-conservative board majority, such as banning critical race theory and approving a policy requiring parents to be told if their child identifies as transgender.
“Unfortunately, revisions to the law regarding this are so poorly written, we believe they violate the spirit of what was intended and should be rectified on behalf of the voters,” Pack wrote. “The law was clear less than 3 years ago, when it was recall and replace on the same ballot; the recalled candidate could not run to replace himself. This trustee seat election in November is to replace a recalled candidate.”
On Saturday, June 22, the Temecula school board chose to let voters decide who will fill Komrosky’s seat during the November general election.
Related links
Recalled Temecula school trustee to be replaced in November election
What to know about the Temecula school board recall election
Temecula school board President Joseph Komrosky recalled, final results show
Why was Joseph Komrosky recalled from the Temecula school board?
More than $143,000 raised in Temecula school board recall fight
Under the state education code, if a board vacancy occurs within six months before a regularly scheduled election, the seat should be filled in a special election to take place at the same time as the regular election.
The seats held by Komrosky and former board member Danny Gonzalez, who resigned in December 2023, have two years left on their terms. Whoever fills those seats would serve the remaining two years.
The board did not reach a decision in February on who should replace Gonzalez, despite interviewing 11 candidates who applied for his old seat. The board left the decision to voters in Trustee Area 2, which includes locations between Margarita Road and Winchester Road.
Board members Allison Barclay and Steven Schwartz, who have often disagreed with their conservative board colleagues, also will be on the November ballot.
