Since Jan. 1, both sides in the Temecula school board recall battle have raised more than $143,000 as they fight to keep or oust board President Joseph Komrosky, campaign finance records show.
This year, those opposing Komrosky’s recall have out-fundraised those hoping to remove Komrosky, a Christian conservative whose words and actions have divided parents and teachers in the Temecula Valley Unified School District.
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As of Saturday, May 18, Komrosky and the Inland Empire Family PAC, which opposes the recall, have raised almost $120,000 combined, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.
One Temecula Valley PAC and a pro-recall committee set up by the PAC raised roughly $24,000 between Jan. 1 and May 18, records show. That PAC led the drive to put Komrosky’s ouster on the ballot.
“We are thrilled with the funds we have raised for this recall campaign, the vast majority coming from Temecula residents giving what they can to support the effort,” One Temecula Valley PAC co-founder Jeff Pack said via email.
412 Church Temecula Valley Pastor Tim Thompson, founder of the family PAC, said he wasn’t able to comment Thursday, May 30.
The finance reports were filed before the family PAC’s Wednesday, May 22, Temecula fundraiser featuring remarks by Eric Trump, the former president’s son. Thompson has said he hoped to raise more than $100,000 from the event as the PAC seeks to sponsor Christian conservative candidates for various Inland Empire school board seats.
Between Monday, May 20, and Wednesday, May 29, the family PAC took in another $19,300 in donations, records show.
Both PACs raised money before the registrar’s office in January announced there would be a recall election. The family PAC raised about $5,200 in 2023, while One Temecula Valley PAC raised almost $89,000 last year, according to records.
Several of the family PAC’s biggest donors don’t live in California.
Carl Boyanton of Diamondhead, Mississippi; Kevin Henry of Brazoria, Texas; and Steven Sanfilippo of Willis, Texas; each gave the PAC $5,000. Other top donors who gave at least $2,000 live in Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee.
“Less than half” of the anti-recall donors “actually live in Temecula and several large donors are from outside California,” Pack said.
“That should be concerning to voters, because it speaks to who is really backing Komrosky’s political game plan to defund and dismantle (the school district),” he added. “These people have no stake in Temecula and are actually funding the destruction of (Temecula schools) from the inside out — by investing in Komrosky to do it.”
Komrosky’s top 2024 donor as of May 18 is the Riverside County Republican Party, which gave him $4,000. Solana Beach real estate broker Marci Strange donated $2,000, while Murrieta conservative activist Bob Kowell gave Komrosky $1,750.
One Temecula Valley PAC’s top 2024 donor prior to May 18 was Temecula retiree Lianne Charton, who gave $1,145.55. Austin, Texas, energy consultant Austin Travis gave $500 while five donors — all but one from southwest Riverside County — gave $250 each.
Going into May 18, the biggest donor to the pro-recall PAC set up by One Temecula Valley was San Francisco retiree Jeffrey Foldvik, who gave $600. Carl Cohn, of Palm Springs, and Nancy Hughes, of Temecula, gave $500 each, while James Richardson, of Temecula, gave $450.
Since winning a majority of Temecula school board seats in 2022, Komrosky, Jen Wiersma and Danny Gonzalez, who resigned in December, passed policies that garnered national headlines, from banning the teaching of critical race theory to requiring parents to be told if their child identifies as transgender.
Supporters say the board’s conservatives — all endorsed by the family PAC — are keeping their promises to restore parental rights and protect children from p*rnography and liberal indoctrination. Critics say Komrosky and Wiersma are wasting taxpayer money as they try to impose a right-wing extremist agenda in a public school district.
The Tuesday, June 4, recall will decide whether Komrosky stays on the board — his term runs through 2026 — or leaves office immediately. If he’s recalled, the remaining three board members — Gonzalez hasn’t been replaced — must appoint a successor or call for an election to fill Komrosky’s seat.
The election is only open to voters in Komrosky’s district. As of Thursday, May 30, about 25% of the 21,999 ballots mailed to voters have been returned, according to the registrar’s office.
