Conservative Candidates Trail in Temecula Valley Board Races
Inland Empire Family PAC-backed candidates in Temecula Valley Unified School District trustee races were behind in vote counts as of Monday morning.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Elections
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Incumbent Dr. Joseph Komrosky trailed challenger David Sola by more than 700 votes in Trustee Area 4, and other PAC-backed candidates also trailed as Riverside County continues counting ballots from the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election. Vote counting remains ongoing.
Why it matters
The races could shift the balance of the Temecula Valley Unified School District board, where conservative trustees gained a majority in 2022. The outcome will influence district policy on curriculum and personnel decisions.
Unofficial counts show Komrosky down more than 700 votes, Emmert down nearly 500, and Bowen down more than 1,000 in their respective trustee areas. Roughly 344,000 vote-by-mail ballots and 11,000 conditional voter registration ballots remain uncounted, so the final margins are not yet known.
The players
Inland Empire Family PAC
A political action committee that backs conservative candidates for school boards and supports Judeo-Christian approaches to school governance in the Inland Empire.
Gavin Newsom
The Governor of California, who said the state fined the Temecula Valley Unified School District $1.5 million over its social studies curriculum dispute.
The details
The Inland Empire Family PAC, which helped elect a conservative board majority in 2022, backed eight school board candidates across the region, including several in Temecula. Trustee Jennifer Wiersma announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection.
Timeline
2022: Conservative board majority elected and the board voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution banning the teaching of critical race theory.
2023: Board rejected an elementary social studies curriculum that referenced Harvey Milk and voted in closed session to fire superintendent Jodi McClay.
September: Trustee Dr. Melinda Anderson was captured on security footage placing a recording device under a shared desk.
Nov. 3, 2026: General Election held in Temecula and across Riverside County.
Nov. 25, 2026: Deadline for accepting cured ballots.
Political Context
The 2022 election gave conservatives a board majority that adopted a critical race theory ban and rejected a curriculum referencing Harvey Milk, drawing a $1.5 million state fine. The current races will determine whether that majority holds or shifts back.
Voters in Temecula Valley Unified School District will see the final board composition determined by the remaining ballot count. The outcome will shape which curriculum and personnel decisions the board makes in the coming term.
The takeaway
Close races on school boards can hinge on late-counted ballots, so the final certified results are the figures to watch rather than early leads. Readers should check the Riverside County registrar's updates before drawing conclusions.
What happens next
Riverside County will continue counting vote-by-mail and conditional voter registration ballots, and cured ballots will be accepted through Nov. 25, 2026.
Further reading
For more on local voting outcomes, see Temecula Elections.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Patch.
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