Political Ad Misleadingly Targets Randy Villegas

A PAC ad falsely claims the Visalia school board candidate hired a sexual predator.

Updated on Oct. 23, 2026 in People

Political Ad Misleadingly Targets Randy Villegas

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The Congressional Leadership Fund PAC is airing a political advertisement that incorrectly accuses Visalia school board member and U.S. House candidate Randy Villegas of hiring a sexual predator. The ad concerns the hiring of Dejuan Jones, who was later arrested for sexual misconduct in 2023.

Why it matters

The controversy centers on whether board members were aware of past misconduct allegations when they approved personnel hiring recommendations. This highlights the challenges of vetting candidates during block voting processes in local government.

The school board approved the hiring of 10 individuals as part of a package that included 15 other agenda items in a single vote. District records confirm that the board did not receive information regarding any past misconduct during the 2022 meeting.

The players

Randy Villegas

He serves on the Visalia school board and is currently a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressional Leadership Fund

This political action committee is responsible for financing the advertisement targeting the candidate.

Dejuan Jones

He is the former employee whose prior firing from a high school in 2013 became a focal point of recent political ads.

Visalia Unified School District

This is the local educational authority responsible for the oversight and pre-screening of new school staff.

The details

In 2022, the board voted to approve the hiring of Dejuan Jones based on advice from the Visalia Unified School District Office, at which time he lacked a criminal record. While Jones was fired from a high school in 2013 for sending inappropriate text messages, that history was not presented to the board when they voted to approve his hiring at Mt. Whitney High School.

In 2013, Dejuan Jones was fired for sending inappropriate text messages.
The Visalia school board voted to approve the hiring in October 2022.
Dejuan Jones was arrested for sexual misconduct in April 2023.
Randy Villegas addressed the matter during a debate on September 10, 2026.

Market Landscape

The controversy has prompted the Visalia Unified School District to overhaul its internal vetting procedures. The district has now implemented more stringent pre-screening protocols for new hires to prevent future administrative oversight in candidate selection.

Residents may see an increase in political advertising as the election approaches. The district's new hiring protocols aim to improve the security of students and the oversight of school board decisions.

The takeaway

Voters are encouraged to scrutinize the sources of political campaign materials when claims about candidate records appear. Verifying official school board minutes can provide a clearer picture of how specific policy or hiring decisions were made.