Murrieta Valley Unified trustees fail to appoint replacement for Trustee Area 3 after public pleas for election

Murrieta Valley Unified School District trustees met in special session and, after extended public comment and board discussion, declined to approve filling the Trustee Area 3 vacancy by appointment.

Board President Nicholas Partarde opened the public comment period, during which multiple residents and parents urged the board to allow voters in Trustee Area 3 to choose their representative rather than have the board appoint a replacement. "Voters deserve to choose their board member just like the rest of my has done," said Chris Tamasian, expressing a common appeal among speakers for direct election. Emily Brooks told trustees she and other parents were disappointed the district attached its name to an amicus brief drafted by a partisan law firm and urged the board to demonstrate openness and ask applicants substantive questions if it moved forward with an appointment.

Trustees discussed tradeoffs between the expense of a special election (which speakers and trustees estimated at roughly $50,000) and the perceived legitimacy of letting voters decide. Several public commenters, including Jeremy Murphy and Courtney Vanel, acknowledged the cost but said an election would be the fairer option; others, including Francis Burns and Bob Cal, supported an appointment provided the board ran a transparent, public interview process.

After discussion, a trustee moved "to fill this position by appointment." The motion was seconded; roll-call voting was read aloud with Miss Young recorded as voting "No" and two other trustees recorded as "Yes." The clerk announced, "Motion fails. 2 one." The transcript records the final outcome as a failed motion; the board did not adopt an appointment at the meeting.

The failure of the appointment motion leaves the process unresolved in this meeting; trustees did not take a formal vote to call a special election on the spot. Staff had previously told the board that the district can either call a special election or establish a public appointment process, with the board required to choose which route it will follow. The item was listed on the agenda as F5, "discussion approval of process for filling of board member vacancy." The board recessed after the action and convened a separate bond finance workshop.

What happens next: The district did not adopt an appointment at this meeting; the board may take up the question again in a future meeting or move to place a special election on the ballot according to applicable deadlines and legal requirements. The transcript does not record a board decision to call an election at this session.

Speakers quoted in this article appear in the meeting record and are attributed by the names or functional labels used in the transcript.