Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Ethics topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pajaro Valley board declines to censure trustee after heated public debate
Summary
After more than three hours of testimony and debate, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board voted against a resolution to censure Trustee Gabriel Medina, rejecting an item that had accused him of multiple misconducts including alleged anti‑Semitic remarks and procedural violations.
The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board on Wednesday considered and rejected a resolution to censure Trustee Gabriel Medina after an extended meeting that drew large public turnout and sharply divided testimony.
The resolution, presented by Lozano Smith attorney Roman Munoz, itemized allegations including Medina’s pull of a university student-teacher contract in January, the social-media posting of a district employee’s political apparel, public‑comment time irregularities, and April comments that opponents said were anti‑Semitic. "A censure is a formal action by a board officially reprimanding one of its members," Munoz told the board while outlining the factual basis for the resolution (presentation by Roman Munoz).
Medina used his allotted time to reject the charges as politically motivated. "This censure is not about ethics, policy or decorum. It is a politically motivated attempt to discredit me for doing exactly what I was elected to do," he said, calling for consistent enforcement of rules across trustees and disputing several specific findings (response by Trustee Gabriel Medina).
Public comment split sharply. Dozens of speakers urged the board either to censure Medina for comments they called hurtful and demeaning—including Rabbi Debbie Israel, who said she was personally attacked at the April meeting—or to reject the censure as a punishment of a trustee who amplifies student and community voices. "This is not about CRA any longer. This is about anti‑Semitism," Rabbi Israel said in favor of censure. Students and other residents who backed Medina framed the measure as an attempt to silence board members who press for historically marginalized communities.
Board members debated options ranging from censure to mediation and training. Several trustees urged restraint and recommended restorative processes to rebuild working relationships. "We need to figure out how to work together. I don't believe this motion will achieve that," Trustee Turley said during deliberations.
In a roll-call vote the motion to adopt the censure resolution failed. The board then moved on to other agenda items and signaled an intent by several trustees to pursue training and facilitated mediation to address board governance and communication problems.
What happens next: the board did not adopt any formal sanctions. Several trustees proposed a series of governance trainings and third‑party mediation to address continuing conflict. The superintendent and board leadership said they will pursue training and coaching in the weeks ahead.
Sources: public testimony at the May 7 board meeting; presentation from Lozano Smith attorney Roman Munoz; remarks from Trustee Gabriel Medina and multiple public commenters.
