This complaint addresses serious misconduct and subsequent failure of accountability by Trustee Steven Schwartz during the Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) Board Meetings held on February 24, 2026, and March 10, 2026.

At approximately timestamp 4:20:30 of the February 24, 2026 open session meeting, Information Item Q2 was introduced by Dr. Anderson regarding Board Policy 4219.24: Maintaining Appropriate Adult Student Interactions, including its alignment with CSBA guidelines. Board discussion appropriately focused on issues including inappropriate interactions with minors, professional boundaries, and discretion.

This discussion was likely understood to stem from an incident involving a one-to-one meeting between Trustee Emil Barham and a minor student on February 7, 2026, at a local restaurant—outside school hours, off school property, and without school board, Chaparral High School or TVUSD administrative awareness or approval. 

Within approximately 15 minutes of this discussion, Trustee Steven Schwartz became visibly agitated and seemed to assume that the implications of the discussion were being directed at him. While referencing the Governance Handbook provision for a Civility Meeting, he publicly demanded a meeting with Dr. Anderson. He then proceeded, during a live broadcast, to refer to her as a “fvcking b!tch.” 

This was not a lapse in decorum—it was a deliberate, public act of verbal abuse any misogyny directed at a fellow elected official. 

Despite multiple and immediate requests for a public apology following this incident, no such apology was issued at that time. 

Weeks later, at the March 10, 2026 board meeting, after remaining silent on this topic for nearly seven hours, Trustee Schwartz reluctantly delivered a statement that was evasive, self-serving, unprepared and fundamentally non-responsive to the misconduct in question.

Rather than taking responsibility, his remarks introduced a series of contradictions and deflections that further undermine his credibility: 

• He stated, “when I made that remark at the last meeting with the (hot) mic the next day I found out about it…”—an admission that he was either unaware of his own conduct in real time or unwilling to acknowledge it until confronted. This raises a critical question: does Trustee Schwartz use such language so casually and frequently that he does not recognize when he deploys it publicly? This concern is especially troubling given his regular presence on elementary school campuses, where such conduct is plainly inappropriate. 

• Once again, as a matter of public record, he claimed to have privately apologized via phone or text to Dr. Anderson. However, no such evidence was produced in response to a formal public records request, nor direct request of Schwartz, Velez or Anderson. This discrepancy calls into question the accuracy of his public statement and whether any apology occurred at all. 

• He asserted that he was “angry” and reacting to being called a “groomer” or a “pedophile.” Yet a full review of the February 24, 2026 meeting—spanning 5 hours and 46 minutes, including the entire discussion of the relevant agenda item—contains no instance of those terms being used. This is an unsupported justification introduced to excuse otherwise indefensible behavior. 

• He stated, “if I responded in that way…”, as though there were uncertainty about what occurred. There is none! His language was explicit, directed, and publicly broadcast. This phrasing reflects a failure to fully acknowledge his conduct. 

• His so-called apology—“I apologize to any of the young people who have never heard those words”—is not an apology to Dr. Anderson, the board, or the public. It minimizes the misconduct and redirects the issue to general exposure to language, rather than addressing the act of directing vulgar and demeaning language at a colleague in a public forum. 

Taken together, Trustee Schwartz’s actions reflect a pattern of behavior that includes public verbal abuse, refusal take responsibility, misrepresentation or unsupported claims, and minimization of misconduct. This conduct is incompatible with the responsibilities of a public official, particularly one entrusted with oversight of a school district and regular interaction with students. 

Therefore, the following actions are formally requested: 

• An immediate and formal review of Trustee Schwartz’s conduct across both meetings 

• A determination of whether his actions violate board policy, governance standards, or ethical obligations 

• A requirement that Trustee Schwartz issue a clear, direct, and unequivocal public apology to Dr. Anderson and the community—without deflection, justification, or conditional language 

• A reaffirmation by the board that professional standards and civility are mandatory and enforceable 

Finally, this pattern of conduct raises broader concerns regarding credibility. Trustee Schwartz’s claim that he was unaware of his own explicit remarks until after the fact invites a reasonable question: if he could fail to recognize or recall making a vulgar statement toward a colleague within a 24-hour period (or as he said, “the next day”) is it possible that he could similarly deny or fail to recall making an inappropriate sexual comment in December 2024 toward Trustee Jen Wiersma? 

In light of the testimony offered by Jason Craig, indicating that such comments may have been heard by others, and given that this testimony was not included in the Nicole Miller investigation, there is a legitimate basis to question whether that matter was fully and accurately evaluated. At minimum, these circumstances warrant reconsideration of the sexual misconduct to ensure that all relevant evidence is properly reviewed and that conclusions are based on a complete and transparent record. Maintaining public trust requires not only appropriate conduct, but also honesty, accountability, and consistency. Where those elements are in doubt, further review is not only appropriate—it is necessary. 

FEB-24-2026 6:00 PM ◇ Regular Meeting ◇ Open Session ◇ TVUSD Governing Board –  
timestamp 4:20:10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEtqAIhlG8U 

MAR-10-2026 6:00 PM ◇ Regular Meeting ◇ Open Session ◇ TVUSD Governing Board -timestamp 6:52:13 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVejbnSoK3M 

Steve Schwartz, 

“So I’m gonna say it 

you know usually when I read the Bible, I read the Old Testament however, once in a while I get to read the New Testament and, uhm, if you guys are familiar with the phrase, "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"? 

Well, in John 8:7 it said, uh, Jesus said, excuse me, "let him who is without you, among, see- oo - uhhm, let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone at her." 

you know we had a 54 page investigation by Nicole Miller. I will bring it in again and I will share it with 
anyone who wants I thought that issue had been put to bed, but apparently some people just can’t leave things alone so Mrs. Wiersma you should not be the one casting stones at me.

when I made that remark at the last meeting with the height (hot) mic the next day when I found out about it, I called, uhm, I texted the superintendent and Dr. Anderson and apologized for making that remark 

now, like, when you're walking around at night and you stub your toe on your bedpost, do you say "oh, sugar daddies"? no you say something worse. 

I was angry at the remark and I will tell you I don’t appreciate being called a groomer or a pedophile and so if I responded in that way, it was inappropriate I apologize to any of the young people who have never heard those words

I’m sure they never uttered on a playground in a high school during a basketball game, uh, when they’re chatting with their friends 

so I was not gonna say anything about Nicole Miller and associates but if any of you want to read the 
investigation and the conclusion, I’ll bring it in again again I’ll make a copy for you and I’ll be happy to 
share it with you. Thank you.”