The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office (RSO) Thursday confirmed in an email to The Riverside Record that it was investigating an accusation of surreptitious recording stemming from an incident at the September 22 Temecula Valley Unified School District (TVUSD) Board of Education meeting.
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According to RSO, deputies were dispatched to the 31000 block of Rancho Vista Road the afternoon of September 26 regarding allegations that a crime had occurred.
“Upon arrival, deputies spoke with the reporting party, who reported that a subject had recorded surreptitiously at the location,” the department said. “The Southwest Sheriff’s Station’s Investigation Bureau was contacted and assumed the investigation.”
Videos obtained by The Record through a California Public Records Act request show trustees Dr. Melinda Anderson and Jen Wiersma sitting at the dais talking after the closed session ended and before the open session began.
Anderson then walks over to the desk where trustees Emil Barham and Steven Schwartz sit and affixes what appears to be a recording device underneath while Wiersma looks on.
A second set of videos, taken following the open session, show Anderson waiting until the partition separating the room, and blocking the dais from public view, is closed before retrieving the device in view of TVUSD Superintendent Kimberly Velez and Executive Administrative Assistant Lena Anocibar.
Immediately after Anderson walks out of frame, Schwartz and Barham reenter the room through the partition.
Two days after the meeting, both Barham and Schwartz said in separate interviews with The Record that they had received calls from Velez asking them to come into the district office.
“She basically said that she really couldn’t talk much about it,” said Barham, who at the time was watching his grandchildren. “She said that she wanted to show me a video or a couple of videos regarding, I can’t remember if she said security breach, but when they’re calling at 5 o’clock, something’s up.”
Schwartz, who was returning from a trip to San Diego, said he arrived at the district office as Barham was leaving. They both said they were shown the videos of Anderson placing the device under their desk.
“I was in shock. I just couldn’t even believe it,” Barham said. “When you see something like that, it takes a while to process it.”
“I was flabbergasted,” Schwartz said. “I didn’t know what to think or what to say.”
According to Schwartz, the meeting took place in the superintendent’s office. In attendance were Velez, Anocibar, Board President Joseph Komrosky and Bryan Pastor, the district’s director of safety and security.
Schwartz said after digesting what he had just seen, he turned to Komrosky and called for the immediate resignations of both Anderson and Wiersma.
“It was just such an invasion of our privacy, such a deliberate act, and to do it in front of everybody,” he said.
After the meeting, Schwartz said he sent a request to Komrosky to schedule a special meeting to discuss the issue. According to both Barham and Schwartz, neither Wiersma nor Anderson responded to district outreach and Komrosky said he could not make the proposed times, but also failed to respond when asked for a time that would work for him.
“A special meeting would have been the responsible, transparent thing to do to let the public know,” Barham said. “And they’re not interested in that, which is really sad.”
Komrosky, in an emailed statement to The Record, said the incident had “raised concerns that I take seriously as board president.”
“My priority is to ensure that our board meetings are conducted in a respectful and professional environment where everyone feels safe and can have confidence in the integrity of the proceedings,” the statement concluded.
Neither Wiersma nor Anderson responded to requests for comment from The Record, though Anderson posted a video to social media Wednesday afternoon stating it was her intention to step down from the role at a date yet to be determined.
“I sincerely believe that continuing to serve as a board member is putting my children at risk,” she said. “I am currently working with the attorneys that have been assigned to me to determine the appropriate timing and process of this departure, and I have to state that this is not my formal resignation, and I am not announcing a resignation date today.”
She also said she had started carrying a recording device with her in an effort to “document the threats being said to [her],” but had come to the realization following last week’s meeting that doing so would not provide the protection she had hoped.
The district, in a statement to The Record, said it had not received formal communication from Anderson regarding the status of her position as a trustee.
Anderson, who was elected to the board in 2024, has previously lodged complaints against Barham, alleging he has threatened her and her family. In April of this year, the board voted 3-2 to censure Barham for statements made during the December 4, 2025, board meeting. Barham and Schwartz voted against the motion. Barham has vehemently and repeatedly denied the allegations.
The district, which said it was aware of the videos circulating online, declined to comment further on the situation.
“Our responsibility is to support our students and staff and ensure the daily work of our schools continues with care and professionalism,” the district said. “We remain focused on providing a safe, supportive learning environment for students and ensuring our staff have the resources and support they need to serve them.”
In California, an all-party consent state, it is illegal in most circumstances to record a conversation in which people have a reasonable expectation of privacy without the consent of everyone involved. According to state law, a person who violates this law faces a fine of up to $2,500 per violation and up to one year imprisonment.
As of Wednesday evening, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said it had not received a case to review potential charges for Anderson.
Schwartz said he was told in a later call with Velez that nothing had been recorded by the device, but said he was still shocked, disappointed and insulted.
“I have been fighting against this kind of corruption since this board majority got back in power,” he said. “And hopefully, this election, the people in the community will look at the candidates and see who’s for kids, who’s for schools and support those candidates who are there for kids in schools.”
This November, the seats currently held by Barham, Wiersma and Komrosky are on the ballot. Of the three elected officials, Wiersma is the only one not running for reelection.
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