Gavin Newsom Threatens to Buy Banned Textbooks and Distribute Them to Students

California Governor Gavin Newsom is threatening to buy and distribute textbooks to students after a school district banned a book that contained references to LGBTQ history. 

“A school board in Temecula decided to reject a textbook because it mentioned Harvey Milk,” Newsom tweeted on Thursday, referring to the gay member of the San Francisco board of Supervisor who was assassinated in 1978 with then-Mayor George Moscone.

“California is stepping in," Newsom vowed.

Milk was a pioneer for LGBTQ rights and the first openly gay man to hold elected office in California. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 before being assassinated less than a year into his first term. 

Now the school board in Temecula, a southern California city in Riverside County, is attempting to block students from learning about Milk.

The board voted 3 to 2 against adopting an elementary school textbook which had supplementary material about Milk, according to SFGate. 

“We’re going to purchase the book for these students — the same one that hundreds of thousands of kids are already using,” Newsom tweeted in response. 

The school board's president, Joseph Komrosky, has already garnered widespread criticism for his negative characterization of Milk.

“My question is why even mention a pedophile? Why even mention that?” Komrosky said in May ,referring to Milk, SFGate reported. 

“What has that got to do with our curriculum in schools? That’s a form of activism," he added.

At the time, Newsom responded by letting the Temecula school board know that the state would be keeping an eye on the district. 

“In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn — and there are consequences for denying that freedom,” Newsom said in a statement. 

“California is closely watching the actions of malicious actors seeking to ban books, whitewash history, and demonize the LGBTQ+ community in Temecula and across the state. If the law is violated, there will be repercussions.”

Now it appears that the school board will face those repercussions — in addition to distributing the textbooks to Temecula students, Newsom is also threatening to punish the school board for violating California’s educational standards.

“If these extremist school board members won’t do their job, we will — and fine them for their incompetence,” Newsom said.