Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Gabe Medina has threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against two fellow Board members over a recent attempt to censure him during a May 7 Board meeting.
In an email to trustees Misty Navarro and Olivia Flores—who placed the censure on the agenda and were the sole yes votes in the failed motion—Medina is asking for $35,000 in damages to avoid the lawsuit.
“Rather than pursue immediate litigation, I am offering to resolve this matter through private arbitration,” he wrote. “I believe this path serves the public interest by avoiding unnecessary legal costs and keeping this dispute out of the courtroom.”
If Navarro and Flores agree to issue a public apology, Medina says he will drop the lawsuit.
Medina says the allegations outlined in the resolution for the May 7 meeting contains “false and damaging statements.”
This includes “reputational harm,” which has damaged his standing as an elected official, social media attacks and press coverage. He has been affected personally, he says, with the loss of speaking opportunities and harm to his community trust.
The email also says he is seeking $8,000–$10,000 in “current and projected fees for legal consultation, mental health support, and reputation defense.”
“These actions have caused substantial harm to my professional reputation, emotional well-being, and my ability to carry out my duties as an elected official,” he wrote in the email.
In response to his email, Navarro wrote, “You have to be joking.”
“If this was what you want to pursue, I can go ahead and proceed with litigation against you as well, because I have a big file of all the defamatory things that you’ve said about me you might wanna walk this back.”
She later said that such action is not in the best interest of the district, but said that decision might change going forward if Medina’s behavior continues.
Board President Olivia Flores did not respond to requests for comment.
Navarro says that the censure was an attempt to convey that (Medina’s) governance methods are not effective or collaborative.
She says she has a file of what she calls online slander and defamation attacks against her, Flores, Superintendent Heather Contreras and Chief Business Officer Jenny Im, among others.
The resolution included allegations of intimidating and bullying behavior, which Medina has denied.
“To use words like intimidation, bullying and misogynistic only shows that they don’t like being challenged,” he said. “Those things only happened because I was asking questions.”
Navarro says that she has no problem being questioned or challenged.
“But I do expect that it’s in a respectful manner so that we can have constructive dialogue instead of useless and baseless attacks,” she says.
Other Latino leaders have also been accused of being too loud for bucking systems of power, Medina says.
“I come from a community that has been trying to get things done by playing the rules,” he said. “And nothing for the past 20 years has gotten done, because we’ve been asking nicely. It’s only when we raise our voices and get attention that these things start unfolding.
“Had I been a white guy, I’m pretty sure this would have all been perceived very differently,” he said.
Navarro rejects the notion that race plays into the discussion.
“He has made a lot of assumptions about who I am based on what I look like,” she says. “He unfortunately did not do his homework, because my stepfather who raised me is Mexican. My brother is half Mexican and I have dedicated my career to working with the Latinx community.
“The whole thing is very hurtful and offensive, and he is frankly casting aside someone who could be an ally and advocate.”
Navarro said that the no-votes came after all the Board members said they were uncomfortable with Medina’s behavior, but wanted the Board to work together as a team.
“I think that email to trustee Flores and I show that that is not possible and not his goal,” Navarro wrote to The Pajaronian.
“This is yet another attempt to try to bully and intimidate president Flores and I,” she said.
Navarro rejects assertions that she is attacking Medina. She says she applauds his advocacy for his constituents, a value she says she shares with him.
But the Board has been “rendered paralyzed” by Medina’s behavior, she says.
“I will not back down to bullying behavior because that is not who I am,” she said. “None of this is in the best interest of our district or our children, and keeps us from getting meaningful change done.”
The Pajaronian has reached out to PVUSD administration for comment.
