Dem running on accountability tied to board settlements in child sex-abuse cases

A California Democrat running for Congress in the newly redesigned Central Valley congressional district campaigned to bring transparency to local school boards; however, during his tenure, the board he served on reportedly resolved numerous sexual abuse cases behind closed doors.

Randy Villegas, who is running to represent California’s newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House following the passage of the state’s Proposition 50, is a college professor and most recently a school board member trying to bring transparency to the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) in Central California.

Villegas, meanwhile, says on his website for his congressional candidacy that he is running to “bring accountable, people-first leadership to Washington.” But during his time as a Visalia Unified School District school board member, the district settled five confidential sexual abuse cases worth nearly $14.4 million that included provisions to withhold information from the public, according to obtained data and documents. Los Angeles Times.

Fox News Digital has confirmed that Villegas was present in at least one of the settlements authorized unanimously by the board. In that settlement agreement, the Visalia Unified School District paid $3 million after six former students alleged sexual assault against a kindergarten teacher, and the agreement included explicit provisions intended to keep the public in the dark.

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According to the LA Times, this is the fifth “collusion deal” in the Visalia Unified School District in three years, all of which occurred during Villegas’ current tenure on the board. Fox News Digital could not independently verify Villegas’ readiness for the other four votes.

Fox News Digital reached out to Villegas’ campaign and the Visalia Unified School District for comment, including questions about Villegas’ past message of transparency, the board’s approval of confidential sexual abuse settlements and whether the public deserved more disclosure, but did not hear back in time for publication.

“California Democrats have turned this race into a nightmare for parents,” Christian Martinez, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), told Fox News Digital. “Socialist Randy Villegas quietly approves of massive child sex abuse settlements, while Progressive Jasmeet Bains is supported by activists who seek to weaken sex crime laws and strip parents of their rights, proving that both are willing to sacrifice children’s safety to protect their far-left allies and agendas.”

Visalia Unified School District board minutes From March 2025, reviewed by Fox News Digital, when the board returned from closed session, the state Villegas was present and unanimously approved a settlement agreement described only as “current litigation” titled “Tulare County Superior Court, Case No. VCU 294247.”

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When Fox News Digital searched the Tulare County, California, case number on the Supreme Court’s case search portal, there were six defendants matching the March 2025 settlement documents shared by the LA Times.

The case involved allegations of sexual abuse and assault by six former students against an adult male kindergarten teacher, according to a 2022 complaint shared by the LA Times detailing allegations by six accusers; The incidents occurred decades ago, both in the classroom and in the restroom.

The complaint alleges that between 1969 and 1971, the teacher “used his kindergarten classroom and his position of trust and authority to viciously attack the youngest and most vulnerable students” and that the teacher “made the kindergarten classroom his personal playground where (the teacher) preyed on and repeatedly assaulted multiple female students.”

A school bus takes students home to the small town of Tulare County, California, in 2023. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The resulting confidential settlement agreement, dated March 2025, was approved by the board in which Villegas was present. It contained provisions in which the parties agreed to state only that “the matter has been resolved” and promised not to “further elaborate, discuss or disclose” the matter to third parties.

The settlement was reached to resolve the allegations and did not constitute an admission of any wrongdoing.

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The settlement agreement also acknowledged that the district may be required to disclose the terms of the settlement under the California Public Records Act, but prohibited former students who participated in the settlement from “directly or indirectly” encouraging anyone to submit a public records request related to the settlements or making a request themselves.

At least three of the other settlement agreements covering decades-old abuses from Villegas’ tenure on the Visalia Unified School District board and shared by the LA Times contained the same confidentiality provisions, according to a review by Fox News Digital.

The fifth, $8 million settlement, which was approved during Villegas’ tenure but not independently verified by Fox News Digital, involved a former student who alleged she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a school staff member in her mid-30s when she was 15, the LA Times reported.. The alleged abuse occurred during the 2022-2023 school year, according to a copy of the complaint shared by the LA Times.

In his complaint, the plaintiff accused the Visalia Unified School District of negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, alleging that the district knew or should have known that the defendant was unfit to work there.

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The plaintiff’s attorney told news outlet ABC 30 that the defendant in the case was released from the same school a decade ago for serious misconduct before being brought back in 2022. That attorney later represented another student with allegations against the same staff member, ABC30 reported, adding that the defendant faces 11 felony counts for misconduct during the 2022-2023 school year.

The settlement in this case, starting in 2025, was reached a month before the civil suit began, The Fresno Bee added.

Lopez acknowledged that Democrats are currently in the “hot seat” of California. (Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

While Villegas was running to retain his vacant position on the school board in 2022 before the aforementioned deals, he boasted that during his interim appointment he “push for transparency by supporting a policy allowing public access to meeting records.” candidate profile Visalia Times for Delta. Villegas reflects a similar message in his bio on his congressional candidacy website.

“Randy is running to fight for working families, protect our democracy, and bring accountable, people-first leadership to Washington,” Villegas said. website he says. “He challenges Republican David Valadao, who consistently sides with corporate interests over the needs of our communities.”

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Villegas, who has taught political science at the College of the Sequoias since earning his doctorate from the University of California at Santa Cruz, is running against incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democratic Assemblyman Bains in California’s first two primary elections on June 2.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Valadao and Bains campaigns for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

Villegas’ campaign received support from the party’s progressive wing; most notably, Sen., who endorsed Villegas in November 2025. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., along with Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta and their co-chair Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, which includes Maxwell Frost, D-Fla. praised Villegas As a candidate who will bring the voice of the Central Valley to Congress. According to local news in California, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. approved de Villegas.

The 22nd Congressional District was previously held by Republicans Devin Nunes and Connie Conway.