The Kern County Superior Court ordered a false and misleading statement to be removed from a recall petition targeting two members of the Kern High School District Board of Trustees.

Steven Rodrigue, who represents Area 2, and David Manriquez, who represents Area 3, were the subject of a recall effort. 

The recall targets trustees David Manriquez and Steven Rodrigue following their vote against a Title IX resolution related to transgender athletes in girls’ sports last year. 

The petition claimed they “broke the public trust by voting to allow biological males to participate in high school female sports teams.”

Rodrigue and Manriquez denied the claim and hired the law firm Young Wooldridge LLP to challenge the statement.

At their request, the court found by clear and convincing evidence that the statement was false, misleading and not supported by facts. 

The court ordered the statement to be removed from the recall petition and directed the Kern County Clerk to reject any petition that includes the false statement.

Rodrigue and Manriquez are in the second year of their four-year terms.

Rodrigue said he and Trustee David Manriquez agree with the court’s ruling.

“We really agree with the outcome and the ruling the judge gave regarding the recall and the false statements they put in the petition about why we were being recalled,” Rodrigue said. “Under state law, we were just following the law.”

He said the board resolution referenced in the recall petition had no impact on transgender students.

“That resolution they voted on really had no impact one way or the other on transgender students,” Rodrigue said.

Rodrigue said the trustees were served with the recall in December and received the final ruling Friday of last week.