California Democrat Randy Villegas Approved Secret Sex-Abuse Settlements on School Board

A California Democrat seeking a Central Valley congressional seat campaigned on transparency for his local school board. But the board settled multiple sex-abuse cases out of public view during his time on it.

Randy Villegas, a college professor and recent Visalia Unified School District board member, is running for California's newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District after the state's Proposition 50. His campaign website states he wants to bring accountable, people-first leadership to Washington.

During Villegas's ongoing tenure on the Visalia Unified School District board in Central California, the district settled five confidential sex-abuse cases for nearly $14.4 million, according to data and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The settlements included provisions to withhold information from the public.

Fox News Digital confirmed Villegas was present for at least one such settlement, unanimously approved by the board. In that case, the district paid $3 million over sexual assault allegations by six former students against a kindergarten teacher. The agreement explicitly barred public disclosure, requiring parties to say only that the matter has been resolved with no further discussion.

Board minutes from March 2025 show Villegas attended when the board emerged from closed session and approved the settlement, listed as Tulare County Superior Court Case No. VCU 294247. A search of the Tulare County Superior Court portal found six defendants matching documents shared by the Los Angeles Times.

A 2022 complaint detailed allegations from six former students against the male teacher for abuse between 1969 and 1971 in a classroom and restroom. It claimed he used his position to assault multiple female students.

The agreement noted the district might disclose terms under the California Public Records Act but prohibited the former students from encouraging or filing records requests about it. At least three other settlements from Villegas's tenure, shared by the Los Angeles Times, had similar secrecy clauses for abuse dating back decades.

A fifth settlement, for $8 million and approved during his tenure according to the Times, involved a former student alleging grooming and assault at age 15 by a staff member in his mid-30s during the 2022–2023 school year. The complaint accused the district of negligent hiring, supervision and retention. The plaintiff's attorney told ABC 30 the staff member had been released a decade earlier for serious misconduct before returning in 2022. He later faced 11 felony counts, and the settlement came a month before a civil trial, per The Fresno Bee.

The settlements resolved claims without admitting wrongdoing. This was the fifth secret settlement in three years at the district.

In 2022, while running to keep his appointed board seat before these settlements, Villegas said he pushed for transparency by supporting public access to meeting recordings, per a Visalia Times Delta profile.

Villegas teaches political science at the College of the Sequoias after earning a doctorate from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He faces incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democratic Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains in the June 2 top-two primary.

His campaign has endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, and Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Maxwell Frost of Florida, and Ro Khanna of California.

Christian Martinez, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said, "California Democrats have turned this race into a nightmare for parents. Socialist Randy Villegas quietly approved massive confidential settlements tied to the sexual abuse of children, while Progressive Jasmeet Bains is backed by activists who pushed to weaken sex offender laws and strip parents of their rights proving both are willing to sacrifice kids’ safety to protect their far-left allies and agenda."

Fox News Digital sought comment from Villegas’s campaign, the school district, Valadao’s campaign and Bains’s campaign on Villegas’s transparency pledges, the settlements and public disclosure. None responded in time for publication.

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