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It’s 2024, and we’re facing yet another Conejo Valley Unified School District school board election with far-right extremists attempting to gain a seat on the school board. If you’ve been keeping up, in 2018, a community effort successfully flipped the Conejo School Board, defeating a trio slate of far-right extremists whose anti-LGBTBQ+ and book censorship views were not embraced by our community. Every two years, the far-right groups in Conejo Valley — Free Ventura, Move the Needle (Tim McCarthy), Conservative Moms of Conejo Valley, Conejo Valley Mama Bears (Joelle Mancuso) + Godspeak Calvary/Rob Mccoy folks, toss out their “best?” to regain elected power on the school board, with no success to date. Not even through their propaganda paper, the Conejo Guardian. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be any less vigilant. A lot of damage can be done by one trustee with bad intentions, let alone a board majority. NOTE: If you are unaware of the Conejo Valley Mama Bears, the group was launched by Rob McCoy buddy, Joelle Mancuso. Group members regularly post pretty horrifically transphobic posts in the group, disinformation about the COVID pandemic, and general contempt for public schools. None of this is a surprise to those of you who have been actively paying attention the last few years, and have caught my other blogs on their concerted effort to encourage a mass exodus from public schools and to garner support for school choice vouchers. In 2020, the far-right candidate that got elected in 2016, Sandee Everett, lost her re-election campaign, and then in 2022 … perhaps the strongest of recent efforts (the Conejo Valley Mama Bear trio of Joelle Mancuso, Karen Meyer and Sophia DeDomenico) also lost at the ballots across their slate. Our community has been clear: we are not going back. And now here we are: 2024. I heard that local Republicans had been on the search for a while, desperate to find two candidates to run this year in the two areas that have elections. And folks, their candidates, demonstrate that level of desperation. As a reminder, our CVUSD board elections are no longer “at large.” They are “by-area,” meaning our district is split up into five areas. You may only vote in the area you live in, and you may only run in the area you live in. So, in 2024 … Area 1 (Westlake) and Area 5 (Newbury Park), are the two areas in which we have school board elections for the Conejo School Board. The other three trustees will face re-election in 2026, so if you live in areas 2, 3 or 4, you won’t see this race on your ballot — but the collective board impacts you … which is why you should still care just as much as you would have in an at-large election. Below, is information on the two candidates running against Area 1 Trustee Karen Sylvester and Area 5 Trustee Lauren Gill. Area 1 (Westlake): Nancy Van Volkinburg is running against trustee Karen Sylvester Let’s dive in on Nancy Van Volkinburg. We’ve come across pictures of her featured on the Moms for America event page on their website (included below). When I posted these pictures, she claimed I was spreading disinformation, and that she was not affiliated with Moms for America, Ventura Chapter — despite being featured on the group’s website in their event photos and belonging to the Conejo Valley Mama Bears group, whose leaders are also the leaders and representatives of the Ventura Chapter of this organization. She also claimed to me, via Facebook exchange that she was not in the Conejo Valley Mama Bears group, acting as though she had never heard of it. When we presented screenshots of her commenting in the group as a “top contributor” the very next day … her response was that she “stands corrected.” The ease with which this woman lies — and what she lies about — is both fascinating and bizarre.       So, let’s take a deeper dive into Moms for America. They note on their website: “Moms for America is a national movement of moms reclaiming our culture for truth, family freedom and the constitution. We Activate, Empower and Mobilize Moms to promote and advance freedom in our homes, communities and through our vote.” They advocate for what they call an end to “critical race theory and gender manipulation,” and call it an uprising of “the momma bears.” They provide training and mentoring on running for school boards. Here’s a goodie from their website which is so coded: “Join Moms for America Groups in doing our part in restoring our American culture by raising patriots right in our own homes!” Moms for America have engaged in several forms of political activism ranging from launching a national parents strike on schools masks during the height of the pandemic, organizing “Keep Christmas” rallies, hosting rallies to thank Trump for his policies on school choice, etc. The group was also one of several sponsors of the Jan. 6, 2021 “March to Save America” Trump rally that ultimately fueled the Capitol Insurrection. Vimeo has terminated their account after citing multiple videos flagged for misinformation. It’s been reported that “Moms for America has also been a major player in pushing voter suppression, election denialism, attacks on public schools and COVID-19 misinformation.” Nancy has also come out and endorsed Franke Enderle — who we’ll discuss in a moment — even after folks raised concerns about his wildly problematic and harmful social media tweets, stating that she stands by her endorsement. When you see his tweets, I’ll let you determine how you feel about her strong and public support for his candidacy. On her website, she lists that her experience as a trustee in northern California equips her for this role. Now, I haven’t been able to find anything online verifying her role as trustee for Potter Valley Community Unified School District, near Ikiah, California … but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. That said, Ballotpedia lists this district as being comprised of four schools with a combined student population of about 276 kids. In comparison, CVUSD has 27 schools and more than 16,000 students. I don’t want to discount her experience as a trustee … (whenever that was — assuming pre 1996, which is when she moved to the Conejo Valley) … but there is a quite a difference here between the two districts, and white a distance in time (assuming at least 28 years) since she would have served as a trustee if we assumed as recent as 1995. (Again, still no real information that she’s provided … she’s been dodgy on her page with details, which is no surprise.) Area 5 (Newbury Park): Frank Enderle is running against trustee Lauren Gill. Alright, let’s take a look at Frank Enderle. Dude runs a lot and loses every time. I’ve always assumed it’s been to boost his realtor business, because, let’s be honest. He is not a serious person. Frank has taken to blocking every single person he disagrees with on his candidate page, and pretending that all the tweets he’s been making for years weren’t him, and that he’s being “cyberbullied” because people are calling him out for these tweets. The tweets? … They’re below (just a snippet). Full of tweets misgendering Michelle Obama, and suggesting that a rape victim isn't "rapeable" because of her looks. Y'all ... this is who the "family morals" crowd is backing to oversee education decisions as a trustee? Frank is also a contributor to the Conejo Valley Mama Bears.    Nancy Van Volkingburg and Frank Enderle will not be champions for our Conejo Valley public schools, and based on their expressed views about our LGBTQ+ community, I don't believe they are safe for our LGBTQ+ students and decisions related to their healthy, safety, education and inclusion in school.
If you live in Area 1 (Westlake), I recommend voting for trustee Karen Sylvester. If you live in Area 5 (Newbury Park), I recommend voting for trustee Lauren Gill.
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A suspension is brewing for the highly controversial, far-right propaganda "paper" backed by Godspeak Calvary Pastor Rob McCoy. Let's dive in. It's a real doozy y'all!
I get asked a lot about everything from the Conejo Guardian to Free Ventura Action PAC. What these? Who is behind them? How are they funded?
1. Who is Rob McCoy? Rob McCoy is a far-right Christian Evangelist who heads up Godspeak Calvary Church in Dos Vientos. Texas fracking billionaires bought the former Y and transformed it into a church venue for him. McCoy is vocal about his agenda to “legislate morality,” does not believe in the separation of church and state, and quit his term as city council member in 2020 in order to host mass gatherings at Godspeak Calvary in defiance of state and county health regulations during a national health pandemic. Godspeak Calvary has also been the venue used for anti-public school forums, Free Ventura Action PAC meetings and the assemblage and delivery of the far-right propaganda publication, The Conejo Guardian. McCoy is the Chair of Turning Point Faith (a division of radical Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA), a member of Public School Exit’s Advisory Council (a movement to encourage a mass exodus of public schools), and recently recorded a video with Marjorie Taylor Greene, whom he said should be the next president of the United States. He publicly supported Tim McCarthy, founder of the far-right Move the Needle organization, that is responsible for the weekly freeway overpass protests denying the 2020 election, supporting the insurrection, and protesting against health mandates, among other grievances. Their voter guide is a who’s who in extremist agendas. Related Links:
2. What is The Conejo Guardian? The Conejo Guardian is a far-right propaganda paper first launched in 2020 and run by Amy Chen (a Godspeak member who lost her 2018 bid for the CVUSD school board after it was revealed that she created the paper shell of a non-existent nonprofit for the sole purpose of using “education nonprofit director” as a ballot designation.) While McCoy denies “involvement,” he recently slipped in a recorded podcast, referring to the paper as “We …”, and provides Godspeak Calvary as the venue for paper assemblage and coordinated deliveries. The paper’s objective is to publish hit pieces against our local public school district, against teachers, and lately, against the LGBTQ+ community. Its advertisers are a mix of local wealth management firms, VC Gun Defense, and a smattering of realtors. The paper doesn’t adhere to journalistic best practices, backing its hit pieces with quotes from “anonymous whistleblowers.” Joel Kilpatrick is listed as the editor of the paper currently. Amy Chen manages the advertising revenue. Related Links Anonymous Mommy The Conejo Guardian, What You Need to Know, Aug. 1, 2021 3. What is Free Ventura Action PAC Free Ventura Action PAC was created by Rob McCoy’s Liberty Station Podcast Co-host Bryce Eddy and Rick Brown, co-pastor of Godspeak Church. The PAC’s meetings are hosted at Godspeak Calvary Church. From their website: “It is our desire to join this network of freedom fighters to create synergy in our efforts to identify, recruit, train, and support candidates.” Featured videos on the site include: “What is a woman?” and “Whose children are they?” McCoy claims to have no tangible involvement with this PAC … but let’s all just be real for a moment shall we? 4. What is Watchmen33 WOW33 most noticeably popped up last year (locally), when the group started hosting webinars to “train” parents to post fake legal notices on school campuses to demonstrate their anti-masking stance during a global health pandemic. These parents were being encouraged to send in a “donation” for a parental packet that would train them. Y’all — it’s always about the grift with these folks! Worth noting that Mandy Jacob, who runs this local WOW33 chapter, has identified herself as Joelle Manuco’s campaign manager in email correspondence. I remember her mostly for hissing at parents at CVUSD school board meetings and for attempting to insult working class members of our community in an Acorn letter. Joelle Mancuso is the Rob McCoy-backed candidate for CVUSD Area 2 (his other candidates are Karen Meyer for CVUSD Area 3 and Sophia DeDomenico for Area 4). WOW33 has a few local candidates that have pledged to the Watchmen Decree, and thus are whom the group is advocating for (they refer to the candidates as: “The Watchmen below make up a very special part of our organization: our candidates. These men and women have made a commitment to you and your parental rights.”) The national overarching movement, like David Lane’s American Renewal Project, is to develop “watchmen pastors” to run for local offices. When pastors aren’t available, church members that will “stay in line” are the next most desirable choice. Watchmen on the Wall states on its website that it is a ministry of the Family Research Council, an extremely anti-LGBTQ+ advocacy group, that has stated on its website: “Family Research Council believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed. It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects.” This was the decree they had published on their website that has since, mysteriously disappeared after I posted about the organization: *Watchman Decree As a Patriot of faith, I attest my allegiance first and foremost to the kingdom of God and the Great Commission. Secondly, I agree to be a watchman over our nation concerning its people and their rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. WHEREAS: ● we, the Church, are God’s governing Body on the earth ● we have been given legal power and authority from heaven ● we are God’s ambassadors and spokespeople over the earth ● through the power of God, we are His world influencers ● because of our covenant with God, we are equipped and delegated by Him to destroy every attempted advance of the enemy WE MAKE OUR DECLARATIONS: 1. We decree that America’s executive branch of government will honor God and defend the Constitution. 2. We decree that our legislative branch (Congress) will write only laws that are righteous and constitutional. 3. We decree that our judicial system will issue rulings that are biblical and constitutional. 4. We declare that we stand against wokeness, the occult, and every evil attempt against our nation. 5. We declare that we now take back our God-given freedoms, according to our Constitution. 6. We declare that we take back influence at the local level in our communities. 7. We decree that we take back and permanently control positions of influence and leadership in each of the **Seven Mountains. 8. We decree that the blood of Jesus covers and protects our nation. It protects and separates us for God. 9. We declare that our nation is energy independent. 10. We declare that America is strong spiritually, financially, militarily and technologically. 11. We decree that evil carries no power, authority or rights in our land nor over our people. 12. We decree that we will operate in unity, going beyond denominational lines in order to accomplish the purposes of God for our nation. 13. And we decree that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED! 14. We know this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. We know the truth; therefore, we stand for truth and will NEVER be deceived! We will NEVER stop fighting! We will NEVER, EVER, EVER give up or give in! We WILL take our country back. We WILL honor the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED! “Working together with Him, we strongly urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain [by turning away from sound doctrine and His merciful kindness]. For He says, ‘At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you, and I helped you on the day of salvation.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.’” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2; AMP) *Watchman Decree was written and shared by Flashpoint on 7/1/2022. **Seven Mountains of Influence includes media, business/finance, family, education, politics, arts/entertainment, and religion. At one point in time, Joelle Mancuso, Karen Meyer, Cole Bracato, Lori Mills, Halla Maher (T.O. City Council Candidate), Mikey Tayor (T.O. City Council Candidate) and Don Brodt (SVUSD Area D Candidate) were all listed as “watchmen.” After my post, there must have been some communications. Today, only four still appear on the website: Joelle Mancuso, Karen Meyer, Cole Bracato and Lori Mills. 5. What is Citizens Journal? You know what, I almost completely forgot about these folks. They’ve got The Conejo Guardian doing a lot of heavy lifting for them these days. The Citizens Journal is a far-right online publication that posts similar content to The Conejo Guardian, most notability missives against our public schools, teachers and citizens. One of its primary editors is Deborah Baber. Deb, who is known for dressing us as lady liberty at various city council and school board meetings throughout the county, most recently shot to … “fame” after she sang a song at the VC Board of Supervisors meeting during the height of the pandemic, bemoaning masks. Honestly, you just have to watch for yourself. Citizens Journal founding editor Michael Hernandez hosted a “Can you be a reporter” training to “raise up” the next generation of reporters and host workshops that included essay writing on the topic: “How can citizens participate in government and uphold the American Legacy?” The paper has been caught lifting reporting from The Acorn. 6. What is Conejo Valley Mama Bears? Conejo Valley Mama Bears was launched by CVUSD Area 2 Candidate Joelle Mancuso, as a means to encourage like-minded folks to deny health mandates and protest against LGBTQ+ students and ethnic studies courses in our school district. Its content is primarily composed of racist and transphobic rhetoric, juxtaposed with images implying use gun violence as a response to books they don’t want in school libraries, and a very "we are mommy and daddy bears, hear us roar" sort of vibe. This is not the national pro-LGBTQ+ friendly Mama Bears. The three Mama Bear candidates running for CVUSD school board (none with kids in the district – two of them used private schools) are: Joelle Mancuso, Karen Meyer and Sophia DeDomenico. They have the support of the Free Ventura Action PAC and Move the Needle organization, along with Rob McCoy. These three candidates each received donations of $10,000 by one Godspeak member for their campaigns. 7. What is Conservative Moms of Conejo Valley? CMOCV is a private Facebook group administered by Sandee Everett, a former CVUSD school board trustee who lost her re-election bid in 2020 and moved out the state. That hasn’t stopped her from posting hundreds of times daily in this group, dedicated to spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns. They coordinate with Rob McCoy and Conejo Valley Mama Bears on activism efforts, and coordinate comments on local news articles. 8. What is Conejo Alert? Conejo Alert is another far-right “movement” that recently launched in an effort to protest against LGBTQ+ students in our public schools. The website encourage parents to go to school libraries to “look for transgender books”, is supported by the Move the Needle organization, and basically just primarily exists to be an absolute vile shithole of bigotry and transphobia. 9. What is California Parent Alliance, Informed Conejo Valley, Concerned Parents of California? These all existed prior to Conejo Alert, but their mission is connected. This group mostly focuses on protesting comprehensive sexual health education that is age appropriate and inclusive of all students receiving the education. They frequently post misinformation about the actual curriculum and opt-out policies. ********** All of these efforts are interconnected and often work together to amplify the messaging while presenting as “just a group of concerned parents.” These are all part of connected network under Rob McCoy who work together implementing disinformation campaigns laden with fear-mongering propaganda filled with lies and illegitimate sources. Here’s how it works: Don't go to Godspeak Calvary? Don't worry! Some of its most active church members admin and dominate conversations in online groups like Conservative Moms of Conejo Valley and Conejo Valley Mama Bears, so you’ll be fed the propaganda there. Not in CMOCV? Don't worry, you'll hear about it via The Conejo Guardian, as most of its op-eds are penned by CMOCV and Godspeak Calvary members. Don't read Rhe Conejo Guardian ...? That's not a problem — a different version of the same op-ed will be published on Citizen's Journal using a fake pen name. Don't read the news, but hang out on Facebook? Well, you then might find your feed full of posts from California Parent Alliance, Informed Conejo Valley, or Concerned Parents of California. Or, you'll see an organized string of comments hit the comment sections of our local paper, The Acorn or the VC Star, to give the false appearance of "majority support" for opinions expressed by the group's most vocal voices on social media. This effort is bolstered by a few who have several alias accounts. Not on Facebook? Just head over to Twitter, where they also have multiple Twitter accounts under different aliases that they use to tweet, fight and dominate a thread in attempts to control the narrative and convey massive community support. SO, WHAT DO WE DO? 1. You get informed. You are not getting “real” or unbiased news from: The Conejo Guardian or the Citizens Journal. Your real news sources should be, to start: The Acorn and the VC Star. These aren’t without missteps, but they are not propaganda-agenda driven. And, your source for any news related to a school district should be that school district’s website. Not the propaganda flyer placed on your car window shield that doesn’t link to a relevant website. 2. Support good governance, responsible candidates who will put students, schools and cities, first. VENTURA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT AREA 2 I, Jess Weihe, am running for Area 2. www.jess4vcccd.com. The other candidate in the race is backed by Rob McCoy, Move the Needle and Free Ventura. I hope you’ll visit my website to learn more about my platform so we can chat about our community college district! CVUSD RACE Link up with Conejo Together. Conejo Together is a group of parents and organizations that have joined to support good governance candidates. In 2022, for CVUSD, they are supporting Lisa Powell (Area 2), Bill Gorback (Area 3), and Cindy Goldberg (Area 4). You will ONLY see these names on your ballot if you live in the voting areas listed above. T.O. CITY COUNCIL RACE While the McCoy candidates include Halla Maher and Mikey Taylor; we’ve got a few excellent candidates running: Bob Engler for re-election and Kyle Rohrbach. You will be able to vote for three candidates. CONEJO RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICT You will have three votes for this race. I am supporting Chaise Rasheed and Marissa Buss. 3. If you’d like to get more involved in local politics, email me and I can help you get started. If you would like guidance on all of the local elections and candidates, I can provide you with some endorsement guides. A few months back, I participated in a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) stakeholder meeting organized by the city, and led by Phin Xaypangna, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer - County of Ventura. The meeting allowed for group brainstorming sessions to discuss inequities and disparities on topics that included housing, transportation, health care, K-12 education, racism, minimum wage, digital divide, law enforcement, city elected officials, community attitude, disability community and LGBTQ+ community. Additionally, time was provided to talk about the city's strengths, problems, weaknesses and threats ... and then to suggest some BOLD ideas. The presentation kicked off with a video that I thought would be valuable for people to watch to set the conversation. Here are the notes as provided by the city from that meeting. You can also download a PDF of them HERE. I spoke with councilmember Claudia Bill-de la Peña about next steps stemming from this meeting and she shared that she is focused on hiring a full-time DEI position for the City of Thousand Oaks who can address this feedback and work with city staff and city residents.
Rob McCoy and his selected candidates for school board (Joelle Mancuso, Karen Meyer, and a third TBD) have been polishing their political statements for campaign runs. They're primed, airbrushed and dying to scare you, because fear is all they've got, really. So, I want to break down some of their polished talking points that you're going to see in their mailers, flyers and social media talking points. And, I want to then give a BRIEF recap of origins/context as it relates to this effort here locally.
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