The Demand
A formal Cure and Correct Letter was sent to the PUSD Board of Education under California Government Code § 54960.1. It documents Brown Act violations by four board members and demands they immediately suspend Resolution 2852, the resolution that set school closures in motion. They have 30 days to comply or face litigation.
Four PUSD board members — Fredericks, Harden, Velázquez, and Kenne — privately coordinated a school closure strategy for months before any public process. That coordination violates the Brown Act. On May 15, 2026, a formal legal demand was sent requiring them to immediately stop all actions taken under Resolution 2852, or face a lawsuit that could invalidate every vote and decision that followed.
What Is a Cure and Correct Letter?
Under California Government Code § 54960.1, any person can demand that a government body "cure and correct" a Brown Act violation. Once the letter is received, the board has 30 days to comply. If they refuse, or ignore it, the sender can sue to have the challenged actions declared void by a court.
This is not a complaint. It is a legal prerequisite to litigation. The clock is running.
The Violation
California's Brown Act prohibits a majority of board members from using "a series of communications of any kind, directly or through intermediaries, to discuss, deliberate, or take action" on public business outside of a noticed public meeting. The law covers texts, emails, phone calls, and communications routed through a third party.
The letter documents a textbook "hub-and-spoke" pattern: Fredericks communicated separately with Velázquez, Harden, and Kenne about Resolution 2852, privately, over months, before and after the December 11 vote. Harden and Kenne did the same with each other. The cumulative effect was a majority of the board deliberating in private.
The Strategy Session
Fredericks emails Kenne requesting consolidation data. Kenne forwards it to Harden. Harden and Kenne then privately strategize about when to introduce a resolution and how to frame it — two months before any public board discussion.
"What is the timing of introducing a resolution to direct Liz to develop a consolidation plan?"
Fredericks Reveals Her Secret Presentation
Fredericks privately shares her "Consolidation 2027" presentation with Velázquez, a document she had been building for weeks and explicitly described as "not intended for the public."
"I have an entire presentation called 'Consolidation 2027' which I had been working on for several weeks. It was not intended for the public but as a visual aid to explain my findings to individuals."
Secret TSS Meetings, Acknowledging the Brown Act Limit
Fredericks invites Velázquez to a private meeting with Total School Solutions (TSS), explicitly asking TSS to "keep this meeting confidential." Four days later she adds Harden, and explicitly cites the Brown Act limit in the same message.
"Note, we are a 7 member board so this is as many board members we can have within the Brown Act."
Vote Day, Coordinated in Private That Morning
Before the public meeting, Harden texts Fredericks his exact proposed amendments, word for word. He and Kenne coordinate strategy by phone. The resolution passes 4–3 with the privately negotiated amendments.
"Just talked to Tina. She seems ok with my 3 amendments as a friendly for a first pass."
Post-Vote: They Confirm the Strategy Worked
After the vote, Harden and Kenne reflect on their private coordination and conclude it was the right move.
"I do have a greater feeling after Yarma's vibe last night that had I voted no on her resolution and introduced my own, she probably would have voted no on it."
"So we took the best path possible."
What the Letter Demands
Pursuant to Government Code § 54960.1, the letter demands PUSD immediately:
- Suspend the District Transformation Planning Process
- Suspend the Equity Impact Analysis
- Suspend any annual reporting requirements under Resolution 2852
- Suspend any decision to vote on school closures
- Rescind Board Resolution 2852 in its entirety
"The continued enforcement and enactment from an unlawfully-enacted resolution must be halted indefinitely as it constitutes unlawful conduct, and at least a continuous accrual of Brown Act violations and/or continuing violation of the Brown Act through this day and indefinitely into the future."
What Happens Next
PUSD has 30 days from May 15, 2026 — until June 14, 2026 — to cure and correct or notify the sender of their refusal. If they fail to act, the sender may file suit to have Resolution 2852 and all actions taken under it judicially invalidated. That would include any June 2026 vote to close schools.