AG Backs Removal of Whittier Union Trustee Gary Mendez, WUHSD Board to Meet Tonight

October 7, 2025

By Brian Hews

The California Attorney General has officially authorized the Whittier Union High School District (WUHSD) to move forward with a quo warranto lawsuit seeking the removal of Trustee Gary Mendez, confirming Los Cerritos Community News’ earlier reporting on his unlawful dual office-holding.

Filed on September 15 in Los Angeles County Superior Court (Case No. 25STCV27197), the verified complaint, prepared by Strumwasser & Woocher LLP, alleges that Mendez violated Government Code Section 1099 by simultaneously serving as a WUHSD Trustee and as Vice President of the Central Basin Municipal Water District (CBMWD) Board of Directors. The state’s complaint asserts that Mendez forfeited his school board position the moment he took the oath for his water board seat on December 18, 2024.

According to the Attorney General’s published Opinion No. 25-501, the dual offices are “incompatible” because the water district supplies water to the vendors that serve the school district, creating overlapping jurisdictions and potential conflicts of interest. The opinion specifically cites the possibility of “a significant clash of duties or loyalties” between the two positions. “When two public offices are incompatible,” it states, “a public officer is deemed to have forfeited the first office upon assuming the second.”

The state’s 17-page opinion, signed by Attorney General Rob Bonta and Deputy Attorney General Catherine Bidart, also references Los Cerritos Community News’ May 17, 2025 exclusive article reporting that Mendez had been served with the legal papers. It is the first time in the district’s history that a sitting trustee has faced removal through a state-approved quo warranto proceeding.

The lawsuit, brought in the name of the People of the State of California on behalf of the Whittier Union High School District, seeks a judicial order declaring Mendez ineligible to continue serving on the board and formally removing him from office. The filing was verified by Superintendent Monica Oviedo and includes attachments from the Attorney General’s office granting leave to sue.

Tonight, the Whittier Union Board of Trustees will convene a special closed-session meeting at its Sierra Education Center headquarters to confer with legal counsel about the case. The sole item on the agenda was “Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation,” referencing the Mendez lawsuit by case number. No open-session action was taken, but the discussion signals that the district is preparing to defend its position and move the case forward in court.

If the court rules in the district’s favor, Mendez will be removed from the Whittier Union board and retain only his position on the Central Basin Municipal Water District. The quo warranto action underscores a growing focus by state officials on enforcing conflict-of-interest laws among elected local officials.