The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is investigating TVUSD Trustee Melinda Anderson over video that appears to show her placing an object under two fellow trustees' desks.

The incident occurred before the Tuesday, Sept. 22, board meeting, Patch first reported. Trustees Steve Schwartz and Emil Barham, whose desks were involved, are calling for Anderson's resignation and a special public meeting.

District cameras captured two clips from that evening. In the first, Anderson kneels at the vacant desks of Schwartz and Barham and appears to reach underneath. In the second, recorded as the meeting ends, she approaches the desks again and appears to remove something while Superintendent Kimberly Velez watches.

Anderson has not responded to comment.

Deputies responded to TVUSD offices Saturday, Sept. 26, to investigate what Lt. Deirdre Vickers of the Southwest Sheriff's Station described as a report of surreptitious recording. The station's Investigation Bureau took over the case, and Vickers said the investigation remained ongoing as of Thursday, Oct. 1.

Schwartz told Patch he was called to district offices unexpectedly to view the footage. Board President Joseph Komrosky and a district safety official were also present.

"It's not often that I can't find the words, but I was flabbergasted," Schwartz told Patch.

Schwartz said he learned through conversations with others that the object was believed to be a listening device. He also said he heard Anderson say nothing was recorded outside district offices. Investigators have not publicly confirmed what the object was or whether it was recovered.

Barham called the alleged actions "a betrayal of the public trust" and said both he and Schwartz have asked Komrosky to convene a special meeting before the board's next regular session Tuesday, Oct. 13. Komrosky told Patch he may be available for a special meeting before then but has not committed to a date.

Schwartz said that if Anderson or Trustee Jen Wiersma are seated on the dais at the next meeting, he will attend but refuse to join the quorum.

Under California Penal Code Section 632, intentionally using an electronic device to record a confidential communication without all parties' consent can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony. A misdemeanor conviction carries up to one year in county jail and a $2,500 fine. The statute excludes communications made during public proceedings open to the public, so whether the alleged recording occurred during the open meeting or in a pre-meeting period could matter.

The allegations land amid longstanding board tensions. In April, the board voted 3-2 to censure Barham after Anderson accused him of intimidation, the Press-Enterprise reported. Anderson, Wiersma and Komrosky voted in favor; Barham and Schwartz voted no.

The TVUSD superintendent's office acknowledged awareness of the video and confirmed law enforcement is investigating. The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13.