Rocco, others must pay for school district lawsuit

Orange Unified trustee Steve Rocco and others who unsuccessfully sued the school district will have to pay $37,000 in legal fees, a judge ruled Friday.

Rocco, Richard McKee and the nonprofit organization Californians Aware sued the district in November after Rocco’s fellow trustees voted to censure him for disparaging a school principal during a public board meeting. Judge Clay M. Smith had earlier ruled that just as Rocco has a right to state his opinion, fellow trustees are free to register their displeasure at his comments.

Rocco, a Santa Ana resident, has created controversy since his 2004 election to the board, which oversees more than 31,000 students and an annual budget of $230 million.