Two conservative members of the school board in Southern California’s Orange Unified School District are facing a probable recall due to their involvement in the termination of a superintendent and the implementation of a controversial transgender student policy, which has garnered criticism for potentially infringing on children’s privacy rights.
An initiative to unseat Madison Miner and Rick Ledesma from their positions on the school board seems to have garnered enough signatures to be eligible for a recall election. The Orange County Registrar of Voters is currently conducting a final assessment, with results expected in the near future.
Darshan Smaaladen, a parent and a leader of the recall effort, expressed optimism, stating, “I feel confident that we will be successful. It feels good to accomplish something that many recall initiatives have failed to achieve.”
The impending recall election not only poses a challenge to Miner and Ledesma but also reflects a broader trend in Southern California, where newly elected Republican school boards have recently been embroiled in cultural and ideological controversies.
Another recall campaign is underway in Temecula, where the school board also dismissed the superintendent and adopted a similar transgender student policy. The organizers in Temecula have until December 8 to qualify for a recall election.
Both school districts implemented policies that require schools to inform families if their child identifies as transgender or non-binary. Critics argue that this could jeopardize the student’s safety if their parents are unaware, potentially violating privacy rights under the state constitution.
Several other districts have implemented similar policies, and one of them is currently facing a legal challenge from the state. Federal courts are also considering challenges to policies that restrict school staff from notifying parents about changes in their child’s gender identity.
Ledesma was reelected to the board in the previous fall, while Miner secured her first term, resulting in a shift to a 4-3 conservative majority on the board in a politically contested district. They removed the district superintendent without specifying a cause shortly after taking office.
Miner previously indicated that Chino megachurch pastor Jack Hibbs played a role in shaping the policy adopted by the Orange school board. Hibbs utilized his church’s political arm, Real Impact, to support Miner and Ledesma’s election campaigns.
The Orange County Registrar of Voters notified recall organizers on Friday that their effort had qualified, but further evaluation was required. On Monday, they announced that a larger sample of signatures needed to be reviewed to confirm the decision.
To qualify for the ballot, recall supporters needed to submit approximately 13,000 signatures, and initial estimates indicated that they exceeded this threshold by about 2,000 signatures. However, the county had only reviewed 3 percent of the signatures, falling short of the legally required 5 percent, necessitating a more extensive review to officially schedule the election.
If the recall effort qualifies, the school board will be obligated to set a date for the recall election. Smaaladen expressed the hope that the vote could be consolidated with other elections in March, which would be a more cost-effective option compared to a standalone election.
