Orange Unified School Board Trustees Madison Miner and Rick Ledesma, both Republicans, have been kicked out of office by voters in a recall election this month – a move that could make way for a liberal leaning majority on the dais.
It’s the first successful recall effort in the district since 2001, according to district spokeswoman Hana Brake.
Recall efforts kicked off against the two with support from parents and teachers in January 2023 after Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen was abruptly fired.
[Read: Two Orange Unified School Board Members Might Get Recalled]
Organizers also took aim at their support over a transgender notification policy, suspension of a library app, and allowing a charter school to mortgage an old junior high.
The efforts gained enough support to put the question of a recall against the two before voters on the March 5th primary ballot.
Results from the OC Registrar of Voters show roughly 53% of voters said yes to removing Miner and 54% said yes to removing Ledesma with no ballots left to process.
The OC Board of Supervisors certified the results at their meeting on Tuesday.
Ledesma and Miner did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Last week, the OUSD Recall group, who lead the efforts, issued a statement calling their success democracy at work and that Ledesma and Miner will longer be able to push their personal agendas on students.
“The actions of the board majority and subsequent recall have been difficult for our
community. The unintended benefit is more people than ever paying attention to what happens in local elections and how school boards are governed,” reads a March 14 statement from the OUSD recall group last week.
“We look forward to a time where school board meetings can be boring again, with a board that is focused on the financial health of our district.”
Darshan Smaaladen, one of the leaders of the recall group, said in a Wednesday phone interview they were encouraged by the engagement of families in the district during the process.
“They are committed to ensuring that we have trustees in the future that will be working in the best interest of all students,” she said. “It’s something we’ve never had before.”
Both trustees have been removed from the district’s website.
Ledesma served as a school board member from 1993-1997 and then again from 2001 until last week.
Miner was elected in 2022 to the school board for the first time.
Beyond the firing of Hansen, Ledesma and Miner have faced pushback for their support of a host of district policies criticized by many parents.
This includes transgender notification policy, temporarily suspending their digital library over concerns of age inappropriate books and banning the flying on LGBTQ+ flag on district flagpoles.
What’s Next For Orange Unified?
The board will now have to choose between appointing two people to fill the vacancies until the November election, call a special election to fill the spots or wait until November for voters to elect two new board members, according to election code.
Leaders behind the OUSD Recall efforts said in their statement they will continue to fight for education that serves all students.
“Those who choose to serve should serve our students first, not those with access or with ability to pay-to-play,” reads the statement. “With transparency and accountability this can be a reality in Orange Unified, and under the watchful eyes of our parents and community this is our future.”
Smaaladen said that many parents are reaching out and asking what’s next.
“They’re looking forward to moving the district along and back on a path that we can all agree on.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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