Two trustees on the board for Orange Unified School District faced a recall election Tuesday night – a move organizers say was spurred by the abrupt firing of the former superintendent. 

At the end of election night, Trustee Rick Ledesma looks to have lost his seat with 53% of voters choosing to recall, while nearly 47% chose to keep him – a difference of 1,830 votes – according to the OC Registrar of Voters. 

Trustee Madison Miner also appears to have lost her seat with nearly 53% voters choosing to recall, while 47% chose to keep her – a difference of 1,718 votes.  

Recall election efforts began with support from parents and teachers in January 2023 after Superintendent Gunn Marie Hansen was abruptly fired. Ledesma and Miner say the recall is a teacher union-backed attack on parent rights. 

[Read: Two Orange Unified School Board Members Face March Recall Election]

Ledesma and Miner have faced scrutiny for their backing of the superintendent’s firing and a host of controversial district policies. 

Some of those include banning the pride flag as well as other flags and school banners on district and school flag poles, temporarily restricting library access over concerns of the availability of age-inappropriate books and requiring school officials to notify parents if their child is transgender.

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