Petitioners might seek recall of Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustee in Area 3

 

Dueling internet petition drives and extensive social media commentary have put Area 3, one of the five trustee areas in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, in the public eye.

A controversy has flared over the presence of recently elected trustee Leandra Blades during a portion of the “Stop the Steal” protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6. One change.org petition seeks Blades' resignation from her position, while the other defends her actions.

Blades was elected the trustee for Area 3 on the eastside of Yorba Linda, home to Yorba Linda High School, in the Nov. 3 election with 38.7% of the vote against three opponents. But now, petitioners are saying they'll mount a recall drive if she refuses to resign her post.

Recalls aren't easy to qualify for the ballot. In fact, a 22-page booklet from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office outlining recall regulations states, “All parties involved in a recall are advised to seek legal counsel.”

Sentiment in Area 3 for a resignation or recall can't be determined because anyone can sign a change.org petition without giving an address. And, of course, only registered voters in Area 3 will be able to vote in a recall if the matter does appear on a ballot.

Recall proponents would have to gather the signatures of 20% of the registered voters in Area 3 within 180 days, after serving and publishing a notice of recall. Actual number of signatures would be based on the county's latest registration report to California's Secretary of State.

For the November election, Area 3 had the highest number of registered voters of the district's five trustee areas, at 23,743, so the number of verified signatures necessary to qualify a recall would be about 4,700. Area 3 also had the highest voter turnout of 91.5%.

Registration and turnout in the other areas: 22,083 and 90.5% in Area 1, home to El Dorado High; 11,069 and 79.7% in Area 2, home to Valencia High; 21,779 and 91% in Area 4, home to Esperanza High; and 21,462 and 89.1% in Area 5, home to El Camino Real High.

Area 3 also has the highest number of registered voters from Yorba Linda, 23,742 in the last election (strangely, there's also one registered voter from Anaheim). The other areas have a mix of voters that include portions of Anaheim, Brea, Fullerton, Placentia and Yorba Linda.

And Area 3 presented Donald Trump with his largest margin of victory in the district, beating Joe Biden by 3,865 votes. Trump won Area 1 by 268 votes, Area 4 by 2,679 votes and Area 5 by 56 votes. Biden beat Trump by 3,143 votes in Area 2.

The only successful recall ballot in the community was in 2016, when two Yorba Linda Water District directors, Robert Kiley and Gary Melton, were turned out by a 70% vote.

The only other recall election was in 2014, when two Yorba Linda City Councilmen, Tom Lindsey and Craig Young, survived, with nearly 60% of voters opposing ouster.

Yorba Linda plans switch to electric vehicle fleet; governing bodies select new leaders for 2021

 

Plans to switch Yorba Linda's city-owned, gasoline-powered transportation fleet to all-electric vehicles begin this year, with early actions anticipated when the City Council approves a two-year operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Funding to pay for the installation of infrastructure required to transition the city's vehicles to an electric-based fleet was approved late last year. The cost for installing five fleet chargers in the rear City Hall parking lot is $115,000, plus a 15% contingency allowance.

If approved when council members adopt the new budget, the city will replace 10 City Hall-based vehicles – six SUV crossovers and four economy-sized cars – that already had been scheduled for replacement by the end of 2021 per policy, after about seven years of service.

Infrastructure and vehicle costs will come from the city's Air Quality Management District funds that include revenue received annually under the state's “clean air” legislation. The fund has a current balance of $1.1 million, with some $178,000 already designated for projects.

According to a report to council members from city Finance Director Scott Catlett, the South Coast Air Quality Management District “has recently encouraged the city to allocate more of the available balance” – just over $900,000 – “toward clean transportation projects.”

Catlett said: “The vehicle fleet based out of City Hall is proposed as the first phase as a broader transition to an electrified fleet over the next several years as a wider variety of electric vehicles become available, including light- and medium-duty trucks.”

“A conservative estimate” of $500,000 was cited by Catlett as the cost of replacing the10 City Hall-based vehicles and installing charging infrastructure, leaving some $400,000 in the air quality fund for future projects.

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Governing boards representing Yorba Linda residents have selected new leadership for 2021:

--City Council members elected Peggy Huang to replace Beth Haney as mayor and Carlos Rodriguez to replace Gene Hernandez as mayor pro tem. Huang joined the council in 2014 and Rodriguez in 2018.

--Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees elected Karin Freeman to replace Eric Padget as president, Carrie Buck to replace Judi Carmona as vice president and Marilyn And-erson to replace Freeman as clerk. Freeman joined the board in 1989, Buck in 2010 and Anderson in 2020.

--North Orange County Community College District trustees elected Barbara Dunsheath to replace Ryan Bent as president, Jacqueline Rodarte to replace Dunsheath as vice president and Ed Lopez to replace Rodarte as secretary. Dunsheath joined the board in 2006, Rodarte in 2015 and Lopez in 2016.

--Yorba Linda Water District directors re-elected Phil Hawkins as president and J. Wayne Miller to replace Andy Hall as vice president. Hawkins joined the board in 2010 and Miller in 2016.