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.