Startling switch in voting patterns by Yorba Linda City Council members and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees for the past year

 Someone returning to Yorba Linda after a two- or three-year absence might be surprised at a noteworthy change in the community's political scene, a change most often reflected this year by voting patterns of City Council members and Placentia-Yorba Linda school district trustees.

In past years, most controversies centered on council's decision-making, with numerous 3-2 votes on issues, and with meetings too often highlighted by personal feuds among members.

For most of the city's 54-year history, council controversies were punctuated by contentious elections, including a 2014 unsuccessful recall ballot. Many elections involved slates of candidates contesting for majority control of the five-member governing body.

But lately, most council votes have been 5-0, or 4-0 when a member is absent. And elections have been sedate affairs, with only three candidates seeking two seats in 2018 and the 2020 ballot canceled – for the only time in city history – when just the three incumbents filed to run.

Past controversies, such as zoning and land use matters or the contract with the Sheriff's Department for police services, now are settled by 5-0 votes and draw little attention from residents, as an almost empty council chambers at a majority of meetings attests.

And any personal enmity among council members is non-existent, as members Tara Campbell, Beth Haney, Gene Hernandez, Peggy Huang and Carlos Rodriguez often compliment each other during meetings. Even 4-1 votes are rare.

By contrast, in the Placentia-Yorba Linda school district, decades of consistent 5-0 and 4-0 board votes have ended, with numerous 3-2 and occasional 4-1 votes since the election of three new trustees last year.

The 2020 ballot had 10 candidates seeking seats in three trustee areas compared to the few candidates running in past years, with the 2018, 2012 and 2004 elections canceled because only incumbents filed nomination papers.

And public turnout at the meetings has skyrocketed, especially since trustees returned to meeting in person after several months of Zoom sessions. On Nov. 16, 26 individuals spoke at a late afternoon study session, and 56 individuals spoke at that evening's regular meeting.

The major concern of speakers was a district resolution on banning critical race theory from classrooms, with some speaking in favor of a ban and others opposed. Mandates for masks and vaccines, ethnic studies, civility, free speech and school safety were other topics.

Trustee Marilyn Anderson appears to be the swing vote on many of the split decisions. Some-times she votes with Leandra Blades and Shawn Youngblood, and other times she aligns with Carrie Buck and Karin Freeman.

Two council and two school board positions are slated for the 2022 ballot. Huang and Rodriguez now hold the council seats, since 2014 and 2018, respectively. Buck and Freeman now hold the school board seats, since 2010 and 1989, respectively.