Split vote selects Placentia-Yorba Unified School District board president for second year

 

Usually, the annual selection of officers on the several governing boards with responsibilities in Yorba Linda are routine, with members rotating through the positions on unanimous votes by their colleagues.

But for the second year, the selection of the president of the board of trustees in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District was decided on a split vote, a clear signal the factions that emerged on the panel after the 2020 election will continue into 2023.

Prior to the vote for president to serve in 2022, Placentia-Yorba Linda trustees followed a consistent pattern of rotating the members through the offices of president, vice president and clerk on 5-0 votes during the reorganizational meetings each December.

In December 2021, Vice President Carrie Buck was elevated to the presidency on a 4-1 vote, with Leandra Blades dissenting. Blades' nomination for vice president by Shawn Youngblood was opposed by Marilyn Anderson, Karin Freeman and Buck.

Anderson was named vice president on a 4-0 vote, with Blades abstaining, and Blades was chosen clerk on a 5-0 vote. Except for a few specific but routine duties, the three offices are largely ceremonial.

Anderson was a swing vote in 2021 and 2022, sometimes voting with Blades and Youngblood and sometimes with Buck and Freeman. Freeman, a 33-year board member, lost her 2022 re-election bid to Todd Frazier, who was supported by Blades and Youngblood.

For 2023, Vice President Anderson would be in line for the presidency, but she received only two votes for the position, from herself and Buck, who had nominated her. Blades nominated Youngblood for president, which he won 4-1, with Buck dissenting.

Youngblood nominated Blades for vice president and Blades nominated Frazier for clerk; both won 5-0. Blades, Frazier and Youngblood are expected to form a solid majority on issues that come before the board this year, including appointing a new superintendent to replace interim Michael Matthews.

Matthews, who left the 6,000-student Manhattan Beach Unified School District after 11 years as superintendent, was selected to the interim Placentia-Yorba Linda post after Jim Elsasser resigned and returned to his previous position heading the Claremont Unified School District last year.

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The Yorba Linda City Council rotated Gene Hernandez to the mayor's chair from his mayopro tem position and Tara Campbell to mayor pro tem on 5-0 votes.

For the Yorba Linda Water District's board of directors, Buck Jones, last year's vice president, lost his re-election bid to Brett Barbre, a past director and general manager in the district. He was named president, and Trudi DesRoches was selected vice president, both on 5-0 votes.

North Orange County Community College District rotations include Ed Lopez of Anaheim, president; Evangelina Rosales of Fullerton, vice president; and Jeff Brown of Yorba Linda, secretary; all on 7-0 votes.