Yorba Linda voters oppose Proposition 50; other north county cities support the measure

 

Yorba Linda was the only municipality in the seven-city circulation area of the North County News-Tribune to oppose the Proposition 50 redistricting measure in the Nov. 4 election, according to the completed ballot count from Orange County’s Registrar of Voters office.

Yorba Linda also tallied the highest voter turnout percentage and the highest mail-in voter percentage of the seven cities.

And interestingly, voters who cast ballots at vote centers in all of the cities except Fullerton opposed the measure, while voters who cast ballots by mail in all of the cities except Yorba Linda favored the measure.

Here’s a rundown of the final vote count in the special election:

Brea: Turnout was 54% or 16,673 of 30,883 registered voters, with “yes” winning 51.7% or 8,626 votes to 8,038 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 8,083 to 7,027 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 543 to 1,011 “no.”

Buena Park: Turnout was 44.9% or 20,888 of 46,501 registered voters, with “yes” winning 60.5% or 12,637 votes to 8,239 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 11,393 to 6,796 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 1,244 to 1,443 “no.” The measure won all five council districts.

Fullerton: Turnout was 50.5% or 41,365 of 81,917 registered voters, with “yes” winning 60.2% or 24,887 votes to 16,459 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 22,262 to 13,987 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 2,625 to 2,472 “no.” The measure won all five council districts.

La Habra: Turnout was 48% or 17,184 of 35,771 registered voters, with “yes” winning 59.3% or 10,184 votes to 6,986 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 9,234 to 5,754 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 950 to 1,232 “no.”

La Palma: Turnout was 51.1% or 5,183 of 10,150 registered voters, with “yes” winning 57.5% or 2,979 votes to 2,201 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 2,797 to 1,930 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 182 to 271 “no.” The measure won all five council districts.

Placentia: Turnout was 54.7% or 18,269 of 33,384 registered voters, with “yes” winning 52.9% or 9,657 votes to 8,607 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 8,752 to 7,223 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 905 to 1,384 “no.” The measure won three council districts and lost District 2 represented by Kevin Kirwin by seven votes and District 4 represented by Chad Wanke by 360 votes.

Yorba Linda: Turnout was 58.9% or 29,164 of 49,521 registered voters, with “no” winning 59.9% or 17,478 votes to 11,674 “yes.” Mail-in “no” ballots totaled 14,704 to 10,849 “yes,” and vote center “no” ballots totaled 2,774 to 825 “yes.”

The Orange County turnout was 52.3% or 999,918 of 1,910,326 registered voters, with “yes” winning 55.4% or 554,430 votes to 444,963 “no.” Mail-in “yes” ballots totaled 504,362 to 377,426 “no,” and vote center “yes” ballots totaled 50,068 to 67,537 “no.”

The statewide tally was 64.4% “yes” (7,453,339) and 35.6% “no” (4,116,998).

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees to examine potential budget cuts at January meeting; Issaic Gates resigns deputy superintendent position

 A key element of a “budget stabilization plan” in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District will come at a January board meeting when trustees are presented with a list of potential budget reductions starting the next school year.

Reductions are deemed essential because of anticipated increases in the district’s deficit spending and predicted declines in enrollment, with the latest estimates presented at a November study session by Joan Velasco, interim assistant superintendent of business services.

The district’s deficit was $6.4 million at the end of the last school year, which, she said, is expected to jump to $15.6 million for the current school year, with projected deficits of $13 million for 2026-27 and $11.9 million for 2027-28.

Enrollment drops have been steep since 25,826 students attending in the 2015-16 school year, Velasco said: 3,128 less students in the 2024-25 school year and a projected 4,330 fewer students in the 2027-28 school year, declines of 12% and 17%, respectively.

Trustees were asked to draw up individual lists of their top three items to protect from reductions and their top three items to include in potential reductions by the end of the meeting to submit to Superintendent Kim LeBlanc-Esparza.

She will then work with her executive cabinet and a budget reduction committee to develop a list of budget reductions to present to trustees in January. State law requires a budget for 2026-27 to be in place by July 1.

One example of a potential reduction mentioned is extending the bus replacement cycle, which, it was noted, could save money, but also might increase maintenance costs. Other reductions mentioned could include increasing student walking distances to schools and cutting overtime costs.

But, as Velasco noted, 86% of the budget involves employee salaries and benefits, so reducing personnel costs will be a major factor in developing the list of reductions.

* * *

Issaic Gates, who was placed on paid administrative leave from his deputy superintendent position Dec. 19, 2024, on a 5-0 vote, resigned effective Nov. 7. He was named executive director of human services at the 3,100-student Beverly Hills Unified School District on a 4-0 vote with one abstention Nov. 4 on a contract that runs until July 1.

Gates was named assistant superintendent of human services in the Placentia-Yorba Linda district June 6, 2023, and promoted to deputy superintendent Feb. 14, 2024. He joins former Placentia-Yorba Linda superintendent Alex Cherniss, who was named superintendent of the Beverly Hills district on a 3-2 vote April 10 on a three-year contract.

Cherniss was hired in the Placentia-Yorba Linda district on a 5-0 vote April 18, 2023, and placed on paid administrative leave Dec. 19, 2024, on a 5-0 vote. Gates had served as San Marino High School principal 2017-20. Cherniss was superintendent of the San Marino Unified School District 2014-18.