In March, voters will decide whether to recall two Orange Unified School District board members. But what happens if one or even both trustees are removed from their posts?
If a majority of voters in the OUSD boundary lines — which encompasses the cities of Orange and Villa Park and the Anaheim Hills community and portions of neighboring cities — decide that Board President Rick Ledesma and Trustee Madison Miner are not fit for a position on the board, it is up to OUSD to decide the next steps.
Simply, there are three options that OUSD could pursue, per the district’s bylaws: call a special election right after the March primary results are announced, wait until the regular election in November to fill the vacancies or task the board with immediately appointing new trustees.
Recalled individuals can run in future elections as long as they have not exceeded the OUSD term limits and are deemed qualified by the Registrar of Voters. OUSD’s term limit allows for an individual to have three four-year terms on the board.
In this case, Miner could potentially run in future elections because she has not exceeded her term limit, but Ledesma could not run again because he has already been on the board for three terms.
Any newly appointed trustees, if by special election or by appointment, would have to run in the November 2024 general election — and win — if they desire to continue being on the OUSD board. These candidates’ terms would be until November 2026.
Should Ledesma and/or Miner be recalled, the board could not immediately appoint them back to their seats, said Hanna Brake, the OUSD spokesperson.
“In this case, the original election was for a term from November 2022 to November 2026, so the recall is for the remainder of the person’s term. We interpret this as preventing a provisional appointment of a board member who was just recalled,” Brake said.
Ledesma and Miner both started their current stints on the board in 2022 and, if they are…
Read the full article here