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Andy Patapow recall, Poway Unified School District, California (2016)
| Poway Unified School District Board of Education recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Andy Patapow from his seat on the Poway Unified Board of Education was dropped in March 2016.[1] The recall effort was started in October 2015 and was led by Keith Wilson, the father-in-law of Chris Garnier, a parent in the district who was given a three-year restraining order during the 2014-2015 school year that banned him from the district's Painted Rock Elementary School. Other district parents, along with Painted Rock's principal, said Garnier threatened and bullied them. Garnier said he was discriminated against because of his race as an African American and because he was critical of district leadership and policies.[2]
Patapow first joined the board in 1996. His term was up for election in November 2016, but in response to the recall election, he announced he would not run to retain his seat. Wilson said he dropped the recall effort in part because of Patapow's promise not to run again. He also said it would have cost the district too much money to hold a special recall election.[1][2]
Recall supporters
Wilson said he was angry and that he felt the district mistreated his son-in-law, as well as his daughter and their children. “Any of the board members who think the status quo is fine, (are) badly mistaken,” said Wilson.[2]
Wilson also said he did not agree with Patapow's vote to approve the sale of capital appreciation bonds, also known as CABS, in 2011. The board approved the sale, which left district residents with a tax bill that could be as high as $1 billion.[3]
Recall opponents
In reaction to the recall effort against him, Patapow said, “I’m committed to this district and its kids." He said the recall attempt was an aim to create a new majority on the school board. Patapow and members Michelle O'Connor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane made up the board majority. Members Charles Sellers and Kimberley Beatty had been in the minority in their arguments to change the way the district was run.[2] O'Connor-Ratcliff and Zane spoke in support of Patapow during a school board meeting in October 2015, but Sellers and Beatty refused to voice their opinions on the recall election.[4]
Marc Davis, a former member of the Poway Unified Board of Education, called the recall attempt "silly." He pointed out that Patapow was up for election in November 2016 and said that the recall supporters could vote him out of office then. Davis said a recall election would be a waste of district funds.[2]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Patapow was notified of the recall effort against him in October 2015.[2] The recall effort's first petition did not obtain enough signatures from residents of the school district, according to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Recall supporters submitted a new petition after the first one was rejected.[3]
The second petition was approved, along with the group's ballot statement, in November 2015. The recall effort had 160 days to collect 10,767 valid signatures from residents of the district, which was 10 percent of the district's 107,065 registered voters as of the most recent report to the California Secretary of State. To get the recall on the June ballot, the signatures had to be submitted to the San Diego County Registrar of Voters by April 26, 2016, but the recall effort was dropped prior to that date.[1][5]
About the district
The Poway Unified School District is located in San Diego County in southwestern California. The county seat is San Diego. San Diego County was home to 3,263,431 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[6] The Poway Unified School District was the 21st-largest school district by enrollment in the state, serving 35,498 students during the 2013-2014 school year.[7]
Demographics
San Diego County outperformed California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 34.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 30.7 percent of state residents. The median household income for San Diego County was $62,962, compared to $61,094 statewide. The percentage of people below poverty level was 14.4 percent, while it was 15.9 percent for the entire state.[6]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Andy Patapow' 'Poway Unified School District' California recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Poway Unified School District, California
- Poway Unified School District elections (2014)
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2016
- School board recalls
External links
- Poway Unified School District
- San Diego County Registrar of Voters
- Committee to Recall Andrew Patapow
- Support Andy Patapow
- PUSD Group for Change
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pomerado News, "Recall effort against Patapow ends," March 28, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Recall campaign of Poway Unified trustee begins," October 8, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The San Diego Union-Tribune, "Recall of Poway board member stumbles, new effort begins," October 12, 2015
- ↑ Pomerado News, "Recall effort surfaces at Poway Unified board meeting," October 20, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "PUSD Group for Change," November 18, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 United States Census Bureau, "San Diego County, California," accessed December 8, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election November 6, 2012, Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "Presidential General Election November 4, 2008, Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "General Election November 2, 2004, Final Official Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ San Diego County Registrar of Voters, "General Election November 7, 2000," accessed July 14, 2014
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