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Dawn Turnbull recall, Lucerne Valley Unified School District, California (2016)
| Lucerne Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| February 2, 2016 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Dawn Turnbull from her position on the Lucerne Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees in California was approved by voters on February 2, 2016.[1]
The effort to oust Turnbull from her seat started in April 2015.[2] Recall supporters accused her of disrupting meetings, speaking against fellow board members in a public forum, threatening bodily harm and talking disrespectfully to district staff.[3][4] Though the first attempt to petition for a recall election was rejected due to an invalid address, the second attempt was approved by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters in August 2015. The registrar then verified the petitions had enough signatures to go to the ballot.[2][5]
Turnbull was first elected to the board in 2010 as part of a three-member candidate slate that accused the district of financial mismanagement, according to the San Bernardino Sun.[6] She was unopposed in her re-election bid in 2014. If she had not been recalled, she would have been up for election next in 2018.[3] Tom Hagen, a 25-year resident of the district and lecturer at California State University at San Bernardino’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, was the only candidate to file to run as her replacement. He was elected to the board in the same election that Turnbull was recalled.[1][7]
Recall vote
| Dawn Turnbull, At-Large Board Member, Lucerne Valley Unified School District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 424 | 76.12% | ||
| Retain | 133 | 23.88% | ||
| Election results via: San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "Final Certified Election Results," accessed February 17, 2016 | ||||
| Successor candidate, At-Large Board Member, Lucerne Valley Unified School District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Tom Hagen | 416 | 100% | ||
| Election results via: San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "Final Certified Election Results," accessed February 17, 2016 | ||||
Recall supporters
Turnbull's opponents argued that her behavior online and at board meetings had been "inappropriate, unprofessional and hurtful." The recall effort was led by Keri Gasper, who was dating Turnbull's estranged husband. The nine-member recall committee also included business and community members from the school district.[4]
In the first half of 2015, Turnbull was censured twice by the other four members of the board for controversial posts on social media about district officials, current members of the school board and former members of the board. She was also censured for "retaliation against community members who spoke during public comment." Board members then asked for her resignation in April 2015. Board President Jim Harvey told her, "It's an embarrassment that you're on this board, and you need to resign immediately." Turnbull, however, refused to give up her position.[4][8]
On July 8, 2015, the board unanimously approved—with Turnbull abstaining—a 22-page resolution listing detailed responses to criticisms Turnbull made about the district during her time on the board and in response to the recall effort against her. The district responded to every comment except those that were considered personal attacks.[9]
During that meeting, board members also alleged that Turnbull broke the law when she used a computer in the Oro Grande Elementary School District, where she works, to access information about a Lucerne Valley Unified student. Superintendent Suzette Davis said Turnbull was not a parent or legal guardian of the student in question and thus had no right to access her information. Turnbull, however, maintained that the student was her stepdaughter and that she had the right to access that information.[9]
On September 1, 2015, the other four members of the board voted Turnbull off the board due to her absence from board meetings for three consecutive months without a valid excuse. The board members said they were following the district's bylaws and government code. The board's action, however, did not stop the recall effort. According to the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, the recall election had to be held because the signatures had already been turned in.[2][10] Board president Jim Harvey said the board's action did not officially remove Turnbull from her seat. To do that, they would have had to petition the California Attorney General. Instead, the board members said they would wait for the results of the recall.[11]
In response to board members voting her off the board, Turnbull sent a letter to the district that said unspecified medical reasons had kept her from attending meetings.[11]
Recall opponents
Turnbull responded to the first recall notice by stating that she did not believe a recall effort against her would succeed, even if it made it to the ballot.[4] She also said:
| “ | If the voters of this town vote me off, I will stop fighting for our District and keep praying for the kids that are left and the parents that are equally as frustrated as I am. I keep hearing the same phrase over and over again: If they are after you, then you are one of the good ones. I have done nothing to deserve this treatment.[12] | ” |
| —Dawn Turnbull (2015)[4] | ||
Her response to the notice also included a list of criticisms against the district, including money missing from students' accounts, impropriety and nepotism. Turnbull also said the district paid "its attorney over $100,000 every year to try to scare off parents with incorrect information."[3]
Another criticism dealt with an incident that happened over five years previously between Turnbull and another board member. According to Turnbull, fellow trustee Tom Courtney "patted her on the rear" and made lewd comments. Though Courtney admitted to the touch, he maintained it was accidental and said that he apologized for it immediately. He also called Turnbull's accusation that he made lewd comments "an absolute lie." The superintendent of the district at the time witnessed the touch and Courtney's apology. According to Board President Jim Harvey, Turnbull never sought a board action, such as a censure, against Courtney.[3]
In the week leading up to the recall election, Turnbull emailed the Lucerne Valley Leader with the following statement:
| “ | The truth is, I am for the parents, children and teachers of the district, I don't get back-room deals and contracts, I don't have family members working in pork-barreled positions, and I don't owe anyone any favors. I am not the one who should be removed from this board.[12] | ” |
| —Dawn Turnbull (January 2016)[13] | ||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recall supporters first served Turnbull with a Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition on April 8, 2015, but that petition was rejected by the San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters due to an incorrect address.[3] A second attempt to circulate a recall petition against Turnbull was approved by the Registrar of Voters in June 2015. Recall proponents had to submit at least 716 valid signatures to the Registrar of Voters by August 7, 2015, for the petition to move forward to a vote.[4] The petition was turned in with 875 signatures, and the Registrar of Voters had 60 days to verify the signatures.[5][10]
The signatures were verified in September 2015, which allowed the recall to go to the ballot. The board of education had 14 days to order the election.[2] They set February 2, 2016, as the date of the recall election.[14] A San Bernardino City Council run-off election was already scheduled for that day, so the school district was able to share costs and save money.[11] Those interested in running as a replacement candidate in the recall election had to file with the San Bernardino County Elections Office by November 19, 2015.[15]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Dawn Turnbull' recall. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Lucerne Valley Unified School District, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2015
- School board recalls
External links
- Lucerne Valley Unified School District
- San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters
- Recall Dawn website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters, "Final Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed February 3, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lucerne Valley Leader, "Recall election gets green light," September 23, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Daily Press, "LV school board to call for member's resignation," April 10, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Daily Press, "Registrar green-lights school board recall effort," June 12, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Leader, "Turnbull recall petition submitted," August 11, 2015
- ↑ San Bernardino Sun, "Love and politics end in Lucerne Valley school board recall," February 7, 2016
- ↑ The Leader, "Local Digest: School Board Candidate, Jewelry Show, Garden Club," November 24, 2015
- ↑ Daily Press, "School board member accused of cyber-bullying," April 17, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Daily Press, "LVUSD responds to Turnbull statements," July 11, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Daily Press, "Turnbull voted off school board," September 2, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 San Bernardino Sun, "Lucerne Valley to hold recall election Feb. 2," October 6, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Lucerne Valley Leader, "LV voters to decide Turnbull’s fate," January 26, 2016
- ↑ San Bernardino Sun, "Lucerne Valley to hold recall election Feb. 2," October 6, 2015
- ↑ Lucerne Valley Leader, "Special Election: Nov. 19 filing date for school board candidates," November 5, 2015
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