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Martha Alvarado recall, Vista Unified School District, California (2021)
| Vista Unified School District recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Martha Alvarado from her position as the Area 3 representative on the Vista Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote in 2021. Recall supporters did not complete the process for the recall.[1]
The effort began in April 2021. Recall supporters said that Alvarado violated her oath of office and the Board Member Code of Ethics.[2][3]
In response to the recall, Alvarado said, "My leadership and accomplishments are significant and my representation as a Latina board member matters." The San Diego County Democratic Party published a resolution announcing their opposition to the recall effort on April 20, 2021.[4]
Alvarado was elected to a four-year term on the five-member board in 2018.[5]
Recall supporters
The notice of intent to recall included the following grounds for recall:[3]
| “ | This filing is for the recall of Martha Alvarado, Clerk of the Board and Trustee for Area 3 for Vista Unified School District.
Trustee Alvarado is in violation of the Oath of Office and Board Member Code of Ethics which includes the following: l. A commitment to represent the interests of all people served by this organization, represent and act in the best interests of the entire district, not any one individual, group or trustee area. 2. Approach all Board issues with an open mind, prepared to make the best decision for the whole organization. 3. Do nothing to violate the trust of those who elected me to the Board or of those we serve (the broader community, not just those who elected me). 4. Focus my efforts on the mission of the organization and not on my own personal goals. Trustee Alvarado has also violated Board Bylaw No. 9000 which charges her to be responsible for ensuring the district is responsive to the values, beliefs, and priorities of the community, monitoring student achievement and program effectiveness and requiring program changes as necessary, providing community leadership and advocacy on behalf of students, the district's educational program, and public education.[6] |
” |
Recall opponents
Alvarado responded to the recall with the following statement[3]
| “ | This recall petition has no merit. PLEASE DECLINE TO SIGN.
Conducting a recall election will cost VI-JSD between $300,000 and $400,000 of taxpayer funds. This money will come directly out of classrooms. Students will suffer. Voters can reelect me or vote for another candidate in 2022, less than a year after this recall appears on a ballot. I'm highly qualified to serve, and proud of my accomplishments. I'm a Marine Corps veteran and I have taught first grade for 21 years. I understand how difficult this pandemic has been on our community. I collaborated with community partners and local officials, bringing a COVID-19 testing center to VUSD, expanding testing for our students and staff. It's now a COVID-19 vaccination center. I helped negotiate a Project Labor Agreement, delivering apprenticeship opportunities to students, jobs for graduates, residents, and veterans. I asked for an Equity audit to better serve our students. During the 2020 Census, I led efforts ensuring our community receives our share of federal funding. I was named 1st Term School Board Member of 2021 by the San Diego County School Boards Association. My leadership and accomplishments are significant and my representation as a Latina board member matters.[6] |
” |
The San Diego County Democratic Party published the following resolution announcing their opposition to the recall effort on April 20, 2021.[4]
| “ | WHEREAS a recall is an off cycle electoral event where the decision is made by smaller, less diverse electorates and disenfranchises BIPOC voters and working families; and recent off cycle elections produced dismally low turnout including: the 79th Assembly District Special Election with turnout at 21.2%, the Senate District 30 special election with 12.6% turnout; and the last San Diego City Council Special Election which produced 35.5% turnout.
WHEREAS four Democratic women leaders in San Diego are being targeted for recall in San Diego County - Martha Alvarado, Dr. Jen Campbell, Chardá Bell-Fontenot, and Cori Schumacher - all of whom were previously endorsed by the San Diego County Democratic Party and identify as either women of color or LGBTQ+, WHEREAS the bylaws of the California Democratic Party dictate automatic opposition to the recall of any Democratic elected official, unless a 60% majority votes otherwise and the recall in San Diego City Council District 2 would be a distraction and detriment to the Party’s efforts to defend against recalls that are being organized by right-wing Republicans and Trump mega-donors in an effort to overturn Democratic electoral victories and undermine California’s COVID recovery; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the San Diego County Democratic Party unequivocally opposes the recall campaigns against the following elected officials: Vista Unified School District Trustee Martha Alvarado, La Mesa-Spring Valley School District Trustee Chardá Bell-Fontenot, San Diego City Council Member Dr. Jen Campbel, and Carlsbad City Council Member Cori Schumacher; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the San Diego County Democratic Party affirms that except in extreme circumstances that the time to hold elected officials accountable at the ballot box is in regularly scheduled primary or general elections where the most voters and voices are able to be included and that this resolution does not imply the Democratic Party’s position on any race that is to be considered in the future and solely applies to the recall attempts against the four aforementioned elected officials.[6] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
The recall effort began in April 2021 when recall supporters filed a notice of intent to recall with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters. Recall supporters did not complete the recall process.[1][2]
2021 recall efforts
- See also: School board recalls
Ballotpedia tracked 92 school board recall efforts against 237 board members in 2021. Recall elections against 17 board members were held in 2021. The school board recall success rate was 0.42%.
The chart below details the status of 2021 recall efforts by individual school board member.
See also
- Vista Unified School District, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2021
- School board recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Vista Unified School District
- San Diego County Registrar of Voters
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Antonia Hutzell, Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator, San Diego County Registrar of Voters," August 3, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Coast News Group, "Several North County officials face recall elections," May 12, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with San Diego County Registrar of Voters," June 4, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 San Diego County Democratic Party, "Resolution Against the Recall Elections," April 20, 2021
- ↑ Vista Unified School District, "Board of Education: Martha Alvarado," accessed June 2, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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