Meredith Ibarra recall, Alisal Union School District, California (2014)
| Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| September 9, 2014 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2014 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports |
A vote about whether to recall Meredith Ibarra from her position as District 1 representative on the Alisal Union School District Board of Trustees took place on September 9, 2014. Ibarra was recalled, and Estrella Thoeni was elected unopposed to fulfill the remainder of her term. The recall effort was launched in January 2014.[1]
Ibarra's family began an recall effort against fellow board member Guadalupe Guzman prior to the Ibarra's recall.
Election results
| Meredith Ibarra recall election, September 9, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 236 | 71.73% | ||
| Retain | 93 | 28.27% | ||
| Election results via: Monterey County Elections (September 9, 2014) | ||||
| Alisal Union School District, Trustee Area 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Estrella Thoeni | 264 | 100% | ||
| Election results via: Monterey County Elections (September 9, 2014) | ||||
Recall supporter arguments
The recall effort was organized by district resident Juan Sandoval. After serving the recall papers, he argued Ibarra was "pushing her own agenda" and damaging the reputation of the board.[1] Ibarra had been the lone dissenter in recent board votes and disrupted several meetings after arguing with fellow board members. Board president Marciela Cruz proposed a five-minute time limit for board member comments during a meeting on February 19, 2014. Cruz shut down Ibarra's microphone on several occasions to maintain order during board deliberations. Ibarra and Cruz argued prior to the board's vote on a recall election on May 14, 2014, leading to a unanimous vote to remove Ibarra from the meeting.[2][3]
Sandoval previously attempted to recall Jose Castañeda for refusing to resign from the school board after winning a seat on the Salinas City Council. A judge ordered Castañeda removed from the school board in October 2013, and the recall failed due to insufficient signatures in January 2014.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
The recall process began with the submission of recall papers to Ibarra on January 21, 2014. Sandoval provided a copy of the Notice of Intention to the Salinas City Clerk. Ibarra had seven days after submission of the Notice of Intention to provide a response. The Monterey County Elections Department determined that the recall language on Sandoval's petition fit within state regulations. Sandoval followed approval of ballot language by submitting 650 valid signatures to force the recall election. This total surpassed the 455-signature threshold required for a recall in Ibarra's district.[5][6] The school board voted 4-0 to approve a recall election on September 9, 2014, with Ibarra not present for the vote after her removal from the May 14, 2014, meeting.[2][3] Candidates interested in replacing Ibarra had to file with county elections officials by June 26, 2014.[7]
See also
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2014
- School board recalls
- Guadalupe Guzman recall, Alisal Union School District, California (2014)
External links
Additional reading
- KSBW, "Meet Alisal Union School District's new trustee: Estrella Thoeni," September 11, 2014
- Monterey Herald, "Race is on for Alisal school board," June 5, 2014
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Californian, "Alisal trustee Ibarra served with recall papers," January 22, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ibarra recall bid in hands of election officials," February 13, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Californian, "Alisal sets Sept. 9 recall election," May 15, 2014
- ↑ The California, "Castañeda recall bid falls short," January 7, 2014
- ↑ Monterey County Clerk, "Recall Guide," August 14, 2013
- ↑ The Californian, "Alisal recall effort qualifies for election," May 12, 2014
- ↑ Monterey County Elections, " NOTICE OF ELECTION," accessed July 17, 2014
