Fontana mayor supports school district recall campaign

FONTANA - An effort to recall two School Board members has gained an ally - the mayor.

"I'm all in," said Aquanetta Warren, using the same phrase she used when she announced she would run for mayor.

"I have been getting so many telephone calls and e-mails from people in the community about what's going on at the School Board ... if I am going to lead this community, it's my job to get those two on the ballot (of a recall election) and let the people decide."

Warren was referring to the recall effort against Fontana Unified School District board members Leticia Garcia and Sophia Green.

Both Fontana Unified board members were served paperwork in July notifying them of a recall effort, but the campaign has been relatively low-profile since.

Backers of the effort cite the opposition of Green and Garcia to a city-run after-school program they say serves 3,500 students and provides more than 350 jobs.

But they also listed several other grievances in their petition filing in July.

Among those was Garcia's vote last year to eliminate all the district's counselors in budget-cutting move.

Their claims also include that Garcia spearheaded a failed parcel tax during one of the worst economic times since the Great Depression, and the $147,000 cost of the special election came at a time when programs and jobs were being eliminated.

"I am not concerned with the recall effort," Garcia said. "Even if they get

the (required) signatures - and I don't think they will - I can defeat this at the election."

The election would be held in spring next year.

Garcia said the parcel tax was an effort to find revenues for the district, and while it was unsuccessful it was supported by more than 50 percent of the voters, she said. But that type of election required the measure to win by a two-thirds majority, she said.

Since the parcel tax failed, she said, other districts have moved toward their own parcel tax elections to raise revenues.

As for the counselors, it was a recommendation brought to the board by the district's superintendent, she said.

Warren said a major reason for her decision to take a leadership role in the recall effort is that for several weeks, Garcia and Green have been, from her viewpoint, stepping up efforts to oust Superintendent Cali Olsen-Binks.

During the public comment session at Wednesday's School Board meeting, Warren asked for people to help her with the recall effort, a request which drew a reprimand from the board's attorney.

The next day, Garcia alleged in an interview that Warren violated the California Education Code and other laws with her request for help.

Warren said that other speakers, at previous board meetings, have discussed the recall in statements to the board - and were allowed to continue.

Garcia said she wrote a letter asking the San Bernardino County District Attorney's office to take action.

Warren said that since Wednesday night's board meeting she has raised about $30,000 for the recall campaign, which needs to collect 7,905 valid signatures for each board member by Jan. 30 in order for the effort to advance to a special election.

Warren and Garcia have exchanged words on several issues, the most significant rift being over criticism of the city-run after-school program for the district.

At one point, when Garcia began pushing to have that service provided by another organization, Warren stood outside the district's board meeting room vowing, "This is war."

Garcia has said that as an elected official, she has a right to question district practices, and that includes programs with the city of Fontana.

Green frequently aligns with Garcia on issues before the board, and joined Garcia in her questioning of the quality of the city-run after-school program.

Green could not be reached for comment Friday.

Garcia has said that election would cost the district about $200,000 - money better spent on education-related activities.

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Reach Jim via email, call him at 909-386-3855, or find him on Twitter @JSteinbergsRoad.

Source: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_21605495?source=rss

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