Jose Lalas Recall, Corona-Norco Unified School District, California (2021-2022)

Corona-Norco Unified School District recall
Officeholders
Jose Lalas
Recall status
Did not go to a vote
Signature requirement
6,915 signatures
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports

An effort to recall Jose Lalas from his position as the Trustee Area 1 representative on the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education in California did not go to a vote in 2022. Recall supporters did not submit petitions by the deadline on September 2, 2022.^[1]

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters approved the recall petition in May 2022. Recall supporters would have had to collect 6,915 signatures to get the recall on the ballot.^[1][2]

Recall supporters cited Lalas' support of mask and vaccine requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also said Lalas supported critical race theory. Lalas said that he supported mask and vaccine requirements in order to keep students, teachers, and community members safe. He also said the district was not teaching critical race theory.^[3]

Lalas was elected to the five-member board in 1990. He won re-election to a four-year term on November 3, 2020, earning 63.8% of the vote and defeating one opponent.^[3][4][5]

To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.

Recall supporters[edit]

Cleveland Carter, a school district parent, served Lalas with the notice of intent to recall. “Parents want a voice in their kids’ education, whether it be masks mandate, whether it be vaccine mandate, whether it be ‘CRT’ or equity, as you call it, Dr. Lalas,” Carter said. “When parents don’t get a voice in their kids’ education, they have to take it to the next level.”^[3]

The notice of intent said that Lalas was focused on “furthering self-interests and a personal politically fueled equity agenda” rather than on students. It also said that Lalas displayed poor leadership and disrespected parents, teachers, and students.^[3]

“Of all the board members, Jose Lalas is the only one who continually supports mandates for the students and staff,” Vanessa Nelson, a supporter of the recall who withdrew her two children from the school district, said. “From the parents’ point of view, we see other school boards fighting back against the (governor’s) mandates, but we don’t see our district doing that.”^[3]

Recall opponents[edit]

Lalas said the recall effort was “democracy in action.” He also said he did not understand why he was the only member included in the effort for following guidelines “consistent with the governor’s, state and county public health department mandates.” Lalas also said the district was not teaching critical race theory.^[3]

“I’m only one voice, one vote,” Lalas said. “Those are not Jose’s mandates — but I support because it will keep teachers, students and the community safe. It’s not self interest. I love serving this community … I’m not afraid to ask those hard questions.”^[3]

“If pushing for safety for all teachers, kids, our community, is a personal agenda, sure,” Lalas said. “If I (discuss) issues that are happening in the school district and question our own administrators to make sure that we give everybody equitable solutions and equal opportunities for success, then yes, that’s my goal. So we can include those students who are historically not making it or who are underserved.”^[3]

Path to the ballot[edit]

See also: Laws governing recall in California

Recall supporters served Lalas with a notice of intent to recall at a school board meeting on November 9, 2021. The notice was then filed with the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on November 12, 2021. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters approved the recall petition in May 2022. Recall supporters had until September 2, 2022, to collect 6,915 signatures to get the recall on the ballot.^[2] The number of signatures was equal to 20% of registered voters in Trustee Area 1.^[3]

About the district[edit]

Corona-Norco Unified School District is located in Riverside County, California.

Corona-Norco Unified School District is located in Riverside County, California. It is classified as a mid-sized city school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 52,877 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 52 schools.^[6]

During the 2018-2019 school year, 44.8% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 15.4% were English language learners, and 13.7% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).^[7]

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.

Recalls related to the coronavirus[edit]

See also: Recalls related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) and government responses to the pandemic

Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.

The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

2022 recall efforts[edit]

See also: School board recalls

Ballotpedia tracked 54 school board recall efforts against 123 board members in 2022. Recall elections against school board members were held on January 11, 2022, January 18, 2022, January 24, 2022, February 15, 2022, March 29, 2022, April 4, 2022, and November 8, 2022. The school board recall success rate was 7.3%.

The chart below details the status of 2022 recall efforts by individual school board member.

2021 recall efforts[edit]

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[edit]

• Corona-Norco Unified School District, California
• Corona-Norco Unified School District, California, elections (2020)
• Recall campaigns in California
• Political recall efforts, 2022
• Political recall efforts, 2021
• School board recalls
• States that allow school board recalls

External links[edit]

• Search Google News for this topic
• Corona-Norco Unified School District
• Riverside County Registrar of Voters

Footnotes[edit]

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