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| Elections in California |
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The 2022 San Francisco Board of Education recall elections (also called the San Francisco school board recall elections) were held on February 15, 2022. In a landslide election, over two-thirds of voters chose to remove three San Francisco Board of Education (School Board) Commissioners— Alison Collins, Board President Gabriela Lopez, and Faauuga Moliga—from office. [1] All three commissioners were replaced by appointees chosen by Mayor London Breed. [2] [3] The other four members of the school board were not eligible for recall at this time. [4]
The recall election was the first in San Francisco since the failed recall election of then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1983, [5] the first successful recall since the ouster of State Senator Edwin Grant in 1914, [6] [7] and the first ever attempt to remove members of the School Board. [8] Supporters of the recall accused the commissioners of incompetence, mismanagement of the school district, and misplaced priorities. [9] Opponents contended that recalls were anti-democratic efforts backed by Republicans, billionaires, and charter school supporters. [9]
The election was part of a "recall fever" during the COVID-19 pandemic in California, which saw many recall petitions leading to elections that targeted elected officials throughout California, such as the successful recall of S.F. District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the failed recall of Governor Gavin Newsom. [10] [11] [12] The recall election was held as part of the February 2022 San Francisco special election, concurrent with a special election to for the California State Assembly seat vacated by David Chiu.
Background
Since 2019 the board came under national attention and criticism for a string of controversies, which generated various lawsuits, including one by the city itself. [13] [14] [15] The first major controversy arose when the board voted to destroy the Life of Washington murals, and after a public outcry decided to cover the murals instead, which was blocked in court due to the California Environmental Quality Act. [16] [17] During the COVID-19 pandemic the school district kept schools closed, and was slower to open than other major districts, even as case counts were lower, prompting the city to sue the school district. During this period the board focused on renaming schools and ending merit-based admissions at Lowell High School. Alumni groups successfully challenged these decisions in court, citing violations of the Brown Act. [18] [19]
In March 2021, tweets from Commissioner Alison Collins came to light that offended the Asian American community, prompting condemnation and calls for Collins to resign from many in the political community, including Mayor London Breed. [20] The Board of Education approved a motion of no confidence on Collins 5–2, with Commissioners Collins and Gabriela Lopez in dissent, which removed Collins from her vice president title and her committee positions. On March 31, 2021, Alison Collins filed a lawsuit against the school district and her fellow commissioners who had voted for the motion of no confidence. [21] On August 16, 2021, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit for having no merit. The lawsuit cost the school district over $110,000. [22]
Path to the ballot
On February 21, 2021, Autumn Looijen and Siva Raj formed a campaign committee to recall Commissioners Alison Collins, Gabriela Lopez, and Faauuga Moliga from the Board of Education. (The remaining four commissioners were not eligible because they had not been in office for at least 6 months.) [23] [4] By the petition submission deadline of September 7, 2021, recall campaign supporters submitted over 77,000 voter signatures to recall each of the three commissioners. [24] On October 18, 2021, city officials announced that each of the three recall petitions met the minimum qualifications of 51,325 valid voter signatures. City officials set the election date to be February 15, 2022. [25] [5] It was the first recall election of a San Francisco elected official since the failed 1983 recall election of then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, [5] and the first ever attempt to remove members of the School Board. [8]
Polling and arguments
A February 2021 poll found that 60% of registered voters supported the recall. In particular, 69% of voters who were public school parents supported it. A May 2021 poll found that 71% of voters gave the school board a negative rating, and 10% of voters a positive rating. [26]
Arguments in support of the recall
Supporters of the recall accused the commissioners of negligence, expressing anger that public school remained closed in 2020–2021 while other districts and private schools opened in the Bay Area. [5] Commissioners were accused of misplaced priorities focusing on school renaming and Lowell admissions as students were struggling with distance learning. [5] Recall supporters alleged that the commissioners mishandled the budget and declining enrollment, delaying budget cuts until one day before the state deadline, and risking a state takeover of the school district. [27] Supporters argued it was urgent to recall the three Commissioners from office in order to make important decisions around the district's budget deficit and the selection of a new superintendent. [28] Collins's tweets about Asian Americans, and the subsequent lawsuit against the school district and her fellow commissioners, were cited as additional reasons to remove her from office. [29]
California State Senator Scott Wiener stated that "Not only did these commissioners fail to do their jobs adequately, they engaged in abusive and disruptive behavior, interfered with the Superintendent's ability to do his job, and caused the school district to deteriorate during the pandemic." [30] Wiener singled out Collins for her tweets against Asian Americans. Mayor London Breed stated that "Sadly, our school board's priorities have often been severely misplaced". [31] The San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board cited incompetence of the board members as the primary reason for its endorsement. [32] The San Francisco Examiner Editorial Board stated that the board had become a "national laughingstock" and that "Ignoring the basics of the job, they put political grandstanding ahead of progress for children." [27] Former supervisor and public defender Matt Gonzalez [33] supported the recall due to the commissioners' lack of competence, and various decisions starting with the vote to destroy the Life of Washington [34] mural. [35] [8]
Arguments against the recall
Critics of the recall called the recall a transfer of power from voters to the mayor because the mayor would appoint a replacement for each commissioner who was successfully removed from office. Critics call the recall election a distraction, and a waste of money and time when the regularly scheduled election will come nine months later in November 2022. [36] Recall opponents connect the recall to Republicans and efforts to create more charter schools, citing large donations from individuals who have supported such causes. [37] [28] Supervisor Shamann Walton stated that the recall was driven by "closet Republicans". [38] The teachers union, United Educators of San Francisco, also opposed the recall. [39] [40]
Collins called the recall campaign "a move toward mayoral control and less local control… for parents who are immigrants who can vote". [41] She called the recall campaign "politically motivated" and stated that "When I see certain people getting upset, I know I'm doing the right thing". [42] The recall is "clearly an attack on democracies", [32] and "I'm actually really proud of my work on the board," [27] she stated. Collins has alleged in multiple interviews that the recall is a conspiracy pushed by "billionaires" and conservative think tanks. [27] [32] [43] Venture capitalist Arthur Rock donated $400,000 to this recall election, [44] as he had with local elections across the United States. [45]
Lopez stated that opposition to the board's actions were due to racism, "to bring down someone who is me" (a young Latina woman), and "people want us to say we regret doing what we did ... that will never be something I will do." [13]
Finances
The recall campaign raised more than $1.9 million, including $400,000 from venture capitalist Arthur Rock. The anti-recall campaign raised about $39,000. A separate effort to fight Faauuga Moliga's recall raised about $45,000. [44]
Endorsements
 |
- Endorsed recalling Collins, Lopez, and Moliga
- Mayor London Breed [31]
- Former mayor Art Agnos [46]
- State Senator Scott Wiener
- California Treasurer Fiona Ma [47]
- Former US Representative John Burton [46]
- Former Supervisor Matt Gonzalez [35]
- San Francisco Chronicle editorial board [32]
- San Francisco Examiner editorial board [27]
- Bay Area Reporter editorial board [48]
- Endorsed recalling only Collins and Lopez
- Supervisor Rafael Mandelman [46]
- Endorsed recalling only Collins
- Supervisor Matt Haney [46]
- Supervisor Hillary Ronen [46]
- Former Supervisor David Campos [46]
- Supervisor Connie Chan [49]
- Supervisor Gordon Mar [49]
- Supervisor Dean Preston [46]
- Supervisor Shamann Walton [28]
- Former State Assemblyman and Supervisor Tom Ammiano [46]
- United Educators of San Francisco [46]
Results
The election was held on February 15, 2022. [44]
Results as of February 23, 2022 16:00 PST:
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
|
134,871 | 76.28 |
| No | 41,928 | 23.72 |
| Valid votes | 176,799 | 98.23 |
| Total votes | 179,981 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 499,771 | 36.01 |
| Source: [50] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
|
Yes
|
127,022 | 72.06 |
| No | 49,257 | 27.94 |
| Valid votes | 176,279 | 97.94 |
| Total votes | 179,981 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 499,771 | 36.01 |
| Source: [50] | ||
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
|
Yes
|
121,197 | 68.87 |
| No | 54,785 | 31.13 |
| Valid votes | 175,982 | 97.78 |
| Total votes | 179,981 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 499,771 | 36.01 |
| Source: [50] | ||
See also
References
- ^ Fuller, Thomas (February 16, 2022). "In Landslide, San Francisco Forces Out 3 Board of Education Members". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ Rasmus, Allie (November 10, 2021). "'Priorities misplaced:' San Francisco mayor backs recall of 3 board members". KTVU Fox 2. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ Fuller, Thomas (March 11, 2022). "San Francisco Mayor Replaces Ousted School Board Members". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Mojadad, Ida (February 22, 2021). "Parents launch recall effort against school board members". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Tucker, Jill (October 18, 2021). "S.F. voters to decide fate of 3 school board members in first city recall election in nearly 40 years". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "A successful school-board recall punishes left-wing excess". The Economist. February 17, 2022. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
- ^ "Recall History in California (1913 to Present)". California Secretary of State.
- ^ a b c "Analysis | The Trailer: San Francisco's school board recalls are tearing Democrats apart". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ a b Tucker, Jill (January 20, 2022). "S.F. election: The school board recall vote explained". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "Gavin Newsom and the Golden State's Recall Fever". The New Yorker. September 8, 2021.
- ^ "'Recall fever': Why these elections are 'having a moment' in California". ABC7 San Francisco. February 17, 2022.
- ^ "Recall fever strikes California as angry voters take on politicians in large numbers". Los Angeles Times. June 11, 2021.
- ^ a b "Saga of San Francisco's school board heads to the ballot box". AP NEWS. February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ "S.F. election: Here are the key controversies that led to the school board recall". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ Jeffery, Clara. "What pundits don't understand about the San Francisco recall". Mother Jones. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ Pogash, Carol (April 11, 2019). "These High School Murals Depict an Ugly History. Should They Go?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Snyder, Amna Khalid and Jeffrey Aaron. "Activists want a high school mural removed. Should its impact today overshadow the artist's intentions?". CNN. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ Fuller, Thomas; Taylor, Kate. "In San Francisco, Turmoil Over Reopening Schools Turns a City Against Itself". New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Marinucci, Carla; Colliver, Victoria. "Covid anger drives recall election targeting 3 San Francisco school leaders". Politico. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Eskenazi, Joe (March 23, 2021). "The strange and terrible saga of Alison Collins and her ill-fated Tweets". Mission Local (missionlocal.org). Retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ^ Eskenazi, Joe (April 2, 2021). "Alison Collins' strange and terrible $87M lawsuit". Mission Local (missionlocal.org). Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Tucker, Jill (August 16, 2021). "Alison Collins' $87 million lawsuit against S.F. school board members, district tossed by judge". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ^ Tucker, Jill (February 22, 2021). "San Francisco school board members are facing a recall effort. What's the chance it'll work?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ^ Li, Portia (September 7, 2021). "Beyond all expectations: over 80,000 signatures for Recall School Board". Wind Newspaper. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
- ^ Mazorati, Guy (October 18, 2021). "'It's a Question of Competence': San Francisco to Hold Recall Election of 3 School Board Members". KQED. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Knight, Heather (July 7, 2021). "New poll numbers indicate S.F. board members in danger if recall election is held". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Endorsement: San Francisco's school board is a national laughingstock. Yes on the recall (editorial)". The San Francisco Examiner. January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ a b c Tucker, Jill (January 21, 2022). "S.F. election: The school board recall vote explained". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Marinucci, Carla; Colliver, Victoria. "Covid anger drives recall election targeting 3 San Francisco school leaders". Politico. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Ting, Eric (November 4, 2021). "SF Board of Education recall receives endorsement from Scott Wiener". SFGATE. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ a b Tucker, Jill (November 9, 2021). "Mayor Breed backs recall of three San Francisco school board members: 'Our kids must come first'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Endorsement: Competence matters, even for progressives. Vote yes to recall López, Collins and Moliga (editorial)". San Francisco Chronicle. January 23, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ Gonzalez, Matt (February 1, 2022). "Why I Support the San Francisco School Board Recall". Medium. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ Gonzalez, Matt (June 24, 2019). "Don't whitewash history". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Knight, Heather (January 29, 2022). "He's a public defender and legendary S.F. progressive. Here's why he backs the school board recall". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Tucker, Jill (September 27, 2021). "San Francisco could foot the bill for school board recall to help cash-strapped district". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "SF School Board Recall Funded Mostly by Local Donors, With Venture Capitalists Topping the List". KQED. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ The Editorial Board (February 16, 2022). "Opinion | San Francisco's Political Foreshock". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
- ^ Sumida, Nami (January 17, 2022). "Who is supporting the S.F. Board of Education recall? Here's what the data shows". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "United Educators of San Francisco Oppose Board of Education Recall". United Educators of San Francisco. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ Mojadad, Ida (September 20, 2021). "Alison Collins speaks: Embattled SF school board member confronts the recall effort". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ Barba, Michael (August 20, 2021). "SF school board members break silence as recalls ramp up". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
- ^ "San Francisco school board members fight to keep their seats in recall election". KRON4. January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ a b c Mai-Duc, Christine (February 15, 2022). "San Francisco Votes on School Board Recall That Started With a Year-Plus of Virtual Learning". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ Jarrett, Will (February 9, 2022). "Who is Arthur Rock, the school board recall's biggest backer?". Mission Local. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sumida, Nami (January 17, 2022). "Who is supporting the S.F. Board of Education recall? Here's what the data shows".
- ^ Cahill, Sebastian (January 28, 2022). "CA swept by large wave of 'unprecedented' recalls in 2021". The Daily Californian. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
- ^ "Editorial: SF school board: Recall all 3". The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Shafer, Scott; Li, Han (January 31, 2022). "As Chinese Community Helps Fuel the S.F. School Board Recall, Their Elected Leaders Are Silent".
- ^ a b c "Election Results". San Francisco Department of Elections.