Reef-Sunset Unified School District recall, California (2023-2024)

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Reef-Sunset Unified School District recall
Officeholders
Claudia Cazares Lilia Rizo Lissette Padilla Lupe Chavez Precilla Barrera-Lopez
Recall status
1 Recall approved; 2 Resigned; 2 Did not go to a vote
Recall election date
November 5, 2024
Signature requirement
Signatures equal to between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in California California recall laws School board recalls Recall reports

Recall elections against three of the five members of the Reef-Sunset Unified School District board of trustees in California were held on November 5, 2024. Area 1 representative Claudia Cazares, Area 2 representative Lilia Rizo, and Area 3 representative Lissette Padilla were on the ballot. A majority of voters cast yes votes, approving the recalls.

Cazares resigned from the board effective June 1, 2024, and Padilla resigned from the board effective April 1, 2024. Those recalls remained on the ballot because they resigned after the petitions were submitted.

The recall effort began in November 2023. Area 4 representative Lupe Chavez and Area 5 representative Precilla Barrera-Lopez were also included in the recall effort. The petition against Chavez was not approved for circulation, and the petition against Barrera-Lopez was not turned in by the deadline on March 6, 2024.

The terms held by Rizo, Chavez, and Barrera-Lopez were scheduled to expire in December 2024, and the terms held by Cazares and Padilla were scheduled to expire in December 2026.

Recall vote

Area 1

Claudia Cazares recall, 2024

Claudia Cazares lost the Reef-Sunset Unified School District, Area 1 recall election on November 5, 2024.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
		✖	Yes	72.2	182
			No	27.8	70
			Total Votes		252

---

It has been certified. Source

Area 2

Lilia Rizo recall, 2024

Lilia Rizo lost the Reef-Sunset Unified School District, Area 2 recall election on November 5, 2024.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
		✖	Yes	70.4	209
			No	29.6	88
			Total Votes		297

---

It has been certified. Source

Area 3

Lissette Padilla recall, 2024

Lissette Padilla lost the Reef-Sunset Unified School District, Area 3 recall election on November 5, 2024.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
		✖	Yes	69.2	148
			No	30.8	66
			Total Votes		214

---

It has been certified. Source

Recall supporters

Area 1

Below is the full statement of reasons for recall against Cazares:

“

Mrs. Claudia Cazares has been negligent and ineffective in her duties as Board of Education member by failing to prioritize the education of our children. She has approved unjustified raises for administrators. By failing to review and question the superintendent’s agenda, Mrs. Cazares has made misinformed decisions. She has consistently shown a lack of respect for the concerns of community members. In addition she has supported silencing students, parents, teachers, and community members during public comment at board meetings. No action has been taken to address concerns expressed at Listening Tours conducted at all school sites. She has approved financial benefits for another board member which is clearly a conflict of interest. Mrs. Cazares has failed to put students’ academics first by blindly approving additional positions which in no way improve the lives and education of our students.

”

Area 2

Below is the full statement of reasons for recall against Rizo:

“

Mrs. Lilia Rizo has been negligent and ineffective in her duties as Board of Education member by failing to prioritize the education of our children. She often misses board meetings yet votes to approve unjustified raises for administrators. By failing to review and question the superintendent’s agenda, Mrs. Rizo has made misinformed decisions. She has consistently shown a lack of respect for the concerns of community members. In addition she has supported silencing students, parents, teachers, and community members during public comment at board meetings. No action has been taken to address concerns expressed at Listening Tours conducted at all school sites. Mrs. Rizo has failed to put students’ academics first by blindly approving additional positions which in no way improve the lives and education of our students.

”

Area 3

Below is the full statement of reasons for recall against Padilla:

“

Miss Lissette Padilla has been negligent and ineffective in her duties as Board of Education member by failing to prioritize the education of our children. She purposefully made false and misleading statements to discredit a school district employee. By failing to review and question the superintendent’s agenda, Miss Padilla has made misinformed decisions. She has consistently shown a lack of respect for the concerns of community members. She does not reside in the area that she represents. In addition she has supported silencing students, parents, teachers, and community members during public comment at board meetings. No action has been taken to address concerns expressed at Listening Tours conducted at all school sites. She has approved financial benefits for another board member which is clearly a conflict of interest. Miss Padilla has failed to put students’ academics first by blindly approving additional positions which in no way improve the lives and education of our students.

”

Recall opponents

Area 1

Below is Cazares' answer to the statement of reasons for recall:

“

As a Trustee on the RSUSD Board of Education, I have the extreme pleasure of bringing exemplary programs to the students as well as creating a positive environmental experience with the addition and/or improvement of facilities. Listed below are some of the major areas of progress that have been accomplished with the work and approval of myself and the RSUSD Board: • $58,000,000 in new funding acquired for student programs • Approved new programs demonstrate that RSUSD is recouping learning loss [from COVID] at a faster rate that the state and other unified schools in our area • Recipient: Lighthouse Award which recognizes the district for equality and equity for students • Recipient: California Public Education Exemplary Dual-Enrollment Award • Recipient: Distinguished Partnership Academy Award • Consistently balanced budget and contract settlements • Consistent student growth due to implementation of new programs • Expanded student physical and mental health services • Construction of new shade structures: Tamarack, RSMS • Established the Parent Engagement Center for community use • Expansion of the CTE building for Career & Technical Education • Approved T-K wings at KCES and Tamarack • Approved backstops at the baseball and softball fields • Expanded student safety prog

”

Area 2

Rizo did not file an answer to the statement of reasons for recall.

Area 3

Below is Padilla's answer to the statement of reasons for recall:

“

As a Trustee on the RSUSD Board of Education, I have the extreme pleasure of bringing exemplary programs to the students as well as creating a positive environmental experience with the addition and/or improvement of facilities. Listed below are some of the major areas of progress that have been accomplished with the work and approval of myself and the RSUSD Board: • $58,000,000 in new funding acquired for student programs • Approved new programs demonstrate that RSUSD is recouping learning loss [from COVID] at a faster rate that the state and other unified schools in our area • Recipient: Lighthouse Award which recognizes the district for equality and equity for students • Recipient: California Public Education Exemplary Dual-Enrollment Award • Recipient: Distinguished Partnership Academy Award • Consistently balanced budget and contract settlements • Consistent student growth due to implementation of new programs • Expanded student physical and mental health services • Construction of new shade structures: Tamarack, RSMS • Established the Parent Engagement Center for community use • Expansion of the CTE building for Career & Technical Education • Approved T-K wings at AES and Tamarack • Approved backstops at the baseball and softball fields • Expanded student safety programs, including the Avenal Police and Sheriff Departments, and Safety Liaison positions at each school

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in California

No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.

Cazares was served a notice of intent to recall on December 5, 2023. Rizo was served on November 22, 2023; Padilla was served on December 4, 2023; Chavez was served on November 27, 2023; and Barrera-Lopez was served on December 5, 2023. To get the recalls on the ballot, supporters had to file signatures by March 6, 2024.

The county verified enough signatures to put the recalls against Cazares, Rizo, and Padilla on the ballot. The Reef-Sunset Unified board of trustees had until April 30, 2024, to schedule the recall elections.

2024 recall efforts

See also: School board recalls

Ballotpedia tracked 40 school board recall efforts against 83 board members in 2024. Recall elections in 2024 removed 14 members from office, including three who resigned before the election, and retained seven members in office. The school board recall success rate was 13.4%.

The chart below details the status of 2024 recall efforts by individual school board member.

Recall context

See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report

Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.

The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.