Beverly Hills Unified Recall Effort Called Off

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Just a month after serving three Beverly Hills Unified School District board members notice of a recall effort, organizers called the recall off after failing to meet a county deadline.

The proponents of the recall effort properly submitted their notice of intent to circulate a recall petition to the county, but failed to meet a second deadline proving they had properly published the intention as required by California law, according to Mike Sanchez, a representative of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

Recall organizers on Dec. 13 served Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education President Noah Margo, Board Vice President Amanda Stern and Board Member Mary Wells with notices of an intended recall.

The recall organizers are reportedly supporters of Beverly Hills Wrestling Coach Ryan Faintich, according to the Beverly Hills Courier. Faintich was recently fired after a surveillance video showed him pushing a student. Supporters of the coach have since spoken at multiple board meetings, asking district authorities to reconsider his employment status.

"We are certain that the proponents made a wise choice to discontinue further efforts on the recall of the school board members,” Stern told the Beverly Hills Courier. “We continue to support the wrestlers and the other students who were impacted by the incident of November 2, 2022. Furthermore, we are confident that the action taken by the Superintendent and the administration was appropriate."

To bring about a recall election, supporters must first notify the subjects of their intention to circulate a recall petition, publish the intention notice in at least one newspaper, and then obtain a minimum number of signatures from registered voters once the recall petition is approved by the state, according to California state policy.

The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk would be responsible for verifying the signatures and overseeing a recall election.