PVUSD Trustee Recall Campaign Flops

WATSONVILLE, CA — Pajaro Valley Unified School District Trustee Georgia Acosta will not face a recall election.

The Committee to Recall Georgia Acosta failed to gather enough signatures to put the issue on the ballot, The Pajaronian first reported.

Acosta's critics needed about 2,150 signatures to advance. That's 25 percent of the 8,600 voters in the trustee area 2 district along the eastern edge of the district's boundaries, which she represents.

The committee's recall petition was not turned in by the 5 p.m. deadline Monday, Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber said.

Patch reached out to Acosta and the committee for comment.

Acosta was condemned for spearheading an effort during her tenure as board president to abruptly oust Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez in January. The board faced swift and widepsread condemnation from the community and quickly moved to reinstate Rodriguez days after she was fired.

Critics called on Acosta to resign. Her board colleagues removed her from her post as president and voted 4-1 to censure her at a March meeting.

Acosta did not tell her colleagues in advance that she intended to try to ax Rodriguez but did seek advice from and share confidential information about her plans with a resident and former district employee, according to the resolution to censure Acosta.

She was also criticized for racking up $16,000 in legal expenses without board approval, missing a year's worth of meetings while continuing to receive pay and benefits, directing a district employee to stop accepting public comment in a board meeting after the Rodriguez removal scandal, violating the state open meetings law and skipping mandated trainings on the law.

Acosta remained silent amid the scandal and repeatedly ignored requests for comment from reporters.

She publicly addressed accusations against her May 24 in response to a notice of intention to recall Acosta.

Acosta revealed that she had been undergoing surgery and treatment for cancer. She called The Committee to Recall Georgia Acosta's campaign a misleading witch hunt and said that she has always sought "to benefit the students, families, employees and taxpayers of" the school district.

"While battling this dreaded disease these past few years, my commitment to you has never wavered," she wrote.

Acosta defended herself and said she is an independent voice on the school board who has pushed for fiscal prudence in school spending, spoken out against district hiring practices, pushed for in-person instruction on behalf of working families and met with U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) to advocate for school funding.

She also said that she attended more than 85 percent of school board meetings, though The Pajaronian determined she has attended fewer than 80 percent of meetings.

Acosta is tasked with overseeing the education of some 20,000 students as a school district trustee.

More from Patch:

• Watsonville Schools Trustee Responds To Recall Effort: SEE
• Recall Campaign Of Embattled PVUSD Trustee Clears Initial Hurdle
• PVUSD Board Censures Trustee Acosta, Disavows Her Actions
• PVUSD Not Liable For Legal Fees In Rodriguez Dismissal: Report
• Petition Calls For PVUSD Trustee Resignation
• Ousted PVUSD Superintendent Gets Job Back After Public Outcry