Recall Campaign Of Embattled PVUSD Trustee Clears Initial Hurdle

WATSONVILLE, CA — A campaign to recall embattled Pajaro Valley Unified School District Area II Trustee Georgia Acosta just cleared an initial hurdle.

The announcement came during the public comment portion of Wednesday night's school board meeting.

The Committee to Recall Georgia Acosta said it collected 20 signatures — more than the required 10 signatures — to kick off the first leg of the campaign. Carol Turley, recall campaign manager, said Acosta failed to fulfill her duties as a trustee and violated public trust.

"Trustee Acosta has failed to act in the best interest of our students, our teachers and staff, our parents and families and our communities," Turley said. "We deserve a trustee we can trust."

Acosta has not responded to repeated requests for comment from Patch and other news outlets.

The campaign said it sent Acosta a written notice of intention to recall — one of the first key steps of a recall campaign — through certified mail and regular mail Monday and paid the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office to deliver the notice to her this week.

Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber said the campaign has not filed any signatures or a notice of intent to recall with the county. She noted that the recall process does not officially begin until that takes place.

Acosta faced calls to resign or be recalled after members of the Pajaro Valley schools community condemned her attempt to oust Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez, who was reappointed to her post days later amid public outcry.

Acosta racked up thousands of dollars in legal expenses without board approval to facilitate Rodriguez's removal and has been criticized for missing a year's worth of meetings and directing a district employee to stop accepting public comment in a board meeting called after the Rodriguez removal scandal.

Critics also complained that Acosta continued to receive pay and full benefits from the school district.

These were some of the reasons Acosta's school board colleagues voted 4-1 to censure her at a March meeting. Some of those who spoke in public comment that day supported Acosta and her vote to terminate Rodriguez, but most criticized her actions, including Monterey County Supervisor Luis A. Alejo, who serves the Salinas area.

"Georgia Acosta's record is one of the worst I've seen in all my years in politics by any elected official," Alejo said. "I would also urge her to stop embarrassing herself and resign now."

Under California law, a recall campaign must ensure that a notice of intent to recall is delivered to Acosta. Acosta will have the opportunity to publicly respond to criticism levied against her in the recall notice.

At that point the campaign can proceed with drafting a recall petition, which must be approved by the county.

The recall election would be put on the ballot if the campaign can collect 2,150 signatures from PVUSD Area II voters in 90 days. Thats 25 percent of the 8,600 voters in the district.

The school district would foot the bill for the election.

Acosta is tasked with overseeing the education of some 20,000 students as a school district trustee. Her district includes the eastern edge of PVUSD's boundaries, including Salsipuedes.

View a portion of the campaign's notice of intent to recall:

More from Patch:

• 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