Recall Bid Against Trustee Advances

Organizers of a campaign to unseat three members of the County Board of Education said Monday that they have gathered enough signatures to initiate a recall process against Trustee Angela N. Miller.

Organizers were reworking the wording of the petition late Monday, but said they hoped to file a notice of intent to circulate the petition as early as today.

About 150 people who gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Ventura were also discussing late Monday whether to pursue a recall campaign against board President Wendy Larner.

Separate campaigns must be conducted for each of the targeted board members because they are elected from different districts.

The group appeared to be reluctant to initiate a recall against the third trustee, Marty Bates of Thousand Oaks, because there did not appear to be enough support. Bates’ district includes the Conejo Valley, Santa Rosa Valley and Oxnard Plain.

“We know that we can make a difference with Angela,” said Jeff Moss of Ventura, an educator who ran against Miller in November. “We don’t know how it will go with the other two.”

If Miller is recalled, Moss said he would run for the seat.

Signatures from 14 voters in Miller’s district, which covers Ventura and north Oxnard, are necessary to begin the recall process.

Monday night’s meeting was organized by the Rev. Richard Weston-Jones of the Unitarian Universalist Church after the three board members voted last month to temporarily ban Planned Parenthood and AIDS Care from sex education workshops for teachers.

Weston-Jones and others have expressed concern that the three made the decision based on religious convictions. All three received support from conservative Christian groups during their campaigns for office.

Larner said she is confident that she has the support of most voters in her district, which includes Ojai, Camarillo, Fillmore and Santa Paula.

She made it clear when she ran for office two years ago that she supported morality-based education policies, Larner said Monday.

“Not any of the three of us have ever tried to hide anything,” she said. “So I don’t know what these people are talking about.”

A recall effort started in April could result in a vote in November or February, county elections officials said.

About 15,000 signatures must be gathered from registered voters in each district within 160 days after a notice of recall is filed, they said.