3 Rio School Board Members Recalled

A grass-roots campaign aimed at reshaping the troubled Rio School District claimed victory this week as voters recalled a majority of the school board.

Less than 14% of the city’s 10,675 registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s special election, ousting board President Simon Ayala and colleagues Eve Acosta and Ken Ortega. The board members oversaw the Oxnard-based district of 4,100 students, most of them Latino.

“We didn’t even get out of the starting gate,” Ayala said Wednesday. “We had a really low turnout. Only 1,486 people voting is horrible, and 943 of them were absentee.”

Based on preliminary results, Ayala will be replaced by Robert W. Guillen, a production manager for an Oxnard manufacturer; Acosta will be succeeded by Tim Blaylock, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme; and Ortega’s seat goes to Brian E. Martin, an electrician and maintenance worker at a wastewater treatment plant in Goleta.

Organizers of the recall campaign said voters blamed Ayala, a veteran of the five-member board, and Acosta and Ortega for the forced departure earlier this year of a popular superintendent, Patrick Faverty, and for agreeing to spend $1.4 million to settle a lawsuit with his predecessor, Yolanda Benitez.

“For me, this was a battle of ideas on how to run the district and a disagreement about money,” said Mike Stubblefield, who helped spearhead the recall. “In my view, the ‘Rio Trio’ did not need to give Yolanda Benitez $1.4 million and they did not have to fire Dr. Faverty.”

Benitez, 55, was fired in June 2003 after being accused of pushing a pro-bilingual education agenda, among other things.

The recalled board members, who formed a majority, voted in March to pay Benitez $741,000 for back wages and wrongful termination. She also received full medical coverage until she turns 65 and attorney’s fees of $690,000.

“You could say the [board majority] lost their nerve and decided to settle ... or you could say it was a gift, or theft, depending on your point of view,” said Stubblefield, who is suing the ousted board members and the district in an effort to invalidate the Benitez settlement.

The newly elected board members, who will take office next month, said they are eager to polish the district’s image in the community, get its finances in order and work with newly hired Supt. Sherianne Cotterell, an administrator from Northern California, to improve educational opportunities.

“The main goal is to make the school district a much happier and content place,” Blaylock said. “It’s been in crisis mode for a long time.”

Martin said the new board members campaigned on a promise to make district business open and accessible and planned to encourage more parent participation.

Guillen, a native of the Rio district whose father once served on the school board, said he wants to help return stability to the district.

Acosta said there were numerous misrepresentations during the campaign and criticized her opponents for suggesting to some who signed the recall petitions that the effort was to support keeping Faverty at the district. The board majority complained that Faverty had not informed them about key decisions involving the budget and other matters.

“This is a politically motivated action against someone who only wanted to do the right thing,” Acosta said. “This was a vendetta.”

Ayala said court rulings that found Benitez had been denied a chance to have her performance evaluated in a public forum and have her lawyer present during a closed-door meeting made a settlement the only logical option.

“To me, there was a lot of confusion” among voters, Ayala said. “I’m not going to cry sour grapes. I’ve been here for 12 years.”

Because his term expires in less than three months, Ayala’s name will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot, along with Guillen and incumbents Henrietta Macias and Ron Mosqueda. Ayala said Wednesday that he doesn’t intend to actively campaign.

Ortega, Oxnard’s public works director, was philosophical about being recalled in the middle of his four-year term.

“I’ve got a full-time job and a half. I have a wife and two daughters who’ll be glad to have more time to spend with me,” said Ortega, who also is president of a Rotary Club chapter and involved in softball. “I’m not bitter ... I wish the new board and the new superintendent the best.”