CUSD Recall Leaders:  "We Are One Step Closer!"
Group Leading Effort to Recall Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke Received Approval Today From Orange County Registrar of Voters

Rancho Santa Margarita, California:  Today, leaders of the CUSD Recall Committee were informed by the Orange County Registrar's Office that the Registrar had certified the recall petition against Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke, two Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District ("CUSD").  

On January 28th, The CUSD Recall Committee submitted to the Orange County Registrar 66,000 petition signatures - 60% more than required, to recall embattled Capistrano Unified School District Trustees Sheila Benecke and Marlene Draper. 

Thomas Russell, Spokeperson for the CUSD Recall Committee and father of four children stated, "Today, thanks to the incredible hard work, dedication and total commitment shown by hundreds of volunteers from all across South Orange County, the people are one step closer to restoring honesty, integrity and accountability into our local public school system."

Jennifer Beall, CUSD Recall Committee Member added, "Trustees Draper and Benecke have misled our community and violated the law -- and now they must be removed from office, held accountable and brought to justice."

Now that the Registrar has certified the recall petition signatures, the Registrar will issue a certificate of sufficiency and submit it to the CUSD School Board at their next regular meeting (which is scheduled to occur tonight at 6:00 p.m.).

Within 14 days of receiving the certificate of sufficiency, the CUSD Board of Trustees must issue an order setting the date for the special recall election.  The election must be held not less than 88 nor more than 125 days after the issuance of the order. 

When that special election is held, voters will decide two questions.  First, should Marlene Draper and Sheila Benecke be recalled (removed) from office.  Second, assuming the Trustee is recalled, which candidate shall be elected to replace the recalled Trustee.

The CUSD Recall Committee has begun the process of identifying their preferred slate of candidates.  Persons interested in running for the vacant CUSD Trustee positions may still contact the group by visiting www.cusdrecall.com.

The grounds for the recall are available at www.cusdrecall.com and read as follows:

"You have permitted a culture of corruption to infect our school district.

You permitted district personnel to use scarce district resources to create unlawful lists of your political "enemies" -- including children.  You engaged in illegal closed session meetings where district business was conducted in secret.  You and your staff repeatedly provided false information to the public regarding district finances.  You failed to effectively control your staff - even giving your former superintendent (now indicted for multiple felonies) a standing ovation and lucrative retirement package just hours after police investigators armed with search warrants raided his office.

You grossly mismanaged district finances.

You are recklessly spending $52,000,000 on an administration building and over $140,000,000 for a single high school next to a dump -- while our schools are in dire need of repairs and students are crammed into substandard portable classrooms with non-functioning restrooms.  Your reckless deficit spending has created a self-inflicted, multi-million dollar budget crisis that has put our children at risk and resulted in massive program cutbacks - overcrowding classrooms and severely diminishing the quality of education. 

You have arrogantly disregarded the public by repeatedly ignoring problems until they become crises.

You have broken the public's trust."

In 2005, the CUSD Recall Committee led South Orange County residents in the unprecedented campaign to recall all seven elected Trustees of the Capistrano Unified School District.  More than 177,000 signatures were obtained from South Orange County residents calling for the removal of all seven CUSD Trustees.

In November 2006, the CUSD Recall Committee's three "ABC Reform Slate" candidates (Ellen Addonizio, Anna Bryson and Larry Christensen) were elected to the CUSD Board of Trustees by landslide margins of victory.

In May 2007, as part of the on-going criminal investigation of the CUSD leaders, former CUSD Superintendent James Fleming was indicted on three felony counts (misappropriation of public funds, use of school funds to improperly defeat the CUSD Recall Committee's 2005 recall campaign, and conspiracy).  If convicted, Fleming could serve up to four years in prison.

The CUSD Recall Committee is leading the current campaign to recall CUSD Trustees Benecke and Draper for creating a culture of corruption at CUSD and for gross fiscal mismanagement.