Community leaders call for trustee's removal
Petitioners gathering signatures to unseat Harald Martin from Anaheim Union board.
By ERIC CARPENTER
The Orange County Register

ANAHEIM – Community leaders who blasted the recent appointment of Harald Martin – the trustee who gained national notoriety for his effort to bill Mexico for the cost of educating illegal immigrants – have launched a petition drive to unseat him from the Anaheim Union High School District board.

They say Martin is a divisive figure who is not supported by the voters he's charged with serving, as demonstrated by Martin finishing seventh in a field of eight candidates in the November election.

A coalition led by the community group Los Amigos – which works with a largely Latino population helping very-low-income families gain access to housing and education – plans to announce details of its petition drive Wednesday.

Martin called the drive for a special election a waste of time and taxpayer money. It would cost taxpayers an estimated $556,000, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters.

Petitioners must gather 2,300 signatures from registered voters in the district – which serves Anaheim, La Palma, Cypress and Stanton – by Aug. 20 to force an election.

"Harald Martin has left a legacy of radicalism and we feel very strongly that the board should have looked to what voters said in the recent election," said Amin David, leader of Los Amigos. "This is a hot-button issue in the community and we expect to easily gather 5,000 signatures, just to be sure."

Martin, 52, previously served on the board from 1996 to 2004. He was widely criticized for his effort to bill Mexico and for a plan that called for the district to work with immigration officials to report undocumented students. Both plans failed, but the controversy resulted in calls for his ouster from the district, where Latinos make up more than half of the student population.

Martin faded from the public spotlight after he lost re-election in 2004.

In May, longtime trustee Denise Mansfield-Reinking died, leaving a vacancy on the board. Many residents expected the seat would go to newcomer Jordan Brandman, who finished fourth, narrowly missing a seat in the election. Martin finished seventh.

Brandman and Martin were among 11 finalists who asked on July 19 to fill the seat. Trustees voted 3-1 – Anna Piercy dissented – for Martin, calling him a proven leader whose experience dealing with complex financial issues would easily allow him to help the district move forward.

Critics called the appointment "cronyism." Since Martin's appointment was announced, it has been criticized in letters to newspapers, e-mails and on Web blogs by people from various political and ethnic backgrounds.

In addition to David, four other Anaheim residents are leading the drive: Leonard Lahtinen, Carol Reinbolt, Belal Dalati and former La Habra police Chief Steve Staveley.

Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle is not involved with the petition drive, but he said that voters' voices should be heard.

"It seems pretty odd to me … I don't see the public support for him being on that board," Pringle said. "It's disappointing that the board took that action. I think it's total disregard for the voters."

Martin said that he applied for the appointment, because he believes he has a strong base of knowledge and has proven that he fights to raise standards for all students.

"They have a right to seek a special election, but ultimately it will cost the students of this district," Martin said. "I feel I'm the right guy for the job, and if people would measure me by my whole record rather than one or two issues, I think they would understand that I can help this district."

The Anaheim district includes 154,733 registered voters. If petitioners collect enough valid signatures, Martin would be removed from the board and a special election would be held by January.

Staff writer Sarah Tully contributed to this story.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or ecarpenter@ocregister.com

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