Hispanic activist ousted from school board over bilingual dispute

By CHELSEA J. CARTER
Associated Press Writer

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) Voters booted Hispanic activist Nativo Lopez from the Santa Ana Board of Education by an overwhelming margin, replacing him with a former board member and councilman.

There were 8,908 people, or 70.6 percent, who voted to oust Lopez on Tuesday night after he became the target of a recall by parents who accused him of pushing bilingual education over English instruction.

Some 3,706 voters, 29.4 percent, wanted Lopez to stay in office.

``Doesn't look good, does it?'' Lopez said when early returns showed him trailing badly. He did not respond to telephone messages seeking comment after all the votes were counted.

The recall was the culmination of a feud in which Santa Ana Unified School District parents and others accused Lopez of promoting bilingual education, delaying school construction projects and dividing the city along ethnic lines.

The 51-year-old immigrant rights activist said before the vote that most recall supporters were from one upscale neighborhood that opposes a planned elementary school nearby.

``It's well known in the community who's behind this campaign,'' he said.

Lopez's opponents say he pushed bilingual education despite Proposition 227, which mandates English instruction, and delayed construction projects in the overcrowded 61,000-student district.

Voters also were asked to choose one person from a list of four candidates running to replace Lopez if he was recalled. The winner was Robert L. Richardson, a former member of both the Board of Education and City Council who received 6,795 votes or 65.3 percent.

``He stubbornly forces failed bilingual education upon our children. Thousands of students are being taught in Spanish only, rather than English, all for his political gain,'' candidate Vivian Martinez, a parent and recall organizer, who finished second to Richardson with 18.4 percent of the vote.

Community college instructor Candy Pettus was third with 11.1 percent and John Raya, who runs a youth boxing academy, had 5.2 percent.

Santa Ana leads the nation in the percentage of non-English speakers. More than 80 percent of residents age 5 and older speak another language at home, according to a Census survey of cities with more than 250,000 people. Nationwide, 17.6 percent of people spoke a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau.

The city has long attracted predominantly Hispanic immigrants, thanks in part to its accessible housing, bilingual public service programs and business partnerships with companies based in Latin America.

But the district is one of the poorest performers in Orange County, although it ranks better than districts with similar demographics statewide. The district has more schools ranked in the upper half of performance than any other unified district with a similar percentage of low-income students and those stilling learning English, according to state reports.

Lopez has argued bilingual education helps increase the test results.

The final weeks of the recall campaign have seen Lopez supporters and opponents handing out fliers urging citizens to vote. About $388,000 was raised in campaign contributions.

The effort heated up over the weekend when the district's superintendent traded accusations with Lopez about who is to blame for construction delays.

Superintendent Al Mijares accused Lopez of interference in construction contracts and claimed he was intimidating staff members.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)