Untitled California Attorney General Opinion

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Orange County Department of Education supports and oversees the finances of 28 school districts, which collectively serve more than 600 schools and approximately 475,000 students within Orange County. 1 The Department also provides direct instruction to thousands of students throughout the county through its special education and alternative school programs, which include a number of “county community schools.” 2 The Department is governed by the Orange County Board of Education, which consists of five members who represent the five geographical trustee areas of the county. 3 The voters of each trustee area elect their respective board members for four- year terms. 4 Trustee District One includes the cities of Fountain Valley and Santa Ana, as well as portions of the cities of Garden Grove and Tustin.

In the March 3, 2020 primary election, Rebecca “Beckie” Gomez was elected to a four-year term on the Orange County Board of Education representing the First Trustee District, and she was sworn into that office at the Board meeting held on July 1, 2020. 6 In the November 3, 2020 general election—while already serving as a member of the Board of…