The following is a press release from an organization unaffiliated with Voice of OC. The views expressed here are not those of Voice of OC.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2016
Contact: ANDREA YAMASAKI
yamasaki4ousdschools@gmail.com
OUSD BOARD MEMBER WAYLAND ENDORSES ANDREA YAMASAKI FOR VACANT TRUSTEE AREA ONE SEAT TO BE FILLED BY VOTERS IN MARCH 1ST 2016 ALL MAIL SPECIAL ELECTION
ORANGE — Though he didn’t vote to appoint Community Volunteer Andrea Yamasaki to a vacated school board seat last September, an Orange Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Trustees Member is now endorsing her and urging voters to join him in voting for her in the upcoming All Mail Special Election to be held March 1, 2016 to fill that seat.
Trustee Area 6 incumbent Mark Wayland said that he regrets his vote to provisionally appoint Greg Salas to the vacant OUSD Trustee Area One seat – an appointment terminated just 38 days later through a petition drive that gathered more than 3,600 signatures from outraged OUSD voters to force the Special Election.
“I take responsibility for my vote that led to the recall because I did not do my job and vet the two candidates for the appointment,” he admitted. “I regretted my vote almost immediately after I did it. But I will not make the same mistake twice.”
Wayland said he is asking voters in the District to get informed and find out which of the two candidates on their Mail In Ballot – Salas or Yamasaki – has dedicated most of their life in service to OUSD parents, teachers and students.
“This time, the choice is an easy one,” he said. “You do not vote for Mr. Salas, an individual who did his best to misinform voters on his candidate statement. We all need to put honest and ethical people into public office.”
Wayland sued Salas to force him to remove false and misleading information from his original candidate statement.
“I believe that Mr. Salas’ original statement was misleading – and not just because he wrongly listed me as an endorser,” Wayland explained. “But, perhaps more importantly, because Mr. Salas falsely implied that he was an experienced incumbent elected to the Orange Unified School District by the people. I’m glad that a judge agreed.”
Wayland said that he believed it was his duty as an elected OUSD Trustee to ensure that the All Mail Special Election would be free of party politicking and political gamesmanship.
“Nothing is more sacred than the people’s right to vote,” he said. “The Orange County Registrar has a sworn duty to provide complete and accurate information in an official voter pamphlet. My constituents have a right to know the facts in this election so that they can cast an informed vote.”
Wayland added that, “in most elections, the line separating the candidates is usually very thin. In this election however, the differences could not be more stark. No more voting for the lesser of two evils, now you can actually vote for a candidate that really should be in that board seat.”
“Mr. Salas has lived in the district about 2 years. His children have never attended any OUSD schools, and to my knowledge, he has never been involved in any OUSD activities, and why would he,” he asked. “Mr. Salas has no skin in the game.”
Wayland hopes that voters will contrast that with Andrea Yamasaki.
“She has volunteered thousands of hours to our schools and families. She has actually had leadership roles in several PTAs. She is probably one of the most qualified individuals to ever run for OUSD school board. The choice for voters cannot be easier. I fully support Ms. Yamasaki for the position of School Board Trustee, Area 1.”
In addition to the Voter Pamphlet, every OUSD registered voter will receive an official Mail In Ballot. There are no polling place locations for an All Mail Election. Mail In Ballots must be postmarked by midnight March 1, 2016 to be counted. For additional information contact the Registrar of Voters at 714-567-7600.