Endorsements
“We support the Election of
María Lupita Stubbs to the Placentia-Yorba Linda School Board, Area 2”
Dr. Ken Williams
Orange County Board of Education, Trustee
Public education's primary purpose is to empower students by equipping them to be responsible, productive adults. There has been a significant and disturbing mission shift in our schools, particularly in the last few years. We must return to our original goal, that is to educate, not indoctrinate. Because Maria Lupita Stubbs understands this, I support her candidacy for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Board of Education, Area 2.
Mari Barke
Orange County Board of Education, Trustee
Lisa Sparks, Ph.D.
Orange County Board of Education, Trustee
Tim Shaw
Orange County Board of Education, Trustee
Leandra Blades
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, Board President
Todd Frazier
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District,Trustee
Shawn Youngblood
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District,Trustee
Oliver Zavala
Hispanic Heritage - Cultural Arts, Ambassador & Educator
Steven Vargas
City of Brea, Council Member
Brett Barbre
Yorba Linda Water District, Director
Gene Hernandez
Yorba Linda Water District, Director
Tom Lindsey
Yorba Linda Water District, Vice President
Moms for Liberty
Orange County Chapter
📬 Letters of Support
Community Members Support
María Lupita Stubbs
For
PYLUSD School Board, Area 2
Dear Friends and Community Members,
I’m reaching out to share my heartfelt support for Maria Lupita Stubbs and to ask for your vote. As someone who has taught in the Corona Norco Unified School District for 19 years, and as a proud parent of three kids in the PYLUSD district, I care deeply about the direction of our schools. Having grown up in this district myself, from 1st through 12th grade, I feel a strong connection to our community and its future. I am passionate about the well-being and success of our educational system.
I've been lucky to know Maria for over five years, and in that time, I've been incredibly impressed by her unwavering dedication to our community. Maria isn't just someone who talks about family values, Christian morals, and parental rights—she lives them. Her commitment to these principles is evident in everything she does, and it’s inspiring to see someone so deeply invested in making our schools better.
Maria has been attending School Board meetings every month for over four years, not just to keep herself informed but to encourage other parents to get involved too. It's clear that she believes in the power of community and wants to ensure that every voice is heard. Her presence at these meetings is a testament to her dedication and love for our children’s education.
One of the things I admire most about Maria is her courage to speak out when it matters. She has been a strong voice against the undue influence of the Association of Placentia-Linda Educators (APLE) union, always advocating for a fair balance that prioritizes the needs of parents and students. Her commitment to transparency and accountability in our schools is something we desperately need.
Maria’s faith is also a big part of who she is. As a devoted member of St. Joseph's Placentia Catholic Church, she brings her strong morals and values into every aspect of her life, including how she raises her children and supports our community. Her faith is a guiding light, and it’s one of the reasons she is so committed to serving others with integrity and dedication.
I truly believe that with your support, Maria can continue to make a significant difference in our community. She has the strength and commitment to ensure that our schools uphold the family values and parental involvement that are so important to all of us.
Thank you for considering giving Maria Lupita Stubbs your vote for PYLUSD Board Member. She is a remarkable person who will represent our values with unwavering commitment.
- The Avila Family
✉️**************✉️
I support the candidacy of Maria Lupita Stubbs in Area 2 because she and our current PYLUSD Administration have a solid financial background that has been sorely lacking in past leadership teams. Maria's engineering background coupled with Dr. Alex Cherniss's experience as Financial Director for LAUSD create a framework for sound fiscal management as PYLUSD moves forward.
I write to inform our community of the dire financial conditions that our current school board majority inherited from a previous union-backed school board. It is important for the community to know that board members Leandra Blades, Shawn Youngblood, and Todd Frazier are not to be blamed for the dereliction of financial trust that prior board members Carrie Buck, Karen Freeman, Judi Carmona, Carol Downey and Eric Padgett exhibited under the leadership of Superintendent Doug Domene.
While the 2011 Capital Appreciation Bond borrowing was completely bungled as the board agreed to terms that are now deemed illegal and bordered on usurious, please don’t lose sight of the fact that these same financially derelict board members issued additional exorbitant bonds in 2009. Here is a quick breakdown:
2009 Capital Appreciation Bonds – Borrowed $26.5 million with total required payments of $157.2 million (Equivalent to taking out a $20,000 car loan and paying $118,500 in payments.)
2011 Capital Appreciation Bonds – Borrowed $22 million with required payments of $282 million (Equivalent to taking out a $20,000 car loan and paying $282,000 in payments.)
Both of these bond issuances were at rates that are approximately 50% higher than the going market interest rate on the date that they were issued. All of this debt is non-callable and non-negotiable, which means we are 100% stuck with the loan terms and there is no possible way to negotiate lower rates or pay down the debt early. At the time these bonds were issued, the average municipal bond interest rate was 5.25% - our "brilliant" former board members agreed to bonds that charge 7.8%.
Though she was not a member of the school board at the time these bonds were issued, one is left to wonder where Marilyn Anderson truly stands on this issue. The reason for this doubt is that in 2020, Marilyn ran partially on this issue of the debt, but soon after her election Marilyn partnered up on many issues with Karen Freeman and Carrie Buck who were two of the big proponents of these ill-fated bonds. Since her election, Marilyn has disavowed the conservative commitments that she had made in 2020. Further, Marilyn pushed for the development of a new district program without providing the proper fiscal review in advance, and the program has been in the red each year of its existence. Marilyn has migrated over to the fiscally derelict teachers' union who now backs her, just as they backed the issuance of the bonds in 2009 and 2011.
Starting in 2036, there will be a 12- year period in which we the taxpayers of this district will be paying $35 million per year to pay off this exorbitant bond debt.
Neither Maria Lupita Stubbs nor Dr. Alex Cherniss can correct mistakes of past administrations and past board members, but they can and will provide the experience needed for sound fiscal management in the future. I urge the voters in Area 2 to elect Maria Lupita Stubbs.
- Jon Hansen
Yorba Linda Taxpayers Association
✉️**************✉️
I was a classroom teacher, debate coach, and trainer of teachers for thirty-two years, all in public schools. Now retired, I regularly attend board meetings
of the Orange County Board of Education and Placentia-Yorba Linda. Because I monitor and research legislation and education issues, I act as an educational advisor to local and state organizations, most notably, California Family Council.
I strongly support Maria Lupita Stubbs for Area 2 of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education. If we are to continue the excellent work begun by Board President Leandra Blades and the board, we must have a committed and courageous representative from Area 2 who will support the board majority, Superintendent Alex Cherniss, and the entire administrative team.
A well-funded teachers' union is determined to take back control of our district that they lost in 2020. The local union is firmly committed to the agenda of the California Teachers' Association (CTA), an agenda that does not reflect the interest of children. Certain members of this union have engaged in an ongoing campaign of innuendo and misinformation in their attempt to turn teachers and the community against Dr. Cherniss and the board majority. I have watched as the board majority works with administration to strengthen academics, implement innovative programs to meet student needs, offer high quality tutoring to students affected by a union-controlled lockdown during COVID, maintain a balanced budget, and support the rights of parents.
Maria is exactly the kind of candidate I hoped we would find to run in Area 2. She speaks four languages; Spanish is her first. Her career is engineering. More important, she is already deeply engaged as a parent seeking the best academic education for her two young children. She and her husband Ben frequently attend and often speak at PYL board meetings. She understands the issues and knows that a board member's first responsibility is to represent community members, parents, and children.
I urge Area 2 voters to research the issues and the candidates and put the education of our children first. If you do, I am very confident you will support Maria Lupita Stubbs.
- Linda Cone
✉️**************✉️
I am Judy Desjardin. I have grandchildren in PYLUSD. My son teaches and coaches in the district. I attend school board meetings and speak on various issues. Maria Stubbs is the better candidate for the following reasons: She knows the issues. Her children attend district schools. She is very concerned for the students, parents, and teachers. Policies for the students should not be made by the Union.
My grandchildren were greatly affected by the school shut down. I took them to the park. Soon two children their age came, whom they did not know. The children had so much fun playing together. When I said it was time to go home, they asked if they could say goodbye. The 4 children hugged each other for 5 minutes. This showed how much they missed being in the classroom. This broke my heart to think what this isolation did to my grandchildren.
The Union was given the power to re-open the schools. Parents were asking why other districts in Orange County were opened and PYLUSD was closed. At the time we did not realize the Union controlled the lockdown.
We must not let our district fall back into the hands of the Union. We must elect Maria Stubbs to represent area 2.
- Judy Desjardin
✉️**************✉️
My name is Christopher Anderson. My wife and I have been Placentia residents for 24 years. We chose Placentia as it has small town charm and was known as the All American city. We quickly learned that it was also known for having exceptional schools. We married in 2005 and started a family in our little house. We currently have a freshman and a senior in HS in the district. Our experience in grade school was not what we were told it would be. There was access to inappropriate materials showing up in libraries and what seemed like a normalization of behaviors that we do not condone in our household. The district was mismanaged, and many schools lacked basic necessities. Many teachers and staff openly expressed their political beliefs and pushed ideologies that we do not agree with. No child should ever know a teachers stance on politics.
The previous board left us broke and on the hook for over $200 million in interest for a shady bond, among other things. We felt a huge shift 4 years ago when new board members took a fresh approach and made a promise to put kids first. That promise was kept, along with many other great improvements that have led to a surge in enrollment in our district. Finally, we have a district that is listening to parents at board meetings.
We met Maria at a kickoff party and were very impressed with her story. She is a successful strong woman, mother, and wife that shares our values and family traditions. We believe she will continue to support the wishes of parents and put students first. She fully supports Dr. Cherniss, and so do we. I have never seen a superintendent so focused, driven, and determined to take action and make changes that benefit every student.
We currently have 2 board members that vote against every positive improvement that is focused on putting our children first and following the wishes of parents. We already tried that for the last several decades and it left us with declining enrollment, fiscal mismanagement, and no say in what our children are being exposed to. We truly believe Maria is the right person for the job and we are confident that we will continue to see great success and positive improvements for every student. We fully believe in and support Maria Stubbs for Area 2.
- Christopher Anderson
Father and 25 year Placentia resident
✉️**************✉️
During the school lockdowns my husband and I became very involved with trying to get our students back on campus. It was during this time that I met Maria, one of the toughest fighters for our students. She recognized the harm that was happening to her children, and all of the children in our district, because of out of touch politicians and a power hungry California Teachers' Association. She vowed then to fight for all of the PYLUSD students, as an involved parent, and I believe she will intensify that fight as the board member for Area 2.
My children have gone all the way through PYLUSD and I am a former employee of the district and a current educator. I can attest that Maria is the best candidate for the job. Her area does not need a representative who claims to be for parents and then votes “No” on a parental notification policy, as did the incumbent Marylin Anderson. Area 2 needs a fighter who does all she can to support families. Maria has shown herself to be an ardent supporter of having a community voice in our district, as opposed to another voice for the CTA. Furthermore, her fluency in more than one language will, I believe, be a huge asset to helping to draw in and represent all of the voices in her area (and in the district).
As a parent myself, I have the utmost trust that Maria will be a voice for us. As district families, we must involve members who will always fight for our children. Find yourself an opportunity to sit and chat with Maria and you will be convinced, as well, that she means what she says! Maria is up for the battle to protect students from the crazy directives coming from Sacramento. PYLUSD has always put students above anything else and Maria is the only candidate that I believe will hold to that.
-Stephanie Dunnam
25 year Placentia resident, parent, and former PYLUSD employee
✉️**************✉️
I am writing to enthusiastically endorse Maria Lupita Stubbs for Trustee Area 2. As a dedicated alumnus of this district with 2 children currently enrolled in our schools, I make it my number one priority to attend all school board meetings. Maria embodies the qualities of a dedicated and effective leader, and I believe she will be the better advocate for our wonderful district.
With the PYLUSD’s new tutoring program instituted by our current administration, I am thrilled to share the program has made a significant impact on my kids’ learning and overall academic growth. While advocating for my children at our school district, I had the pleasure of meeting Maria and her family. With Maria’s ongoing support, I am confident that the program will continue to enhance the educational experience for all our children. Maria’s dedication and strategic vision for our students and district only ensures the program’s success.
Furthermore, the decision of the past executive board choosing to cancel summer school programs and redirect funding only negatively impacted our students academically. Maria believes moving forward; it is crucial to assess and address ways to support education needs during the summer months. Maria’s commitment to achieving positive outcomes for students and teachers alike is truly commendable.
Lastly, Maria is a firm defender of parental rights, recognizing the vital role that families play in our children’s educational process. She is a passionate advocate for the needs of all students and teachers fighting tirelessly to ensure that our schools are places of growth, safety, and opportunity.
Maria’s determination, empathy, and advocacy makes her an exceptional trustee for our school board.
I wholeheartedly support her candidacy, and I am confident that she will make a significant impact serving as Trustee for Area 2.
- Justin Aguirre
Father of 3
PYLUSD graduate
✉️**************✉️
As a member of the Orange County Board of Education representing the1st District, I have a vested interest in the wellbeing of all twenty-eight school districts in Orange County. One of the greatest challenges board members have faced is the issue of parent notification. Some school districts have established policies to protect parent rights and safeguard all children. Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is one. However, when Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB1955 into law on July 15, the state of California seriously challenged PYLUSD's ability to fulfill its commitment to parents and children. Some PYL trustees remain firmly committed to opposing this law as is the Orange County Board of Education. However, three of the five seats on the board are on the November ballot. One candidate in Area 2 is committed to fighting to maintain parent notification. I write in support of that candidate, Maria Lupita Stubbs.
In addition, Maria supports specific programs targeting the needs of students of Spanish speaking families in Area 2. For example, the well-received summer math tutoring program created by the administration that served 4,000 students is a program Maria would like to expand. She also wishes to increase access to after-school activities, especially for families who may not be aware of that all students have a right to participate. Finally, few fought as hard as Maria to reopen PYLUSD schools that were in the hands of the union.
Maria is clearly the candidate who will fight for parents and children. Please support Maria Lupita Stubbs, PYLUSD Area 2.
- Jorge Valdes, Esq.
District 1
O.C. Board of Education
✉️**************✉️
My name is Helen Kingsbury, and I have lived in Yorba Linda for almost 20 years. During this time, I was involved with the PYLUSD serving on school site council, classroom mom, and was a candidate for school board in 2016. I have seen many changes in academia, and not all for the best. We have moved away from teaching the fundamentals in favor of an emotional learning approach. With that being said, I have decided to endorse Maria Stubbs for Area 2 of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education. She will represent the parents' concerns and work towards a goal of excellence for all students. Please join me in supporting Maria Stubbs for your next PYYUSD board member.
- Helen Kingsbury
20 year Yorba Linda resident
✉️**************✉️
While some suggest a background in education is the best choice for a school board candidate, I have found that to be far from the truth. Educators have the union representing them. School boards are supposed to be the voice of the parents and students, and therefore an involved parent is the best choice. I’ve seen Maria attending school board meetings for years, even bringing her little children with her so she wouldn’t miss them. She has continued to speak during public comments, and stand up for the rights of parents and protection of children.
Although she holds a professional job, she always makes time to understand what’s going on in our district and fight for what’s best for students and parents. Between her consistent and unwavering involvement, and her bilingual skills, she is the perfect representative for her area, and I look forward to the continued improvement she will bring to PYLUSD.
- Karen Farley
Educator
Orange County GOP
Officially Endorsed Candidate: See Listing Here