Following the 2022 election of Trustee Todd Frazier to the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) Board of Trustees, a series of policies were initiated that, taken together, suggest a likely effort to move Esperanza High School toward control by the California Republic Leadership Academy (CRLA). Observers note a pattern of decisions that allegedly advanced charter-aligned interests, weakened district oversight, and redirected public resources away from locally accountable governance.
The network reportedly connected to these decisions appears linked to influential figures and organizations within the Orange County Republican Party and the broader charter-privatization movement. The situation at Esperanza is seen by some as fitting a wider strategy to shift taxpayer dollars from public education into private or semi-private charter schools, including some aligned with Christian nationalist politics. Indicators cited include personnel removals, controversial contracts, opaque facilities work, fiscal transfers, misleading public claims, charter restructuring, and political intimidation, all pointing to concerns that Esperanza, a public campus, was being positioned for transfer to private or charter-linked interests. This, it is suggested, could undermine both the district’s fiscal stability and the authority of the elected school board.
The public record, according to one account, already documents "a troubling pattern of waste, mismanagement, and alleged misconduct" in PYLUSD under former Superintendent Cherniss and Trustees Frazier, Youngblood, and Blades. While the broader scheme concerning the steering of public assets toward charter-linked control cannot be fully proven through public records alone, some suggest it requires subpoena power to access emails, texts, contracts, and other materials. Given the perceived political alignment of the Orange County District Attorney and alleged complicity of Sheriff Don Barnes with broader charter-privatization efforts, the Orange County Grand Jury has been suggested as an appropriate body to investigate district losses and the decisions behind them. The public is encouraged to submit specific evidence of corruption, waste, retaliation, or improper asset transfers confidentially to the Grand Jury.
This account draws on PYLUSD board meeting videos, reports, legal complaints, minutes, public records, and key documents obtained through public-records requests and shared by community members.
After Trustee Frazier took office in November 2022, he joined Trustees Youngblood and Blades in deviating from the board’s longstanding practice of elevating the vice president to the presidency. Instead of allowing Vice President Marilyn Anderson to succeed President Carrie Buck when her term expired in January 2023, the three trustees voted to install Youngblood as board president. This action, while not prohibited, marked a significant departure from established norms.
Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Rick Lopez, who had served the district for 28 years, faced what he perceived as a hostile environment. He chose to leave PYLUSD and rejoin Dr. Jim Elsasser in Claremont. Dr. Elsasser himself had left the PYLUSD Superintendency in June 2022, reportedly due to battling what he saw as extremists in the district, even prior to Frazier joining the board. This included issues related to a Critical Race Theory Ban, other book bans, lawsuits over COVID protocols, and pressures concerning private charter schools. Dr. Elsasser subsequently returned to his previous role in Claremont, which welcomed him with a raise.
PYLUSD’s loss became Claremont’s gain as Lopez brought his extensive experience, program leadership, and regional network of educators to his new district. Following Lopez's move, several other respected PYLUSD administrators, including Missy Samson, Dinah Felix, Julie Pak, Geoff Smith, and Richard McAlindin, also relocated to Claremont. Additionally, approximately 20 other administrators left PYLUSD, finding opportunities elsewhere, reportedly due to an increasingly challenging environment under Superintendent Alex Cherniss. This significant loss of experience, institutional knowledge, and leadership talent is expected to take years to reverse.
The board majority’s handling of Lopez following his resignation announcement, which included his departure being addressed in a secretive manner, reinforced his decision to leave. This reportedly proved to be part of a larger pattern in which other respected educators and administrators were isolated, sidelined, or forced out. Board President Shawn Youngblood called a special meeting for Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., with only the minimum 24 hours’ notice, to address Lopez's remaining contract.
