Conservative Stays Rooted in Liberal Area After School Board Recall

For most of her life, Madison Miner has lived in Orange County, California, with her husband and their four children. But the community she once felt unified with has seen a shift in its political culture in recent years.

Miner describes herself as “conservative by nature” since she is pro-life, a “Bible believing Christian woman,” and has voted for policies aligned with the Republican Party. She said her once “conservative” area in California has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, as people who were slightly left-leaning seemed to adopt more extreme views.

“It’s definitely changing tides,” Miner said.

Although California is part of the “blue wall”, as constituents have voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1992, its communities remain politically diverse.

This past election, California saw a 58.5 percent vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris and a 38.3 percent vote for President Donald Trump. While, specifically in Orange County, 49.7 percent of people voted for Harris, with 47.1 percent voting for Trump, a difference of 40,000 votes.

Despite a trend of conservatives and liberals moving to states aligning with their political ideologies, it is not the case for everyone, including Miner, who has taken on leadership positions in California’s conservative movement and said she has faced threats.

Miner serves as executive director of Protect Our Kids, an organization informing parents about “public-school” doctrine, chair of Moms for Liberty Orange County, an organization advocating for parents to defend their “parental rights” in all forms of government, and treasurer for the California Republican Association.

In 2022, Miner ran against 21-year incumbent Kathryn A. Moffat for a board member position of the Orange Unified School District (OUSD). Miner won 50.2 percent of the vote, with Moffat winning 49.8 percent, or by 221 votes.

Miner said she decided to run for this position after feeling “frustrated” and “sensitive” to how the California education system treats English-language learners and children with disabilities. According to the U.S. News & World Report, California ranks 38th in K-12 education. Per the California Department of Education, 19 percent of students are English-language learners.

Miner, through her research, said 90 percent of English-language learners in Orange County do not gain English proficiency status each year. Miner also said she was “frustrated and perplexed” by OUSD’s lack of support when it came to ensuring that test materials are appropriate for students with disabilities’ age and intellect. She said she tried to go to OUSD’s schools to talk with the teachers about making changes but was told she could only speak with the principal of each school.

However, Miner also has advocated for controversial policies relating to students’ gender identities and LGBTQ+ representation within schools.

In September 2023, Miner helped pass a provision requiring schools to notify parents or guardians if their child decides to use a different name, gender, or pronoun than assigned to them at birth. It also requires a notification if a student uses spaces, like bathrooms and locker rooms, that do not align with their assigned gender at birth.

“It’s not outing them in any way,” Miner said of the students. “It’s asking the parents, who are the people that pay their medical bills, to be part of the conversation.”

But, in July 2024, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) passed AB-1955, the Support Academic Futures and Educators for Today’s Youth Act, which bans school districts from requiring staff to disclose a student’s gender identity, and went into effect beginning this year.

“Forcing teachers to lie to parents is wrong and extremely dangerous,” Miner stated in a comment to Spotlight Schools about the bill.

Supporters of the bill and against Miner’s parental notification policy state the new legislation works against “forced outing policies,” as it endangers students from unsupportive families by taking away their ability to “come out” on their own terms.

Miner also added a provision requiring teachers to upload all in-class work that is not necessarily seen by parents. The passed provision allows parents and guardians public access to books, curriculum, and other instructional materials. Miner said she advocated for this after hearing from some parents that teachers had students fill out surveys in class asking about their gender or sexual preferences.

Alongside other board members, Miner passed other policies temporarily suspending the school district’s digital library, following the board’s “concerns of age-inappropriate books,” and banning the LGBTQ+ pride flag from flying on school flag poles.

Critics of Miner and the board’s policies, like PEN America, would state that banned books “disproportionately” include stories with LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color.

Miner, during 2022, was chosen as the Republican Party of Orange County’s “School Board Member of the Year.” But, for these provisions, Miner said she has been “cussed out” at grocery stores in front of her children.

“[They] tell me I am a Bible thumping white supremacist that I love the Klu Klux Klan,” Miner said of those who approach her. “Just lies like that.”

Miner also said her life and her four kids’ lives have been threatened on social media over the “frustrations” because of the school curriculum. She added that she has been followed home.

Miner no longer serves on the OSUD board. She was recalled alongside Rick Ledesma on April 2, 2024, with 53.4 percent voting in favor of the provision, per The Orange County Register. The report also states that parents removed Miner and Ledesma after they “criticized” the board’s policies.

Miner also said she could not continue her work for English-language learners and students with disabilities since she was recalled.

Miner has considered leaving California. Although she jokingly said her family continues to stay in Orange County because she enjoys the weather, she has another reason for not moving.

Miner said her husband reminded her that although they know “it’s bad” in California, in terms of the school curriculum, the “devil” and the “snake” are still going to be wherever they move. Even if it’s not as visible as in California, her husband said, they will likely face challenges to their beliefs anywhere they live.

She added that she has friends who have moved away from California to Tennessee, but then pulled their kids out of the public school system after a week and reverted to homeschooling.

“And, so, it’s everywhere,” said Miner. “It’s not just in California, but the snake that we’ve seen. We see the snake’s head here. We know what it looks like. We know what they’re doing. They’ve made it blatantly obvious. They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. And so we know what it is that we are fighting against.”

Maggie Rhoads is a student journalist attending George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. At The Fulcrum, she covers how legislation and policy are impacting communities.

Maggie was a cohort member in Common Ground USA's Journalism program, where Hugo Balta served as an instructor. Balta is the executive editor of the Fulcrum, and the publisher of the Latino News Network.

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