Trustee Richard Ginn in Danger of Removal From Office

36 community members sent a petition to the County of San Mateo on April 24, in hopes of recalling three District board members. 

The requests for Mary Beth Thompson and Maria E. Cruz were rejected. However, the request for Richard Ginn’s recall was accepted after the country determined that the petition met legal requirements and signature standards. Ginn, the current vice president of the board and a member since 2020, represents Woodside, Portola Valley, and West Menlo Park. 

Courtesy San Mateo County
Trustees’ areas border map.

Ginn’s previous support for tracking and his contributing vote to closing TIDE Academy angered several community members.

If enough signatures are collected during a certain period of time, a special election could be held. In that election, a majority of voters is required to remove Ginn from office.

This special election could cost the district significant taxpayer funds and several months to prepare. If the recall is successful, Ginn could be removed from office only months before the end of his term, in 2028.

Julianne Hanson / M-A Chronicle
Community members at a board meeting.

In response to the recall effort, Ginn provided an official comment:

“14 years of school board service. Re-elected unopposed in 2024. Woodside, Menlo-Atherton, and Sequoia deliver for our students every day. Let’s keep the focus on students. Please decline to sign. Read my response at www.richginn.com.”

The provided website is under construction and at the time of this article has no relevant information.

Courtesy Richard Ginn
Richard Ginn’s website.

Julianne is a sophomore in her first year of journalism. She likes to write news stories about local community issues, school district decisions, and transportation topics such as Caltrain quiet zones. In her free time, she enjoys mountain biking and playing tennis.

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