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Newly appointed Dublin Unified School District Trustee Carolina Martinez can complete her two-year term following the dismissal of a petition seeking to force a special election to fill her Area 3 seat.
Submitted Jan. 16 by fellow Trustee Dan Cherrier — the district revealed in an announcement Friday — the petition did not meet criteria laid out in the California Education Code, as determined by the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Alysse Castro. Missing from the petition was the election official’s cost-estimate for a special election, also expressed on a per-pupil or per-student basis, according to a letter Castro sent to Superintendent Chris Funk on Jan. 23.
No further action will be taken regarding the petition, per state law, Castro wrote.
Effectively, Martinez can represent Area 3 on a temporary appointment until the next regular trustee election in November 2026.
“It is time to put the pettiness and divisiveness behind us and move forward working in the best interest of all students in DUSD,” said Funk, who added that he didn’t receive any negative comments from Area 3 constituents about the appointment or process nor any desire for a costly special election.
The board appointed parent-volunteer Martinez to the Area 3 trustee seat in a 3-2 vote Dec. 17. She was chosen to fill the position originally slated for Jeff Clark, who was the only candidate for the role during the election last year. The trustees later entered tense procedural debates as Clark submitted a resignation letter prior to taking office.
Current Board President Kristin Speck, Trustee Kristian Reyes and outgoing Trustee William Kuo — who represented Area 3 at the dais until Martinez was seated — supported her provisional appointment. Meanwhile, Cherrier and current Board Vice President Gabi Blackman opposed Martinez’s appointment, arguing proper procedures had not been followed, legal codes had been violated and there lacked a vacancy to fill.
In response to Cherrier and Blackman’s concerns, Funk defended the provisional appointment and the board’s process as being legal and in adherence with board policy.
Yet from the dais, Cherrier told Martinez, “This is nothing personal — I think you did a fine job up here — but in my opinion, this board has taken an illegal action and I’m going to be leaving the proceedings because I think anything this board does right now is against the law and I will also be discussing with Area 3 people to have you removed from office.”
The district revealed in a statement Friday that Cherrier stuck to his word, “Trustees Blackman and Cherrier took action to initiate and/or support efforts to gather signatures from Area 3 residents and file the necessary petition to have the selected appointee removed from office.”
In light of Martinez’s continued presence on the board, all trustee areas will be represented as the board makes budget cut decisions next month.
Martinez did not respond for comment as of Friday afternoon.
“I am pleased that Carolina Martinez will continue serving as the Area 3 trustee, ensuring that all Dublin residents are represented on the school board,” Speck said in a statement. “Trustee Martinez has already demonstrated her thoughtfulness and eagerness to learn and ask questions to support all students.”
