Pasadena Unified families could face nearly $2 million in special election costs if recall efforts against two school board members succeed, adding financial pressure to a district already grappling with declining enrollment and a stalled consolidation process.

The Los Angeles County Registrar approved recall petitions against PUSD Board President Tina Fredericks and trustee Scott Harden, Colorado Boulevard reported Thursday. Proponents now have 120 days to collect signatures, with the circulation period running through Dec. 11.

A special recall election for Fredericks's Trustee Area 6 seat alone would cost $981,000 to $1,063,000, according to the LA County Registrar's estimate cited in Fredericks's open letter published in Pasadena Now. The Harden recall election carries a separate price tag of $857,000 to $928,000.

"Any additional financial burden on an already shrinking district budget could cause additional teacher and staff layoffs, which hurts our students," Fredericks wrote Aug. 13. She warned the recalls could cost the district 20 jobs.

Brown Act allegations at the center

Both recalls grew out of a May 2026 Colorado Boulevard investigation that examined private emails and text messages among Fredericks, Harden, trustees Kim Kenne and Yarma Velazquez about school closures. The investigation raised questions about whether those communications violated California's Brown Act, which prohibits serial deliberations outside public meetings.

PUSD parent Warren Bleeker filed a formal Brown Act cure-and-correct demand on May 15 in connection with a December 2025 board resolution on school consolidation. PUSD attorney Scott D. Danforth responded June 12, disputing that an unlawful serial meeting occurred but acknowledging "the effect these communications have had on the public's trust."

Bleeker has called for Fredericks, Harden and the other board members involved to resign. He told the Pasadena Star-News on Aug. 12 that Fredericks "is attempting to fast track school closure before the November election."

Fredericks sues to block recall

Fredericks filed a lawsuit July 2 in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to halt the recall petition against her, Altadena Now reported. The case, assigned to Judge Tiana J. Murillo, names the county registrar and 124 unnamed "Doe" respondents described as District 6 residents who signed the notice of intention to circulate the petition. Fredericks is representing herself.

The recall petition alleges she violated the Brown Act by coordinating consolidation plans through private meetings, drafted her own "Consolidation 2027" plan while portraying the process as independent, and worked with a consultant before it received a taxpayer-funded contract worth more than $233,000.

Fredericks denies each assertion.

Key votes that sparked the fight

Harden moved the Jan. 22 motion to hire Total School Solutions for a closure/consolidation study, according to board minutes. The board approved it 5-2, with trustees Jennifer Hall Lee and Michelle Richardson Bailey voting no. The board later voted 7-0 on June 11 to terminate that contract.

The board adopted Resolution No. 2852, establishing optimal school size ranges, in a 4-3 vote on Dec. 11, 2025. That resolution was rescinded June 25.

What's next

The recalls are separate from the November 2026 board elections, where three seats in Districts 1, 3 and 7 are on the ballot. If recall proponents collect enough valid signatures by Dec. 11, the measures would trigger standalone special elections.

The state has tied an $11.8 million one-time block grant to PUSD to a requirement that the district hold a public hearing on plans to address declining enrollment, including potential closures. Harden has not commented publicly on the recall against him.