Jackie LaBarbera resigned from the Anderson Union High School District board a day after California’s attorney general authorized a teacher to sue over her eligibility to serve.
The challenge raised two questions: whether LaBarbera could legally serve on both the district board and the Shasta County Board of Education and whether she could keep her district seat after moving outside its boundaries. LaBarbera said she would remain on the county board.
Her resignation took effect Sept. 23, the day she submitted it.
Tamara Pellow, a West Valley High School teacher and local union president, sought permission to file a lawsuit seeking LaBarbera’s removal from the district board.
“It's really important that we hold the people that represent our district and represent our community to a standard that they follow the rules and the law that they swear to uphold," she said.
The county board has some supervisory powers over the district board, raising questions about whether one person can legally hold both positions.
Pellow was the second person this year to seek permission to sue over LaBarbera’s eligibility. Community member Jeff Carr received authorization earlier this year but agreed not to pursue litigation in exchange for LaBarbera’s resignation from the district board in November, according to Shasta Scout.
Pellow also challenged LaBarbera’s continued service after she moved outside the district in 2025.
“Her response to being asked to step down because she doesn’t live in the district anymore was not to take accountability for it and follow that bylaw but was to change the bylaw," Pellow said.
In its Sept. 22 opinion, the attorney general’s office found substantial legal or factual questions about both LaBarbera’s dual board positions and her residency. The opinion gave Pellow permission to sue but did not determine whether LaBarbera was legally entitled to hold the seat.
“We have long concluded that a school district board member must reside within the district throughout their entire term,” the opinion reads.
The attorney general’s permission is required before a private party can bring this type of lawsuit challenging a public official’s eligibility to hold office.
LaBarbera did not respond to requests for comment. In a Facebook post, she called the challenge a witch hunt.
“This marks a four-year-long campaign to punish me and our board for putting the constitutional rights of parents first,” she wrote.
Pellow said her effort focused on LaBarbera’s eligibility to serve, though she disagreed with some of the board’s decisions.
Following LaBarbera’s resignation, Pellow said the attorney general’s office considered the matter closed following LaBarbera’s resignation. She said she would not pursue the lawsuit.
