THE BUZZ: Two conservative school board members who kicked out their superintendent and championed a measure to notify parents about transgender students may be on the verge of being removed — by parents. Opponents of Orange Unified School District Trustees Madison Miner and Rick Ledesma are expected to soon qualify a recall effort for the ballot, setting up a test of whether this year’s hot button culture war issue has staying power in California. Backers of the recall, led by parent Darshan Smaaladen, appear to have met the threshold to get the recall on the ballot pending a final evaluation expected in the coming days. As our colleague Blake Jones writes, the effort signifies trouble for not just Miner and Ledesma, but also a batch of newly seated Republican school boards in Southern California that have embraced cultural wedge issues in recent months. Organizers of a similar recall campaign in Temecula, where trustees also fired the superintendent and adopted a new transgender student policy, have until Dec. 8 to qualify a recall election in that city northeast of San Diego. At least five districts have adopted similar rules, which require teachers and schools to notify parents when a child asks to use a name or pronoun that doesn't align with the gender listed on official documents. The efforts are heavily backed by Christian conservatives, who cast the policies as “parental rights.” But as Blake wrote about earlier this year, they are often backed by small groups of fringe, right-wing activists and in some cases have frustrated parents who are dismayed to see their districts morph into culture war battlegrounds. In Orange, Ledesma won reelection to the board last fall, and Miner secured a first term — flipping the board and establishing a 4-3 conservative majority in a politically contested district. They fired the district superintendent without cause in January, just after taking office. Chino megachurch pastor Jack Hibbs helped craft the policy adopted by the Orange school board, Miner previously told POLITICO. He used his church's political arm, Real Impact, to help propel Miner and Ledesma into office. LGBTQ groups argue the policies are a clear attack on vulnerable transgender youth, and the efforts have elicited litigation from top cop Rob Bonta, but the Democratic lawmakers have waffled on a response. Members of the Legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus had discussed introducing a bill this session to reverse what they called “forced outing” policies, but amid concerns about messaging, and a bit of pushback from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, they decided to address it next year. If other districts go the same way as Orange, they may not have to. GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What surprised you the most about Newsom’s bill vetoes this session? Give us a ring or drop us a line. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter —@DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. | 
