Registrar says Anderson missed the mandatory filing deadline and cannot use the extended filing period.
Newport-Mesa Unified Trustee Ashley Anderson was ineligible Tuesday to seek a third term representing westside Costa Mesa in November after she failed to file mandatory nomination papers by Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline, according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, opening her Area 7 seat to a field that includes OC GRIP critic Andy Godinez.
Godinez urged the board to fund enrichment programs instead of expanding the law enforcement-led gang prevention initiative during a September 2025 meeting.
“I ask that you please provide those alternatives instead of the proverbial school to prison pipeline,” Godinez said.
The registrar’s filing log showed Anderson began the process but did not complete a Declaration of Candidacy or ballot designation and listed her candidacy as withdrawn. Anderson had not publicly explained the incomplete filing by Tuesday, while her campaign website continued to promote her reelection.
Godinez, a parent and Costa Mesa code enforcement officer, and Spanish teacher and businesswoman Grace Dañino Hickok qualified by the original deadline. The registrar extended filing through Wednesday for other nonincumbents, but Anderson is no longer eligible.
Anderson voted against OC GRIP when the board approved its renewal 5-2 last September. Afterward, she said trustees were overriding residents of the affected neighborhoods.
“When we have community members who have been raised in that neighborhood and are saying, ‘We don’t want something,’ that’s why we’re up here,” Anderson said.
County records identified Pomona, Whittier, Rea and Wilson elementary schools for OC GRIP participation during the 2025-26 school year. The district attorney’s office said the program pairs schools with law enforcement and community partners to improve attendance, grades and behavior among students at risk of gang involvement.
The filing lapse followed calls for Anderson’s resignation after court records showed she pleaded guilty in 2024 to misdemeanor hit-and-run causing property damage over a 2022 collision. Her petition to dismiss the charge remained pending last November.
Anderson acknowledged mishandling the aftermath of the crash.
“I deeply regret it, and I took full responsibility under the law,” Anderson said.
