School Board Candidate Tracks Missing Campaign Sign to Opponent’s Residence Using Hidden AirTag

A school board race in Orange County, California, has taken an unusual turn after a candidate used a hidden tracking device to locate a missing campaign sign at the residence of his opponent. Marco Carralero, running for a seat on the Capistrano Unified School District board, stated that he began concealing Apple AirTags on his campaign displays following a persistent string of vandalism, including signs being kicked over, defaced, or entirely removed.

The dispute centers on a yard sign that disappeared from a street corner. According to Carralero, the tracking technology located the missing property at an address corresponding to the voter file residence of his opponent, Melissa Caldwell. Following the discovery, Carralero filed a formal police report containing timestamps, screenshots, and location records, and publicly questioned Caldwell regarding the incident in a social media post.

While California law treats the theft of campaign signs as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a maximum of six months in county jail, local authorities had not announced an official investigation into Caldwell. Carralero acknowledged that he could not definitively state whether Caldwell removed the sign herself or if another individual associated with her campaign was responsible. Representatives for Caldwell’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.

Although school board elections in California are legally nonpartisan, Caldwell has secured endorsements and backing from prominent regional political action committees, including Women for American Values and Ethics, which supports multiple Democratic candidates in the state. She has also received financial backing from the local teachers union.

Sign-theft controversies have previously surfaced in local Orange County politics. In 2024, Orange Unified School District Trustee Madison Miner placed digital trackers on political signs during an effort to recall her from office. Those trackers led Miner and local law enforcement to several residential locations where dozens of stolen signs were recovered, resulting in citizen’s arrests performed by Miner in the presence of police officers.