CommentsPERSPECTIVE-When voters get angry at a politician, some turn to the recall process. There have been over 150 recall attempts in California; nine made it to the ballot, five succeeded in removing an official. The best known effort ran Governor Gray Davis out of office.
Five out of 150 …. a poor return by any measure.
The latest attempt is underway in my own backyard. A group of Valley Village residents wants to start a recall process against City Councilmember Paul Krekorian. (Photo above.) He is accused of allowing the premature demolition of a 1930’s era structure, which briefly served as a residence for Marilyn Monroe before she rose to fame.
You can argue until the cows come home, or Marilyn, if the property was historically significant, as the group claims. Indeed, the developer pulled the trigger on razing it before approval was granted by the city.
Regardless of what Krekorian’s role was, or was not, the math of this recall attempt runs overwhelmingly against success.
The recall group would be required to get signatures from 15% of the registered voters in CD2, or around 18,000+.
The largest turnout in CD2 in many years was back in 2009 in a hotly contested race between Krekorian and Chris Essel. It was a race I covered extensively in my blog, including a blow-by-blow account of almost every debate, and, boy, were there a bunch of them, held in every corner of CD2.
The campaign was ugly and generated much media coverage. Very large sums of money were in play, including union contributions from IBEW Local 18. You know, Brian D’Arcy’s boys and girls – the same ones who gave us those free-wheeling non-profit trusts who have used $40M of our money to pay for junkets and steak dinners. Allow me to digress, but I am still waiting for DWP General Manager Marcie “D’Arcy” Edwards’ reports dealing with reforming the trusts.
For all of that hoopla, rancor and treasure, the turnout was around 15.5%.
So, what are the odds of getting good signatures from 15% of the registered voters for a low profile, and likely little-publicized campaign?
You do the math.
I am sure there are quite a few residents in CD2, as in any district, who do not even know who their council members are.
“Sign what?”
“Who is Krekorian?”
There is a time and a place for recalls. When there is an adequate body of evidence strongly supporting the possibility of malfeasance, start circulating the petitions.
But it requires due diligence to build a case.
Aggrieved citizens would better serve themselves and the public by focusing on developing and funding alternative candidates for scheduled elections.
It takes work, but the sooner started, the better.
(Paul Hatfield is a CPA and serves as President of the Valley Village Homeowners Association. He blogs at Village to Village and contributes to CityWatch. The views presented are those of Mr. Hatfield and his alone and do not represent the opinions of Valley Village Homeowners Association or CityWatch. He can be reached at: [email protected].) Photo: LA Daily News. Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
Total Recall – Do the Math
