A recall effort to oust District Attorney John Sarsfield has
only a month left to meet its deadline, but some local officials
believe the group’s original fire has sputtered out to nothing but
smoke.
Hollister – A recall effort to oust District Attorney John Sarsfield has only a month left to meet its deadline, but some local officials believe the group’s original fire has sputtered out to nothing but smoke.
Recall proponents signed and filed a “notice of intention to recall” Sarsfield July 21, but they haven’t filed anything since according to Registrar John Hodges.
The Dec. 3 deadline to collect 5,021 signatures to launch a recall is fast approaching, and Hodges believes it’s all but stopped because of the amount of time that has passed and the heated presidential election that diverted much of the country’s political attention.
“I haven’t seen hide, hair or nothing,” Hodges said. “When a person gets all fired up to want to go to the ballgame, but after the first couple innings there’s nothing happening, it all fizzles out.”
Sarsfield said he hasn’t heard anything from the recall camp since receiving the notice of intent from the group’s spokesman, Bob Wilson, in July.
“What recall effort?” Sarsfield said. “They better get busy.”
Wilson did not return several phone calls Friday.
Staunch recall supporter Eva Reyna said she hasn’t talked to Wilson in recently and the group hasn’t met in over a month.
She said supporters are still collecting signatures, but wasn’t sure if they were going to make the Dec. 3 deadline.
“We’re waiting for the right chance. When he runs again we’re going to surprise him,” Reyna said. “Since the DA pulled that about his dogs being poisoned and trying to blame one of the recall people we never heard no more, so we slowed down.”
Eight days after recall proponents filed their notice of intent, Sarsfield’s two dogs were poisoned with antifreeze and died. Sarsfield has accused someone in the recall camp of poisoning the dogs and still stands by his accusations.
“Absolutely,” he said. “The timing was too coincidental and I will never change that opinion.”
Recall supporters have claimed Sarsfield has mistreated crime victims, inappropriately negotiated plea bargains, lied about asking the FBI to investigate claims he was extorted and never set foot in a courtroom, among other allegations.
Sarsfield has denied all the claims and said he didn’t believe the effort was warranted to begin with.
“I think trying to recall someone because of rearranging the furniture is crazy,” he said. “If they had legitimate concerns they should have come down and talked to me about it. I am willing to sit down and listen to their concerns, even the silly ones about the furniture.”
The recall group launched the campaign less than three weeks after two of Sarsfield’s employees sued him for harassment. The lawsuit claims the prosecutor had been having an affair with the office manager and it led to a hostile and unfair workplace.
If the group collects the needed signatures by the December deadline, the county would hold a special election some time in 2005.
But Sarsfield said he would be surprised if it ever got that far and blamed a group of local defense attorneys, including his opponent in the 2002 race Arthur Cantu, for spurring a hostile sentiment toward him.
“This was just more harassment from the same guys saying this nonsense during the campaign,” he said. “Threats from my opponent’s campaign started the day I was elected. Nobody in that camp is thinking.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
