At 5pm today, the recall effort to oust District Attorney John
Sarsfield will be officially dead.
Hollister – At 5pm today, the recall effort to oust District Attorney John Sarsfield will be officially dead.
Although a group of 37 residents signed a notice of intention to recall Sarsfield in July, posted some signs around town and wrote letters to newspapers, the effort began to fizzle out several months ago and never regained its original punch.
Recall spokesman, Bob Wilson, said Thursday it was difficult to get petitions signed and the group only garnered around 1,000 of the 5,021 signatures needed to launch a recall.
“I don’t think it’s a failure. We made a lot of people in the community aware of what we felt was going on in the DA’s office,” Wilson said. “The tale will be told in the next election we have.”
Sarsfield said he didn’t think the effort had a chance from the get-go, and that it was nothing more than an attempt to harass him and keep him from doing his job.
He said he “absolutely” plans on running again in two years, and believes the recall will have an affect on the election – but not in the way Wilson and other recall proponents hope.
“People should be scared about what would happen if we returned to the past and what would happen if we had these people in positions of real power,” he said. “I was elected to change things, and there’s a lot of people who don’t like change in this town. I’m not going to be intimidated. I’m not going to shut up. I’m going to continue to ask the hard questions.”
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.
Eight days after recall proponents filed their notice of intent, Sarsfield’s two dogs were poisoned with antifreeze and died. Sarsfield believes someone in the recall camp had something to do with the poisoning.
Wilson said the incident doused recall proponents’ original fire.
“There’s no question – anybody would gain sympathy,” he said. “I have no idea who it might be. They’ve got to be a real wacko to do those kinds of things.”
Sarsfield has stated that believes the recall was another way for a small group of people in the community to launch personal attacks against him, and still stands by that claim.
“They’ve been threatening to do this about from day one – it’s just disappointing it was ever taken to this point,” he said. “The whole thing is just ridiculous. Unfortunately, they’re trivializing an important democratic process.”
Sarsfield said proponents are mandated by law to turn in the names they have collected even if they don’t have enough to qualify for a recall, according to California election codes. But if they don’t, it’s not a crime, he said.
Registrar John Hodges, however, said the proponents haven’t turned in any signatures or paperwork and they don’t need to give the office any of the names of people who signed petitions.
Hodges said Sarsfield is only trying to “muddy up the water” by claiming the names have to be turned in, and that he thinks Sarsfield just wants to see the names of the people who signed the petitions.
“He’s stirring up the pot to take the heat off of him,” Hodges said. “Even if they did turn them in that’s confidential information. I couldn’t divulge it – even if he tried to subpoena me.”
The election code states that the petition “shall be filed by the proponents… but if the number of signatures does not equal or exceed the minimum number of signatures required the petition shall not be filed. Any petition not accepted for filing shall be returned to the proponents.”
Sarsfield said he never planned on looking at the names because he’s aware the information is confidential, and that Hodges is mistaken.
“Consider the source,” he said. “I put as much faith in John Hodges to run this election as he did in District 5.”
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
