Members of the Committee to Recall John Sarsfield delivered
about 7,000 signatures to the county clerk’s office Friday
– more than enough to force a recall election of the district
attorney if the signatures are valid.
Hollister – Members of the Committee to Recall John Sarsfield delivered about 7,000 signatures to the county clerk’s office Friday – more than enough to force a recall election of the district attorney if the signatures are valid.
Ignacio Velazquez, the spokesman for the recall committee, signed a document declaring that he was dropping off 685 pages of petitions with 7,066 signatures. The group needs 5,296 valid signatures to get the recall on a ballot, according to Registrar John Hodges.
Velazquez wants a recall election because he believes Sarsfield is using his office to wage “political battles.”
“I think he (Sarsfield) forgot what the job is about,” Velazquez said. “The job is to protect people … not to attack people.”
Hodges’ office has 30 days to certify the signatures by comparing them to those on voter registration cards. But Hodges said he doubts the process will take the full month.
“We’re going to give all our attention to the recall,” he said. “There are people on both sides that are real anxious.”
Sarsfield said that a recall election – which could cost the county more than $150,000 – would be a waste of county money, but he is prepared to defend himself. He said he is going to wait and see how many of the signatures are valid.
“If they want to have an election, I’m ready,” he said. “If the signatures are not good, I hope they give it up.”
This is not the first recall attempt against Sarsfield. A recall attempt against last summer fizzled when Sarsfield’s two family dogs died after being poisoned. That attempt never made it to the stage of turning in signatures to the clerk’s office.
He has said the current effort is Velazquez’s way of retaliating against him for prosecuting Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz for election violations in the March 2004 District 5 race for county supervisor.
Velazquez was De La Cruz’s campaign adviser during that race. De La Cruz beat incumbent Supervisor Bob Cruz by only 10 votes, which touched off one of the year’s most heated political battles. De La Cruz also is the subject of a recall effort headed by Ruben Lopez, Cruz’s campaign adviser.
If at least 5,296 of the signatures dropped off Friday are certified, the county will hold a recall election within 127 days, Hodges said.
The recall election could be tacked onto the state election if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger puts several statewide initiatives to a vote in November, Hodges said. If that is the case, then the state will pay for the recall. But if that election doesn’t happen, the recall will cost the county more than $150,000, Hodges said.
“It’s kind of up in the air,” he said. “If Arnie has what he wants, the state will pay.”
