Proponents of a drive to recall State Sen. Jeff Denham over his
stand on the recent budget and other proposals expect to submit
50,000 signatures today
– nearly 20,000 more than the required number needed by
Wednesday, the group’s spokesman said today.
Proponents of a drive to recall State Sen. Jeff Denham over his stand on the recent budget and other proposals expect to submit 50,000 signatures today – nearly 20,000 more than the required number needed by Wednesday, the group’s spokesman said today.
Those critics of Denham, R-Merced, will turn in about 50,000 signatures today as well as any “stragglers” that come in before the 160-day gathering deadline, said Paul Hefner, spokesman for the recall campaign.
The proponents were required by law to get 31,084 signatures. They are confident their volunteer and paid signature gatherers in the five counties Denham represents – including San Benito – secured enough support to safeguard against a portion of the names being invalidated.
Proponents hope to get the question on the June primary ballot, but the actual date of a recall election would be up to the governor, Hefner said.
Democrats and recall organizers have criticized Denham for refusing to support the 2007-08 state budget and his stance on other votes, such as a bill more recently seeking to address the subprime mortgage problem.
His campaign spokesman Tim Clark today contended the recall campaign is nothing more than political payback launched by State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, for Denham’s rejection of a “badly out-of-balance budget” with a $14 billion deficit.
Recall proponents, however, say it’s a broad set of issues they have with him, such as a contention he misled the public by campaigning that he’d support schools and then voted against the budget. They also argue he caters to special interests such as the Indian gaming industry, Hefner said.
“A lot of us were surprised to some degree just how angry voters are with Jeff Denham,” he said.
Denham’s spokesman said the recall proponents “would love to get away from the facts” and he alleged that the critics’ campaign has employed paid signature gatherers from out of state – which is against the law in this type of an election.
Hefner, on the other hand, also noted how Denham recently accepted a 2 percent pay increase after previously postponing it.
