As the deadline draws near for proponents of a recall of San Benito County Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki to submit paperwork, accusations mount that paid signature gatherers have misstated the purpose of the petition they have presented to local residents.
West Hollister resident Julie Roybal released a front-door camera video of one of the signature collectors, who said she had a petition to improve Highway 25 after Roybal answered the door. Roybal looked at the petition and immediately saw that it was for a recall of Kosmicki, and told the woman that she lied.
Roybal declined to sign the petition and told the woman she shouldn’t mislead people before the signature gatherer left.
“It was misleading because all of us are concerned about traffic, especially on Highway 25,” Roybal told this newspaper after the incident. “When people hear that, they are going to sign without reading because traffic is our concern. I think that’s misleading and I think that’s wrong.”
She advised that people should read all petitions before signing.
Roybal added she has been approached by two other signature gatherers outside a local grocery store.
She said she called Komsicki to notify him of the incident. Roybal later received a call from a Hollister Police officer, to whom she gave a statement, she said.
When this newspaper called the Hollister Police Department to ask for more information, an officer referred all questions to City Manager Ana Cortez. Cortez did not return a phone call.
The proponents of the effort to recall Kosmicki have until Oct. 19 to collect at least 1,762 signatures, or 25% of voters in supervisor district 2, according to the San Benito County Registrar of Voters’ office.
Elections officials approved the petition on July 21. Stacie McGrady is a lead proponent of the recall.
If the petition is successful, the county would be required to schedule a recall election on a future ballot. It will not appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot.
In another incident, San Juan Bautista resident Chris Martorana said he encountered two signature gatherers outside the city’s post office. They told him they were collecting signatures for the Kosmicki recall petition, and Martorana told them he was not interested in signing.
As he was preparing to walk away, he said he asked them who was paying them to collect the signatures. One of the signature gatherers said the sheriff’s office was paying for the effort.
Martorana, a former city councilmember who now serves on the San Juan Bautista Planning Commission, said he told the man, “You know that’s not true.”
Martorana then tried to take a picture of the signature gatherers but they “hid from the camera,” he said.
The sheriff’s office is not funding or contributing to the recall effort.
Martorana said he also called Kosmicki, who called the sheriff’s office. A deputy then called Martorana to take a statement.
Martorana, Kosmicki and others who have encountered the signature gatherers have said they have been told they will be paid $25 for each signature they collect.
Sheriff’s Lt. Breyon Canez did not respond to an email asking for more details.
California Elections Code calls it a misdemeanor to intentionally misrepresent a petition.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Grant Macierz said the office has received reports of “petitioners gathering signatures.” He added he is not aware of any reports of anyone lying about the purpose of a petition.
McGrady said she knows the signature gatherer in Roybal’s video and that she is “Spanish speaking” and was challenged by a language barrier. In the video, the woman is heard initially speaking Spanish when Roybal answers the door.
But McGrady added that the paperwork depicted in the video “says clearly it’s a petition to recall Kollin Kosmicki.”
She added she is not aware of other complaints about signature gatherers. McGrady added the recall campaign hired a company known as Pen To Paper to collect signatures, and their gatherers were given “clear instructions” on what to say to potential signers.
McGrady also claimed some signature gatherers are “being intimidated” by Kosmicki’s supporters.
“This is a recall; we’re not trying to misrepresent anything,” McGrady said. “Our foundation is solid. What we’re doing is ethical and above board.”
Kosmicki said the incidents described by Roybal and Martorana are “just a snapshot” of reports of misstatements by signature gatherers.
“This has been rampant from the beginning to the end,” Kosmicki said. “It’s nonstop. That’s their strategy.”
He added that even the information on the official petition is “false,” with claims that Kosmicki is responsible for traffic on Highway 25 and that he has cut the sheriff’s budget. In fact, he said, he has pushed for pay increases, bonuses and incentives for sheriff’s deputies and jail staff. Those pay and benefit increases were adopted by the board of supervisors.
“Every single day I have people telling me they came to their door and blatantly misinformed them,” Kosmicki said. “Basically the entire signature gathering effort is completely fraudulent.”
