Andrew Hamilton recall, Lake Forest, California (2017-2018)
| Lake Forest City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| January 2, 2018 |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2018 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
A recall against Lake Forest City Councilman Andrew Hamilton was approved on January 2, 2018.[1] City resident Larissa Fellick Clark sought Hamilton's removal due to disagreements with the councilman over his support for a contract with Orange County Animal Center and rezoning a plant nursery for new home construction. Hamilton responded to the petition by referring to Clark's reasons for recall as lies.[2]
Hamilton was targeted for recall in 2016, but the effort did not advance due to insufficient signatures. The 2016 effort was led by a different city resident and was based on different rationale than the 2017 effort.
Recall vote
A recall election for Hamilton's seat took place on January 2, 2018. Voters voted yes or no on the recall of Andrew Hamilton.[3]
| Shall Andrew Hamilton be recalled (removed) from the office of City Council Member? | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Recall | 4,783 | 73.06% | ||
| Retain | 1,764 | 26.94% | ||
| Election results via: Orange County Registrar of Voters | ||||
| Candidates to succeed Andrew Hamilton if he is recalled | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Tom Cagley | 2,922 | 51.79% | ||
 David Glick | 397 | 7.04% | ||
| Neeki Moatazedi | 517 | 9.16% | ||
| Mark Tettemer | 1,284 | 22.76% | ||
| Frank Wagoner | 412 | 7.3% | ||
| Stan Yombo | 110 | 1.95% | ||
| Election results via: Orange County Registrar of Voters | ||||
Recall supporters
Clark made the following claims against Hamilton in her recall petition:[4]
- Voted for contract with Orange County Animal Center
- Supported rezoning the Nakase plant nursery for new homes
- Allegedly recorded conversations with constituents and created online aliases, though Clark acknowledged that she had no evidence for these claims
Clark also told local media that recalling Hamilton would break apart a three-member voting bloc on the five-member council.[4]
Recall opponents
After the recall effort began, Hamilton said, "I think the recall is meant to tear our community apart." Hamilton's official response to the petition repeated the words "Falsehoods, Whoppers, Lies, Distortions, Denigration, Untruths, Fabrications, Dishonesty" 19 times.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Clark's notice of intent to recall featured signatures from 23 residents. A notice of intent to recall must have 20 valid signatures before a recall effort proceeds to the signature-gathering stage. Clark and other supporters needed signatures from at least 8,834 city residents to require a recall election. Clark filed her petition with the city clerk on March 9, 2017, and submitted 16,307 signatures to the city on July 25, 2017.[4][5] The Orange County Registrar of Voters verified 9,155 signatures as valid.[4] The Lake Forest City Council voted 4-1 on October 3, 2017, to set the election date for January 2, 2018.[1]
Recent news
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See also
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2017
- Political recall efforts, 2018
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Orange County Register, "Lake Forest selects Jan. 2 as date for special recall election of Councilman Andrew Hamilton," October 4, 2017
- ↑ The Orange County Register, "Petitioners gather enough signatures to move forward with recall of Lake Forest councilman," September 7, 2017
- ↑ City of Lake Forest, California, "Elections," accessed October 23, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Orange County Register, "Lake Forest City Councilman Andrew Hamilton may soon be subject to a second recall effort," March 29, 2017
- ↑ The Orange County Register, "Petitioners turn in 16,307 signatures in recall effort against Lake Forest City Councilman Andrew Hamilton," July 30, 2017
