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Bob Williams and Dennis Garton recall, Tehama County, California (2020)
| Tehama County Board of Supervisors recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Dennis Garton |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in California California recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Bob Williams and Dennis Garton from their positions on the Tehama County Board of Supervisors in California did not go to a vote in 2020. Recall supporters submitted petition signatures, but the Tehama County Registrar of Voters found there was an insufficient number of valid signatures to schedule a recall election.[1]
The recall effort started after the board of supervisors voted on October 6, 2020, to renew Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin's contract for three years and Planning Director Kristin Maze's contract through April 2023. The vote to renew Goodwin's contract was 4-1, and the vote to renew Maze's contract was 3-2. Williams and Garton were joined in voting in favor of Goodwin's renewal by supervisors Steve Chamblin and Burt Bundy. Supervisor Candy Carlson voted against. Williams and Garton along with Bundy also voted in favor of Maze's contract renewal, while Chamblin and Carlson voted against. Before both votes, members of the community used the public comment portion of the meeting to speak out against Goodwin and Maze.[2][3][4][5]
Garton became the District 3 representative on the board of supervisors in January 2011, and Williams became the District 4 representative in January 2007.[2]
Recall supporters
Robert Halpin, spokesman for the recall group, said the board's votes to renew the contracts of Goodwin and Maze was the "straw that broke the camel’s back." Halpin said, "In the face of extreme opposition it was clear that four on the board had no interest in the position of the constituency. At the direction of a citizen group opposing the contract extensions, a table was set up outside the community center where dozens of volunteers signed up to help on the recall."[2]
The notice of intent to recall included the following reasons for recall: "condescending behavior, displaying a pattern of contempt and disrespect for female commenters, misogynistic language and behavior, ignoring constituents, feigning disinterest and threatening members of the public for expressing their First Amendment rights ... failure to secure community safety by failing to honor obligations to the sheriff’s department, squandering county resources on no-bid contracts, renewing contracts despite constituent opposition and a vote of no confidence in the case of Goodwin and not creating a COVID-19 enforcement policy to prevent misuse of CARES Act funds for non-COVID projects," according to the Red Bluff Daily News.[2]
Recall opponents
In response to the recall effort, Williams said, “County Supervisors are responsible for a number of things, but our primary responsibilities are to carefully watch over taxpayers dollars and to make the best decisions for the citizens of Tehama County ... Unfortunately, we can't always make everyone happy, including at times our fellow Board members ... Issues involving 'special interests' groups and labor unions oftentimes result in disagreement.”[6]
Williams also disputed the allegation that he did not support public safety. He said he “supports public safety and will not support any cuts in public safety funding.”[6]
Williams also spoke about his vote to renew Goodwin's contract. “My decision on how to vote could not be impacted by the threats for a recall,” Williams said. “Bill Goodwin has always followed the direction given him by the Board of Supervisors and followed board policy, whether he likes or agrees with that direction and policy. That is his job and he does it.”[3] Williams also said he had heard positive stories from his constituents from their experiences working with Maze.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Both supervisors were served notices of intent to recall on October 20, 2020. They had seven days to respond to the notice. To get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters had to collect signatures equal to 25% of registered voters in the districts the two supervisors represent in 90 days. Approximately 2,043 signatures were needed in District 3, and 1,562 signatures were needed in District 4.[2][7] They county did not verify enough signatures to schedule a recall election.[1]
See also
- Tehama County, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- County commission recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Wally Ziegler, Assistant Registrar of Voters, Tehama County Elections," February 26, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Red Bluff Daily News, "Two Tehama County Supervisors served with notices of intent to recall," October 22, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Corning Observer, "Goodwin's contract renewed by board of supervisors," October 8, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Corning Observer, "County renews planning director's contract amid public protest," October 7, 2020
- ↑ Tehama County, "Government," accessed October 27, 2020
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Corning Observer, "Tehama County Supervisor Williams responds to recall notice of intent," October 28, 2020
- ↑ ABC 7 KRCR, "Locals started recall petition for two Tehama County board of supervisors," December 2, 2020
