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Chas Kelley recall, San Bernardino, California (2012)
| San Bernardino City Council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2012 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Chas Kelley from his position on the city council of San Bernardino, California, was launched in August 2012 and abandoned the same month in favor of a larger recall attempt.[1][2][3]
Aftermath
After the petition against Chas Kelley was withdrawn, the recall effort was combined with an effort by a group called Save Our San Bernardino. That group sought to recall council members Chas Kelley, Robert Jenkins, Wendy McCammack, and John Valdivia.[4] Efforts by Save Our San Bernardino did not make any more news headlines, but in late April 2013 a group called San Bernardino Residents for Responsible Government started a recall effort against all seven San Bernardino city council members, as well as the mayor and city attorney.[5]
Reasons for recall
At the time the recall effort was launched, San Bernardino was in turmoil, marked by the city's decision to file for bankruptcy in July 2012. At the August 6 city council meeting, Kelley was handed recall papers just before the council began debate on whether to place a measure on the November ballot repealing the city charter. Kelley said a recall organizer, Tim Prince, told him that if he voted in favor of repealing the city charter, the recall campaign would end. Kelley labeled the incident a "gross intimidation tactic." The council voted 4-3 vote against repealing the charter, with Kelley voting with the majority.[1][6]
Path to the ballot
Legal actions
After Kelley was threatened with a recall, he asked the District Attorney to investigate Tim Prince, who had made the threat of recall. Kelley said, "I would say that it's extortion or bribery. 'If you do this, this won't happen.' That's wrong, and elected officials should not be intimidated or coerced, blackmailed into making a decision one way or another." The District Attorney's office concluded that no laws were broken by Prince, and the investigation came to an end.[7]
Recall withdrawn
The recall petition against Kelley was withdrawn on August 16, 2012 after one of the original petition signers made the request. Prince said the petitioner was feeling stressed because they were connected with the recall effort. Prince also said the withdrawal was intended to allow for coordination with other recall efforts and save money.[2][3][8]
See also
- Recall campaigns in California
- City council recalls
- Laws governing recall in California
- San Bernardino recall, California (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Press-Enterprise, "Rifts erupt at city level," August 8, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 California City News, "Recall in San Bernardino Expands; 4 Council Members Now Targeted," August 27, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Sun, "Recall against San Bernardino councilman withdrawn, but bigger recall planned," August 22, 2012
- ↑ The Sun, "Recall against San Bernardino councilman withdrawn, but bigger recall planned," August 22, 2012
- ↑ San Bernardino Residents for Responsible Government, "FAQs," accessed: July 23, 2013
- ↑ The Press-Enterprise, "SAN BERNARDINO: Councilman served with recall notice," August 06, 2012
- ↑ The Sun, "District attorney: Threatening recall against San Bernardino councilman isn't crime," September 14, 2012
- ↑ Email correspondence with Ballotpedia staff on July 19, 2013
