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David Eyster recall, Mendocino County, California (2025)
| David Eyster recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in California California recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster did not go to a vote in California.
Ukiah resident Helen Sizemore launched the recall effort, which ended after the Mendocino County Elections Office rejected the paperwork submitted by the organizers. Mendocino County Registrar of Voters Katrina Bartolomie said, "When the proponents published their Notice of Intent to Recall, there were several errors with names and addresses from what was served to our office and to Mr. Eyster." Recall organizers indicated that they intended to start the recall process over.[1][2]
Recall supporters
Recall organizer Helen Sizemore said the following regarding Eyster: "I don’t think the county can afford his ego."[1] According to The Mendocino Beacon, Sizemore's comments were referring to lawyer fees related to a criminal case filed against Mendocino County Auditor Chamise Cubbison. Eyster filed felony criminal charges against both Cubbison and former county payroll manager Paula June Kennedy in 2024.[1] Sizemore added that she "would not be doing this if (Eyster's) term was still expiring in 2026." Eyster's term was extended by state legislation that aligned the terms of California district attorneys with presidential election years.[1]
Recall opponents
As of August 2025, Ballotpedia had not identified a response from Eyster.
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
No specific grounds are required for recall in California. The recall process starts with a notice of intention to recall. The notice must be served to the officer whose recall is being sought as well as published in a newspaper of general circulation. The notice must then be filed with the relevant election office. Once the notice has been deemed sufficient by the election office, a petition must also be filed and approved by the election office. Once the petition is approved, it can be circulated. To get a recall on the ballot, supporters must collect signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction. The number of signatures required is between 10% and 30% of registered voters in the jurisdiction, depending on the size of the jurisdiction. Jurisdictions with 1,000 registered voters or fewer require 30%, and jurisdictions with 100,000 or more registered voters require 10%. Charter cities can also set their own signature threshold. The amount of time allowed for the circulation of recall petitions also varies by the number of registered voters in a jurisdiction, between 40 and 160 days. Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 registered voters allow 40 days, and jurisdictions with more than 50,000 registered voters allow 160 days.[3]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2025 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Mendocino County, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- County official recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 The Mendocino Beacon, "Ukiah resident launches effort to recall Mendocino County District Attorney," August 14, 2025
- ↑ The Ukiah Daily Journal, "Paperwork for Eyster recall effort rejected, Elections Office reports," October 11, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall Procedures Guide 2023," accessed October 16, 2023
