Joe Harn recall, El Dorado County, California (2016)
| El Dorado County Auditor-Controller recall |
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| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2016 Recalls in California California recall laws County official recalls Recall reports |
An effort in El Dorado County, California, to recall Joe Harn from his position as county auditor-controller was officially launched on November 24, 2015.[1]
The recall papers served to Harn by former county Information Technologies acting and interim director Kelly Webb accused Harn of incompetence and corruption.[1] The recall did not go to a vote because proponents did not turn in the petition by the deadline.[2]
Recall supporters
The recall papers against Harn said that proponents are "seeking relief from the tyranny of our elected officials who have engaged in malfeasant acts and corrupt practices."[1]
Proponents cited five allegations against Harn:
- Failure "to make authorized payments for reasons of personal or political motivation"
- Failure to produce and submit required county bill payment disclosure reports to the Board of Supervisors in violation of County Ordinance Code …"
- Involvement in an "immoral scheme" in which some officials received more pay and pension benefits for "simply being re-elected or possessing the certificates required to hold office" (The Village Life says this refers to Harn's Certified Public Accountant license)
- Failure to "to protect the fiscal integrity of the county by willfully refusing to prepare a complete Cost Allocation Plan"
- Engagement in "inappropriate conduct" including "harassment of employees, vendors and staff of other agencies"[1]
Recall opponents
Response from Joe Harn
In an email to Village Life, Harn said, "Being county auditor-controller is a lot like being an umpire. I do my best to call the balls and strikes fairly. I don’t vote on the budget. I don’t write county policies. I don’t write state law regarding county spending. I do have a duty to point out cases where the county attempts to spend money in violation of our policies or state law. Occasionally people get mad at the umpire. I am not surprised that there are 20 people who want me out of office."[1]
Although the recall proponents alleged that Harn failed to prepare the Cost Allocation Plan, Harn said that the problems with the CAP stemmed from Webb's failure to keep the correct billing records and timesheets.[1]
Background
Kelly Webb, who served Harn the recall papers, was formerly the county Information Technologies acting and interim director. Webb filed a lawsuit against the county in 2015 for discrimination, with Harn named in the suit along with El Dorado County’s District Attorney Vern Pierson and Human Resources Director Pamela Knorr. Webb said that the three of them worked together to remove her from her IT position and demote her back to CAO analyst. Pierson was later appointed to head the IT department.[1][3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Those seeking the recall needed at least 20 signatures from resident voters in order to file a Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition. Proponents served that notice to Harn on November 24, 2015. Harn had seven days to file a response with the Elections Department, which he did on December 1, 2015. After the Elections Department validated the Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition, recall proponents had 120 days to collect 10,625 valid signatures from resident voters of the county. State law dictates that signatures from 10 percent of registered voters within the county be collected to qualify a recall for an election. This is the provision according to which the 10,625 signature requirement was calculated.[1] The deadline of May 23, 2016, passed with no petitions having been turned in.[2]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
