Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman recall, Fairfax, California (2024)
| Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Stephanie Hellman |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2024 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Town Councilmembers Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman did not go to a vote in Fairfax, California. Notices of intent were rejected for a second time on May 3, 2024.[1][2][3]
Recall supporters
An organization called the Committee to Rescue Fairfax organized the recall. The committee's website read:[4][5]
| “ |
Our town is at risk but many are not aware of how serious it is. Some members on Fairfax Town Council have put their own political agenda above the interest of the people who elected them. It is time for all of us to speak out.
|
” |
Charles Dines, the treasurer for the Committee to Rescue Fairfax, said, "Democracy is supposed to be representative. These people are not representative of us."[1]
Recall opponents
In an email statement to Marin Independent Journal, Blash said, "In my short time on this Council, I have worked hard to address these issues, enhance communications and transparency, engage constituents, and make room for a broader range of voices in local decision making" and "It is disappointing to see this petition, where some of the complaints are about decisions made before I was elected, and many are untrue or misleading at best."[1]
Hellman said, "We have seen recalls are ineffective and a waste of resources" and "Voters already made their democratic choice based on what I ran on. I’m taking it seriously though and look forward to talking to voters" in an email statement to Marin Independent Journal.[1]
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.[7]
If a recall petition were deemed sufficient, recall organizers would need to collect roughly 1,500 signatures within 90 days.[1]
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Fairfax, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2024
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Marin Independent Journal, "Fairfax councilmembers targeted by recall effort," April 25, 2024
- ↑ Marin Independent Journal, "Fairfax recall organizers report obstruction by Town Hall," May 3, 2024
- ↑ Marin Independent Journal, "Fairfax rejects recall filing for 2nd time," May 6, 2024
- ↑ Fairfax Love, "Home," accessed May 3, 2024
- ↑ Nextdoor, "Committee to Rescue Fairfax," accessed May 3, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall Procedures Guide 2023," accessed October 16, 2023
