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Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman recall, Fairfax, California (2025)
| Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
Stephanie Hellman |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| November 4, 2025 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall Town Councilmembers Lisel Blash and Stephanie Hellman is scheduled for November 4, 2025, in Fairfax, California. As of March 6, 2025, when the town received notices of intention to circulate a recall petition, Blash was serving as Fairfax's mayor, and Hellman as vice mayor.[1][2][3]
The recall petitions were approved for circulation on April 1, 2025. The deadline for the signed recall petitions to be filed was June 30, 2025.[4]
On July 11, 2025, the Marin County Registrar of Voters verified 1,552 of the 1,783 signatures on the petition to recall Blash, and 1,569 of the 1,806 signatures on the petition to recall Hellman. Organizers needed 1,479 valid signatures on each petition to trigger a recall election.[5][6]
An effort to recall Blash and Hellman in 2024 did not go to a vote. Click here to learn more.
Recall vote
Blash recall question
Lisel Blash recall, 2025
Lisel Blash is facing a recall election in the Fairfax Town Council At-large recall on November 4, 2025.
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Hellman recall question
Stephanie Hellman recall, 2025
Stephanie Hellman is facing a recall election in the Fairfax Town Council At-large recall on November 4, 2025.
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Recall supporters
The grounds for the recall given for Blash are as follows:[7]
| “ |
MISMANAGEMENT CHAOS: Blatantly ignored encampment crisis leading to fire hazards, contamination of watershed, hard drug use, and child endangerment. Pursued high-density housing in downtown Fairfax - Increasing the risk of a death trap scenario for residents during wildfires, floods or earthquakes. Voted against the no-camping ordinance -Siding with mentally ill drug addicts. Dismissed West Marin Little League's desperate pleas about threats to child safety. Backed crippling rent control laws despite overwhelming public outcry. Ignored crumbling town infrastructure - Mismanaged funds earmarked for maintenance and repairs leaving Fairfax with the worst roads in Marin County. Frivolous spending - Wasted our taxpayer dollars on unnecessary consultants: SECRECY AND DECEPTION: Restricted free speech at meetings - Silencing opposing views. Repeated deception about services to encampment - Concealed real intention to overdevelop Fairfax. Intentionally mislead the public - Plans for a 7-story high rise at School Street Plaza were dismissed as "fear mongering". Pandered to outside political influences and previous employer Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative. Disregarded election results - Defied the citizens' overwhelming vote to elect the town clerk. Deceptive political maneuvering to silence new town council members.[8] |
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The grounds for recall given for Hellman are as follows:[9]
| “ |
MISMANAGEMENT CHAOS: Pursued high-density housing in downtown Fairfax - Increasing the risk of a death trap scenario for residents during wildfires, floods and earthquakes. Ignored the towns crumbling infrastructure - Mismanaged funds earmarked for maintenance and repairs leaving Fairfax with the worst roads in Marin County. Failure of oversight of town manager and attorney led to runaway legal expenses and staffing costs. Frivolous spending - Wasted our taxpayer dollars on unnecessary consultants. Consistently voted based on personal agenda over constituent voices and town needs. Backed crippling rent control laws despite overwhelming public outcry - Prioritized the agenda of outside influences and the Berkeley Rent Board. DECEPTIVE AND HOSTILE: Obstruction of information - Ignoring voter emails, public questions and violating the public's right to know. Refuses to support an independent audit of town finances. Deceptive political maneuvering to silence new town council members. Disregarded election results - Defying the citizens' overwhelming vote to elect the town clerk. Hostility towards constituents - Behaving in a rude, disrespectful manner in public and in meetings. Abandoned elected responsibilities by walking out of town council meetings before critical consent calendar votes.[8] |
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Recall opponents
Blash gave the following response to the recall effort:[7]
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As your mayor, I am committed to enhancing civility, transparency, and engagement in Fairfax. The last election was contentious--my goal is to restore calm and put the "unity" back in community, ensuring that all councilmembers' voices are heard, and that all residents, including those unable to attend meetings in person, have an opportunity to express their views. Fairfax is facing a number of challenges, including state housing mandates, aging infrastructure, unaffordable housing, and wildfire risk. Recall proponents have seized on these issues to drive a wedge in our community. Having failed to secure a third seat in the last election, they are spreading misinformation and sowing division in a last-ditch attempt at a council majority. They're willing to tear the town apart and waste $60,000 of taxpayer money on a special election to get their way. Do we really want to be swept up in the politics of polarization and revenge engulfing our nation, or face our challenges as a community and work together across our differences? We are stronger together. Resist the Recall—Decline to Sign! Find out more: www.fairfax4civility.org[8] |
” |
Hellman gave the following response to the recall effort:[9]
| “ |
The deceptive and misleading allegations in this recall petition distort the facts and distract from the real challenges facing Fairfax—housing, infrastructure, and fire safety. This recall effort is an expensive distraction, costing taxpayers $60,000 to relitigate decisions voters have already made. Hellman was elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2022 with more votes than any other candidate. She has served Fairfax with dedication to protecting the town's character, ensuring responsible governance, and advancing policies that prioritize the well-being of all residents. This recall is not about better governance; it's about undermining community trust and the will of the voters. It mirrors the toxic and divisive tactics of MAGA politics—disinformation, personal attacks, and manufactured outrage—designed to sow division instead of promoting solutions. Fairfax deserves leadership focused on real issues, not political theater. Hellman remains committed to serving with integrity, transparency, and dedication. We urge the community to please reject this polarizing recall and DO NOT SIGN the petition. Let's get back to truth, civility, collaboration and work together on real solutions. Find the facts at Fairfax4Civility.org[8] |
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Lisel Blash survey responses
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lisel Blash completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Blash's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I ran on the following goals, and they remain top priorities for me:
• Create a multi-faceted community-driven model for keeping Fairfax affordable for working families, older adults, and essential workers while protecting our small-town footprint.
• Seek out innovative projects and funding opportunities to keep our town safe from the threat of drought, wildfire, and flooding.
• Explore new solutions for our downtown sidewalks and streets.
• Improving and enhancing our staffing capacity while maintaining a healthy budget
• Solicit diverse perspectives, foster civility, and help our community reach consensus around difficult issues.
The latter is perhaps the most important. Fairfax is a small community with limited resources. We need to depend on one another to make things work. The recall campaign has caused incredible damage to our social fabric. If we can’t find a civil way to solve policy disputes in our own communities, what hope do we have of healing our nation?- Simply put, this recall is a power grab--a backdoor attempt at a council majority that recall proponents were unable to obtain in the last election – a majority they believe they are owed. Their agenda is dangerous for Fairfax’s future, jeopardizing our budget, leadership stability and staff morale. Fairfax is in good shape with a balanced budget, healthy reserve, and clean audits. We have staffed up our police and fire departments to enhance public safety, and have made progress on initiatives to renovate our fire station, fix a number of bridges, and repave and improve Park Road in order to improve storm drain capacity.
- Recall proponents want the Town to fight the state of California on housing mandates, putting the Town at considerable financial and legal risk. Our budget could be compromised by massive legal fees running in the millions of dollars, jeopardizing our healthy budget, public safety services, and road funding. In addition, their risky strategy could open Fairfax up to unlimited development. If our Housing Element is decertified by the State of California, it could invoke "Builder's Remedy"--allowing developers almost free reign to develop what they want with no Town oversight. No community in California has been successful in avoiding state housing mandates.
- Recall proponents fought the passage of a road bond to address Fairfax’s crumbling infrastructure. Ironically, they are blaming two relatively new council members for decades of neglect--the very council members who tried to pass a road bond to address the problem. , Recall proponents provide no actionable alternative. Proponents of the recall have stated they want to replace town staff, ignoring a public-sector labor shortage that makes recruitment and retention challenging, particularly considering Fairfax’s reputation for contentious public discourse. They’ve impugned the integrity of our police and fire departments while showing a reckless disregard for state and federal laws. Their actions would create a dangerous power vacuum.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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.[10]
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Fairfax, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Fairfax, California
- Fairfax Recall 2025 website
- Fairfax 4 Civility website
Footnotes
- ↑ Town of Fairfax, "Notice of Intention to Circulate a Recall Petition," March 7, 2025
- ↑ Marin Independent Journal, "Fairfax officials targeted by another recall effort," March 7, 2025
- ↑ Marin Independent Journal, "Fairfax sets council recall election date," August 10, 2025
- ↑ Town of Fairfax, "Current Recall Efforts," accessed April 7, 2025
- ↑ Town of Fairfax, "Certificate of Signature Verification," accessed July 14, 2025
- ↑ Town of Fairfax, "Certificate of Signature Verification," accessed July 14, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Town of Fairfax, "Petition for Local Recall," accessed April 7, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Town of Fairfax, "Petition for Local Recall," accessed April 7, 2025
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Recall Procedures Guide 2023," accessed October 16, 2023
