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Lynda Hopkins recall, Sonoma County, California (2020)
| Sonoma County Board of Supervisors recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in California California recall laws County commission recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall Lynda Hopkins from her position as the District 5 representative on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in California did not go to a vote in 2020. The effort died in February 2020 after recall supporters missed a deadline, according to The Press Democrat.[1]
The recall effort began on January 2, 2020, when Santa Rosa resident Stuart Kiehl filed a notice of intent to recall with the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters. Kiehl cited an unsanctioned homeless encampment at the Joe Rodota Trail as the reason for the recall. He said Hopkins allowed the encampment, which resided in her district, to grow. Kiehl said this was a failure on her part.[2]
Hopkins did not agree with Kiehl's portrayal of her inaction on the homeless encampment. She said she had tried to fix the problem and had voted with other board members to approve nearly $12 million for housing options for those in the encampment.[2]
Recall supporters
The recall effort was started by Stuart Kiehl, a resident of Santa Rosa who lived hear the homeless encampment at the Joe Rodota Trail. Kiehl said Hopkins had allowed the encampment to grow. “Hopkins is the boss; her jurisdiction, her watch, her failure,” Kiehl's recall petition stated.[2]
Kiehl said Hopkins had failed to ensure public safety in her jurisdiction, which he saw as her primary job as a county supervisor. “She has allowed an invasion and an occupation of our neighborhood,” Kiehl said.[3]
Kiehl said the neighborhood near the homeless encampment had seen an uptick in crime, an increase in vermin, and health hazards from human waste and needles, according to the Sonoma West Times & News. “If she didn’t know what was going on on the trail in her jurisdiction, that’s dereliction of duty. If she knew what was going and let it happen, that’s also dereliction of duty,” Kiehl said of Hopkins.[3]
Recall opponents
Hopkins disputed Kiehl's portrayal of her inaction on the homeless encampment. She said she had tried to fix the problem and had voted with other board members to approve nearly $12 million for housing options for those in the encampment. “I have been the person sticking my neck out there in terms of pushing for creative solutions,” Hopkins said. “I think sometimes when you stick out your neck, it ends up on the chopping block.”[2] She held a neighborhood meeting on January 10, 2020, to tell residents about plans to move members of the encampment off of the Joe Rodota Trail by the end of January.[3]
Hopkins also pointed out that county residents would have to pay for the recall election if enough signatures were verified. The county registrar of voters estimated a recall election would cost between $250,000 and $400,000.[2]
On Facebook, Hopkins wrote the following response to the recall effort against her:[3]
| “ | I’m struggling not to see this recall effort through a lens of sexism because I spent nearly an hour on the phone with the recall instigator, Mr. Stuart Kiehl, on Friday night. He accused me of being ‘weak.’ He explained to me that politics is about ‘fistfights’ and that I might not be ‘cut out’ for fistfights.[4] | ” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
In order to get the recall on the ballot, recall supporters would have had to collect approximately 8,200 signatures from registered voters within District 5 in 160 days.[2]
See also
- Sonoma County, California
- Recall campaigns in California
- Political recall efforts, 2020
- County commission recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Press Democrat, "Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins a near lock to win reelection to 5th District seat," February 14, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 The Press Democrat, "Recall effort targets Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, citing Santa Rosa homeless camp," January 4, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sonoma West Times & News, "West county abuzz over recall effort," January 8, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
