Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Zein Obagi recall, Redondo Beach, California (2022)
| Redondo Beach city council recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Recall election date |
| October 19, 2022 |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An election to recall District 4 City Councilman Zein Obagi Jr. was scheduled for October 19, 2022, in Redondo Beach, California. Voters rejected the recall by a margin of 72% to 28%.[1]
The filing deadline to run in the election passed on August 5, 2022.[2][3][4]
Recall vote
Recall question
Zein Obagi recall, 2022
Zein Obagi won the Redondo Beach City Council District 4 recall election on October 19, 2022.
Recall Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
28.3
|
875 | |||
| ✔ | No |
71.7
|
2,222 | ||
Total Votes |
3,097 | ||||
|
|
Replacement question
Voters were asked to select a candidate to replace Obagi if the recall was successful.
General election
Special general election for Redondo Beach City Council District 4
No candidate won the special general election for Redondo Beach City Council District 4 on October 19, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
 | Tonya McKenzie (Nonpartisan) | 100.0 | 952 | |
| Total votes: 952 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Recall supporters
Long Beach resident Elliot Lewis delivered the notice of intent to recall Obagi on February 18. Peter Aziz later filed a sample recall petition on March 3.[5][3] The text of the petition appears below:[6]
| “ |
Redondo Beach District 4 City Councilmember Zein Obagi, Jr., is unfit to serve on the City Council and does not actually represent the interests of District 4. Obagi was found civilly liable for failing to follow the California Rules of Professional Conduct and for abandoning his former client, such that in July 2021, the State Bar of California brought disciplinary charges against Obagi for breach of legal duties and misappropriation. Not only has Obagi abandoned his former client, he has also abandoned District 4, making District 4 a dumping ground for the controversial items that the South Redondo Beach City Councilmembers want to keep out of South Redondo Beach. In July 2021, Obagi voted to keep Pallet Homes in District 4 near the South Bay Galleria, even though the site is not zoned by the City for emergency shelters. Then in October 2021, Obagi voted to locate all State required affordable housing in North Redondo Beach, including District 4. In the interest of having a Councilmember fit for office that actually represents District 4, this notice of intention to recall Zein Obagi, Jr., as City Councilmember of Redondo Beach District 4 is submitted.[7] |
” |
Recall opponents
Obagi filed the following response to the recall effort.[8]
| “ |
Cannabis dealers, unhappy with Redondo Beach, have funded a recall effort to punish the resident-focused city council. They chose me as their target. They are trying to confuse voters by misrepresenting the facts regarding a legal case I handled as an attorney. No State Bar judgments have been made against me. In fact, a Bar Judge has already found that the Bar's most serious charge was unfounded. I stand by my work on the council over the short ten months I have served. Residents and other councilmembers have called me 'the most effective council member District 4 has seen in decades.' I ask you to vote NO on the recall. Imagine how I could add to this list of accomplishments:
With your continued support, I hope to continue working hard for a better Redondo Beach.[7] |
” |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Organizers had 90 days to collect 2,402 signatures, which represented 25% of registered voters in District 4.[3] They submitted 2,778 signatures to the city clerk's office on June 22, 2022.[9]
Los Angeles County later verified 2,452 of the signatures, confirming that organizers had collected enough for the recall election to be scheduled.[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Redondo Beach, "CITY OF REDONDO BEACH SPECIAL ELECTION 10/19/2022," accessed October 28, 2022
- ↑ Redondo Beach, "SPECIAL ELECTION & General Municipal Election," accessed July 27, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Easy Reader & Peninsula, "Recall effort filed against Redondo Beach Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr.," February 25, 2022
- ↑ Easy Reader & Peninsula, "Redondo to vote on both recall, cannabis initiative Oct. 19," July 20, 2022
- ↑ Easy Reader & Peninsula, "Redondo councilman Obagi, Jr. sample recall petition in," March 10, 2022
- ↑ Easy Reader & Peninsula, "Notice of Intention to Circulate a Recall Petition," February 24, 2022 (page 22)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Zein Obagi, Jr. for Redondo Beach City Council, District 4," February 24, 2022
- ↑ Easy Reader & Peninsula, "Obagi recall group reaches signature count in Redondo," June 23, 2022
- ↑ Daily Breeze, "Redondo Beach councilman to face recall election, but when remains up in the air," July 14, 2022
