Deadline for Lindsay recall signatures approaching

LINDSAY — Those who are in the process of soliciting signatures to recall all or some of the City Council members here will have to collect fewer signatures than they originally anticipated.

The recall proponents have to obtain valid signatures from 25 percent of Lindsay’s registered voters to get the special election they have long wanted.

According to the Tulare County Elections Department website, there were 2,193 registered voters in Lindsay as of Oct. 18. Three months later, as of Jan. 20, there were 2,466 registered voters in the city.

That had recall proponent Yolanda Flores and others asking, “What number do we go by?”

Kari McCully, the Elections Department’s deputy election supervisor, had the answer Monday.

“[The number of registered voters] is set from the last time we reported to the Secretary of State,” McCully said.

The last time the Elections Department reported voter statistics to the Secretary of State was in February 2011, when Lindsay had 2,068 registered voters.

That means the recall proponents will have to collect 517 signatures. Had the 2,193 figure been used, the recall proponents would’ve had to gather 549 signatures.

“The percentage is based on the prior report of registration,” McCully said. “[The 2,068 number] isn’t going to change.”

The deadline for the recall proponents to collect the necessary signatures is Feb. 6. Flores said she expects to turn in all of the signatures on the day of the deadline.

Flores said Monday afternoon that roughly 560 people had signed each recall petition for mayor Ed Murray, vice mayor Esteban Velasquez, councilwoman Pam Kimball and councilman Danny Salinas. The terms for the former three all expire in November.

Flores added that she is hoping to have 200 more signatures than the required minimum collected.

Flores went on to say that only about 200 people had signed the petition to recall councilwoman Ramona Villarreall-Padilla, who was appointed to the dais in January 2011.

“Many citizens believe in giving [Villarreall-Padilla] an extra chance because she’s been on the council for such a short time,” Flores said. “We haven’t had many people who want to sign her petition.”

The recall proponents spearheaded the effort in late August because they claim that public dollars have been misused within City Hall. The council members and city staffers say a new administration has the city headed in the right direction and are trying to put the past behind them.

According to McCully, if the recall is held in conjunction with the presidential primary in June, it is estimated that the recall would cost the city between $6,055 and $7,707. However, if the recall takes place on its own and is not placed on the June ballot, the estimated cost is between $11,010 and $14,313, McCully said.

“We would love to have [the recall] in June,” Flores said. “That would be cheaper.”

Flores said “some people” are already interested in running against the council members if the recall process is successful, but she wouldn’t elaborate on who those people are.

“We really want a lot of people to run (for election). We want them to be involved in this community,” Flores said. “This community has finally woken up. Now it’s time to lead and do the right things for this town.”

If the recall proponents are able to gather and submit the required number of signatures, Lindsay City Clerk Carmen Wilson and Elections Department officials will have 30 days from the date the petitions are filed to determine if sufficient valid signatures were secured.

If the recall proponents meet the requirement, Wilson must file a Certificate of Sufficiency. Within 14 days of receiving the certificate, the council must issue an order stating that a special election will take place not less than 88 days and not more than 125 days after the issuance of the order.