Katie Valenzuela recall, Sacramento, California (2022)
| Katie Valenzuela recall |
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| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2022 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela did not qualify for the ballot in Sacramento, California, after organizers did not collect enough signatures by the deadline.[1][2]
Recall supporters
A group of residents calling itself Safe Neighborhoods and Parks (SNAP) of Sacramento initiated the recall effort.[1]
The petition gave the following grounds for the recall campaign.[3]
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Katie Valenzuela has failed to carry out her responsibilities on the City Council, which includes providing Sacramento with safe and clean neighborhoods. She has ignored constituents' requests for much needed action to address the growing problems of crime and lawlessness. She has pursued policies that actually worsen our homelessness problem, while doing nothing to keep neighborhoods safe. During Katie Valenzuela's first year in office, homeless encampments have been located in residential neighborhoods against our wishes and local crime has increased 61%. We understand that recalling an elected official should only be done as a last resort-when they refuse to listen to the needs of their constituents, and when residents face an urgent threat. That time is now. We face a crisis requiring urgent action by voters. The problems of crime and homelessness are growing rapidly, and our next chance to change our city council member is nearly three years away. Local residents face an imminent threat to our personal safety, as well as the destruction of our private property, loss of our family finances, and the lowering of property values. Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela has given us no choice but to declare our intent to recall her from office.[4] |
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Recall opponents
Valenzuela filed the following response to the recall:[5]
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This abusive recall skirts the democratic process. It wastes time and resources, and doesn't address the issues that supposedly motivated this action. HERE'S THE TRUTH: Katie Valenzuela inherited a perfect storm of gun violence, economic uncertainty, and homelessness that was decades in the making. Inhumane, politically-motivated attempts to sweep the crisis under the rug-through displacement and excessive criminalization-haven't worked and hurt our community. Genuine solutions take time. In roughly two years, Katie has worked with courage and dedication to address the root causes of systemic issues. KATIE HAS: 1) collaborated on long-term solutions to get people off of the street, 2) helped workers and businesses get back on their feet after COVID, 3) advocated for sensible gun reform and public safety investments, 4) successfully advanced climate change policies, and 5) facilitated several affordable housing projects. This recall is a cynical, cowardly assault on a newly-elected Councilmember. Katie won't let this distract her from her work to make Sacramento safe and livable for all. THIS RECALL IS OPPOSED BY: Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the Democratic Party of Sacramento County, the Latino Economic Council, the California Nurses Association, Sacramento Area Firefighters Local 522, the Sacramento City Teachers Association and many community leaders. FOR THE SAKE OF COMMON SENSE AND DEMOCRACY, OPPOSE THE RECALL. StopTheRecallSacramento.com[4] |
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Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recalls of local officials in California start with notices of intent to targeted officials. Each notice requires signatures from city residents, the name of the targeted official, and reasoning for the recall that cannot exceed 200 words. A copy of the notice is delivered to the city clerk, who publishes the notice in at least three public places. Targeted officials have seven days following receipt of their notices to issue statements of defense. A recall petition can be circulated against each targeted official once the notice of intent is published.
Resident John Morales initiated the recall process on March 18, 2022, by serving Valenzuela with a notice of intention to circulate a recall petition.[1]
The boundaries of Valenzuela's district changed in 2022 due to redistricting. The city of Sacramento investigated whether recall petitions could be signed by members of her new district or old district, and how many signatures would be needed to force a special recall election to be held.[6] The city attorney determined in April 2022 that only members of the district that elected Valenzuela could sign the recall petitions, and that 7,800 signatures would be required for an election to be scheduled.[2]
The recall did not qualify for the ballot. Organizers said that they had collected about 6,300 signatures.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Sacramento Bee, "Sacramento councilwoman Katie Valenzuela served with recall notice. What’s behind campaign?" March 19, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Sacramento Bee, "Campaign to recall Sacramento Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela fails to hit deadline," September 8, 2022
- ↑ City of Sacramento, "NOTICE OF INTENTION TO CIRCULATE A RECALL PETITION," accessed April 15, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ City of Sacramento, "RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF INTENTION TO CIRCULATE A RECALL PETITION," April 8, 2022
- ↑ The Sacramento Bee, "Katie Valenzuela recall notice rejected by Sacramento. Her critics can try again," March 31, 2022
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