Charges Traded in Arrest Over Recall Petition in Huntington Park

The arrest last week of a woman collecting signatures for a recall petition against two city councilmen has brought fresh charges from both opponents and supporters of the recall campaign.

Councilman Jack W. Parks, the object of the recall with Councilman Thomas E. Jackson, said the arrest shows that the recall petition drive is being conducted dishonestly. But proponents say the arrest was part of harassment being directed against them by city officials.

Alfreda Brown, 46, was arrested Sept. 25 on suspicion of misrepresentation in violation of the state Elections Code. The arrest came after she allegedly told Police Chief Geano Contessotto that the recall petition was a petition against toxic waste.

In an interview this week, Brown said that she never intended to misrepresent the petition.

Works for Former Candidate

“That day I was a little bit confused. I said it was on toxic waste by accident,” she said. “Most of the people who sign this thing read it anyway.”

Brown said she has lived in Huntington Park about a month and that she works part time in the real estate office of Alan Kartsman, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council last spring.

In an interview Monday, Brown said that she told Contessotto after she was arrested that Kartsman was paying her $2 for each signature she collected. But she said in the interview that she was not getting paid and only told that to Contessotto because he told her she could leave if she implicated Kartsman.

“I just wanted to get out of there. (Contessotto) said I was in trouble up to my neck. He said I would not be able to get out of this unless I put it on (Kartsman),” Brown said.

Contessotto said in an interview that Brown volunteered information about Kartsman, saying that she had been instructed by Kartsman to tell “white people” that the recall petition was about toxic waste because they would not sign it otherwise. The chief denied that he offered Brown any kind of deal to implicate Kartsman, and he said a tape recording of the meeting would back him up.

“I have no doubt whatsoever that people in the community have been and are being misrepresented as to the facts of the petition,” Contessotto said. He said he has forwarded the petition and signatures collected by Brown to the district attorney’s office.

Kartsman denied any knowledge about workers being instructed to misrepresent the recall petitions, and he said he did not promise to pay Brown to gather signatures. He said he is only a volunteer in the campaign.

“I’m a worker on it like anyone else,” Kartsman said.

Certified for Circulation

The petition, filed by Joe M. Ortiz and Guadalupe Levy, was certified for circulation in August. Ortiz died of a stroke on Sept. 10, said his wife, Rosa B. Ortiz. Levy could not be reached for comment.

One Huntington Park resident--who asked not to be identified, saying he feared retaliation by police--said that a police car trailed him when he collected signatures on Labor Day.

“It was parallel to me as I was walking down the street. I knocked on one door. Nobody was home. I walked off the porch and took out my notebook and took down the police car number. I think that’s what angered him,” said the resident.

The volunteer said he was questioned by the police officer, who asked him what he was doing and where he was going and then watched him as he walked to another house where a friend lived. He said the police officer waited outside for about 15 minutes and then left.

Kartsman said he has not been stopped by police as he collects signatures. But he said two fellow workers have told him they have been followed and watched closely by police. A third worker told him he was stopped and has since quit.

“The City Council or Police Department has no right to interfere or block justice,” Kartsman said.

Contessotto denied there was a concerted effort to track down petition circulators. “We don’t have the manpower for it,” he said. But, he added, the Police Department would not allow voters to be “hoodwinked.”

“They’re using false pretenses to get it signed,” said Parks, who has served on the council for 10 years. Jackson is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

Complaint Checked Out by Chief

Contessotto said Brown was arrested after the Police Department received a call Sept. 25 from residents of a home on Miles Avenue about a woman who said she was circulating a petition against toxic waste. Contessotto, who was dressed in plain clothes, said he had heard earlier complaints and decided to investigate that complaint himself.

“As long as they’re doing it legally, we have no concern,” said Parks, but “if they’re doing something illegal, I would like to have it stopped.”

City Clerk Marilyn A. Boyette said the state Elections Code section states that misrepresentation occurs when a circulator “intentionally makes any false statements concerning the contents” of a petition to a person who signs or is requested to sign. The violation is a misdemeanor that on conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.

Boyette said that she has received two letters regarding the recall drive. The first is from Donald L. Jeffers, the city’s chief administrative officer, who said he was approached about signing the recall petition. In his letter, Jeffers states that a person circulating the petition told him that he was not a resident of Huntington Park. Under provisions in the Elections Code, a petition circulator must be a registered voter in the affected jurisdiction.

Wanted Name Removed

Boyette said the second letter is from a woman who signed the petition, but is asking to have her name removed because she did not realize the petition was to recall the two councilmen.

The petition claims that Jackson and Parks are “insensitive to the wishes of the people” and that rapid redevelopment by the city has contributed to a shortage of senior citizen housing.

In their rebuttal, the councilmen say the charges are frivolous and they defend the city’s record in attracting new senior citizen developments. Moreover, they claim that Kartsman is the “real instigator of the recall.”

“If they had an issue, it would be one thing. But because Alan Kartsman lost the election, he wants another election,” Parks said. Kartsman denies he was the instigator of the petition.

Proponents have until Nov. 18 to collect about 1,800 signatures. The signatures would then be checked by the city clerk and, if certified, would force a special election.

The petition is the second filed against the councilmen this year. It was delayed twice when it was returned by Boyette, who cited errors, including misspelled words and improperly indented paragraphs.