Theatrical Exaggeration Employed : Recall Petition Filed by Farrell’s Foes

With a bit of theatrical exaggeration, opponents of Los Angeles City Councilman Robert Farrell on Thursday filed thousands of recall petition signatures in their uphill fight to unseat the 13-year councilman.

Beating the deadline by five hours, recall leader Kerman Maddox, a former aide to Mayor Tom Bradley, told reporters that 17,003 people “fed up” with Farrell had signed petitions to oust the councilman. Later, election officials put the count at 16,530, although recall campaign consultant Rick Taylor stood by the higher figure.

A total of 12,579 verified signatures is necessary to force a special recall election against Farrell, who, opponents charge, has been ineffective and non-responsive in his district, plagued by crime and economic decline.

To underscore support of the recall for the news media cameras, recall leaders came up with a ruse that circus showman P. T. Barnum might have admired.

While photographers and television crews captured the moment on film, four seemingly heavy boxes containing the recall petitions were wheeled up the City Hall steps on a hand truck. But when the 2,190 individual petition sheets, amounting to four reams of paper, were actually filed in the city clerk’s Election Division moments later, municipal workers discovered that each box contained about six inches of old newspapers at the bottom.

The petitions, it turned out, could have fitted into one box rather than four.

It will be up to the city clerk’s office to separate reality from the theatrics by spending the next 30 days checking petition signatures and counting how many are those of registered voters.

The process will be lengthy because Farrell supporters, led by a coalition of Baptist ministers, sought to counter the recall effort by imploring thousands of people to sign cards revoking their signatures. Assistant City Clerk Joe Giles said Thursday that 12,423 such cards had been turned in, but that it was not yet known how many recall signatures would be canceled out by them.

Giles said about 60 temporary workers will begin comparing the names on the petitions with signatures on voter registration documents at the county registrar-recorder’s office. Once a name is validated, election workers will cross check for a revocation card; if one exists for the petition signer, the name would be canceled.

Backed by about 20 cheering supporters on the steps of City Hall, Maddox said he was unconcerned by Farrell’s effort. He said he suspects that many revocation cards were signed by non-voters or people living outside Farrell’s South-Central area district.

“I think what they are trying to show (with the revocation cards) is that they actually have support,” Maddox said. “We’re absolutely confident that this recall movement will qualify and it will be, finally, liberation for the people in the 8th Councilmanic District.”

If the required 12,579 signatures are obtained, the City Council must call a special election 60 to 90 days after the signatures are certified by the city clerk. Voters would be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on whether to recall Farrell. Those voting “yes” would then be asked to choose a successor from a list of candidates. Maddox, 33, said he will be a candidate.

After initially indicating that the councilman would discuss the filing of the recall petitions, Farrell’s office later said he would not comment until the signatures are checked. Farrell has voiced confidence that the recall will not qualify.

Farrell last faced a recall in August, 1978, in which eight challengers sought to unseat him. He easily defeated that effort with 64% of the vote.