Local News in Brief : Recall Election Date Set

The Rolling Hills Estates City Council has voted to hold the recall election of veteran Councilman Jerome Belsky in conjunction with the Nov. 8 general election.

The council asked the County Board of Supervisors to consolidate the elections and appropriated $8,000 to cover county costs of verifying recall petition signatures and conducting the election.

The five-member recall committee collected 1,499 valid signatures of registered voters out of a total of 1,547 submitted, more than enough to compel a recall election--the first in city history.

The committee has accused Belsky, a councilman for 12 years, of “progressively destroying the respect and harmony” between the council and residents by, among other things, verbally abusing people addressing the council and creating a possible conflict of interest relating to business investments. Belsky has denied the charges.