Hawaiian Gardens : Recall Effort Falls Short

An effort to recall Councilwoman H. M. (Lennie) Wagner has ended because her opponents failed to obtain enough petition signatures to force a special election.

The effort was led by Art Perez, a member of the city Public Safety Commission and an ally of Councilwoman Kathleen Navejas and her husband, Carlos, both former mayors.

Perez and his forces needed to collect 895 signatures over a 60-day period. They collected 940, but 257 were declared invalid by the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office, said City Clerk Carol Dorfmeyer.

Wagner, who is serving her first term, ended up the only target in a recall war that broke out in the city last February and at one point involved every member of the council. The other members managed to pacify their political opponents and recall efforts against them evaporated, but Wagner’s opponents persisted.

“Naturally, I feel relieved,” Wagner said this week, “because when you try to do a really good job, it hurts you to think there are people who don’t realize how hard you work.”