South El Monte : Judge OKs Recall Election

A Superior Court judge has cleared the way for a recall election against Mayor Stan Quintana.

Claims by Quintana supporters that recall petitions were illegally circulated weren’t sufficient to nullify the recall campaign, Judge John Zebrowski ruled Monday.

The action was tantamount to ordering that the matter be placed before the voters, Deputy County Counsel Martha E. Romero said. The attempt to derail the recall drive, whose petitions had been signed by 1,217 voters, succeeded only in preventing it from being placed on the Nov. 6 ballot. Now, the City Council must schedule a special election in January or February.

Quintana, whose critics say he thwarted voters’ wishes in administering the city’s community redevelopment program, could not be reached for comment. He has been a member of the council for six years.