Recall Effort Fails Against San Fernando Councilman

A petition drive to recall San Fernando City Councilman Daniel Acuna fell short, the drive’s organizers conceded Monday.

“We’re a little over 200 signatures short” of the 1,500 needed to force a recall election, said Mary Jane Tuomy, head of the recall drive and longtime Acuna opponent. The 90-day period in which the recall backers could collect signatures expired Monday, Tuomy said.

“If we had a few more weeks we would make it,” said Tuomy, an unsuccessful City Council candidate last year.

Acuna did not return phone calls from The Times on Monday night.

Tuomy said the recall bid was spurred by a December article in The Times detailing the two-term councilman’s financial woes.

Acuna’s problems include a personal bankruptcy, at least one campaign transaction in potential violation of state law and the existence of a questionable checking account. The councilman also borrowed money from several constituents and failed to pay them back in time.

Although they were unsuccessful, the recall supporters said they collected more signatures than the number of votes Acuna received in the election in April of last year. Acuna, the highest vote-getter among City Council candidates, received fewer than 1,000 votes.

“It’s no mandate for Mr. Acuna that we didn’t make it,” Tuomy said. “Most of the volunteers said they received an enthusiastic response.”

The campaign began in January when the group filed a recall petition with the city clerk. After the petition was approved, the group had 90 days in which to collect signatures from 25% of the city’s voters in order to hold a special election.

Tuomy, who attributed the drive’s failure to poor weather and lack of organization, said recall backers are already considering starting a new petition campaign.

“We should have been better organized. . . . We only covered half the city,” Tuomy said. “We should have started the recall about 45 days later than we did. . . . People just don’t want to open their doors in cold weather.”

A recall election would cost the city about $15,000.