Oceanside Council Sets Unusual Date for Bishop Recall Election

Beleaguered Oceanside Vice Mayor Melba Bishop won a potentially important tactical victory Wednesday night when the City Council, voting 3 to 2, picked an odd date to hold her citywide recall election.

The council majority, including Bishop, rejected a city staff proposal to have the recall on the traditional election date, Nov. 5, and instead ordered the election held on Tuesday, Oct. 29.

That earlier date ensures that the recall won’t be coupled with any other ballot measures that could bring a heavy voter turnout. Typically, the turnout is sparse for single-issue elections, a factor that could help Bishop if she can rally her backers to vote while others stay away from the polls.

A wary Councilman Sam Williamson, a foe of Bishop, commented that, “by moving it up, maybe some people will forget. Maybe some people hope that’s what will happen.”

Voting with Bishop to approve the Oct. 29 election were her slow-growth allies, Councilwoman Nancy York and Councilman Don Rodee, who were elected with Bishop’s help in November.

Recall supporters claim that two-term council veteran Bishop, in tandem with York and Rodee, has abused her power by summarily firing half the city Planning Commission, pushing budget cuts in police and fire departments, curtailing Mayor Larry Bagley’s authority and causing friction on the divided council.

Bishop and her backers retort that the recall was motivated by an attempt to break the slow-growth majority and return the balance of power to downtown interests and developers.

Although the recall election has been scheduled, there’s still litigation pending in Vista Superior Court over whether signatures on recall petitions were legally gathered.

There were signs at Wednesday’s meeting that the public is tiring of the endless hostility among council members.

Robert Henderson, a 35-year city resident, said, “Why don’t you get on with the election? Stop all the suits and countersuits, the slanders and the allegations.”

Nel Woodard, a 45-year city resident, disagreed with with Acting City Atty. Daniel Hentschke’s opinion that Bishop was entitled to debate and vote on the recall scheduling.

“I’m not an attorney, but it would seem to me anybody involved in a recall would have some emotional involvement” and couldn’t be impartial, said Woodard.

Assistant City Clerk Charles Hughes told the council that the election will cost about $97,000 and advised that it be held on the “generally more normal day in November.”

He said no other ballot measures are now scheduled for the Nov. 5 election date, although jurisdictions throughout the county have until mid August to declare whether they seek to schedule any measures for that date.

However, York began attacking the election’s cost, saying there’s no money available for an election in the city’s $57-million general fund. To find funds for the election, “we’re going to have to cut services to the people,” she said.

Bagley invited Bishop to participate in the discussion.

She said, “No one in the room wants this over with faster than I do . . . having the election over with is the only way the city can get on with its business.”

“I believe the people of Oceanside will give me fairness,” she added.

Bagley commented drolly: “Melba, I didn’t think participating meant campaigning.”