THOUSAND OAKS : Decision Delayed on Recall Petition Case

A Ventura County judge on Monday postponed a decision whether to award nearly $10,000 in attorney’s fees to a citizens group that won a legal battle to examine petitions urging the recall of two Thousand Oaks councilmen.

Joan Gorner, a leader of the 1000 Oaks Recall Committee, said the group expects a ruling from Superior Court Judge Richard D. Aldrich later this week.

“The money is important to us,” Gorner said. “This is out-of-pocket money.”

Committee leaders contended that some signatures on the petitions they submitted in February to recall Councilmen Alex Fiore and Frank Schillo were improperly invalidated. Schillo was reelected in November.

The committee fell short by 162 signatures of the 8,375 signatures required to qualify Fiore’s removal for a vote. A petition to remove Schillo fell short by 150 signatures.

At a court hearing in August, Aldrich chastised the city for trying to block the group’s examination of the signatures and granted recall leaders 20 more hours to complete their inspection.

Darryl R. Wold, a private attorney representing the city, argued that the group is not entitled to attorney’s fees because the petitions are not considered public records.

The city has already agreed to allow the group to inspect the signatures, but the committee has not yet done so, he added.