Bid to Force Recall of Soto Fails

Too few valid signatures were gathered to force a recall election of Pomona Councilwoman Nell Soto, according to the Los Angeles County registrar, but recall leaders say county officials made mistakes in their count.

Registrar-Recorder Beatriz Valdez last week deemed the recall petition 143 signatures short of the 1,440 required to schedule a recall vote. The number required for a recall represents 25% of the registered voters in Soto’s council district.

However, leaders of the Recall Soto Committee say any celebration on Soto’s part may be premature. “It’s not over ‘till it’s over and I think it’s likely we’re going to ask for a re-examination of the signatures,” said Robert Jackson, 36, a recall proponent who lost to Soto in a 1991 council race.

Jackson said he has “already found a lot of mistakes” in the rejection of some petition signatures and plans to ask officials to re-examine them. But he added: “Whether that adds up to enough (to qualify the recall) remains to be seen.”

Soto said she has full confidence that the county was correct in declaring the recall petition insufficient. “If it had been the other way around, I would have taken (it) as it came, but some people around here don’t take no for an answer,” she said.

“Mr. Jackson can’t beat me in a regular election; if he comes back for another try I will prevail,” she said.

Of the 1,648 signatures submitted by the committee, the registrar found 1,297 to be valid. Valdez reported that 173 people requested that their signatures be withdrawn, and that others were disqualified for various reasons.

Jackson said the recall committee wants to see the 173 requested withdrawals of signatures. Many were on cards Soto distributed, Jackson said, and if necessary his group will go to court to review their validity.

Pomona City Clerk Elizabeth Villeral announced the failure of the recall petition to the applause of Soto’s supporters at last week’s council meeting.

The recall committee alleges that Soto caters to special interests. “She’s taking a lot of campaign contributions from numerous special interests and then turns around and uses her vote for them,” Jackson said.

Soto has denied the group’s charges. She contends that there is no conflict of interest in receiving campaign contributions from those involved in issues because she promises nothing in return.