Newport/Costa Mesa/Irvine : IRVINE : Signatures for 1 Recall Bid May Fall Short

Recall organizer Gary Kingsbury turned in about 31,000 signatures by the close of a deadline Tuesday in support of ousting three council members, but he says the numbers may fall short for one of the three targeted officials.

Kingsbury, a former Democratic congressional candidate, is leading a recall drive against Mayor Michael Ward and council members Barry J. Hammond and Paula Werner. The three council members are under fire for their approval of a plan in July, 1994, to borrow $62 million to make an additional investment in the county investment pool, which collapsed in December.

A total of 8,445 signatures is required for each council member to put a recall on the March, 1996, ballot. Kingsbury said his group has collected 11,031 signatures to recall Ward, 10,945 for Hammond and 8,951 for Werner.

Newport Beach public affairs consultant David Ellis said Kingsbury should expect a minimum 17% disqualification rate, which could leave only Ward and Hammond facing a recall election.

“Werner is going to be close,” Kingsbury said. “It’s below what we wanted.”

Ward said he is ready for a fight. “His petition gatherers are telling people that Irvine is going bankrupt, which is a complete lie,” he said. “I look forward to campaigning against him.”

City Clerk Judy Vonada has 30 days to check the signatures against Irvine voter registration records.