Recalls: A Waste of Time, Money, Votes : The Time to Oust Officials Is During Regular Elections

Public distrust of government and anger at elected officials wax and wane. When the anger reaches flood tide, it can be directed at those holding national or local office. The issue may be an unpopular war, or a new city utility tax.

The way to get rid of office-holders deemed wrong-headed, or unresponsive, is at the polls. After all, elected officials hoping to retain their jobs have to face the voters eventually, at intervals of two, four or six years.

In Cypress, where an election Nov. 7 will determine whether to recall the mayor and two City Council members, the organizer of the recall movement says the issue is “accountability.” He is right. But the time for accountability is at the next regularly scheduled election.

Recalls have their place. Someone who becomes incompetent to hold office or is convicted of a crime reasonably could be removed from office early. But a recall is a weapon to be used sparingly, not in reaction to one or even a handful of votes. That kind of single-issue politics in which voters are asked to make quick decisions without time to reflect can too easily become thoughtless democracy.

Three weeks after the Cypress vote, Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) also faces a recall. That one is a partisan affair, as Republicans try to defeat one of their own. It is business the party should take care of on its own, without dragging in everyone else.

Allen became Assembly speaker this year with votes of Democrats and only one from a Republican: hers. That enraged Republicans hoping to take control of the Assembly. Her stepping down from the post just before the end of the legislative session did not appease the party, which is helping to finance the effort to recall her.

Allen and two of the targets of the Cypress recall have little more than a year left in office. The third Cypress council member has just over three years left. Because of term limits, none can run for re-election. That is a powerful argument against these recalls. Nor should residents in bankrupt Orange County have to spend thousands of dollars to remove office-holders a few months early.

The Cypress recall was sparked by the City Council’s vote more than a year ago to approve a massive carpet distribution warehouse. Council members said they listened to arguments against the project but decided the warehouse would be beneficial.

That decision has been challenged in court and even some recall backers are uncertain whether a new council can change it. Thus the motive seems in part to be revenge on the elected officials, turning them out before their terms expire. That is wrong. It is unreasonable to expect elected bodies to make decisions that please everyone.

Recent years have seen too many recall attempts in Orange County, most of them over a single issue. In Fullerton, a new utility tax was the spark; voters recalled three City Council members but then voted one of them right back into office. Some Republicans have expressed concern that with several Republicans running to replace Allen, a Democrat could win the election if she is recalled.

Voters should realize before they sign a recall petition that the process is distracting, costly and ultimately weakens the idea of representative government. Opponents of an incumbent should campaign for a different candidate for the next election. Those who worry that voters will forget the one or several issues sparking a recall movement underestimate their fellow citizens.