College Trustee’s Foes Fall Short of Recall Election

More than 15,000 signatures short, community activists conceded Thursday that they cannot gather the support they need in time to force a recall vote in June against a controversial community college trustee.

Instead, the Committee to Recall Steven J. Frogue will launch a new petition drive aimed for the November ballot.

“None of us see it as starting over from scratch,” said Deborah Evans of Mission Viejo. “We know a lot more. We know where the supporters are and how to get to them.”

Recall petitioners said voters were happy to sign up to recall the South Orange County Community College District trustee who last year proposed teaching a three-day seminar on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy featuring two speakers whose views are considered anti-Semitic.

The campaign’s mistake, they said, was relying on volunteers, who have limited experience and time. Recall petitioners had until March 24 to gather 38,000 signatures; so far, they have fewer than 23,000.

“We were novices when we started this and we were disorganized at the time,” said Bob Cosgrove, a faculty member at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

Next time, Frogue’s opponents plan to hire petition pros. They have been talking with Progressive Campaigns Inc., based in Santa Monica, and although no agreement has been finalized, plans call for hiring a field supervisor, office manager and full-time signature gatherers.

The use of professionals has become commonplace om petition campaigns.

“It’s not within most people’s psychological makeup” to approach strangers for signatures,” said Angelo Paprella, president of Progressive Campaigns. “It takes some skill, some experience, even for people committed to an issue.”

The Rev. Buckner Coe, recall committee chairman, said the next drive will have until June to collect the necessary signatures in time for November. He said recall proponents have collected $60,000 and spent nearly $35,000 in the effort to unseat Frogue. The next campaign is expected to cost $80,000.

Frogue and John S. Williams, the president of the Board of Trustees of the college district, declined to comment until they hold their own press conference at Saddleback College today, said Pam Zanelli, a public affairs consultant for the district.

At recent trustee meetings, Frogue, a longtime history teacher at Foothill High School in North Tustin, received vocal support from people suspected of belonging to white supremacist groups.

During a meeting in February, Frogue denied sharing the views of those who support him, saying, “I have the utmost respect for the Jewish faith and Jewish people.”