Recall Petitions Spark City Hall Tiff in Lynwood

A citizens group delivering recall petitions against Lynwood City Councilman Paul Richards on Thursday clashed with city officials when they were denied a receipt and one threatened to spend the weekend at City Hall to protect the thousands of signatures collected.

Recall proponents, carrying armfuls of documents containing what they say are more than 4,000 signatures, were denied a receipt for the papers because the city clerk was out of town. City Atty. James Casso assured them that the petitions would be held under lock and key until the clerk, Andrea Hooper, returned Monday.

But the three Lynwood residents -- along with two council members representing the recall group -- cried foul, saying several recall attempts against Richards in the past have been deemed invalid by Hooper.

“Ms. Hooper is an honorable person doing an honorable job for this city,” said Casso, adding later: “I’m going to do everything I can to ensure the integrity of those documents.”

In an effort to ease the citizens group’s concerns, he provided a receipt verifying the number of pages submitted: 1,529. He said the petitions would be placed in a safe.

“With all due respect, you don’t know Andrea Hooper,” said Councilman Arturo Reyes, a recall backer. “By Monday, we’re going to see a lot of blank pages.”

An accurate count will determine whether the recall proceeds. Proponents needed to gather signatures from 20%, or about 3,600, of the city’s 17,000 registered voters to qualify the recall for a special election.

If the petitions are found to have more than the required signatures, they will go to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office for verification with registration records.

Recall backers accuse Richards of corruption for steering contracts to family members and having ties to officials in neighboring Compton, where some of his deals as a housing developer and attorney are under investigation by the FBI.

Richards, who has served on the council for 17 years, calls the recall a sham, and the recall proponents liars and bigots. The entire process, he said, has been rigged and he said he was never properly notified of the recall.

Richards said he asked Hooper for a ruling on the validity of the recall. As for his record, he said it’s “unprecedented.”

“This city has been rebuilt during my term in office. You see new hospitals, schools, parks, streets, shopping centers,” he said. “The city has benefited bountifully from my active participation.”

Recall proponents Maria Santillan, Miguel Figueroa and Eddie Hernandez said residents spent three months gathering signatures. Hooper was at a conference in San Francisco, but the group said her assistants were authorized to count and file the signatures.

Hooper, the city’s elections official, is the only one who can do that, Casso said. But that explanation caused tempers to flare in the cramped clerk’s office where they had gathered.

“You have to count the signatures,” Reyes told Casso.

“You don’t have to count them today,” fired back Councilman Louis Byrd. “Mr. Reyes doesn’t know the law.”

The recall effort is the first battle in what is shaping up to be a politically turbulent year in the working-class city in southeast Los Angeles County. In the November general election, the council seats of Reyes and Byrd will come open.

Richards has long been a controversial figure. Several of his relatives, including his sister and nephew, have been on the city payroll. In 2001, he tried to steer a $1-million consulting contract to his sister. Critics accuse him of living in Cerritos, not Lynwood.

“I think we’ve had enough corruption in our community,” said Councilman Ramon Rodriguez, who supports the recall. “[Richards] has done so many things for himself it’s unreal.... Basically, he’s not working for the community; he’s working for himself.”

Richards denies the accusations, saying he has not been charged with any wrongdoing. His backers say he works only for the community.

“Everything in this city has his stamp on it,” said Byrd. “He’s a smart man and knows how to get things done.”