Recall Backers Stake Out City Hall

Voter recall petitions against longtime Lynwood Councilman Paul Richards were delivered Tuesday morning to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder’s office after City Clerk Andrea Hooper acknowledged that proponents had submitted more than the required number of signatures.

The delivery ended a tense standoff between recall proponents and city officials over the handling of the petitions. Officials delayed the transfer until the approximately 4,200 signatures could be counted by Hooper, who was out of town when the petitions were submitted Thursday. Recall supporters said they feared that the delay would give Richards time to thwart their effort, and that the petitions would be tampered with.

About half a dozen recall supporters stayed overnight Monday in City Hall. In rotating shifts, they said, they watched all three entrances to the building, making sure no one entered the clerk’s office. The group alleges that Hooper is a Richards ally.

“We were safeguarding the signatures, making sure there was no foul play,” said Councilman Ramon Rodriguez, one of the supporters who stayed at City Hall.

Hooper, the clerk for 21 years, dismissed their concerns and said she would maintain “the highest integrity” for the process. No elected official, she said, receives special treatment.

She also denied proponents’ claims that she has invalidated past recall attempts against Richards.

“I work for the residents of the city of Lynwood,” she said. “I don’t work for any one council person.... I stand by the law. I will not do anything against the law.”

Recall supporters accuse Richards of corruption, alleging that he steered contracts to relatives and that he is tied to officials in Compton, where some of his deals are under FBI investigation. Richards, who denies the charges, says the recall is a racist plot to oust him.

Proponents said they decided to spend the night at City Hall after Hooper made copies of the recall petitions. Hooper said she needed them for her records.

Recall supporters said they feared Richards’ camp, using the list, would try to persuade people to withdraw their names.