Moving forward with the recall

Ryan Carter

Let us get on with it.

That was the general sentiment from local politicos on both sides

of the fence after a federal appeals court Tuesday reinstated the

Oct. 7 election to recall Gov. Gray Davis.

“I think it is time to get the elections over with,” said

Assemblyman Dario Frommer (D-Burbank). “Let’s take the results and

let the state get on with its business.”

Last week, a three-member panel from the appeals court delayed the

special election on the grounds that obsolete voting machines in

counties such as Los Angeles violated equal provisions of the

Constitution. But Tuesday’s ruling was a sign of moving forward,

officials said.

“The district court did not abuse its discretion in concluding

that plaintiffs will suffer no hardships that outweigh the stake of

the state of California and its citizens in having this election go

forward as planned and as required by the California Constitution,”

an 11-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

concluded.

The decision made sense, according to local grass-roots political

organizers and state officials.

“We’re pleased,” said Mike Wintemute, press secretary for the

California Republican Party. “We felt pretty comfortable and

confident that once a wider panel looked at this, they would decide

in favor of the elections moving forward.”

The decision, according to some officials, was probably made in

the best interest of the electoral process.

“We’ve just been operating on the idea that you have to keep

moving, no matter what,” said Chris Carson of the League of Women

Voters of Glendale/ Burbank.

The League has been working with the county registrar’s office to

get the word out for people to vote and helping people to register at

places such as local schools.

“If they stopped [when the court delayed the election], the whole

thing would have collapsed. It is probably just as well it stayed

Oct. 7.”

Even with the earlier decision that delayed the election, local

grass-roots political organizers said they have never stopped

mobilizing.

In the wake of the Sept. 15 decision to delay the recall, the

Foothill Republican Club, based in La Canada Flintridge, continued to

clamor for the recall.

Foothill Republicans have even planned a recall-Davis rally in La

Canada Flintridge, featuring gubernatorial hopeful state Sen. Tom

McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks).

The lull before Tuesday’s decision did not affect local Democrats,

and the reinstatement of the election has only bolstered their zeal

to get other, less active local Democrats to vote. Like Frommer, they

were ready to move on, too.

“I’m glad,” said Gary Kemper, president of the Glendale Democratic

Club. “This decision will get the recall behind us. We have other

things we need to think about. A primary is coming up, and we need to

get ourselves organized for that.”