Recall election date is TBD
Five takeaways from the ALCO Board of Supervisors meeting and the Price recall; Supervisor Carson contributed to Price's re-election campaign in Feb.; Youth voting in Berkeley, Oakland is near
COUNTY NEWS
PRICE RECALL
—DECISION DAY—Two weeks in May will decide when Alameda County voters will be asked to recall District Attorney Pamela Price.
—The Alameda County Board of Supervisors formally accepted on Tuesday the registrar of voters’ determination that a sufficient number of signatures were obtain to qualify for a recall election.
—But no date for a recall election was set.
—Instead, the Board of Supervisors agreed to make the determination at a May 14 special meeting, starting at 3 p.m., the last possible day for them to set a date.
—There are several scenarios that could come into play on May 14.
—If the board decides to adhere to the county charter, a special election can be called no less than 88 days and no later than 125 days.
—Under this scenario, there are six possible special election dates: July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13, Aug. 20, Aug. 27, and Sept. 10.
—The board could decide to consolidate the recall election with the Nov. 5, if they wait until May 9, which is 180 days from the General Election.
—A special election could cost between $15 million and $20 million, Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis said on Tuesday. Conversely, adding the recall question to the consolidated Nov.5 election could cost $4 million.
—Dupuis advocated on Tuesday for a Nov. 5 consolidated election, a recommendation that is likely to hold tremendous sway with the Board of Supervisors. Dupuis argued that a special election would take finite resources away from the November election.
—All indications suggest the Board of Supervisors are already leaning toward setting the recall election for Nov. 5.
—Supervisors Lena Tam and Elisa Marquez expressed hope that potential litigation would provide judicial review of the county’s handling of the recall process. Such a scenario would be time-consuming.
—“I do not think anyone is trying to hide the ball,” Supervisor David Haubert said, referencing criticisms from both sides of the recall issue. “This feels like this is going to end up in court,” he added.
—Supervisor Nate Miley also reflected on the potential legal morass the county finds itself in.
—“There’s conflicting legal opinions around what is taking place. I know this is an emotionally charged matter. I think potentially the community and public are very much divided and the actions of the Board of Supervisors are subject to judicial review.”
—Alameda County Counsel Donna Ziegler, though, pointedly added that, despite numerous public threats of litigation over the past six months, no lawsuit has been filed.
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