Two groups will be gathering signatures
by Brian Leubitz
Jean Quan’s problems certainly aren’t limited to Occupy Oakland, but it may well be the impetus to her recall. It is really hard to defend her handling of the situation, and even some of her most dedicated supporters are inching for the exit. After going through the process, the signature forms are about to hit the streets:
The petitions to recall embattled Oakland Mayor Jean Quan have been all but cleared for takeoff and could be on the streets by next week.
Once Quan’s opponents make a few minor wording changes, they’ll have 160 days to collect the 19,800 signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot, said City Clerk LaTonda Simmons.(SF Chronicle)
Now, because there are two separate organizations gathering signatures, there could very well be a bit of friction. Gene Hazzard, who first filed the recall paperwork, gets to officially submit the signatures. The other organization that recently cropped up will have to trust him to actually turn in the completed signatures. However, at this time a settlement without recall seems like a pretty vague, amorphous, and unlikely situation.
It is never easy to collect the necessary signatures, but Quan has all the textbook markers of vulnerability to a recall. Look for those petitions popping up all over Oakland soon.
THIS is the problem with ‘ranked choice’ voting
People get elected without a mandate
Ranked choice voting is a SCAM by political apparatchiks (sorry, Brian) to game the system and elect frnge candidates
It produces results like this
Have run of elections if nobody gets 50%
And have elections during the Federal election cycle
(every even numbered year)
Not a fan of Jean Quan
Soft on Crime !!
and a big spender
But I think they should use RCV to elect her replacement.
The report on the Oakland election process from FairVote.org is still pretty persuasive.
http://www.fairvote.org/oaklan…
If anyone would think the election process is anything but a complete joke, than I guess you must think the Electoral College is a good idea as well!
Anybody recall how a recall works? Think about 2003. According to exit polls, voters preferred Davis to Arnold but Arnold became governor. How? Because the California recall procedure is a “yes or no” vote and the recalled incumbent cannot appear on the replacement ballot.
I would be willing to bet that almost any elected official in the country would lose today with such a procedure. Look at Obama. He is stronger against every single republican than he is against a generic republican. Give the country a “yes or no” recall vote and he is out, but in an election, he is much more likely to win. And in a recall, would any particular democrat be likely to win?
As to Quan, she has people across the spectrum upset with her but against a real opponent, my money is still on her. And progressives who favor recall should be careful about unintended consequences. No one I can think of would be more progressive or accommodating with the protests but Kaplan, but I would not count on her winning against the anti-progressives.
I guess it shows my age, but I also think back to 1968. Progressives were very down on Johnson and Humphrey, but do we really think Nixon proved better for the country than HHH would have been?
I am an Oakland resident. I voted for Quan. I am not pleased with her right now. Still, I credit her with making some real progress on dealing honestly with the worst budget mess Oakland has ever seen and for working with neighborhoods and through community groups rather than just big-money interests and developers, as Perata would have done.
If Quan is recalled, look for those who demanded that the occupiers be removed, who preferred to close libraries and parks rather than require the police to pay something into their pensions (as every other city employee does), and who have opposed progressives time and again to make a big play for the race. Ignacio anyone?