Democrat Seeks to Delay Recall Vote on Allen

SACRAMENTO —  A Democrat lawmaker is pushing legislation to delay a recall attempt against new Assembly Speaker Doris Allen, the Orange County legislator Republicans accuse of being a puppet of former Speaker Willie Brown.

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Los Angeles) is attempting to amend a bill so that any recall involving a lawmaker in Orange County would be consolidated with the March, 1996, primary election.

Leaders of the Allen recall in Orange County have talked of qualifying for a recall as early as the last week in September, meaning that Katz’s effort--if successful--would give the Cypress Republican an additional half a year as the Assembly’s leader.

Katz said he was attempting to save money for bankrupt Orange County, noting that a recall election would cost the county registrar of voters $600,000.

“The point is cost savings,” Katz said. “It’s a legitimate issue.”

Republicans, however, aren’t buying it.

“It just shows that Doris is being propped up by Democrats,” said Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove). “They’re petrified at the thought of a recall and they’ll do anything to avoid it.”

Recall leaders were appalled, saying that Katz was attempting to meddle in Orange County politics.

“It’s outrageous that Assemblyman Katz is trying to tell the people of Orange County who they can or cannot have represent them,” said Jim Righeimer, a leader of the Allen recall. “That’s why we have term limits, so people like Assemblyman Katz are taken out of office before they interfere with the will of the people.”

Katz tried to insert his recall amendment into a bill authored by Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) during a session Wednesday dealing with Orange County’s bankruptcy. Conroy’s bill is intended to save money for the Santa Margarita Water District by shifting its election for a new board of directors to the March primary.

Conroy pulled his bill from being heard after he learned of Katz’s amendment. Katz then turned to a bankruptcy bill by state Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) that would save the county $10 million in transportation funding. But he dropped an attempt to amend that bill after Lewis objected.

Katz said he plans to return to Conroy’s bill, which is slated to be heard Monday, as the vehicle for his recall amendment. If unsuccessful, Katz could turn to another bill or attempt to have it inserted in the state budget.

Conroy said he did not believe that the Katz amendment could pass muster. He suggested that Katz was more intent on jabbing Republicans than truly attempting to delay an Allen recall.

“Why would he realistically think that Republicans would accept an amendment like this that strips the electorate of its right of recall?” asked Conroy, who has not taken a position on the Allen recall effort. “I think his real motive here is to stir up Republicans on the floor.”

Meanwhile, recall efforts against Allen are continuing. Earlier this week, proponents sent 77,000 mailers to Republican households in Allen’s district featuring a picture of Brown and the words: “Official Stop Willie Brown/Recall Doris Allen Petition.”