Preparation for Allen Recall Vote Hits Snag

SACRAMENTO —  A Superior Court judge Tuesday temporarily blocked the Orange County registrar of voters from issuing sample ballots for the Nov. 28 recall election that will decide the fate of Republican Assemblywoman Doris Allen.

Judge James T. Ford prohibited the ballot distribution until 1:30 p.m. Thursday so he can hear allegations from the Orange County Democratic Party that Republicans orchestrated Democrat Laurie Campbell’s candidacy. She is one of six people running to succeed Allen if the Cypress assemblywoman is recalled.

The Democrats contend that the GOP hopes Campbell will dilute support for Linda Moulton-Patterson, the Democratic former mayor of Huntington Beach, who is also on the ballot with four Republicans. The Republicans say they have not been involved in Campbell’s campaign, but think Democrats should have a choice.

Campbell, who has described herself as a conservative, was in Oregon at the funeral of her mother-in-law Tuesday. She asked Ford by telephone during a 15-minute hearing in the judge’s chambers to delay any decision until she can find an attorney to represent her.

Ford gave her until noon Thursday, when a hearing will be held to determine if Campbell violated the elections code by incorrectly gathering signatures on her nomination papers. Campbell said she is not scheduled to return to the state until Saturday.

“It’s not a very complicated issue, frankly,” the judge told Campbell over a speaker phone. “. . . But you have to have a lawyer.”

Campbell said she could not give Ford any assurances she would be able to obtain an attorney by Thursday, but promised to make every effort to fight the Democratic Party attempt to remove her name from the ballot.

“I’m in the middle of a family crisis,” Campbell said, adding that she did not even know about the matter until she called her home telephone answering machine Tuesday morning and learned of the lawsuit.

Attorneys for the Democratic Party and Secretary of State Bill Jones told the judge that any decision on Campbell’s ballot status must be made in the next few days, or it will delay the distribution of 205,000 sample ballots and more than 20,000 absentee ballots due for release by the end of the month.