A recall petition against embattled City Councilman Kevin de León was approved by the Los Angeles City Clerk Tuesday, allowing organizers to begin collecting signatures.
Organizers must collect 20,437 signatures from registered voters of the 14th District by March 31, according to the city clerk's office.
An intent to recall de León was filed in October by five residents of the 14th District, including Pauline Adkins, who led two prior unsuccessful recall attempts of de León.
De León, along with Councilman Gil Cedillo, has defied fierce and widespread calls to resign for taking part in a recorded 2021 conversation that involved racist comments and attempts to manipulate the redistricting process.
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Under the statement of reasons in the notice of intent, the organizers cited de León's refusal to resign over the scandal.
De León released a statement in response to the proposed recall petition.
In his statement he said that the recall petition has been organized by a group of "political extremists" that have attempted to recall the councilman before.
The rest of his statement read, in part:
"These individuals have weaponized the recall process against the voters of Council District 14 (CD14) by trying to overturn election results. A recall election will cost taxpayers millions at a time when the city should be spending its resources to support families and small businesses in need.
Recently, an illegal recording was leaked, the Councilmember admitted he failed to stop that conversation and committed to healing the hurt caused. His legislative record as a State Senator and Councilmember proves that he has always respected and fought for people of all backgrounds.
This recall is a costly burden to taxpayers and undermines our regular democratic process. In two years, voters can decide if Councilmember de León should remain their representative."
"Even though the City Council has called for his resignation, and have stripped him of his committee assignments, Kevin de León has refused to resign,'' the statement reads. "He currently cannot represent the stakeholders of Council District 14.''
Pete Brown, de León's communications director, said in a statement in October that the recall effort distorts de León's record and "will not distract the council member or his office from continuing to serve the people of Council District 14. He will keep moving forward important projects and issues that threaten the communities and the lives of his constituents.''
Cedillo cannot be recalled because there is not enough time before his term expires next week. He lost his reelection bid in the June primary.
De León's term runs until December 2024. He has not attended a council meeting since Oct. 11.
Adkins, in an interview with CNS in October, claimed the amount of support she is receiving for her third recall bid is "night and day'' compared to her previous two attempts given the uproar over the racism scandal. Adkins said she is "one thousand percent confident'' that she will be able to gather the signatures.
"That's the vibe we're getting is that there's going to be a lot of constituents,'' Adkins said. "They're very, very upset. I'm just overwhelmed by the participation of CD 14 in this early stages of the recall.''
Joshua Spivak, a recall expert and senior research fellow at UC Berkeley Law School's California Constitution Center, told CNS previously that "the number one, and really the only thing, is getting those signatures.''
"That's the key. If you get enough signatures, if you get to the ballot, there's a very good chance of success,'' Spivak said.
