It’s Deadman Denham Walking—Recall Petition Qualifies—Likely Consolidation with June Primary

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

The Dump Denham recall campaign issued the following statement after voters successfully qualified the petition for the ballot, setting the stage for a probable June recall election:

"The voters have caught on to Jeff Denham - they're recalling him for the same reasons people take unsafe toys off the shelf and tainted meat out of supermarkets - because they're no good, and because we deserve better.

“Voters thought they were electing the kind of straight-talking independent the region is known for - but they got just the opposite.

“Denham hasn't been honest about supporting schools, about giving his vote away to special interests or even about his own paycheck.

“Denham keeps pointing fingers at other politicians, but it's voters who put this recall on the ballot, and it's voters who will have the last word. We call that democracy."

The recall effort began after Denham - breaking his pledge to voters - gave his vote on the state's budget to the Senate's Orange County Republican leadership, jeopardizing funding for schools, healthcare and other local services over the objection of Governor Schwarzenegger.

While he had pledged to make local schools a top priority, Denham voted against the budget to provide school funding, against the bond measure to repair classrooms - and even opposed legislation to hire more science teachers and update school lab equipment.

According to the Monterey County Weekly:

“Three of Denham’s 18 proposed bills for 2007 became law. One extends an already existing law, another changes testing requirements for prospective veterinarians, and the third allows Californians to bet on the Dubai Cup horse race. A recent bill that would have given families of fallen soldiers a special license plate was ignored, and expired without a hearing. Critics say the bill was silly because it didn’t need an act of the legislature and could instead been handled administratively."

When the voters of Denham’s district go to the polls, they will have a choice to recall him, and when they do, a raft of others to consider as a replacement.