It’s taken a while, but I finally got the blank petition forms from Carl Chan, and can now distribute them to everyone who signed up to gather signatures for the Recall of Pamela Price.
I had wondered why Carl couldn’t just leave the forms for me to pick up in his office at the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. Why did he have to personally hand them to me? It had been difficult finding a time when we were both available. But after our meeting today, I understand. This is an incredibly legalistic process. Every step of the way is mandated. Everything has to be just so. Recalling an elected official is not something to be taken lightly, and our legislators have properly made the process rigorous. Carl gave me a tutorial on the finer points, which I will share with the twenty or so individuals who volunteered their efforts. If you’re one of them, I’ll be in touch today. Hopefully, you’ll be able to meet me near my home, since I don’t drive. Whole Foods, on Bay Place, is central, and perfect.
As you’ve probably heard, the paid signature gatherers have been active for a couple days. Carl is super-excited by their progress. We have until early March to collect as many as 100,000 signatures from throughout Alameda County. Only 74,000 are formally required, but the Registrar of Voters undoubtedly will invalidate some of them. On the other hand, we have until early March to get the job done.
My feeling, based on anecdotal evidence, is that sentiment against Price is high in the county. True, she has her progressive supporters. The question will come down to voter turnout. If we can get the 74,000 valid signatures, the recall will appear on a future ballot—either a special one, which would be very expensive for the county, or as one issue on a general ballot. I don’t want to get ahead of myself in predicting how or when that might happen. Let’s just focus now on getting the signatures.
It’s exciting to be part of this. Most of you don’t know Carl Chan or Brenda Grisham, his colleague in managing this recall, but we all owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. They’re truly doing the Lord’s work, at great personal sacrifice of time and energy. They see the destruction that Price has wreaked and continues to cause throughout Alameda County. The issue is clear: Do we coddle criminals because they claim to be victims of racial discrimination, or do we hold true to our belief that all humans have a responsibility to uphold the law? Price has chosen the former, foolish approach, which, as we now know, is leading our county into being a thieveocracy—a society run by criminals. The rest of us believe that obeying the law is a primary responsibility of any human being. There can be no excuse for robbery, carjacking, shoplifting, mugging or auto theft, much less murder. Price believes that criminals are forced to break the law due to “structural racism.” We say, resign or be recalled, Madame D.A.
If you see a signature gatherer, please sign. It’s very important to provide accurate information. If you have an apartment number, you must include it with your address. Spell your name correctly. The Registrar of Voters will throw out any signature that contains oddities, irregularities or ambiguities. That’s her job. It’s on us to get this done properly. But, for the first time in Oakland and our adjacent communities, this is our opportunity to make our voices heard, after years of being screwed over by wokes. There’s nothing partisan about this recall: it has nothing to do with Democrat of Republican. It’s all about public safety. If we don’t feel safe in our communities, then we don’t have communities.
Steve Heimoff