In San Bernardino, business and community leaders banned together and led a recall initiative, gaining enough momentum and signatures to place on the ballot a recall of several city council members as well as the city attorney. In Moreno Valley citizens are working to recall their city leaders as well.
This week both cities benefited from those efforts as citizens slowly regain control of their local government, replacing self-serving individuals, and punishing wrong doers.
I admit as I visited the polls in San Bernardino this past Tuesday, I was concerned. While I understand that the vast majority of voters submit their ballots in advance of the big day either via mail or making a trip to the registrar’s office, I like to gauge the level of voter interest by the energy at the polls. And what I saw this cycle was nothing like the last.
Last Election Day at the same polling place during the same time of day, there was a 45-minute wait. Yes, people lined up during their lunch hour, sample ballot in hand, and waited for their turn to perform their civic duty. This year, I walked in, all alone. Chatted with the poll workers. Asked them if there had been much activity that day. They couldn’t agree. I left a little concerned that voters were not pissed off enough to cast their vote.
However, when the ballots were counted, even though the turnout was poor, there was a resounding clarity to the message sent by those who voted. Longtime San Bernardino City Attorney Jim Penman, who was often credited as the catalyst for the city leadership’s dysfunction, was recalled and replaced. Robert Jenkins, who recently was arrested on felony charges, was replaced. And even though Wendy McCammack received the most votes in the mayor’s race and will be in a run-off against Carey Davis, her own ward constituents recalled and replaced her.
In Moreno Valley, the concerned citizens must have felt vindicated and encouraged in their ongoing attempt to take back their city, when the Riverside County District Attorney and US Attorney announced that former Moreno Valley Councilman Marcelo Co will be pleading guilty to what is believed to be the largest bribe accepted by a public official in an undercover operation. Co was caught accepting a cash payment of $2.36 million in a complex land deal. And he will admit to regularly trading votes, land, and confidential information in exchange for cash.
No doubt this will help fuel the recall effort as citizens continue to hold their elected city leaders accountable.
Last week I published a quote by Abraham Lincoln. He once said that elections belong to the people: “It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” It’s refreshing to see that Inland citizens are not simply turning their backs on the fire and burning their behinds. But instead they are turning up the fire on those individuals who believe their positions are for their own benefit and not for the people who elected them to serve.