Recall Campaign Against Sonoma County DA Jill Ravitch Gets Enough Signatures To Qualify For Special Election
SONOMA COUNTY (BCN) – A petition drive seeking the recall of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch has obtained sufficient signatures to qualify for a special election later this year.
Recall supporters, in an effort that began last October, collected more than 32,000 valid signatures of registered voters, surpassing the 30,056 needed to trigger a special election, Sonoma County Clerk-Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto announced Wednesday.
More than 43,000 signatures were collected in all.
Recall supporters have criticized Ravitch, who has been district attorney for 10 years, for her record on social justice issues, and maintain she has done too little in addressing the role of PG&E on behalf of victims of wildfires in the county.
Opponents of the recall say it is an effort by wealthy interests, largely funded by an individual, to undermine the independence of the office. The Sonoma County Democratic Party in March issued a statement opposing the petition.
Ravitch has said she would not run for re-election in 2022.
The recall petitions will come before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on May 25 and the Registrar of Voters will recommend an election date on Sept. 14.
Based on current county registration numbers, the Registrar of Voters office estimates the cost of a countywide special election $2 to $3 per voter, or about $606,000 to $910,000.
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