Sonoma County Supervisors Vote To Spend $900,000 On Recall Election Of DA Jill Ravitch
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to hold a countywide election on Sept. 14 to determine whether District Attorney Jill Ravitch should be recalled and who should replace her if a majority votes in favor of the recall.
The estimated cost to hold the upcoming election, officials said, based on current county registration numbers is $2 to $3 per voter or approximately $606,192 to $909,228.
Among those costs were money to print and mail ballots and the hiring of polling place workers and temporary election workers.
Registrar of Voters Deva Marie Proto said that declarations of candidacy forms for eligible candidates desiring to replace Ravitch may be obtained from and filed at her office on 435 Fiscal Dr. in Santa Rosa beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday and until 5 p.m. on July 1.
The effort to recall Ravitch formally began on Oct. 22, 2020, when recall proponents filed a notice of intention with the registrar's office. They gathered more than the needed 30,056 valid signatures by April 19.
Due to the time constraints in the election law, officials said, it was not possible to reduce costs by consolidating the Ravitch recall with the anticipated Gov. Gavin Newsom recall election expected to take place this fall.
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.
