I have called for Mayor Bailey's resignation, for the unprecedented infusion of partisan interference and division he has brought to our town, and for the smear campaigns and ongoing character assassinations by Bailey and his hit squad against me and other Coronado residents over the last few years. It's time for Bailey to stand down, step down, and move on. It is my First Amendment constitutional right to call for Bailey's resignation. Now, if Mayor Bailey does not wish to voluntarily resign, he has still another option — and that is rolling the dice with a recall effort. Maybe he'll get lucky and survive a recall — who knows? To recall an elected official is also a constitutional right - Article II of the California Constitution allows citizens to recall and remove elected officials from office. In California, a local officer such as a mayor or councilmember may be recalled 90 days into his or her current term. Assuming Bailey is elected mayor in the general election this November, which seems likely as he is running unopposed, then he will be sworn in during the 2nd City Council meeting of December, on December 15th, 2020, so he will be eligible for recall 90 days later on March 16th, 2021. You may notice a countdown clock at the top of this page, and at the top of every page at CE News & Commentary... this is a countdown to when the recall effort will officially commence against Mayor Bailey. A recall effort for a local officer in California commences with the filing of a document called the Notice of Intention. The Notice of Intention requires 20 signatures of registered voters (that is the number of signatures required for local officer for their nomination petition), and these signatures will be public. On the Notice of Intention, a "reason" for recall must be stated, however the "reason" is not reviewable... it can be any reason whatsoever. Personally, my reasons for recall are the same as the reasons why I am calling for Bailey's resignation. Feel free to send your personal reasons for Bailey's recall to CoronadoElectorate@gmail.com
After preparing the Notice of Intention and getting the 20+ signatures from Coronado registered voters, the next steps are procedural — serve the mayor and file the Notice of Intention with ROV, publish the Notice of Intention in the Eagle, then obtain & file proof of publication.
Next, citizens will collect the signatures on the actual recall petition. For a city the size of Coronado with ~11,000 registered voters, we will need 20% of registered voters to sign the recall petition — those signatures will need to be verified by the ROV. The signatures on the recall petition will not be public, which should provide comfort to those signing, as the mayor and his hit squad will not be able to see the signatures on the recall petition.
Based on the number of registered voters in Coronado, citizens will have 90 days to obtain the signatures on the recall petition, which should be ample time.
Once the signatures on the recall petition are verified by the ROV, this will trigger the recall election. If more than 50% of those voting in the recall election vote to recall Mayor Bailey, then he will be removed from office. At the same time as the recall election, there will be vote for a "replacement candidate," and whomever wins the replacement candidate election will replace Bailey as Mayor. The aforementioned being said, it would certainly save a lot of time, energy, effort, and expense... from citizens, the City, and Bailey himself, if Mayor Bailey will choose to voluntarily resign — whether to resign or roll the dice with recall is ultimately his choice, and we will respect whatever choice he makes in this regard.
Below is a list of "reasons" for Bailey's recall sent in by residents. Please note again that a "reason" for recall (stated on the Notice of Intention) is not reviewable — the recall can be for any reason whatsoever.
1. Bailey asked by citizen to recuse on street tree committee appeal based on appearance of conflict #baileysdriveway. Bailey did not recuse. City defended lawsuit at taxpayer expense based in part on Bailey’s failure to recuse as requested. 2. The City, at taxpayer expense, incurred approximately $50K for “special counsel” to review Bailey’s electronic campaign contributions in 2016, determining the credit card contributions were illegal as criminal misdemeanors in violation of Coronado Municipal Code 3. Bailey has infused Coronado local elections with partisanship, securing endorsements from Republican Party of San Diego County as well as sitting on the Central Committee that decides which Coronado candidate gets the R endorsement 4. Bailey has a group of staunch supporters called “the hit squad” who engage in intimidation, smears and character assassinations against any citizen or candidate who poses a perceived threat to Bailey’s agenda or future political aspirations. 5. Bailey routinely makes efforts to stifle and/or manipulate the speech of his constituents who expose or address topics in a manner he does not favor. 6. Bailey routinely endeavors to manipulate local media including social media, and has tried to get a writer for a local publication sanction or fired. 7. Bailey’s public statement concerning removal of church directory contained material misrepresentations – including stating “the Council of Churches supports the City’s efforts” when the Council of Churches had not yet met to learn what the City’s efforts entailed. 8. On multiple occasions, Bailey represented the interests of an out of town billionaire (McVaney) over the interests of Coronado residents 9. Gun show letter – violated City’s Code of Ethics by using fake mayoral logo incorporating the City’s crown seal, etc. 10. Resident pitched dog park concept to Bailey on school property… Bailey threw CUSD and Karl Mueller under the bus.
Daron A. Case, Esq.
Resident letters submitted to Coronado Electorate News & Commentary (CEN&C) are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CEN&C. Submit letters to CoronadoElectorate@gmail.com