Press Release

Recall committee delivers signatures

Mission Viejo, CA, Aug. 24, 2009 At 8 a.m. on Mon., Aug. 24, community watchdog Dale Tyler made a special delivery to Mission Viejo City Clerk Karen Hamman. Tyler carried a large cardboard box containing the MacLean recall petitions signed by 13,915 Mission Viejo voters. Tyler has served as spokesman for the committee to recall Councilman Lance MacLean from the time signature gathering began on March 18. 

Tyler delivered the signatures a day ahead of the Aug. 25 deadline, saying volunteers believe they have enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. Hamman told Tyler she would take the signatures to the Registrar of Voters in Santa Ana on Tuesday. The Registrar can take up to 60 days to evaluate the signatures. In order to qualify, 9,393 valid ones must be found, 15 percent of approximately 62,000 registered voters in Mission Viejo.

Hamman counted the signatures to verify the number she received. Tyler had pre-counted and organized the petitions to accelerate the process of checking them in. 

Another community volunteer, Connie Lee, accompanied Tyler and observed the process. She said, “An amazing number of people helped get signatures, and it took everyone to do it. If we want improved government, we’ll have to fight for it. Community members are fed up with so-called public service that turns into self-enrichment and backwards priorities.”

This was Mission Viejo’s second signature drive within one year. On Aug. 15, 2008, Tyler launched a petition to put major land-use zone changes into the hands of voters. The effort followed a housing developer’s proposal to build an assisted-living complex on the Casta del Sol Golf Course. The land-use initiative qualified for the June 2010 election.