OID recall is unfair, should be voided

It wasn’t enough when a judge threw out a fallowing program that Oakdale Irrigation District tried to implement without properly considering its possible negative impacts.

It wasn’t enough that another judge threw out the district’s attempt to penalize homeowners who dared question its actions in court.

And it wasn’t enough when yet another judge rebuked OID for trying to freeze out two duly elected board members.

Now, those supporting the district’s out-of-control general manager are trying to have a board member recalled.

They should be ashamed. And they, too, should be rebuked in court.

Those trying to recall OID Division 4 board member Linda Santos turned in their recall petitions to Stanislaus County Registrar of Voters Lee Lundrigan on Thursday. Lundrigan had no recourse but to accept the petitions, but we hope someone challenges them in court and that a judge rules them invalid.

Why? Because this recall effort is both wrongheaded and patently unfair – and perhaps technically illegal under California Elections Code.

First, Santos is accused of no wrongdoing except in the most gauzy of terms. Her critics say she favored unnamed “friends, campaign contributors and special interests.” Favored how or with what?

Her actual “offense” has been refusing to give OID General Manager Steve Knell a blank check for his water-sale schemes. That has angered Knell and those who would benefit from his plans – some of which are admittedly beneficial, but all of which need to be vetted and approved by his bosses on the board.

This started in 2014 when Santos and Gail Altieri gave voice to mounting anger over the district’s operations – from attempting to sell Stanislaus River water to farmers near Fresno while simultaneously pumping thousands of acre feet of groundwater to approving a water transfer during a meeting of an affiliated agency. That anger culminated in the election of Altieri and Santos over two longtime board members (one of whom is active in the recall effort).

In covering their campaigns, The Bee’s Garth Stapley learned OID’s divisions had grown wildly out of balance. OID hadn’t redrawn its divisions in 16 years and now Division 1 has 4,925 active voters while Division 4 has only 1,662. That means a single voter in Division 4 carries as much weight as three voters in Division 1. That’s against state rules, but it suits those who want Santos out.

To recall a board member, opponents must gather the signatures of 25 percent of the district’s voting population. Santos’ district is the smallest at 1,683, so a recall requires only 421 signatures. If the divisions were legally drawn to be of equal size – roughly 3,500 voters – the recall petition would have required 875 signatures.

When Santos and Altieri first took their board seats, they asked the district to start right away in redrawing the divisions to make their populations more equal and give all voters an equal voice. But Knell told a meeting that redrawing the districts was not a priority. Perhaps that’s because the real priority was getting rid of Santos.

The 62-year-old rancher should challenge this petition in court, where we hope a fair-minded judge will reject the obvious subterfuge and rule the petition invalid. Even if that doesn’t happen, we believe voters will recognize the underhanded double-dealing that took place and reject it for the sneak attack that it is.

This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "OID recall is unfair, should be voided."