They can't recall

Organizers of a recall attempt against Rep. Anthony Adams, R-Claremont, learned today that they failed to gather enough valid signatures to call an election. Adams was targeted because he supported a budget bill that included tax increases. Recall backers needed 35,825 valid signatures but collected only 24,579, according to the secretary of state.

From Capitol Weekly:

Backers of the recall effort, which reportedly raised more than $100,000, included Michael Schroeder, an Orange County attorney and former state Republican Party leader, and talk-show hosts John Kobylt and Ken Champou of the "John and Ken Show," a political chat radio program in Southern California. Other recall backers included the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

The failure to even get the signatures to put the recall on the ballot could give spine to some moderate Republicans who might want to compromise on budget issues next year, when the state Legislature will be faced with another massive budget deficit, but who in the past feared retribution from the right-wing of the party.

Noteworthy: New American Foundation fellow Joe Mathews predicted back in August that the recall attempt would fail.

I can't stay mad at you

The Republican effort to recall Republican Assemblyman Anthony Adams of Claremont for supporting a budget that included temporary tax increases appears to be losing steam. Proponents have gathered about 20,000 signatures, roughly half of what they need to assure the measure gets on the ballot, Joe Mathews reports at his Blockbuster Democracy Blog.

Mathews writes:

Fearless prediction: this recall won't make the ballot. We've already had another budget agreement since the February deal. And voters effectively have said their piece through the May special election, when five of the six measures that were part of the February deal were rejected. For conservatives still angry with Adams (who represents a rare swing district in California), a primary challenge might be a better strategy. Assembly terms, after all, are only two years long.

Howard Jarvis turns on Assemblyman Adams

The latest adjustments to the California budget look like something out of a slasher movie - blood spilling everywhere. But that hasn't slowed anti-tax advocates from pursuing their mission of punishment for the handful of Republican legislators who dared endorse tax increases in the last round of budgeting. Now, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has "formally" endorsed the recall effort of Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Claremont, for "brazenly [violating] his pledge to his constituents not to raise their taxes."

From the Jarvis Political Action Committee's press release:

HJTA-PAC President Jon Coupal said the PAC's action is based both on principle and on the practical. "Voters have every right to toss out politicians who lie in order to gain office and who demonstrate they have no intention of defending the interests of those who elected them," said Coupal. "Blocking further damaging tax increases requires we have lawmakers the taxpayers can trust, and Adams has proven he cannot be trusted."

Trying to recall

Richard Mountjoy and nine others have launched a recall campaign against Assemblyman Anthony Adams, R-Claremont, the Sacramento Bee reports. Mountjoy, who's served in the Assembly ('78-'95) and state Senate ('95-'00) and whose son, Dennis, served in the Assembly, said he'll run for the seat if Adams is knocked out of office.

The internecine battle is rooted in Adams' vote for a budget bill in February that included taxes. Former GOP chairman Mike Schroeder and Atlas PAC head Lee Lowery, both of Orange County, are said to be the real power behind the campaign. Here's how Adams responded:

"The petition you hold is the creation of two very wealthy Orange County men who care less about our community and more about their own political ambitions. They want us to pay $900,000 in our hard earned tax dollars to pay for another election and their partisan political games...because Adams stood with taxpayers and working families and against their reckless agenda."

(That's Mountjoy up top, Adams below)

Circular firing squad*,**

Five Republican lawmakers so far have become targets for recall in the wake of the recent state budget deal.

Assemblyman Anthony Adams of Claremont and state Sens. Abel Maldonado and Roy Ashburn have all been targeted because they voted for the budget package, which includes tax increases (a package that voters still have to approve before it takes effect - if they vote yes, will we have to recall them?).

Assemblymen Jeff Miller and Jim Silva have been targeted because they didn't support a failed coup against Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines, who negotiated and supported the budget deal. Villines counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Dave Cogdill, was sacked and replaced with a more conservative conservative.

*Updated March 12, 3:38 p.m.: Ashburn dodged a first bullet. Turns out the recall effort failed to gather the 40 valid signatures needed to get the process going, although the man driving the recall effort pledged to try again.

**Updated March 12, 9:01 p.m.: The P-E reports that the man leading the recall effort against Adams is the chief financial officer of JohnsonClark Associates, the same Sacramento campaign consultant that will run Adams' anti-recall campaign. (h/t Capitol Alert)