Quan recall unlikely as deadlines loom

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan isn’t going down without a fight.

Currently two groups are trying to push Quan out of office by gathering enough signatures to put the recall vote on the November ballot. However, both groups seem to be plagued by empty bank accounts, not enough volunteers, and most importantly, a lack of signatures.

The Committee to Recall Mayor Quan has until July 2nd to collect nearly 20,000 signatures. As of two weeks ago,  committee member Lee Edwards said the group had collected less than 7,000.

But even more urgently, the other petition being circulated by Oakland Black Caucus member Gene Hazzard has a deadline of Monday, May 14. But Hazzard admitted that the odds of them collecting the required 20,000 signatures “looked bleak.”

So as both deadlines loom closer it seems likely that Quan will still be polishing her city hall nameplate come November. Quan sounded pretty confident when she spoke to reporters on Wednesday:

“There is a growing coalition against the recall.”

While the recall effort appeared viable when it began back in December when Quan created turmoil with her handling of Occupy Oakland, the steam may have dissipated over the past few months.

Recent polls have also hurt the groups’ efforts to recall Quan, showing that even if Oakland voters don’t like Quan, they aren’t willing to recall her.

Even if the group does receive enough signatures in time to put the recall vote on the ballot, Quan’s prepared for a rematch. Her supporters have already formed a committee to raise money for a potential recall election.