Recall Petition Approved for City Councilman Paul Krekorian

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA A recall petition targeting Los Angeles District 2 City Councilman Paul Krekorian has been approved by the City Clerk’s office.

Krekorian who represents residents in North Hollywood, Studio City and Valley Village has come under fire from critics who accuse him of favoring business interests over the larger community. In order to mount a recall, the proponents would need to gather and submit at least 18,536 valid signatures from qualified registered voters in Krekorian's 2nd District by July 26, according to the clerk's office.

“I’m confident that the vast majority of my constituents approve of what we’ve accomplished together in the San Fernando Valley,” Krekorian said in a written statement to the Los Angeles Times in February. “In any district with a quarter million people, there will always be a few disaffected and unhappy individuals, but I’ll continue to work hard every day to represent the interests and the values of the people of the 2nd District.”

Krekorian aide Ian Thompson has dismissed that allegation as "simply not true," saying the councilman "has worked very closely and successfully with the community to fight against overdevelopment and mansionization," including placing protecting areas against oversized homes in the Valley Village neighborhood.

Donna Gooley, one of the five official proponents, said the "catalyst" for her to join the recall effort was the demolition of a former home of Marilyn Monroe.

The city deemed the property historically and culturally insignificant, and denied an appeal from members of the community who wanted to preserve it. Gooley said the home was on a street that was excluded from historic status designation, a move that has allowed properties to be sold off for "major developments."

The four other proponents listed on the notice are Jed Fuchs, Goran Nicola Lukic, Pamela D. Lippert and JoAnn D. Erickson.

In the past 10 years, no group has successfully scheduled a recall, with all four attempts during that time failing, according to Horacio Arroyo, a project director with the City Clerk's Office.

Groups have begun circulating petitions, but failed to turn in the required number of valid signatures in efforts initiated against Los Angeles Unified School District board member Mike Lansing in 2006, City Councilman Jack Weiss in 2007, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2010 and LAUSD board member Monica Garcia in 2012, according to Arroyo.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.