Davis bootlickers lie to get people to sign anti-recall petition

KXTV FOX40 website ^ | 060403 | Melissa Remick

[Texas Eagle]

Warning From FOX40 Viewer About Misleading Petitions

Melissa Remick

June 3, 2003, 9:43 PM PDT

FOLSOM -- FOX40 News is looking into a story brought to us by one of you through our Viewer's Voice.

A viewer in Folsom says take a good a look before you sign any petitions.

She almost signed something she was against.

So, was it an honest mistake or is this an example of dirty politics?

Decked in stripes and stars, Aaron Park with the Placer County Republican Assembly handed in 10 thousand Recall Davis signatures to the assistant registrar of voters in Auburn Tuesday evening.

Volunteers say getting the signatures took time but not much energy.

But make sure you're signing what you want to sign.

Belinda Johnson of Folsom says watch out. A petitioner tried to trick her outside a Rancho Cordova Wal-Mart on Sunday.

"I asked him so what's this about and he said we're against raising the tuition at colleges and firing teachers. I said wow, that's important. Have you gotten many signatures? He said, oh yeah and he showed me five pages of signatures," she said.

Johnson took a closer look and noticed the petition she was about to sign was in support of Davis. It was an anti-recall petition.

"I called him a liar and threw the petition at him and stormed out," she said.

Carroll Wills is with the Taxpayers Against The Governor's recall. That means he wants Davis to stay where he is. Wills claims his agency is looking into the Wal-Mart incident but also says it shouldn't surprise anyone.

"The fact of the matter is they are independent contractors collecting the signatures and are being paid for collecting signatures and often they use their own means of getting signatures," he said.

Wills cautions to take a good look before you sign. Those who want the governor out say anti-recall people are simply playing dirty. Copyright © 2003, KTXL

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for posting this!

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[farmfriend]

Sacramento area ping list.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.

[cavtrooper21]

Like this is a new tactic for the Dems and Gov Davis.
They lie to themselves in the mirror while they shave or pluck their facial hairs...
Why not lie to people they really don't care about..
After all the ends justify the means, and it is good for the children, isn't it.

[mvpel]

I guess since this "petition" of theirs is not officially filed or legally binding, they're not subject to the laws with respect to petition signature gathering, such as 18600(a), which reads:

18600. Every person is guilty of a misdemeanor who:
(a) Circulating, as principal or agent, or having charge or control of the circulation of, or obtaining signatures to, any state or local initiative, referendum or recall petition, intentionally misrepresents or intentionally makes any false statement concerning the contents, purport or effect of the petition to any person who signs, or who desires to sign, or who is requested to sign, or who makes inquiries with reference to it, or to whom it is presented for his or her signature.

But in any case, we should all keep an eye on their tactics - Division 18, Chapter 7 of the California Elections code provides some stiff penalties for various forms of dirty tricks that they're likely to pull given this demonstration of their mendacity, such as false or inelgible signatures (check ID!!), multiple signatures, bribes, threats, theft of petitions, etc.

[Texas Eagle]

Thank you. I'm saving that for future use. If there's one thing I know about RATS, it's that they use the same tactics over and over again. The time will come when they are gathering signatures for an official petition and I will be ready with that paragraph now that I know at least one California TV station will at least look into it.

[Capitalist Eric]

"I called him a liar and threw the petition at him and stormed out," she said.

I would have been a little more outspoken.... By tearing his signature sheets into shreds. Let him submit a bunch of signature sheets scotch-taped together....

If he can. ;)

[Doompieyashick]

Great catch!
The viewer should have torn up the bogus 5 pages!

And then held onto them for evidence and called the cops!

[Feiny]

I sign nothing before I read it....afraid I may sell my soul to the devil....

[heleny]

Thanks for posting the info. I hope it's also illegal for the Davis goons to collect signatures on the real recall petition but then intentionally refrain from submitting them.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Would this, however, bar the Davis goons going out and presenting unofficial pseudopetitions FOR the Davis recall. Doesn't look like it.

[ScottinSacto]

I sign nothing before I read it....afraid I may sell my soul to the devil....

I don't worry about that anymore, I didn't read the fine print when I signed up for a Hotmail account and I think they snuck that clause in there...

As for the story, what's new about it is that it is actually produced and aired...but they are probably just looking at the 24% approval rating and factoring it into their Nielsen goals...

[jimtorr]

I would have been a little more outspoken....

In my experience, the best tactic in public is to just stand there and complain, at high volumne, for several minutes.

[finnman69]

Johnson took a closer look and noticed the petition she was about to sign was in support of Davis. It was an anti-recall petition. "I called him a liar and threw the petition at him and stormed out," she said.

She should have grabbed the petition and ran with it.

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Wills could be right about this. Still, it's a black eye for the anti-recall people.

[Petronski]

I sign nothing before I read it....afraid I may sell my soul to the devil....

... like accidentally joining the Democrat party or something like that?

[mvpel]

I think that it could be argued that since there is currently an active legal petition for the Davis recall, circulating a fake one under the impression that it is the real one is illegal.

[zip]

... like accidentally joining the Democrat party or something like that?

OMG, I am now reading everything with a magnifying glass before signing.

[henderson field]

So why aren't the police following up on this? Another case of selective enforcement...otherwise known as dereliction of duty, or fraud committed by government employees?

[mvpel]

They're not collecting signatures for "any state or local initiative, referendum or recall petition," they're collecting signatures for what might as well be a petition to the Tooth Fairy to use $2 bills instead of dollars, so they can lie all they want as to the content of what people are signing.