Even though there has been no verification from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters that there would be any recall election at all, the Recall Madison team is already all riled up over the potential shape and form of the recall ballot.
San Jose City Councilwoman Madison Nguyen (pictured) is facing efforts to recall her over the City’s decision to name a stretch of Story Road. The chosen name, “Saigon Business District,” is somehow seen as communist, as opposed to “Little Saigon.” So now the City’s taken back its decision and there’s no official name for the area. The City did give permits for privatedly funded banners proclaiming “Welcome to Little Saigon.” But apparently whatever name is not even the point any more.
More than three weeks ago (here), the group supporting the recall submitted 5,181 signatures asking for a recall election. The petition is impressive because it includes more than 2000 extra signatures (only 3,162 were needed) and it was submitted two whole weeks before the deadline.
The signatures are now being verified by the Registrar of Voters. The verification process will take 30 days.
Until then, there is no guarantee that there’s even any recall election at all.
But already the Recall Madison side is acting up over what the recall ballot may look like.
Someone leaked to them the idea that the recall ballot will be just that — “yes” or “no” on recall only. Allegedly, any replacement candidates will not run on the same election.
That made the recall side angry, and here’s why.
The recall side’s strategy has been to let the replacement candidates do the recall work for them.
According to Dr. Phu Le, a very vocal opponent of Madison Nguyen’s, in an interview with the Bolsavik, the strategy, budget and manpower has been concentrated on getting the recall election set up, and not on getting out the vote on the day of the recall election. (That’s Phu Le 
in the picture, holding a commendation from Assemblyman Van Tran; sitting next to him is Bryan Do, also a recall proponent.)
The thinking was, once there’s an election, people who line up to replace Madison will bring their own supporters. Left on their own, these supporters may or may not want to recall Madison Nguyen, but if their candidate is on the ballot to replace here, then these supporters will vote “yes” on the recall side, because otherwise there would be no point in voting for their candidate.
Here’s an illustrative example. Hypothetically, suppose there are 10,000 voters altogether. Suppose 4,000 want to recall Madison. Of the remaining 6,000 who don’t, there are 1,500 fans of candidate B who prefer B over Madison.
If the ballot were a straight “yes” or “no” recall, Madison would win, 6,000 to 4,000.
If it were a “Gray Davis” style ballot, with yes-no recall and candidate B on the ballot as a replacement, the 1,500 fans of B will presumably mark “yes” on the recall side as part of getting B elected. Madison would then lose 5,500 to 4,500, and B would be elected on 1,500 votes out of 10,000.
So you see the difference. With only a yes-or-no ballot, the recall proponents would need to garner more than 50% in support. With a Gray Davis style ballot, they need to do nothing and just let the replacement candidates, whose collective support add up to more than 50%, do the work for them.
(If you may recall – pun intended – during the Gray Davis recall election, the Schwarzenegger camp spent a lot of time and money trying to make sure he’d get more than 50% and not get stigmatized as some sort of default minority-vote candidate; and he did.)
The flip side is, if the replacement candidates are not on the same ballot, then there may need to be two elections, at untold millions in cost and a waiting period where there’s no representation for Madison’s District 7.
A recall supporter has emailed out the following text, allegedly to be part of a mail-in campaign to demand that the recall ballot include replacement candidates.
(Here’s a wild thought: Can’t Madison be on the ballot as a “replacement” candidate too?)
Dear Honorable Mayor Reed and Council Members,
As a San Jose resident, I would like to applaud Mayor Reed for Reed Reforms, in which the number one reform has been the changes in the charter to streamline the recall election process for our city. I also would like to applaud the rest of the city council members for following Mayor’s lead in approving this reform on February 6, 2007.
The proposed change to follow CA State Election Code allows “a more streamlined, efficient recall process with one election deciding the question of whether to recall the official and, if so, who will serve the remainder of the term”, as stated by the City Attorney.
As a concerned citizen, I would like to resonate that we are having the worst deficit in the history of our city; so, a combined election, modeled after the State, is badly needed.
Thus, for the special recall election of Councilmember Nguyen (District 7), we strongly recommend the City of San Jose to use the State’s model of combined election as it’s not in any way conflicting with our current City Charter, which would save at least half a million dollars of our taxpayers’ money.
Furthermore, peace and business as usual at the City Hall will be quickly restored with a single (combined) election instead of having to drag it to at least another 3-4 months with two separate elections.
Lastly, many residents in District 7 has always been underserved, having two separate elections will prolong the time the residents of District 7 lacking the badly needed leadership that they long deserve.
For the sake of our city, as well as that of the residents of District 7, please cast your vote to support a combined election format when it comes up in the council meeting.
Thank you for your time and attention on this important matter.
Best regard,
Name: _____________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________________________________________
These malicious people have underestimated the public a little too much.
It is they, in the first place, who cause all those expenses by the recall effort with the argument that a costly recall is necessary for the democratic right of the people to be materialized. To maximize their chance, they want to combine the recall and the replacement election into one single election; but they shamelessly claim that that is because they are concerned about saving people’s money!
Besides, they are so bold as to send out a blackmailing message to the City! “Furthermore, PEACE AND BUSINESS AS USUAL at the City Hall WILL BE QUICKLY RESTORED with a single (combined) election instead of having to drag it to at least another 3-4 months with two separate elections.”
Only that they haven’t understood how much disgust the public are holding against them…
as “we’re having the worst deficit in the history of our city so” NO RECALL is badly needed. How much public money has been wasted on this issue (not counting on private money yet). Funny with the word “concerned citizen”. What are they concerned? if recall happened and succeeded, another election would come up for replacement, our city would have wasted 1 million dollars on this a lone
They’ve been always assumed they’re majority. One more time here: “many residents in District 7 has always been underserved”. Assumed all 7000 sigs that they gathered were all ligit, it’s only representing less than 10 percent of D 7 population
There will still be lots of funny & disgusting things that this group will be brought to. Let’s wait and see
“concerned communist” is more like it what an absolute waste.
This recall is absolutely a baseless wonton movement for underlying selfish political reason……. by the parasite mentality, typical loser’s association members.
Madison deserves to be recalled, because she’s acting like the queen of District 7 with no concern for what the people are thinking or feeling. We don’t need a dictator.
They said when you lie; you have to remember what you say.
But Madison, she failed to do that. Every time she talked to people or interviewed by news reporter her stories never match, that why she busted.
We don’t need a leader like that. So, it’s O.K to recall her.
The front of our controversies lies on the name designation of sj viet town according to the recall group ….and I don’t think it validates legitimacy of any recall movement. I say it’s pathetic!
“Here’s an illustrative example. Hypothetically, suppose there are 10,000 voters altogether. Suppose 4,000 want to recall Madison. Of the remaining 6,000 who don’t, there are 1,500 fans of candidate B who prefer B over Madison.”
Arghhh…. what if I don’t like Madison, and I don’t like B either… But between Madison and B, Madison is still much better… There you go…. If you support B, don’t bother voting because I already canceled you OUT.
hehehe… Just another wild thought…. If Mr. Bolsavik were here, I’d encourage him to run for Citycouncil… ‘cuz it has been awhile since we had protests, hunger-strike and all sorts of stupid stuff going on around SJ… Ly Tong is having so much free time nowadays.
Lynn – have you or “the people” never thought of what M is thinking or feeling? watch see and hear all kind of attacks have been launching starting since D 7 special election few years ago
Hmm… dictator? if you don’t support Little Saigon name, you will be accused as VC or working for VC…. hmm….
Bite Me – lie is a serious problem uh…. any proof? don’t take something out of context and accuse anyone. Most recently, see what VN gov did to Ngo Quang Kiet
If she can’t stand the criticism, she shouldn’ be lying about her deal with Lap Tang. Madison is criticized because she’s serving Lap Tang’s interest and not the people’s interest.
First district community meeting she said “Only resident live within 1000ft from Story Rd. can vote for the name of business street.
Then later on she said she didn’t say that, which mean she lied that the proof.
Bite Me and Lyn,
Being public figures , you need to gain the trust from the community. I watched some of the video where she gave speech and how she talks to others and how she delivers her message. Self confident is different than being nasty and treats people with no respect. Might be she should considering “plublic speaking” lessons or “charm school”
I don’t believe so much everything I read since some of the Viet newspaper got paid to write, bending the true. However, I read somewhere one of the reason people don’t trust her anymore because she seems not to remember what she said !!!!! Something about the project for community center 2.8 millions was promised to one rich SJ Viet Doctor to handle the project. She is now said she didn’t say that, the Viet Doctor also made big noise denies that. Well, Vietnamdaily web has provided a video showing the VIet SJ city council woman , speaking in Vietnamese ( fluently ) in a meeting with the community in 2007 , speaking with both hand and mouth saying something about the project 2.8 million dollars as : she doesn’t have time to make arrangment for meeting, advertising on newspaper, so she tried to cut short by handle it to a well known Viet Doctor which she believes he can handle the project. She added : and he has helped me so much during the election ( to where she is today )….Wow!!!! some comment!!!! It was video taped…
Then they have a taped record the Doctor was interviewed back in 2007 ( also spoke Vietnamese ) he said it was easily to get the project 2.8 approved. Why? he asked , then he aswered : we have insider, madam M. Nguyen…Another Wow !!! Don’t these people know that there such thing as video tapes or they think they are too “big” and careless !!!
Might be you people here know something more than I do….then any of you can explain how the heck you can just give the project to the person you think can do the job? Where is public hearing for bidding? on top of that saying that because he has helped during the election….!!!!!
At first it was the “name” of the shopping center but then it is more than that. She serves only a group of wealthy people and it’s not good.
I myself, don’t believe those people like Dina, Janet, and the rest of those Viet trying to run for public office are pro communist or communist…They use that to attack each others , to gain the trust of the community. They think people are stupid and they’re wrong. If I remembered correctly, reading in this blog, something about Dina wrote on Nguoi Viet news that Janet pro commie ? What does Dina knows about communist? Nothing !!! Then some guy wrote an article about he saw a nice lady come into the national cemetary every afternoon to pray for the country. He then asked her name and she told him she is Dina, she comes to pray for our viet people all the time by herself and to find peace!!! This story was posted in one of the Viet website during the June election…wonder how much this guy got paid?
Dina is lucky enough to have time taking care of her kids much less going to the cemetary to pray for the Viet people….
And Janet went to pray and showing her respect after she won the election ( at the truck where protesters are )????? Is it necessary?
It is about time, those Viet people that want power, money and fame should look at themselves…pretty soon no one wants to vote for Viet people..They make too much noise and doing too little. Stop fighting and use your intelligent to do what’s good for the country!!!!
Sad thing is Money ad power make them forget about their goals…Those of you bad mouthing about the people in SJ protesting for democracy, calling them refugees and thinking that the shamed the community should look at himm/herself and see if she/he is any different?
I would not vote for any of the Viet in Santa ana…Nope!!! you guys are all the same, few peas in a same pot…Do something good for our community by being a good citizen, use your intelligent to help others…don’t just fight for positions, money and fames…the way these folks act like that because: besides the Viet community, they couldn’t find decent jobs elsewhere. Am I right?
Janet doesn’t understand what communism is all about and she has lost the touch with our community.
so I just assumed what your proof was right (unless you point me to the reliable source)…. then you want to recall her just for that?
I think I once commented in this forum about special interests. You are either too naive to dream of an official to “serve people” without somehow fulfilling special interests demand or you are really day dreaming. I’m not sure when (or maybe never) US system could only allow public funds for any campaign. I wish we could have that.
About $2.7 millions fund, here it will go: http://www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_10594010?nclick_check=1
I considered it was a bad hoax but very poisoning for its purposes in which the “rumor” has been spreading
What a witch hunt–this sort of politicking happens down here in Westminster, too. It’s truly sad.
“Recall spokesman Paul Loc Le said the city should change the city charter to allow voters to recall Nguyen and then choose her successor at the same time.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10612169
What a joke! That will require another special election to make that change. Hey yes, let them push for another special election to show entire city how “smart” they are. Oh yeah, that would be additional way to “save” city money
If you ever listen to AM1430 in San Jose in which Huynh Hon already misled people on “Reed Reforms” to urge “their people” send this kind of letter to the city
FROM NOW ON THE VIETNAMES PEOPLE IN SAN JOSE ARE NOT VOTE FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE LIST SUPPORT FOR MADISON NGUYEN. NO VOTE FOR THEM. NO SUPPORT THEM. STAY HOME NO VOTE FOR ANYBODY. NO MORE.
VIETNAMESE IN SAN JOSE SHOULD NOT GO TO VOTE. STAY HOME. WATCH TV BETTER GO VOTE FOR THE UGLY CANDIDATE., PRO-COMMUNIST . NO MORE VIETNAMESE VOTE FOR ANYBODY FAVOR TO MADISON NGUYEN.
I hope Madison can identify these people accusing her of being pro-communist or a communist and sue them for smear. That will shut them up for good. Hit them where it hurts, their wallet, baby!