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21 Nat'l Mun. Rev. 416 (1932)
The Attempted Recall of the Mayor of Los Angeles

handle is hein.journals/natmnr21 and id is 444 raw text is: The Attempted Recall of the Mayor of Los Angeles BY STANLEY ROGERS THE recall of Mayor John C. Porter of Los Angeles, contested mainly on the basis of his opposition to the munici- pally owned power plant, failed in the election of May 3, as it was doomed to do. The recall petition, based on in- efficiency and incompetency in office and unfriendliness to the interests of public ownership, was signed with such diverse hearty acclaim that out of more than 110,000 signatures only 53,000 were found to conform with the thoughtful details of the law. The motives actuating the petitioners in the calling of the election were, indeed, so diverse that they never lent them- selves to unification or clear scrutiny in the public mind. Perhaps the recall had its inception in the mayoralty election of 1929, when Mayor Porter was placed in office by the wishes of some 20 per cent of the voters; for, ever since his induction into office, holders of many varied points of view have believed that the mayor was not a representative official. His record during two years and nine months has consistently borne out this opinion. Few of his policies have met with general approval; or, rather, the mayor, blundering along, has demonstrated that through lack of proper experience, lack of political per- ppective, and probably through lack of native ability, he has been unable to 'U AMIDST a welter of issues Los Angeles voters decide that Mayor Porter shall serve out his term Los Angeles, California formulate either practical or ideal political principle or policy. Going into office on a wave of church brotherhood politics, Mayor Porter immediately instituted a regime of super snooping, through personal investigators working out of his own office, greatly to the embarrassment of the regular police force. The press has repeatedly charged that speakeasies, gambling, and the general activities of the under- world openly flourish in sight of the city hall. The mayor has disturbed, it is alleged, the general functioning of civil service rules, especially as they applied to Jews and Catholics, and dis- missed from years of service the most efficient health officer the city has had. CONFUSED ISSUES In the matter of appointments to commissions, he has acted with singular stupidity, bringing into office men whose adaptability to governmental af- fairs has not been their chief virtue. And as regards appointments to the water and power commission he pursued a policy openly inimical to the best in- terests of public ownership. This fact, alone, might have formed ample basis for a successful recall; but as the main issue it became further confused. The political outs wanted in; and back of the recall many citi- zens suspected the hand of a former boss. With the fall elections coming 416

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