Petitions Circulating to Recall Santa Barbara County Judge

In an attempt to recall Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Donna Geck, the proponents have been cleared to get 12,683 valid signatures in order to set the recall before Santa Barbara County voters.

The recall was started by Aurelie Rose, who believes the judge has been unfair during family custody hearings. Enough people agreed with Rose to get the recall wheels turning. Judge Geck indicated in her responding papers that no bias existed in her rulings and that the proper venue for disagreements with a judge’s orders is the Court of Appeal.

By the rules that govern recall elections, Rose has 160 days to gather the signatures, or until September 12, to qualify for the ballot, said Renee Bischof, chief deputy registrar of voters for the county. After the elections office verifies the signatures — which must be of voters registered in the County of Santa Barbara — the issue next would go to the Board of Supervisors, who would “call” the election. That election date would fall between 88 and 125 days later.

In the meantime, anyone seeking to gain the bench, should Geck be recalled, would have to file their candidacy declaration and nomination papers no later than 75 days before the election, Bischof explained. “The candidate filing period will be determined based on the date of the election,” she said.

It is early days for the candidate filing process, Bischof indicated, as the petitions still need to be fully signed and those signatures verified.

Requests to Rose for information about the recall were not returned.

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