Two La Jollans with ties to the planning board are challenging the March 6 election results. They say a group passed out flyers that named candidates to vote for, which unduly influenced members’ votes.
Phil Merten and Alice Perricone will state their positions April 1 during a special meeting of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) that will decide whether nine people were elected fairly. Deputy City Attorney Alex Sachs will attend the election subcommittee meeting, which Lance Peto chairs.
Merten, who was not elected, said the group that passed out the fliers violated two bylaws. One, he said was broken when the campaigners didn’t stay 200 feet from the polling place, and the other bylaw was because the group passed out a flier containing a list of candidates to vote for.
“In order for the CPA to maintain our status in front of the city council, we have to follow our bylaws,” Merten said.
The group called Save Our Village passed out canary yellow fliers with a list of candidates to vote for and two to avoid. Because candidates said they didn’t know the group was campaigning, Sachs, of the city attorney’s office, said he’s been working with the LJCPA about election and bylaw issues and the actions by private citizens wouldn’t breach their bylaws.
“The goal of the group is to be self-governing,” Sachs said. “It was our suggestion, which Lance followed, to put this [election subcommittee] meeting together.”
Peto, chair of the LJCPA election subcommittee, called an April 1 meeting at 4 p.m. at the La Jolla Recreation Center to hear Merten and Perricone’s complaints, both regarding the yellow flier.
“We’ll take a look at both complaints separately,” Sachs said. “Some things were similar and some were different.”
The subcommittee will also discuss other planning election cases, Peto said, including a similar Point Loma election outcome. There were two other slates circulating, including an e-mail Marty McGee allegedly sent to other board members, but Peto and Sachs said the Save Our Village flier is the sole complaint.
“Will we discuss Marty McGee’s behavior or something ” was that a Brown Act violation? ” I don’t know,” Peto said. “Alex Sachs will have to make a determination on whether or not it was.”
Before the next LJCPA meeting on Thursday, April 3, the LJCPA will probably make a determination whether the election results stand, Sachs said.
“There’s a presumption that the results stand until there’s a determination that there’s a valid challenge for overturning the election,” Sachs said.
The LJCPA candidates remaining on the board include Dave Abrams, Darcy Ashley, Sherri Lightner, Phil McConkey, Paul Metcalf, Michael Morton, Alice Perricone, Lance Peto and Ray Weiss.
Newly elected candidates are John Berol, Tony Crisafi, Jim Fitzgerald, Orrin Gabsch, Tim Golba, Joe La Cava, David Little, Tim Lucas and Glen Rasmussen.
For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org. The election subcommittee meets April 1 at 4 p.m. at La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. The LJCPA meets the first Thursday of each month at the recreation center at 6 p.m.