The move to recall two Malibu city council members is officially dead.
And it has ended much the way that it started … in bitter charges hurled … backed with sketchy evidence.
Skylar Peak and and Rick Mullen were targeted by news site editor Cece Woods … and a small group of backers.
They were former political backers of Peak and Mullen … but turned on them in the aftermath of the Woolsey Fire.
Or mroe accurately … they turned on peak and Mullen when the councilmemebrs failed to fire city manager Reva Feldman…
That was apparently a political double cross.
So was born a recall effort against Peak and Mullen.
The recall campaign was an odd one to begin with.
It has no publicity … no obvious petition collection.
Although Woods has claimed 4 thousand petition supporters … that was for a vaguely-written petition circulated on Change dot org … open to anyone in the world to sign once … twice or more often … not just Malibu voters.
The recall petitions needed 21 hundred 41 signatures from valid city voters.
An organizer … Amora Rachelle … tells KBUU in an e-mail that signature gathering was halted … and we quote … “due to reports of voter intimidation, harassment, bribes and fear by residents of retribution by city officials and city manager Reva Feldman, if they signed the petition.
Rachelle goes on to allege that “Several Malibu residents and proponents have filed reports with various law enforcements agencies for this conduct and interference with voters’ due process rights, which violates elections codes.
“An investigation is pending and legal remedies being sought.”
One of the claims … as printed by the Cece Woods on her web site … is that Councilman Mullen’s wife violated federal privacy laws by accessing patient information to somehow intimidate voters.
No real evidence of that has been provided … only an anonymous allegation.
Whatever … the recall committee has quietly folded its operations … without disclosing how many registered voters actually signed recall petitions against Rick Mullen … and Skylar Peak.