THOUSAND OAKS : Recall Backers Cite Signature Success

Leaders of a campaign to toss two Thousand Oaks city councilmen out of office Wednesday said they have gathered the minimum number of signatures needed to place a recall vote on the ballot.

The 1000 Oaks Recall Committee has collected 8,400 signatures on petitions calling for the removal of Frank Schillo and Alex Fiore from the City Council, said Dick Booker, a leader of the campaign. The announcement puts the group one step closer to an election, he said.

The group plans to gather at least 1,400 more signatures before the petitions are submitted to the city clerk’s office by the end of January, he said.

Schillo, however, said he does not believe that the signatures will stand up when they are counted.

“I don’t think they’re telling the truth about how many they’ve got,” he said.

The county registrar of voters will have 30 days to certify the signatures once they are submitted.

The councilmen have been targeted for recall because of their support of the city’s Jungleland project, a $63.8-million development that includes a new city hall and performing arts complex.

A spokesman for a newly formed group that is garnering support for the councilmen said he also was skeptical about the recall campaign’s progress.

“We feel it might be an exaggerated number,” said Julian Macdonald, a leader of the Committee to Stop the Recall.