Body of News Release
Marin County, CA — The County of Marin’s Elections Department has completed its review of two voter-initiated petitions seeking to recall Fairfax Town Councilmembers Stephanie Hellman and Lisel Blash. The petitions, originally filed with the Fairfax Town Clerk on June 30, were forwarded to the County for signature verification, a standard step in the recall process under California election law.
Signature review was completed by Marin County Elections staff late in the day on July 11. County staff notified the Fairfax Town Clerk upon completion, and the verified petitions were returned to the Town the morning of July 14.
Each petition required a minimum of 1,479 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. Marin County Elections examined 1,806 signatures on the petition to recall Councilmember Hellman and 1,783 signatures on the petition to recall Councilmember Blash. In both cases, the number of valid signatures met the threshold for sufficiency.
Under California Elections Code § 11227, if the Town Clerk determines that a recall petition has a sufficient number of valid signatures, the Clerk must present a certificate of sufficiency to the Town Council at its next regular meeting. The Council then has 14 days from that meeting date to call a special election.
Marin County Elections’ role in this recall process is limited to signature verification at the request of the local jurisdiction. Any questions about next steps or election timing should be directed to the Town of Fairfax.