Antioch City Clerk again rejects Thorpe recall petition, organizers submit for a fourth time

Householder’s third response letter to Mayor Thorpe’s recall organizers received on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. All documents provided courtesy of Kathy Cabrera.

Householder finally provides specifically what she wanted corrected; delays signature gathering for another 10 to 12 days

By Allen Payton

On Monday, Nov. 22, the organizers for the recall of Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe received another letter in the mail from City Clerk Ellie Householder rejecting their petition, for a third time. It will further delay gathering of the approximately 9,400 signatures to place the recall on the ballot. But unlike in her previous two response letters, this time she provided specifics of what needed to be corrected. (See related article)

The city clerk also provided two pages along with her denial letter outlining the corrections.

Householder provided highlighted portions of Elections Code Section 11041 which applies to recalls with her third response letter.

“So, we followed what revisions she asked of us and submitted the revised petition to her at about 4:30 on Monday,” said organizer Kathy Cabrera.

“Her big thing is on our petition Ellie wanted what is on that to match what was on the notice we served Lamar with and filed, including my phone number. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a necessary item,” Cabrera stated. “Arne agrees it’s not a necessary item. But we went ahead and put it on there, because that’s what she’s asking.”

“When we went in with the corrected version I said, ‘Thank you for providing the revisions needed on the recall petition,’” Cabrera shared. “How can Ellie reject it this time if we provided exactly what she’s asking for? But she has another 10 days to respond – and that includes holidays. So, she has until 5:00 p.m., Dec. 2nd to provide her response letter. If she mails it, again, we expect to get it on Saturday the 4th.”

Householder redlined the portion of the recall notice served to Mayor Thorpe she wanted included in the petition. (Addresses of recall proponents redacted by the Herald.)

Cabrera was asked how can you be required to provide a list of Top Funders when the committee hasn’t been formed, yet and you don’t know who they will be?

“Agreed,” she responded. “But we included the Top Funders declaration page, even though we didn’t think it was necessary, answering ‘none’ to each of the three questions.”

Multiple attempts to reach Householder were unsuccessful prior to publication time. She was asked why she didn’t provide the corrections to the petition that she wanted made by the organizers in her first two letters, how can she expect them to list the potential Top Funders for the committee if it hasn’t been formed, yet, will she take the full 10 days to respond and if it really takes 10 days for her and her staff in the city clerk’s office to review the revised petition.

A portion of the revised Thorpe recall petition submitted by organizers and received by City Clerk Householder on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021.

On their way out of City Hall, Cabrera said Thorpe was there for both the candlelight vigil for a homeless man who had been killed by a train, last Friday night, and for the ribbon cutting for the renovated council chambers.

“Lamar yelled at us across the lobby, ‘did you get all your signatures, yet?’” Cabrera stated, who was there with another person helping with the petition paperwork. “I turned and asked, ‘did he just say that?’ He was laughing. He thinks it’s all a big joke. So, we just kept walking.”

Thorpe did not respond to a efforts asking him about the interaction before publication time. He was asked if it is true? If so, why, and was he just trying to be funny, or was you poking fun at them knowing they had just submitted their revised petition for his recall for a fourth time.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.


the attachments to this post:


Thorpe recall petition submitted & received 11-22-21


Householder 3rd response ltr details 2


Householder 3rd response ltr details 1


Householder 3rd response ltr 11-22-21


One Comment to “Antioch City Clerk again rejects Thorpe recall petition, organizers submit for a fourth time”

  1. […] days, she also left a copy for the organizers at her office in City Hall. (See related articles here and […]

Leave a Reply