Recall Effort Against LA City Councilman Over Tiny Houses Near Pasadena Terminated

A petition for the recall of Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon filed in part over tiny homes built in Eagle Rock just outside of Pasadena was terminated at the request of its leading proponent, who the Office of the City Clerk said today mentioned a plan to refile in January.

The petition was terminated on Friday after Pauline Adkins, who was leading the recall effort, requested its termination, according to the Los Angeles City Clerk Election Division.

Adkins said on Facebook that she withdrew the petition because one of the five proponents chose to be removed from the petition, forcing the recall campaign to withdraw, as the law requires five proponents on the petition.

She added that the recall campaign is “far from over” and that the group will re-strategize.

Adkins and the other recall proponents launched the recall campaign in part over anger about De Leon’s efforts to build tiny home villages in Eagle Rock and Highland Park as interim housing amid a historic homelessness and affordable housing crisis in Los Angeles.

The move left some residents living close by in Altadena concerned and led Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo to contact de Leon and visit the site.

Earlier this month, De Leon opened the largest Tiny Home Village in the U.S. on a 6.8-acre site along the Arroyo Seco (110) Parkway in Highland Park, providing 224 non-congregate beds as transitional residences for people who are unhoused in the Highland Park community.

De Leon’s office touted the project for its quick completion within 90 days and for costing less, at $55,000 per tiny home, than most other homeless housing options in the county.

“The Arroyo Seco Tiny Home Village is all about restoring hope to people whose lives have been shattered into 1 million pieces by homelessness,” de Leon said when the Tiny Home Village opened.

When the recall campaign against de Leon was announced in July, he was the third council member to be the target of a recall, following Councilman Mike Bonin and Councilwoman Nithya Raman.

The effort against Raman ended on Sept. 13 after the group said it would not meet its Nov. 4 deadline, but a petition against Bonin was turned into the City Clerk on Wednesday with what recall proponents say are enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Bonin’s recall effort’s organizer, Nico Ruderman, said the group collected 39,188 signatures from registered voters in Council District 11, while 27,317 were needed to prompt a recall election. The signatures will next go through a verification process by the city clerk.