Farrell Recall Drive Falls Short

The attempt to force Los Angeles City Councilman Robert Farrell into a special recall election has apparently failed, with a petition campaign falling about 2,500 signatures short, city officials said today. Recall proponents, led by Kerman Maddox, a former aide to Mayor Tom Bradley, had needed 12,579 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Recall organizers had said that Farrell, who represents part of South Central Los Angeles, had neglected his district and was unresponsive to community complaints. Farrell has represented the district since 1974 and escaped a recall in 1978.