Franklin Sims, who is running a recall campaign against Mayor Robert Garcia, speaks to demonstrators during a protest outside Long Beach City Hall, Tuesday, June 23, 2020. Photo by Brandon Richardson. A longtime agitator in Long Beach politics, who recently burst back onto the scene with an attempt to recall Mayor Robert Garcia, is now under investigation by state regulators and local prosecutors after complaints that he broke election laws. A former supporter of the recall says he blew the whistle on the campaign organizer, Franklin Sims, after becoming uncomfortable with Sims’ emphasis on fundraising and lack of quality controls around signature gathering—accusations Sims denies. “Franklin was never there getting signatures, he was trying to get money,” said Lee Richmond Charley, who was an early, high-profile backer before he felt overwhelmed by concerns about possibly illegal activity. “I still believe in the recall,” Charley said, but, “I had to leave.” Charley said he emailed the mayor’s office to alert them about his concerns, and, soon after, he got a call from the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s office. Now, City Prosecutor Doug Haubert says his office has opened an inquiry into the campaign based on accusations of potentially “felony-level violations […]
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