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By Karen PearlmanDec. 10, 2025 (Lemon Grove) – A recall effort against Lemon Grove Mayor Alysson Snow, who was elected by voters in 2024, has failed.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, a group called the Lemon Grove Neighborhood Association shared a text message with East County Magazine that said, “Today marks the conclusion of the signature-gathering phase for the recall of Mayor Alysson Snow.”
The message stated, “Our committee successfully engaged with thousands of concerned residents for signatures and information” but added that the committee has “made the difficult but necessary decision” to stop the recall.
The message was sent by Ken King, who has led the recall effort since the summer.
King said the effort was stopped in order “to protect the people of Lemon Grove.” King said recall signers will now be “shielded from any further intimidation, harassment, or doxxing.”
The city of Lemon Grove also released a statement on the matter:
“The Lemon Grove City Clerk’s Office announces that, as of 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 2025, the office did not receive any recall petitions seeking the recall of Mayor Alysson Snow from the organizers who previously filed a Notice of Intention to circulate a recall petition.
“Under California Elections Code, recall petition proponents are required to submit a completed petition to the City Clerk’s Office by the applicable deadline for verification and processing. As of the noted date and time, no recall petition materials have been filed. Recall proponents needed 3,349 register voters in Lemon Grove to force a recall election.
“Since no petitions were filed, no further action will be taken, and the recall process is considered terminated.”
Snow secured 4,059 votes last November, beating out former city council member Liana LeBaron (3,087 votes) and incumbent mayor Racquel Vasquez (3,059 votes).
Snow has gone head-to-head with LeBaron, who in February of this year was handcuffed, arrested and cited for disrupting a Lemon Grove City Council meeting. LeBaron was in the audience during that meeting, interrupted a council discussion and refused to leave the meeting when Snow requested her departure.
Snow on Wednesday, Dec. 10, expressed gratitude to the residents of Lemon Grove, framing the failed recall as a victory for the city's future.
“I was supported by strong majority at the election, and the people came out and supported me again and refused to sign this bogus petition,” Snow said in a Dec. 10 interview with ECM.
“I’m grateful for Lemon Grove for choosing progress and defending progress over the shenanigans and seeing through the sour grapes.”
Snow highlighted the City Council's return to full strength following the unanimous Dec. 2 appointment of Seth Smith to the vacant fifth seat. Smith had been on the city’s Planning Commission for eight years.
“Now that we have a full council, we’re ready to move forward with the work,” Snow said, adding that she hopes the failed recall “will put to bed some of the more disruptive factors in our community.”
She called out “one person who was upset she didn't win the election and her friends… and it's time to move forward.”
Lawsuit alleged 'bait and switch' election fraud
The recall effort was shadowed by a legal battle after Snow filed a lawsuit against the Lemon Grove City Clerk and named individual proponents, including King, as respondents.
The suit has sought injunctive relief to prevent the certification of votes, alleging the group engaged in election fraud and a "bait and switch" tactic.
Snow detailed the alleged misrepresentation, claiming the proponents initially circulated one version of the required "Notice of Intent to File a Recall Petition," only to submit a different version for filing.
“The critical factor is like the first version included allegations that I was under federal investigation for cannabis fraud, which is like ludicrous,” Snow explained. “They probably talked to an attorney beforehand before they turned in the final version and then they turned in a different final version.”
According to Snow, the final version filed with the city removed those allegations and changed the description of her advocacy for housing from “tiny homes” to advocating for “encampments.”
Snow asserts she has “hard proof” of the alleged switch, stating that King videotaped himself circulating the first version, which was then posted online.
King group halts campaign, citing ‘intimidation’
In the Dec. 9 statement, King and the Lemon Grove Neighborhood Association announced the conclusion of the signature-gathering phase. The group cast the blame squarely on the legal action filed by Snow.
“Most alarmingly, the democratic process was actively suppressed through the weaponization of the legal system,” the statement reads. “This legal action... created a climate of fear.”
King's group claims countless voters who supported the recall refused to sign the petition out of fear of being sued or targeted, asserting that the lawsuit "chilled free speech and undoubtedly suppressed the signature count."
They continue to deny any wrongdoing regarding the petition language.
'Permanent Accountability Task Force'
Though the recall is over, the group made clear its fight against Snow and the current City Council is not.
“The recall petition may not be moving to the ballot, but our work has only just begun,” the statement declared. “We are no longer just a recall committee; we are a permanent accountability task force.”
The group has said that it intends to pursue accountability through legal channels and is now focusing on a Citizen’s Initiative “designed to protect Lemon Grove, earmark taxpayer's funds, limit special-interest influence, revitalize downtown, and curb corruption and favoritism.”
“We are not going away. We will hold Mayor Snow accountable for her actions, her governance, and her treatment of this community every single day until she leaves office,” the statement said.
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