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CNN Live Saturday
Interview with Kristin Heffron
Aired August 09, 2003 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The scramble is on in California, time is running out. The deadline for filing paperwork to run in the golden state's recall election is just hours away. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is with us in now, from Los Angeles County election center in Norwalk, where already it seems to be behind you a somewhat busy place -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, you're right. It is busy slate, for sure. I -- you just look around me can see that all of the reporters are literally standing shoulder to shoulder out here and, of course, everybody in anticipation of Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up among many other people, of course.
But, the number of folks who've actually thrown their hat into the ring -- who've added the name to this list seems to be changing by the hour. So far, in Los Angeles, 150 people have added their name to this list that you see right here.
Now, statewide, we understand as of last night, 680 people have actually taken out some kind of an application, had started some of the process to run for governor, but only 60 people have actually turned in completed paperwork and their $3,500. Of course, what this is going to take today, if these people want to be considered serious, they have to turn in their nomination papers; they have to turn in their $3,500, and their 65 signatures.
Those signatures have to be validated before their names actually do show up on the ballot. Joining me today is a person who's expected to be very busy, Kristin Heffron from the county recorder's office.
Thank you so much for being with us.
KRISTIN HEFFRON, CHIEF DEPUTY L.A. REGISTRAR RECORDER: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: Talk to me how difficult of a day you actually expect this to be.
HEFFRON: Well, this is a very surprising day, because this is normally a quiet building. We process birth and death records and conduct marriages and occasionally take candidates for office, so this is one has been just amazing because we're not used to this type of publicity and crowd and media attention.
GUTIERREZ: And, not only that, Kern County told me that people trying to make this deadline. They -- one guide sold his vehicle to raise the $3,500 be able to file, today.
HEFFRON: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: Anything like that happening here?
HEFFRON: Well, we've had people on the off ramp -- at the freeway off ramp collecting signatures and we've had some very colorful characters who've been out here with the media collecting signatures. A porn star out here the other day in her skimpy clothing, and collected a number of can -- number of signatures.
GUTIERREZ: Yeah, I can imagine that she did. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to show up.
HEFFRON: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: We're confirming it with you.
HEFFRON: We're expecting him around 10:00.
GUTIERREZ: 10:00? And that is exactly why you see so many people out of here, today. Thank you very much.
The person, of course, who's drawn so much attention, has been Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came to this office a couple of days ago. He picked up his nomination papers. There were hundreds of fans out here screaming out his name. And, people were cheering him on. Again, he is expected to come a little bit later today. Now, the latest local effort for -- to stop this recall was actually thrown out of Los Angeles superior court, yesterday. Many of Gray Davis' supporters have filed a lawsuit, they were challenging the validity of the signatures on that recall ballot. They had said that they -- that those signatures were not valid, and so, therefore, this whole thing is not legal. That, again, was thrown out, yesterday. Fredericka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma Gutierrez, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 9, 2003 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The scramble is on in California, time is running out. The deadline for filing paperwork to run in the golden state's recall election is just hours away. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is with us in now, from Los Angeles County election center in Norwalk, where already it seems to be behind you a somewhat busy place -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, you're right. It is busy slate, for sure. I -- you just look around me can see that all of the reporters are literally standing shoulder to shoulder out here and, of course, everybody in anticipation of Arnold Schwarzenegger showing up among many other people, of course.
But, the number of folks who've actually thrown their hat into the ring -- who've added the name to this list seems to be changing by the hour. So far, in Los Angeles, 150 people have added their name to this list that you see right here.
Now, statewide, we understand as of last night, 680 people have actually taken out some kind of an application, had started some of the process to run for governor, but only 60 people have actually turned in completed paperwork and their $3,500. Of course, what this is going to take today, if these people want to be considered serious, they have to turn in their nomination papers; they have to turn in their $3,500, and their 65 signatures.
Those signatures have to be validated before their names actually do show up on the ballot. Joining me today is a person who's expected to be very busy, Kristin Heffron from the county recorder's office.
Thank you so much for being with us.
KRISTIN HEFFRON, CHIEF DEPUTY L.A. REGISTRAR RECORDER: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: Talk to me how difficult of a day you actually expect this to be.
HEFFRON: Well, this is a very surprising day, because this is normally a quiet building. We process birth and death records and conduct marriages and occasionally take candidates for office, so this is one has been just amazing because we're not used to this type of publicity and crowd and media attention.
GUTIERREZ: And, not only that, Kern County told me that people trying to make this deadline. They -- one guide sold his vehicle to raise the $3,500 be able to file, today.
HEFFRON: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: Anything like that happening here?
HEFFRON: Well, we've had people on the off ramp -- at the freeway off ramp collecting signatures and we've had some very colorful characters who've been out here with the media collecting signatures. A porn star out here the other day in her skimpy clothing, and collected a number of can -- number of signatures.
GUTIERREZ: Yeah, I can imagine that she did. Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to show up.
HEFFRON: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: We're confirming it with you.
HEFFRON: We're expecting him around 10:00.
GUTIERREZ: 10:00? And that is exactly why you see so many people out of here, today. Thank you very much.
The person, of course, who's drawn so much attention, has been Arnold Schwarzenegger. He came to this office a couple of days ago. He picked up his nomination papers. There were hundreds of fans out here screaming out his name. And, people were cheering him on. Again, he is expected to come a little bit later today. Now, the latest local effort for -- to stop this recall was actually thrown out of Los Angeles superior court, yesterday. Many of Gray Davis' supporters have filed a lawsuit, they were challenging the validity of the signatures on that recall ballot. They had said that they -- that those signatures were not valid, and so, therefore, this whole thing is not legal. That, again, was thrown out, yesterday. Fredericka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thelma Gutierrez, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
