The political group trying to recall Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price submitted what they say are 123,000 signatures to get their measure on the ballot, though 73,000 of them have to be proven to be valid.

You always kind of expected that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price would face a recall effort, as she was elected not even five months after the SF DA Chesa Boudin recall signified it was open season on any DA who described themselves as “progressive.”

It did not help her cause that crime in Oakland has soared during her tenure. This recall movement started collecting signatures in October, only ten months after Price was sworn in. And the Chronicle broke the news they were submitting their 123,000 signatures at the county courthouse Monday, with the Bay Area News Group pointing out that today is just one day before their deadline to gather signatures.

“We shouldn’t have to do this,” recall organizer Brenda Grisham said at a Monday rally at the courthouse. “But for the safety of our community, for the safety of our children, the safety of our businesses, this is something that had to be done.”

And golly, look at the number of masked, armed security guards they had at that rally. Grisham told the News Group they hired so many guards because they felt “intimidated” by Price’s campaign team and allegedly feared for their safety.

Price’s supporters lent a statement decrying the recall effort (and the links included here are were placed in that statement by them).

“We’ve received countless reports about deceptive and fraudulent efforts to collect signatures, including eyewitness testimony of petitions being left unattended and fake signature writing,” a statement from a pro-Price group called Protect The Win says. “The Alameda County Registrar of Voters also informed the public last year that if an election moves forward, it would cost taxpayers $15 to $20 million dollars.”

Of the 123,000 signatures submitted, 73,195 must be verified as being from Alameda County residents, and without duplicates. The fact that tomorrow is the March 5 primary certainly complicates that timeline, as there are tens of thousands of votes coming in for the county election office to tally as well.

The Bay Area News Group notes that if the signatures are validated, a recall election could be as early as May of this year, or possibly as late as the November 5 election.

Related: The Recall Pamela Price Campaign Kicks Off Its Signature-Gathering Effort [SFist

Image: @AlamedaCountyDA via Twitter