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A small farm community an hour from Fresno is tangled up in an ongoing legal battle that has erupted into disarray after its mayor and city council, except for one member, were recalled in a special election that they claim was illegal. The councilmembers and mayor are now refusing to leave office.
A special election was held in April after a citizen-led campaign pushed to oust four of the five members of the Avenal City Council after disagreements over a new fire protocol policy boiled over, according to local reporting from the Fresno Bee.
During the April 28 special election, residents voted in favor of the recall. Kings County officially certified the results in May after more than 75% of voters agreed to recall Mayor Alvaro Preciado and councilmembers Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez.
The effort first came into swing last year after the council voted to create its own fire department and hire a fire chief, which would more than double the annual fire fees.
But those members refuse to leave office. They maintain that only the city, not the county, has the jurisdiction to call a special election. The last remaining councilmember called the election legitimate and asked for his colleagues to step down, according to local Fox news affiliate KMPH-TV.
After the members rejected the recall, they still met last Thursday for their normal meeting, resulting in an uproar. Residents were reportedly furious during that June 11 meeting. Some shouted at the councilmembers, according to KMPH-TV, which reported one person saying they were corrupt and “worse than Trump.”…
The only way for those members to permanently be removed is through a legal process called quo warranto, which is already underway, according to an update from the city on Monday, and approval from the attorney general. SFGATE reached Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to ask if it was looking into the matter but did not hear back in time for publication… (more)
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What may this mean for other recall efforts in California if this case is not settled in favor of the citizens? And where will California Attorney General Bonta stand on this issue?