\u201cAvenal has finally stood up. Avenal has a voice,\u201d said Dalila Barajas. \u201cA large percent of the registered voters has spoken. We no longer want your leadership and it\u2019s time for you to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barajas was one of the Avenal residents who initiated the recall last summer, citing perceived disrespect toward constituents, lack of transparency and Brown Act violations from the current leadership.<\/p>\n
Preciado\u2019s and Hernandez\u2019s terms expire in November. Gamez\u2019s and Reynosa\u2019s terms expire in 2028. Ricardo Verdugo was the only council member not being recalled. His term expires in November 2028. City Council members are elected at large for four-year terms.<\/p>\n
Avenal\u2019s effort to halt the recall of four City Council members was denied on April 23 by a Hanford judge, keeping ballots and voting active while the city\u2019s lawsuit continues. The city filed an appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
Avenal voters cast their votes April 28 following an unsuccessful attempt by the city to halt the special election. Their ballots were sequestered for 17 days pending an appeal, pausing counts while the Fifth District Court of Appeal<\/a> in Fresno reviewed the election\u2019s legality.<\/p>\n On May 13, the appeals court ordered Kings County registrar to process the ballots and move toward certification. The county processed and tabulated the last 160 ballots on Monday in front of public observers including proponents and opponents of the recall.<\/p>\n Barajas, who went to the election office on Monday to observe, said the special election shows the importance of voting for a city to move forward with new leadership.<\/p>\n Frank Lopez, a resident and opponent of the recall, attended the last tabulation to observe the process, which he believes was illegally initiated.<\/p>\n Lopez, who is the brother of Avenal City Manager Antony Lopez and works as a consultant, said he reluctantly cast his ballot under protest due to concerns about the recall election legitimacy.<\/p>\n \u201cI do believe in the democratic process,\u201d he said. Lopez said it\u2019s a waste of money to have a recall election when two officials on the recall ballot have their terms expire in November.<\/p>\n Semiofficial results of the election,<\/a> as of Monday, show 714 ballots were counted, a voter turnout of 30.4%. The city has 2,346 registered voters.<\/p>\n Registrar Lupe Villa said the election office has nine ballots that are outstanding pending cured letters from the voters whose signatures did not match. He expects certification to be done by May 28.<\/p>\n The city maintains that the recall process was conducted unlawfully, that municipal elections must be conducted only by authorized city officials.<\/p>\n Avenal filed an appeal the day before the special election, requesting its cancellation. The city\u2019s action was taken after the Kings County Superior Court denied Avenal\u2019s request for a preliminary injunction, allowing the election to continue.<\/p>\n On April 27, the Court of Appeal denied Avenal\u2019s request<\/a> to stop the election and directed the county to refrain from counting the ballots or certifying the results while it considered the city\u2019s arguments that the election was unlawful.<\/p>\n The Court of Appeal\u2019s ruling last week did not address the legality of the recall election and lifted the stay on proceedings in the trial court. Both parties are due back in court in Hanford on June 12 for a case management conference.<\/p>\n The city filed a lawsuit against Kings County on March 4 challenging the validity of the recall election, including that the county\u2019s registrar of voters did not have the authority to administer the election.<\/p>\n Judge Robert Burns said recall elections are rare, and having four out of five City Council members recalled is extremely rare.<\/p>\n In his April 23 ruling, Burns said granting the preliminary injunction to stop the recall election would undermine the democratic process and harm \u201cthe voting public who would have their votes invalidated.\u201d<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones<\/a><\/p>\n The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones is a reporter and photographer for McClatchy\u2019s Vida en el Valle publication and the Fresno Bee. She covers issues that impact the Latino community in the Central Valley. She is a regular contributor to La Abeja, The Bee\u2019s free weekly newsletter on Latino issues. | Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones es reportera y fot\u00f3grafa de la publicaci\u00f3n Vida en el Valle de McClatchy y el Fresno Bee. Ella cubre temas que impactan a la comunidad latina en el Valle Central. Es colaboradora habitual de La Abeja, el bolet\u00edn semanal gratuito de The Bee sobre temas latinos. After a court order put the city of Avenal’s recall election ballots under lock for 17 days, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled May 13 for the Kings County registrar to process the ballots. The county processed and tabulated approximately 160 ballots, the last ones to be counted, on Monday, May 18. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
After a court order put the city of Avenal’s recall election ballots under lock for 17 days, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled May 13 for the Kings County registrar to process the ballots. The county processed and tabulated approximately 160 ballots, the last ones to be counted, on Monday, May 18. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
After a court order put the city of Avenal’s recall election ballots under lock for 17 days, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled May 13 for the Kings County registrar to process the ballots. The county processed and tabulated approximately 160 ballots, the last ballots to be counted, on Monday, May 18. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
After a court order put the city of Avenal’s recall election ballots under lock for 17 days, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled May 13 for the Kings County registrar to process the ballots. The county processed and tabulated approximately 160 ballots, the last ballots to be counted, on Monday, May 18. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
After a court order put the city of Avenal’s recall election ballots under lock for 17 days, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno ruled May 13 for the Kings County registrar to process the ballots. The county processed and tabulated approximately 160 ballots, the last ballots to be counted, on Monday, May 18. Mar\u00eda G. Ortiz-Briones mortizbriones@fresnobee.com
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