A California town hall meeting erupted into disorder as shouting, finger-pointing and accusations of racism filled the room after elected officials who were removed by voters refused to give up their seats.
In April, residents of Avenal, a city roughly 200 miles south of San Francisco, voted in a special election to recall Mayor Alvaro Preciado along with councilmembers Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez.
Despite the outcome, the mayor and all but one member of the city council have declined to step aside.
That standoff fueled outrage at Thursday’s regularly scheduled council meeting, where frustrated residents demanded the officials resign during a tense confrontation that lasted nearly an hour.
Among the speakers was Tom Chastine, who said he has lived in Avenal since he was 18, and who blasted the officials as “clowns” in a sharp rebuke from the floor.
‘I know my constitutional rights, and you can’t tell me anything because you’re not the mayor. Do you understand that part?’ he said, according to video of the meeting.
He then escalated his remarks by saying: “Or do you need somebody to translate for you into Spanish, so you understand?”
Chastine previously told the press that, if it was his decision, he would ‘drag them out of here,’ the Fresno Bee reported.
Avenal local Tom Chastine, who previously blasted the lawmakers by saying he would ‘drag them out of here,’ called them clowns during the meeting on Thursday
The California city’s mayor, Alvaro Preciado, has not left office despite being recalled in an April 28 special election
Chastine called for the officials to ‘relocate’ and alluded to the ‘burritos in prison or jail.’
‘You guys sit here like you guys own this town,’ he said. ‘You don’t. We put you in office.’
He was almost forcibly removed from the event by police after his outburst, according to the outlet.
Preciado, the mayor, previously said the issue was a civil matter, rather than a criminal case.
‘If I get arrested today, so what? Let it be, but it’s going to set a precedent about who’s got authority and who doesn’t,’ he said, according to the Fresno Bee.
During another tense moment, Avenal resident Keith Jackson said that the lawmakers did not have ‘any respect for us’ and that they needed to get up and walk out.
‘Looking at you folks here today that are voted out is very disgusting,’ he said.
Jackson then took aim at Avenal Deputy City Clerk Karla Curiel, who was not recalled.
‘Mrs. Curiel, we want to continue this meeting, go ahead, because they don’t make your mom’s green enchiladas in jail,’ Jackson said.
‘Maybe you can help them give them the recipe,’ he added.
In the April 28 special election, more than 75 percent of voters agreed to recall the mayor and the councilmembers.
The recall effort started after the council voted to create its own fire department.
Kings County, where Avenal is, officially certified the results in May.
Avenal resident Keith Jackson called on the lawmakers to walk out during the meeting. He criticized them for not having ‘any respect for us’
From left to right: David Reynosa, Leticia Gamez, Pablo Hernandez, Alvaro Preciado and Ricardo Verdugo. Verdugo, the only one not recalled, said he considered the recall legitimate
Kelly Guzman, who said she had lived in Avenal since 1960, told the city officials during the meeting that ‘numbers don’t lie.’
‘We legally voted you out with more votes than voted you in,’ Guzman said. ‘You guys need to recognize the vote and step down.’
She accused the officials of ‘breaking our civil rights’ and accused them of ‘doing similar behaviors’ to President Donald Trump.
Posting clips from the meeting, the city of Avenal said Saturday that it condemned ‘threats of violence, intimidation, racist remarks, and disparaging comments’ at public officials, city staff and community members.
Authorities specifically pointed to a Facebook group that had supposedly ‘become a platform for personal attacks, defamatory accusations, hateful commentary, and targeted harassment’ towards city officials and their families.
The city also posted photos that had been apparently uploaded onto said group, which featured the mayor’s altered likeness with a growing nose, for instance.
‘Legal disputes are resolved in courtrooms,’ the statement read. ‘Threats and intimidation have no place in our community.’
They claimed that recent council meetings had included racist remarks, disparaging comments and ‘an atmosphere of hostility and fear.’
Reports of threats of physical violence issued against city officials were also being reviewed.
Preciado (right) waved off the possibility of being arrested, saying it would ‘set a precedent about who’s got authority and who doesn’t’
On Saturday, the city of Avenal said it condemned ‘threats of violence, intimidation, racist remarks, and disparaging comments’ at public officials, city staff and community members
The recalled lawmakers have insisted that only the city, rather than the Kings County, has the authority to call a special election.
Sarah Hacker, the county district attorney, and Sheriff Dave Putnam sent a cease-and-desist letter on June 5, which claimed that the lawmakers were remaining in office unlawfully, according to SFGATE.
The sole exception was Councilmember Ricardo Verdugo, who was not recalled.
Verdugo read a statement before last week’s meeting started in which he said he believed the recall was legitimate, according to FOX 26 News.
He called for the other city officials to step down in wake of the recall vote.
‘It’s not a legitimate closed session. Those individuals in there are not elected officials no more,’ Verdugo said, per the Fresno Bee.
The cease and desist also claimed that the officials were prohibited from using any public funds.
However, Avenal is currently in an ongoing legal dispute with Kings County about the legitimacy of the election, per the outlet.
It was unclear how the city could sue the county with the councilmembers under a cease and desist order to not spend any public funds.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Preciado, Gamez, Reynosa and Hernandez for comment.
