The mayor of Avenal, a former California oil boomtown now caught in a heated recall fight, says he has no plans to leave office yet, despite voters decisively removing him from his post.
Mayor Alvaro Preciado addressed the dispute publicly in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, as he and two other recalled councilmembers continue to serve even after an April recall election removed four of the city’s five elected officials.
At a June 11 meeting, Preciado joined councilmembers Leticia Gamez and Pablo Hernandez in voting to reject the recall results and remain in office. They argued the election was invalid because Kings County conducted it without authorization from the city council.
When asked whether he would step down if a judge rules against him, Preciado told the Chronicle, “That’s a legal question that we will probably be looking at. If it was a legal election from the beginning, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
The standoff has deepened tensions in Avenal, a small Kings County city of about 13,000 people located roughly 60 miles southwest of Fresno.
In the April election, voters chose to recall four of the five city council members, with each recall measure drawing at least 76% support.
The recalled officials had previously gone to court in an effort to stop the election, but the Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled that the vote count could not be interrupted once it was underway.
The fight advanced again this week after California Attorney General Rob Bonta approved a quo warranto action against the recalled officials, allowing recall organizers to pursue a lawsuit challenging the councilmembers’ authority to stay in office.
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Election law experts say the rarely used legal process is designed for situations like the one now unfolding in Avenal.
Preciado says Kings County exceeded its authority by administering the recall election.
“The County has no stake in the outcome of the recall election,” Kings County Executive Officer Kyria Martinez told the outlet. “Its role is simply to uphold the law and ensure that the voices of the voters, who followed the established process, are heard.”
The fight has also grown increasingly personal.
Preciado and other city leaders, who are Latino, have said they faced threats and racist comments during the recall battle.
During the June 11 meeting, one resident questioned whether a councilmember spoke English, while other remarks during public comment sparked outrage and accusations of racism.
“Never before have I seen this,” Preciado said.
“We’re just trying to move the city in a good direction, and trying to make the best decisions that will benefit the whole community, not only a section of the community.”
The city later issued a statement condemning “threats of violence, intimidations, racist remarks and disparaging comments directed at public officials, city staff or members of the community.”
The next Avenal City Council meeting is scheduled for June 25, and recall supporters say they will continue pushing for the four recalled officials to leave office.
