Elected officials in California’s Avenal city are defying voters who overwhelmingly ousted them from office—a decision that has left local government operations in disarray.
On April 28, a recall election certified by Kings County’s Registrar of Voters saw Mayor Alvaro Preciado and three city council members—Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa, and Pablo Hernandez—removed from their positions with at least 76% approval across the board. The vote followed persistent voter concerns about transparency and the council’s prior decision to terminate contracts with the county fire department.
Despite the clear mandate for removal, Preciado, Gamez, and Hernandez rejected voters’ will on June 11 by remaining in office and approving a new city budget—a move that occurred even after recall advocates secured a restraining order against their continued leadership. One official described the situation as “I’ve never seen a city so deflated.”
The officials clinging to power maintain the recall election was unlawfully conducted by Kings County and lacked proper authorization from the council itself, but their actions have underscored a pattern of disregarding constituent authority.
