The four Avenal City Council members who refused to leave office after voters overwhelmingly recalled them will finally step down following a court ruling upholding the election results.
Mayor Alvaro Preciado and councilmembers Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez had remained in office despite the April recall, arguing that Kings County officials did not have the authority to administer the election.
The council later voted to reject the results and keep the four members in their seats. But a court has now ruled the recall election results must stand, clearing the way for the four officials to leave office.
The ruling marks the latest turn in a months-long political crisis that has engulfed Avenal, a Central California city of roughly 13,000 people about 60 miles southwest of Fresno.
The city rose to prominence during California’s oil boom after petroleum was discovered in the area in the 1930s. By 1940, Avenal had developed a reputation for having some of the state’s best schools and public services.
The recall battle has since transformed the small oil town into the center of an extraordinary local-government fight.
Each of the four officials received more than 76% of the vote in favor of their removal in April, according to previous reports.
The latest court ruling now puts an end to the council’s effort to remain in office.
“We respect the Court’s decision,” City Manager Antony V. López said in a statement, while maintaining that the city was justified in taking its legal questions to court rather than immediately surrendering its position.
Kings County also confirmed that the recalled officials can no longer continue serving on the council.
The departure, however, creates another problem for Avenal: Ricardo Verdugo, the only councilmember who survived the recall, is now the sole remaining member.
Because Verdugo alone does not constitute a quorum, the city says the council cannot take official action until enough lawfully elected members are seated.
The turmoil follows an earlier decision by county supervisors to place the four disputed council seats on the November ballot in an effort to restore a functioning city government.
Preciado remains eligible to seek office again in November, with the court ruling that his nomination papers must be accepted and processed.
For now, the four recalled officials are expected to vacate their seats once the court ruling takes effect, bringing a dramatic new chapter to the political upheaval that has consumed the former California oil boomtown.
