Avenal, a small Central Valley city of 13,500, has been plunged into political turmoil after voters overwhelmingly recalled four of its five city council members in April. The recalled officials, however, have refused to leave office, arguing that the recall was improperly conducted. The dispute has divided the community and prompted an investigation by the Kings County district attorney, while the California attorney general has approved a lawsuit to determine the officials’ legal right to remain in office.
Zev Yaroslavsky, director of the Los Angeles Initiative at UCLA Luskin, warned that the situation could have implications beyond Avenal. “We are a democracy of laws, not of whim,” he said, calling the council members’ continued service “unprecedented.” He added that they are “gumming up the works” by challenging the election and argued that officials recalled by voters should not continue making decisions for a constituency they are no longer legally entitled to represent.
