Overview
- Kings County certified a special election that voted to remove the mayor and three councilmembers with overwhelming margins and recall organizers say the officials were ousted from office.
- The recalled mayor and two councilmembers voted June 11 to reject the election results and remain on the dais, a move that has left local authority in dispute.
- Kings County’s district attorney sued the city for alleged Brown Act violations and the county sheriff and prosecutor issued a cease-and-desist restricting the recalled officials from using public funds in early June.
- A quo warranto removal process has been opened and California Attorney General Rob Bonta has approved a quo warranto filing to test the officials’ right to hold office, meaning a judge will likely decide the final outcome.
- The standoff has made public meetings volatile, produced restraining orders and accusations of threats and racist remarks, and has left city operations and budgeting constrained while the courts resolve who governs Avenal.