Avenal voters recall four city councilmembers amid legal challenges
Avenal recall proponents said the early results in the special election to recall four of the five City Council members show residents want a change at city hall.
The recall ballot included Avenal City Council members Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez and Mayor Alvaro Preciado. Semiofficial results indicate all four officials will be voted out. The yes votes exceeded the 50%-plus-one threshold.
“Avenal has finally stood up. Avenal has a voice,” said Dalila Barajas. “A large percent of the registered voters has spoken. We no longer want your leadership and it’s time for you to go.”
Barajas was one of the Avenal residents who initiated the recall last summer, citing perceived disrespect toward constituents, lack of transparency and Brown Act violations from the current leadership.
Preciado’s and Hernandez’s terms expire in November. Gamez’s and Reynosa’s terms expire in 2028. Ricardo Verdugo was the only council member not being recalled. His term expires in November 2028. City Council members are elected at large for four-year terms.
Avenal voters cast their votes April 28 following an unsuccessful attempt by the city to halt the special election. Their ballots were sequestered for 17 days pending an appeal, pausing counts while the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno reviewed the election’s legality.
On May 13, the appeals court ordered Kings County registrar to process the ballots and move toward certification. The county processed and tabulated the last 160 ballots on Monday in front of public observers including proponents and opponents of the recall.
Barajas, who went to the election office on Monday to observe, said the special election shows the importance of voting for a city to move forward with new leadership.
Frank Lopez, a resident and opponent of the recall, attended the last tabulation to observe the process, which he believes was illegally initiated.
Lopez, who is the brother of Avenal City Manager Antony Lopez and works as a consultant, said he reluctantly cast his ballot under protest due to concerns about the recall election legitimacy.
“I do believe in the democratic process,” he said. Lopez said it’s a waste of money to have a recall election when two officials on the recall ballot have their terms expire in November.
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Semiofficial results of the election, as of Monday, show 714 ballots were counted, a voter turnout of 30.4%. The city has 2,346 registered voters.
Registrar Lupe Villa said the election office has nine ballots that are outstanding pending cured letters from the voters whose signatures did not match. He expects certification to be done by May 28.
The city maintains that the recall process was conducted unlawfully, that municipal elections must be conducted only by authorized city officials.
Avenal filed an appeal the day before the special election, requesting its cancellation. The city’s action was taken after the Kings County Superior Court denied Avenal’s request for a preliminary injunction, allowing the election to continue.
On April 27, the Court of Appeal denied Avenal’s request to stop the election and directed the county to refrain from counting the ballots or certifying the results while it considered the city’s arguments that the election was unlawful.
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The Court of Appeal’s ruling last week did not address the legality of the recall election and lifted the stay on proceedings in the trial court. Both parties are due back in court in Hanford on June 12 for a case management conference.
The city filed a lawsuit against Kings County on March 4 challenging the validity of the recall election, including that the county’s registrar of voters did not have the authority to administer the election.
Judge Robert Burns said recall elections are rare, and having four out of five City Council members recalled is extremely rare.
In his April 23 ruling, Burns said granting the preliminary injunction to stop the recall election would undermine the democratic process and harm “the voting public who would have their votes invalidated.”
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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Avenal voters recall four city councilmembers amid legal challenges."
