Avenal council declines to acknowledge county-certified recall results, citing legal concerns

The Avenal City Council voted to decline recognition of Kings County's certification of the April 28, 2026 recall election and adopted an attached resolution directing the city to preserve continuity of government while legal challenges continue.

Why it matters: The council's decision keeps the status quo for city operations while the legality of the county's role in administering and certifying a municipal recall is litigated. City staff warned that accepting the county certification could create a months-long loss of quorum and legal uncertainty for municipal business.

During a staff report, the acting elections official laid out three options: accept the county-certified results (which staff said could be interpreted as waiving procedural objections), decline to accept the certification and adopt the resolution (the recommended approach), or defer action pending further review. The presentation cited potential conflicts with Elections Code sections 10262, 10263, 10264 and 11328 and referenced a June 4, 2026 letter from Attorney General Rob Bonta as part of the background for council consideration.

Public comment preceding the council's vote was strongly focused on the recall itself. Several residents—including Teresa Pierre and Kelly Guzman—urged recalled council members to step down and pressured the council to honor the certified election results. Other commenters announced court filings and quo warranto actions seeking to remove recalled members from office; those filings were described by commenters as recently served on the council.

Council action: After the staff presentation, the acting elections official moved to adopt option two (decline to accept the county certification and adopt the attached resolution). A second was recorded and the roll-call vote passed with three members voting in favor and two members absent. The city clerk recorded the motion as passed by a board of three present and two absent.

What the resolution does: The adopted resolution declines to recognize the county's purported recall results for the reasons stated in the attached materials and directs staff to preserve municipal operations while the legal disputes are resolved. The resolution number referenced in the staff report is 2026-37; a roll-call statement at the vote referenced a resolution recorded as 2026-2 in the meeting record. The transcript does not provide a reconciled single resolution number in the meeting text; the council record should be consulted for the official document number.

Next steps: The legal disagreement remains active. Commenters said they have filed superior-court and quo warranto actions and that interested parties were directed to submit opposition to the attorney general by June 15, 2026. The council did not announce additional immediate actions beyond adopting the resolution and relying on counsel and the courts to resolve outstanding questions.

Votes at a glance: Motion to decline county certification (adopt option two): passed, recorded as 3 yes, 0 no, 2 absent.

Sources: Staff presentation and roll call during the Avenal City Council meeting, June 11, 2026. Public comments by Teresa Pierre and Kelly Guzman, and statements from commenters announcing court filings were recorded during the public comment period.