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Ignacio Velazquez recall, Hollister, California (2021)
| Hollister Mayoral recall |
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| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2021 Recalls in California California recall laws Mayoral recalls Recall reports |
An effort in Hollister, California, to recall Mayor Ignacio Velazquez was initiated in March 2021.[1] Petition filings were rejected by the Hollister City Clerk Christine Black twice due to errors in the way they were filed. A third attempt to file a notice of intent began in June 2021.[2] On July 27, 2021, Black notified recall organizers that the third recall effort was invalid after a portion of the approved notice of intent was published in the Free Lance. State code requires that notices of intent are published in full.[3]
To read about other recall efforts related to the coronavirus and government responses to the pandemic, click here.
Recall supporters
The recall effort was organized by Hillister resident Celeste Toledo-Bocanegra and a group called Recall Mayor Velazquez 2021. Toledo-Bocanegra accused Velazquez of engaging in divisive behavior, failing to build a consensus for public policy, using social media to attack political opponents, being hostile to job creation in the city, and supporting fines for businesses staying open during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][1]
Recall opponents
Velazquez said that those involved in organizing the recall "believe that elections should be held three or four times or whatever number it takes to get the results they want."[1]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in California
Recalls of local officials in California start with notices of intent to targeted officials. Each notice requires signatures from 10 city residents, the name of the targeted official, and reasoning for the recall that cannot exceed 200 words. A copy of the notice is delivered to the city clerk, who publishes the notice in at least three public places. Targeted officials have seven days following receipt of their notices to issue statements of defense. A recall petition can be circulated against each targeted official once the notice of intent is published.
Petition filings were rejected by the city clerk twice due to errors in the way they were filed. A third attempt to file a notice of intent began in June 2021.[2] On July 27, 2021, Black notified recall organizers that the third recall effort was invalid after a portion of the approved notice of intent was published in the Free Lance. State code requires that notices of intent must be published in full.[3]
Ballotpedia covered 35 coronavirus-related recall efforts against 94 officials in 2022, accounting for 13% of recalls that year. This is a decrease from both 2020 and 2021. COVID-related recalls accounted for 37% of all recall efforts in both 2020 and 2021. In 2020, there were 87 COVID-related recalls against 89 officials, and in 2021, there were 131 against 214 officials.
The chart below compares coronavirus-related recalls to recalls for all other reasons in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 BenitoLink, "Group launches recall of Hollister Mayor," April 16, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Facebook, "Celeste Toledo-Bocanegra," accessed June 7, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 San Benito, "After another snag, group abandons effort to recall mayor," July 28, 2021
- ↑ Youtube," "Celeste Toledo-Bocanegra Announces Recall Campaign," March 16, 2021
