Cooley, Other Officials Back State Takeover of South Gate Elections

Carmen Avalos, the South Gate city clerk, shouldn’t want for work these days.

Every elected official in her city is facing a voter recall drive, and it’s her job to oversee the process.

But after the City Council stripped Avalos of most of her duties, the small-city clerk has attracted some big-time friends.

In the past week, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, state Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier) and Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh (D-Los Angeles) have backed Avalos’ effort to have the state take over the city’s elections.

“Unfortunately, many residents of South Gate have lost faith in the election process,” said Firebaugh, who lives in the city.

California Secretary of State Bill Jones on Thursday stopped short of saying that he would run the city’s elections, but he said investigators would be sent to oversee the electoral process.

“The type of fear, intimidation and questionable campaign tactics that have plagued the elections’ climate and the orderly conduct of government in the city of South Gate cannot continue,” Jones said in a statement.

The unusual request for outside monitoring comes after the administration stripped Avalos of her electoral duties and hired an interim clerk, claiming Avalos is unqualified and biased because she also is a target of a voter recall.

“I think anybody would do a better job than Ms. Avalos,” Treasurer Albert Robles said.

But Avalos said officials really aim to control the elections by installing their own person with the power to throw out the recalls on technicalities.

In 2000, residents were outraged when then-City Clerk Nina Banuelos invalidated recall attempts against Robles and Vice Mayor Xochilt Ruvalcaba, even though the city attorney said the recall petitions appeared valid.

The election controversy is just the latest clash between Avalos and the council majority over control of the clerk’s office. Days after Avalos defeated a majority-backed candidate in last year’s election, her salary was slashed. Avalos said she has never been allowed to perform the normal duties of a city clerk, such as preparing agendas.

And on Thursday, police were called to Avalos office to keep order while city workers tried to confiscate her computer. The council majority accuses her of using the computer for political purposes, a charge she denies.

Avalos’ status as the city’s top election official seemed in question the moment recall notices were served in October against Mayor Raul Moriel, Ruvalcaba and Councilwoman Maria Benavides.

At the council meeting Oct. 23, City Atty. Salvador Alva took copies of the recall petitions meant for Avalos and without explanation left City Hall.

Alva later said he took those actions as a “cautious” measure to protect the city’s interests, but recall supporters suspected electoral subterfuge.

Last month, the council hired a new election official, Julia Sylva, former city attorney in Hawaiian Gardens. She has the right to invalidate a recall drive for reasons ranging from signature fraud to not filing paperwork by the deadline.

Though they are satisfied with Sylva’s qualifications, city officials say they would also welcome greater state scrutiny.

“I’m not adverse to the idea,” Alva said.

Organizers against Robles and the council majority, who allege corruption, say they are approaching their goal. They need to gather the signatures of 20% of registered voters to qualify for the ballot.

Meanwhile, supporters of the council majority recently launched recall drives against Avalos and Councilmen Hector De La Torre and Henry Gonzalez.

Cooley, Firebaugh and Escutia said they became involved because of South Gate’s volatile and sometimes violent history of election-related incidents.

Investigations by Cooley’s public integrity unit led to the conviction last year of a former council candidate on electoral fraud charges. Prosecutors filed similar charges against another former candidate last month.

They have also filed charges against a printer for allegedly producing hit-piece mailers during the city’s most recent election.