AVENAL, Calif. – On a triple-digit afternoon, the drive to Avenal feels like a smaller version of a journey through the Central Valley itself.
The highway stretches past fields baked beige by the summer sun. Dust hangs in the air. Orchards give way to cattle ranches.
Arriving in Avenal, known as the "Pistachio Capital of the World," nothing seems out of the ordinary at first.
The streets are quiet. Residents are going about their daily routines, stopping at local businesses or chatting with neighbors.
The loudest sounds come from birds perched in the trees, and large pickup trucks that roll through.
But behind its small-town charm, Avenal has become the center of one of the most unusual political disputes unfolding anywhere in California. It’s a battle over city leadership that has divided residents, drawn legal scrutiny and raised questions about how local government should function.
Turmoil in Avenal
The town of about 13,000 — the population includes the inmates housed at a nearby prison — is going through a lot of turmoil.
It all started last year when elected officials in Avenal wanted to establish their own fire department.
At one point, the city was paying Kings County $425,000 each year for fire services.
But last year, the county informed the city that the annual fee would increase to nearly $1.1 million.
Avenal officials, feeling the pinch of rising costs for fire services, ultimately pushed the city to consider creating its own fire department.
Kings County ended fire services for Avenal on March 28. Avenal Fire Chief Jacob McAfee said the city’s fire department officially began operating this year on June 1.
But the fire service decisions led many residents to say city leaders did not offer much transparency over the matter.
McAfee said the department is run by a combination of using two paid staff positions — an engineer and a captain — plus reserve members, volunteers and interns.
"While they're volunteers, we treat them exactly the same," McAfee said. "They're required to do the same things within their scope."
But some residents in Avenal have been concerned that volunteer firefighters would not be as qualified for the job as professionals. Others just wanted more input in the decisions.
Kings County even sued the City of Avenal for alleged Brown Act violations involving decisions made over the department.
The Kings County Registrar of Voters certified the results in May. Not all residents cast a vote, but of those who did, more than 75% voted to oust Mayor Alvaro Preciado and Councilmembers Leticia Gamez, David Reynosa and Pablo Hernandez.
The officials who were recalled have contested the election results, saying the election wasn’t valid because it wasn’t ordered by the city.
This has raised questions about who is actually running the city. Avenal City Manager Antony V. Lopez said the public officials still have local power.
"The council is still in place, all five council members. Nobody has resigned," Lopez said.
Lopez said an ongoing court case in the Kings County Superior Court is still trying to decide whether the recall was valid or not.
Ricardo Verdugo, another Avenal council member who was not recalled, held a special public meeting in early July, where he motioned, seconded and approved himself as mayor of the city.
But Lopez, the active city manager, said at least three council members must be present to pass such motion.
"It wasn't a valid meeting," Lopez said. "You would still have needed the quorum even if let's suppose that there is a vacancy or seats were recalled, that doesn't change the count or the makeup of the council."
KVPR reached out to Verdugo for comment, but he was advised by his attorney not to speak about the matter.
Another topic that no officials can speak about in Avenal is a possible criminal investigation. In early July, the Kings County District Attorney's Office executed search warrants for seven locations within the city, including the city manager’s residence.
The details of that investigation have not been clear.
Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle, who represents Avenal in District 2, also did not respond in time for this story to questions about the county’s involvement in the matters.
Tension in city business
The schedule for Avenal City Council meetings remains in flux amid the political battles, said Lopez, the city manager.
On Thursday, an announcement on the City of Avenal’s Facebook page informed residents about a "special city council meeting" that was scheduled for that same day.
The announcement stated that the only roll call would be for Verdugo, and that he would conduct business regarding letters of interest for four vacant council seats.
The Facebook post was removed a few hours after it was published. But the meeting was still held at the Avenal Elementary School, according to a recording on Facebook.
Lopez, the city manager, said the next “official” city council meeting in Avenal is scheduled for Aug. 13, at the Avenal Theater. Two other meetings scheduled for July were cancelled due to the city’s “summer schedule.”
Residents watch from afar
Some residents in Avenal are watching the political drama unfold but say they don’t want any part of it.
At Taqueria El Vecino, which translates to "The Neighbor," life marches on.
46-year-old Claudia Castillo is the owner of the restaurant and has lived in Avenal for 10 years.
“I just see the gossip they post on Facebook, but that's it . . . We don't get too involved in it,” she said in Spanish. "It doesn't affect me.”
Maria Ventura, 57, a worker at the same restaurant who has lived in Avenal for three years, said that everything is very confusing.
She has heard about city council members not wanting to leave office, and that there have been changes with the fire department. But beyond that, she doesn’t know who is right or who is wrong.
