City of Coachella Rejects Recall Petitions Against Two Councilmembers Over Elections Code Violations

The City of Coachella has formally rejected petitions seeking the recall of City Councilmembers Yadira Perez and Denise Delgado after determining that the filings failed to comply with requirements outlined in the California Elections Code.

The recall effort was initiated during the June 10 Coachella City Council meeting, when recall proponents served Notices of Intention to Recall on both councilmembers and filed the original notices with the City Clerk's Office.

Following what city officials described as a thorough legal review, the City concluded that both notices were legally deficient and could not be accepted.

According to the City, the petitions were rejected for two primary reasons:

• The notices did not contain the minimum number of signatures required under the California Elections Code.

• The notices failed to include the city and ZIP code of the signatories, information that is expressly required by state law.

In a statement, city officials emphasized that the City Clerk's Office does not have the authority to waive or overlook such deficiencies.

"State law does not give the City Clerk the discretion to overlook this non-compliance," the City said. "Therefore, the City Clerk's Office was required to reject both filings as part of their ministerial duty."

As a result of the rejection, the City stated that no further action will be taken regarding the two notices. Councilmembers Perez and Delgado have also been informed that they are not required to file formal answers to the rejected recall notices.

The City noted that the rejection does not prevent recall proponents from starting the process again. If supporters of the recall wish to submit new Notices of Intention, they may do so, and the City will review any future filings for legal compliance.

Meanwhile, organizers behind the recall effort told NBC Palm Springs that they plan to refile the petitions on Tuesday and intend to submit approximately 100 signatures in support of the recall effort.

The announcement signals that despite the setback, recall proponents are moving forward with a renewed attempt to launch recall campaigns against Perez and Delgado.

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Any newly submitted notices will again be subject to review under California election laws before the recall process can proceed.