Cecilia Iglesias recall, Santa Ana, California (2020)

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Santa Ana City Council recall
Officeholders
Cecilia Iglesias
Recall status
Recall approved
Recall election date
May 19, 2020
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2020 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

An effort in Santa Ana, California, to recall Ward 6 Councilwoman Cecilia "Ceci" Iglesias was initiated in December 2019. The recall election took place on May 19, 2020, and voters approved Iglesias' recall by a vote of 55.6% to 44.4%. Nelida Mendoza Yanez was selected from a field of three candidates to replace Iglesias on the council.

Supporters of the recall accused Iglesias of being unfit for office due to her opposition to various measures related to housing in Santa Ana, police salaries, after-school programs, and public safety initiatives. Opponents of the recall said that Iglesias was targeted solely because she voted against a pay raise for police officers, which she did not believe the City of Santa Ana could afford.

Recall vote

The recall election was on May 19, 2020. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered the city to hold an all-mail ballot election, due to the public health threat posed by COVID-19. Each Santa Ana voter was mailed a ballot beginning on April 20, and the completed ballot was required to be postmarked or dropped off at a designated location by May 19.

Yes/no recall question

Iglesias was subject to a recall election on May 19, 2020.

Cecilia Iglesias recall, 2020

Cecilia Iglesias lost the Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 recall election on May 19, 2020.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
		✖	Yes	55.6	11,876
			No	44.4	9,475
			Total Votes		21,351

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It has been certified. Source

Replacement question

Three candidates ran in a May 19 special general election to replace Cecilia Iglesias as the Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 councilmember.

General election

Special general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 6

Nelida Mendoza defeated Thai Viet Phan and Angie Rosario Cano in the special general election for Santa Ana City Council Ward 6 on May 19, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nelida Mendoza (Nonpartisan)	43.2	7,514
		Thai Viet Phan (Nonpartisan)	35.9	6,241
		Angie Rosario Cano (Nonpartisan)	20.9	3,635

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,390
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Recall supporters

The recall effort was backed by Gerry Serrano, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association. In an opinion piece in the Voice of OC, Serrano gave his reasons for supporting Iglesias' recall, writing that, "Local citizens, thousands of them, initiated a process to recall Ms. Iglesias because Santa Ana is suffering from a housing crisis and she voted no for affordable housing; she does not support Santa Ana’s immigrant community; she opposed revenue initiatives supporting after-school programs, homelessness and public safety; and, she posted a video advocating the defunding of the Santa Ana Police Department."

Recall opponents

Iglesias responded to the recall effort in her own article in the Voice of OC. She wrote that Serrano targeted her not because she was unfit for office, but because she voted against a salary increase for Santa Ana police officers in 2019. She stated, "On the night of Feb. 6, 2019, when the pay hike came to a vote of the City Council, I said no. My reason was simple: We can’t pay what we don’t have. ... Since that vote, Serrano has made a series of bogus complaints against me."

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in California

Recalls of local officials in California start with notices of intent to the 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.

Petitioners were required to gather valid signatures equal to 10% of the registered voters in the city. In Santa Ana, the requirement was 10,865 valid signatures. Petitioners submitted over 16,000 signatures for verification on December 18, 2019. Of the submitted signatures, 10,870 were verified by the Orange County Registrar of Voters on February 3, 2020, exceeding the required threshold by five signatures. The Santa Ana City Council then scheduled the special recall election for May 19, 2020.

See also

• Recall campaigns in California
• Political recall efforts, 2020
• City council recalls
• Cecilia Iglesias
• Municipal elections in Santa Ana, California (2018)

External links

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• Santa Ana, California