This opinion was contributed by Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aqui.

Sadly, the Scam Recall attempt of Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez never should have been on the ballot. But here we are several weeks from Election Day when District 5 voters must resoundingly reject this outrageous question. 

Here are five reasons why this is a massive scam: 

1. Recall planning started before Velazquez even took office: 

Organizers’ supporters were openly discussing a recall on social media shortly after Velazquez won his race with 57% of the vote, and before he took office, with constant calls for “Recall.” Then they waited the shortest legally allowable timeframe ‒ a few short months ‒ before formally launching a signature-gathering campaign. 

How do you justify a recall attempt before someone even has the chance to do their job? Remember, recalls are meant as a rarely used recourse, typically if an official commits a serious crime or deceives the public. None of this was the case with Velazquez.

2. Recall based on misinformation: 

Organizers had to come up with false narratives to sell their scheme. So they made up the most eye-catching story they could imagine ‒ that Velazquez somehow doesn’t support public safety ‒ which is an outright fabrication. 

Velazquez joined the board in the middle of negotiations between the county and Hollister for fire protection services. He played a key role in finalizing a deal, stabilizing fire protection services with the same service levels for another five years as jurisdictions explore long-term options. 

When the public safety tale didn’t stick ‒ especially after the fire contract approval ‒ the recall group veered and picked varying false narratives in their attacks. 

3. Signature gatherers misled voters to get recall on ballot: 

With the recall going nowhere in 2025, organizers hired signature gatherers from Florida and L.A. who blatantly lied to voters at their doors in order to garner the needed signatures for placement on the ballot. They needed more than 1,800 signatures and ended up with just nine more than the minimum requirement only because they lied to our residents. 

Dozens upon dozens of residents have confirmed ‒ as did video evidence ‒ that signature gatherers told voters they were signing a petition to protect firefighter jobs or increase firefighter pay while never mentioning a recall. This is a serious crime, but it was too late to stop the scam from being printed on the ballot. 

4. Developers want to remove slow-growth supervisors: 

Always remember the old saying in politics: Follow the money, which was easy with the recall attempt. Developers and known development allies are listed on the group’s own campaign finance forms as donating tens of thousands of dollars to the effort. This isn’t a coincidence, of course, as Velazquez is a staunch supporter of slower housing growth while the county works to upgrade its infrastructure, particularly roads. 

5. Organizers are all supporters of massive housing growth: 

This isn’t a grassroots campaign as claimed. It was pushed by former candidates who lost in the 2024 elections ‒ former Mayor Mia Casey, former Councilman Rick Perez and former supervisor candidate Stacie McGrady ‒ all of whom are known supporters of housing sprawl. Their motive is clear: Remove slow-growth supervisors so developers can build wherever they want again. 

The real question isn’t whether to recall Velazquez. It is this: Do we really want special interests deciding our representation and future through a blatant scam? I have faith voters see through the misinformation and will send a strong message on the June ballot. 

BenitoLink invites all community members to share their ideas and opinions. By registering as a BenitoLink user in the top right corner of our home page and agreeing to follow our Terms of Use, you can write counter opinions or share your insights on current issues.