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San Benito County Supervisor Ignacio Velazquez has filed a lawsuit this week against San Benito County Registrar of Voters Francisco Diaz seeking to remove his recall from the June 2 election ballot.
Velazquez argues that the signatures used to initiate the recall process were invalid because the addresses were incomplete, similar to the argument used by fellow Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki to challenge a separate recall attempt targeting him.
Velazquez told BenitoLink that only eight of the signatures on the recall notice of intention had “everything complete according to law.”
Some of the signatures, which can be seen in the notice of intention filed by the group leading the recall and made public by the elections office, are missing a city, zip code, or both.
Diaz said he does not have the authority to unilaterally decide contested issues once a measure is filed, certified and placed on the ballot.
The group leading the recall, which calls itself Safer San Benito, argues that zip codes are not needed to identify registered voters in San Benito County.
Velazquez had until noon on April 8 to file his opening brief, while Diaz has until 8:30 a.m. on April 9 to file his.
A hearing is scheduled for April 10 at 1:30 p.m. in San Benito County Superior Court.
Two weeks ago, Kosmicki told the elections office that the group seeking to oust him had submitted incomplete addresses, missing city and zip codes, in the notice of intention to recall him. The elections office then rejected the notice, arguing “no residence address was given.”
That prompted criticism from both supervisors, as well as from the groups leading both recalls, to the office led by Diaz, who’s currently running for reelection.
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