Catherine Alvarez recall, Downey, California (2021-2023)

• Recall efforts
  • Recall efforts by state
  • Recall efforts by office
  • Recall efforts by year
  • Upcoming recall elections
• Local recalls
  • City council recalls
  • Mayoral recalls
  • County commission recalls
  • County official recalls
  • School board recalls
  • Sheriff recalls
  • Special district recalls
• State and federal recalls
  • State executive recalls
  • State legislator recalls
  • U.S. Congress recalls
• Laws governing recall
  • States that have pre-petition signature requirements for recalls
  • States that require grounds for recalls
• Analysis
  • What are recalls?
  • Recall terms
  • 2024 mid-year analysis
  • 2023 year-end analysis
  • 2023 mid-year analysis
  • 2022 year-end analysis
  • 2022 mid-year analysis
  • 2021 year-end analysis
  • 2021 mid-year analysis
  • 2020 year-end analysis
  • 2020 mid-year analysis
  • 2019 year-end analysis
  • 2019 mid-year analysis
  • 2018 year-end analysis
  • 2018 mid-year analysis
  • 2017 year-end analysis
  • 2017 mid-year analysis
  • 2016 year-end analysis
  • 2016 mid-year analysis

Downey city council recall
Officeholders
Catherine Alvarez
Recall status
Recall approved
Recall election date
January 31, 2023
Signature requirement
3,454 signatures
See also
Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2023 Recalls in California California recall laws City council recalls Recall reports

Voters in Downey, California, recalled City Councilwoman Catherine Alvarez in an election on January 31, 2023.

A previous attempt to recall Alvarez did not qualify for the ballot. Organizers submitted 4,016 signatures to the Downey city clerk on January 4, 2022. A recall election was not scheduled after 3,419 signatures were verified, which was 35 short of the number required to schedule the election.

Organizers initiated the recall attempt after learning that Alvarez had been convicted in 2014 of lying under oath and welfare fraud. Alvarez replied that the recall effort was motivated by political self-interest.

Recall vote

Catherine Alvarez recall, 2023

Catherine Alvarez lost the Downey City Council District 3 recall election on January 31, 2023.

			Recall  Vote	%	Votes
		✖	Yes	90.0	3,381
			No	10.0	374
			Total Votes		3,755

---

It has been certified. Source 1 Source 2

Recall supporters

Recall organizers said Alvarez was unfit for office because she had been convicted of welfare fraud, lying under oath, and misdemeanor petty theft. The text of the recall petition appears below:

"

Council Member Alvarez has violated the trust of Downey residents in two major areas. The grounds for the recall are as follows: 1. Ms. Alvarez violated the public trust by failing to disclose her March 12, 2014, felony welfare fraud charge, Penal Code Section 10980(c)(2) and lying under oath Penal Code Section 118(a) charges. In addition, Ms. Alvarez was convicted of misdemeanor petty theft and has a lifetime ban from entering the Michaels store at The Downey Landing. 2. On April 25, 2021 at 6 am, hundreds of people and vendors, including Council member Alvarez, wearing her official City Council jacket, attended an unpermitted event at Apollo Park. There were no proper permits pulled nor did they follow CDC guidelines during the pandemic. Downey Police were called to disburse the crowd several times for disturbing the peace and several municipals code violations. [sic] The event is still under investigation by the Downey Police Department. This shows an abuse of power by an elected official.

”

Recall opponents

Alvarez submitted the following response to the city clerk's office.

"

Since being elected to office, I have worked hard to improve public safety and prevent corruption at city hall. Many Downey families are facing financial hardships caused by the pandemic and I am working hard to ensure that all residents in my district keep their homes as they recover from the crisis. I am being recalled by supporters of the candidate that I defeated last November. They are upset because their candidate lost and refuse to respect YOUR vote. They are attempting to recall me because I was convicted of a misdemeanor in 2014 and for wearing my city council member shirt to a cultural event at a city park. Neither of these disqualifies me from serving in elected office. This frivolous recall election will potentially cost Downey taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is a complete waste of taxpayers' dollars. This recall is an attack against your vote. It says that your vote does not matter to the recall proponents. They did not like the way you voted, so they are going to try to change it. Say NO to this waste of public funds. Say NO to the recall. Reach out any time: 562-328-9405 or www.catherine4downey.com.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing recall in California

First attempt

For a recall election to have been scheduled, organizers needed to collect 3,454 signatures, which represented 20% of voters in Downey City Council District 3. The Downey City Clerk approved the recall petition for circulation in October 2021, and the submission deadline passed January 5, 2022.

Organizers submitted 4,016 signatures to the Downey city clerk on January 4, 2022.A recall election was not scheduled after 3,419 signatures were verified, which was 35 short of the number required to schedule the election.

Second attempt

Organizers restarted the recall campaign against Alvarez, serving her with a second notice of intent for the recall on March 22, 2022. They said they submitted 4,210 verified signatures to the city clerk on September 1, 2022.

See also

• Recall campaigns in California
• Political recall efforts, 2021
• Political recall efforts, 2022
• Political recall efforts, 2023
• City council recalls

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• City of Downey, California
• Recall Catherine Alvarez website