City Council vacancy in Huntington Park not filled by deadline, necessitating expensive special election
Huntington Park City Council to Appoint New Member Following Controversial Removal of Esmeralda Castillo
In a series of events that have stirred controversy, the Huntington Park City Council is set to appoint a new member to fill the vacant seat left by former Councilwoman Esmeralda Castillo. The special meeting is scheduled for April 23, 2025.
According to the California Government Code (GC) 36512, the City Council must appoint someone to fill a vacant seat within 60 days after the vacancy. However, the 60-day deadline, which was April 20, 2025, was missed by the City Council. If the city council does not appoint someone within the 60-day window, a special election must be scheduled to fill the vacancy.
Castillo maintains that she lives in the city and alleges the investigation that led to her removal was in retaliation for a harassment claim she brought against Councilmen Arturo Flores, Eduardo "Eddie" Martinez, and Jonathan Sanabria. The investigation, conducted by attorney Andrew Sarega and the Huntington Park Police Department, claimed that Castillo did not live in the city.
In response to the controversy, Albert Robles, attorney for Esmeralda Castillo, has filed a temporary restraining order. The temporary restraining order argues that Huntington Park is required to hold a special election. The hearing for the temporary restraining order will be held at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. or "soon thereafter."
It is important to note that a quo warranto proceeding is a legal action to challenge a person's right to hold a public office. However, in this case, the City Council and attorney Sarega did not initiate a quo warranto proceeding; instead, they removed Castillo at their meeting on February 18, 2025.
Regardless of the residency claim, the documentation should have been handed over to the Attorney General for investigation. If the special election is held, it will cost residents at least $50,000.
City Clerk Eduardo Sarmiento has stated that he will reach out to attorney Andrew Sarega and the City Council for comment. LCCN contacted City Clerk Eduardo Sarmiento for this article.
As of now, no comment has been received from attorney Andrew Sarega or the City Council regarding the temporary restraining order or the upcoming appointment meeting. This developing story will be updated as more information becomes available.
References
- California Government Code (GC) 36512
- Vacancy Adjudications in County Government
- The controversy surrounding Esmeralda Castillo's removal from the Huntington Park City Council has led to a temporary restraining order being filed, arguing for a special election to fill the vacancy.
- The city council's failure to appoint a new member within the 60-day deadline as stipulated by California Government Code (GC) 36512 may result in a special election, which could cost the residents at least $50,000.
- Beyond the residency claim, the lack of an initiated quo warranto proceeding and the handling of documentation has raised questions about politics, policy-and-legislation, and city council actions, moving this local community news story into the realm of general-news and war-and-conflicts, depending on further events and comments from the involved parties.
