The 2024 recall is an effort led by past Calexico politicians to unseat a new generation of community-rooted leaders, running their campaign on misinformation and hate. Raul Ureña and Gilberto Manzanarez are two of Calexico’s youngest councilmembers ever elected into Calexico’s city council, earning the highest number of votes in each of their elections. Coming from working-class families, Ureña and Manzanarez understand the frustration that many residents feel when they saw Calexico decline economically and in quality of life for the past decade due to political turmoil, corruption, and lawsuits. Our city went from operating with more staff than the city of El Centro in 2010 to operating almost $4 million dollars in the red within three years, making it difficult for the city to serve its residents. These tumultuous years, which recall organizer Maritza Hurtado oversaw as Calexico mayor and councilmember, cost the city an entire decade of missed economic development. During past administrations overseen by Recall organizers, the City saw:

• A reduction of 46% in city employee positions
• Dismantling of Calexico’s only Skate Park in 2015
• Loss of Calexico’s city insurance in 2015, making the city vulnerable to lawsuits that affect the general fund. It has been unable to recover it ever since.
• Millions of dollars in state grant funds were frozen by the state due to “past overspending and fiscal mismanagement.”

After seeing the city of Calexico drastically decline economically for the past decade, Raul and Gilberto ran for the Calexico city council in 2020 and 2022 respectively, breaking the cycle of Calexico’s long history of the same political families controlling the local government. With priorities centered around affordable housing, parks, recreation, public safety, and financial health, Ureña and Manzanarez have consistently voted to make the necessary investments for the future, and today.

Since the Recall effort started, these same political families have misled the community of Calexico once again for their political purposes. They are utilizing a politically motivated recall to oust the two youngest and newest members of the Calexico city council, most notably by the intent to recall councilmember Manzanarez just four months after being sworn into office.

This recall is not about the benefit of Calexico or its citizens, it is a political stunt to reclaim the political power they lost in 2022.

Vote NO on both recalls.