Rialto City Council Votes to Interview Candidates to Fill Vacant Council Seat Amid Community Pushback

By Christopher Salazar

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Rialto City Council voted 3-1 to interview candidates to fill Mayor Joe Baca Sr.’s vacant council seat after the Nov. 5 election results. 

Mayor Pro Tem Andy Carrizales and Councilmembers Ed Scott and Karla Perez voted yes. Mayor Baca voted no. 

Baca was elected to the council in 2022, with his term set to run through 2026. However, following his successful 2024 mayoral campaign, the council is required by state law to fill his vacancy within 60 days, either by appointment or special election.

Ana Gonzalez, a longtime Rialto resident who ran for city council, was favored by community members to fill the vacant seat. She was the runner-up with 7,209 votes. 

“I think the voters have already spoken on the third seat, you have a little over 7,000 votes,” said Frank Montes, chairman of the Hispanic Coalition of Small Businesses. “If that seat would have been available when the election was going on, Miss Gonzalez would be sitting there already.”

Ulises Mora, a Rialto resident, accused the council of wanting to appoint outgoing Councilmember Rafael Trujillo, who lost the mayoral race. 

“The proposal of this appointment comes off as shady because it lacks transparency and it is incredibly undemocratic,” Mora said.

Mora said that the way the Council is handling the vacancy is reminiscent of a similar situation that occurred in 2020, when the city chose Karla Perez over two candidates with higher votes. He said it’s “rubbing salt on a wound.”

“Please do not repeat the same shady behavior,” Mora said. “Pass the ordinance and appoint the next highest vote earner for the vacated seat.”

But, despite community pushback, the council voted to interview candidates instead of appointing Gonzalez.  

Councilmember Scott explained in an email that it is not the city’s policy to appoint the runner-up, a policy he claims is overwhelmingly supported by Rialto residents. Scott added that it’s more important for him that the appointee works well with the council. 

“It is not a policy of the city to appoint the next highest vote-getter, we have always done an interview process or, if we’ve had a candidate by majority, we have chosen that individual, that’s been my experience in the last 23 years,” said Councilmember Scott. “For me, it’s more important to make sure that the additional person we appoint to the council can work well with us. They don’t have to agree with us. They don’t even have to support us, but they need to have the same vision that we have for moving the city forward, in my opinion.”

Councilmember Scott said that while he appreciates Gonzalez, he’s not convinced yet that she’s the right person for the seat. He said there’s no candidate he prefers at this moment. 

When The Frontline Observer asked Mayor Baca about the council’s motion to interview council candidates, he said, “They feel it’s a fair way to look at it,” and added, “It was ok [before] but it’s not ok now?”

At the time of this publication, Mayor Pro Tem Carrizales, Councilmember Perez and former Councilmember Trujillo have not responded to The Frontline Observer’s requests for comment. 

The council plans to announce their decision during their next meeting in January.  

The author Christopher Salazar is a reporter with our IE Journalism Hub partner, The Frontline Observer.