Mass raids across oil boomtown where council clings to power despite furious uprising

Source: New York Post

A sweeping series of law enforcement raids hit the Central California city of Avenal on Wednesday as investigators searched City Hall, a community center and multiple homes linked to the town’s embattled leadership. The move dramatically escalates a months-long political crisis after local elected officials refused to relinquish power despite being overwhelmingly recalled by voters. The Kings County District Attorney’s Office, working alongside the Kings County Sheriff’s Office, executed search warrants at seven locations across the city as part of what prosecutors described only as an active investigation.