DOWNEY — Downey City Clerk Alicia Duarte has certified the petition seeking the recall of Downey Councilwoman Catherine Alvarez, paving the way for signature gathering, organizers of the recall effort announced.

“By this letter I am notifying you that the amended form petition meets the Elections Code requirements as to form and writing and you are cleared to collect voter signatures,” Duarte wrote in a letter to the recall committee.

Recall efforts began earlier this year after Alvarez’s criminal history was revealed, including arrests for welfare fraud, lying under oath, and shoplifting from the Michael’s store at the Downey Landing.

“Ms. Alvarez failed to disclose to the voters about her welfare fraud conviction, the two warrants for her arrest and her lifetime ban from Michaels at Downey Landing for her shoplifting conviction”, said Dorothy Pemberton, one of the recall organizers.

“All we want is to put it on the ballot to let District 3 residents in Downey be able to vote for her now that they know about her criminal past. We feel the voters were misled by her by not having this information and we want residents to have the opportunity to have their voices heard. It is hard to imagine a councilwoman overseeing the Downey Police Department when she had been arrested by them recently.”

Another recall organizer, Maria Arencibia, said Alvarez’s arrests, including for failing to appear to her scheduled court dates, “speaks to her lack of responsibility.”

“Our city deserves a chance to vote being fully informed of criminal history from our council members. That is why we want our community to now vote, knowing the facts,” she said.

Recall organizers have created a website — RecallCatherineAlvarez.com — with details on their efforts. Residents can also request to sign the petition online.