“Four officials in Avenal, Calif. who refused to step down after being recalled earlier this year are ‘not lawfully’ in office, a judge ruled on Monday,” the New York Times reports.“The officials — including the longtime mayor, who is part of the City Council, and three other council members — have remained in office since the April recall, arguing that it was unauthorized. The standoff has become one of the messiest recall battles in modern California history and a highly unusual case of election denialism.”