(Hearing officer Chris Agrella delivers his final recommendations to attorneys Frank Avila (left) and Andrew Finko (right) on Feb. 5, 2018. Photo: A.D. Quig, The Daily Line)

 

A hearing officer recommended Assessor candidate Andrea Raila be removed from the Mar. 20 primary ballot, citing widespread notarization and circulator fraud among an inner core of campaign staff, including members of her family and the candidate herself. Hearing officer Christopher Agrella said he found a “a pattern of fraud by a clear and convincing standard,” on Monday. Raila and her attorney, Frank Avila, called the recommendation absurd and said Agrella was biased against them from the beginning.