– March 2, Election Day: Supervisor Bob Cruz takes a 25-vote lead over challenger Jaime De La Cruz
– March 8: De La Cruz unofficially wins by 10 votes after 201 absentee ballots are counted
– March 13: LULAC commissions private investigators to probe alleged irregularities in the District 5 race. Cruz’s wife and his campaign adviser are active in LULAC
– March 16: The Board of Supervisors requests an investigation of the District 5 results. District Attorney John Sarsfield later hires Santa Cruz inspector Aaron Tripp to investigate
– March 26: Cruz’s wife, Marian, files a lawsuit contesting the District 5 result, requests a new race
– April 6: Board of Supervisors certifies the election results, but adds a notation about the election allegations
– May 7: DA’s Office subpoenas 30 witnesses for criminal grand jury proceedings in early June
– May 12: Sarsfield releases inspector’s report alleging De la Cruz handled voters’ ballots, was electioneering near a polling place and coerced a voter. It recommended felony charges against De La Cruz and campaign adviser Ignacio Velazquez
– May 20: Velazquez and newly-hired lawyer Michael Pekin prepare a motion to disqualify Sarsfield because of an alleged bias against De La Cruz. The next day, Sarsfield and Pekin strike a deal to cancel the grand jury; the matter was referred to Attorney General’s Office and FBI
– May 21: Sarsfield breaks the deal, claiming he was extorted and forwards those charges to the FBI
– May 24: De La Cruz camp files a court motion to disqualify Sarsfield from grand jury probe because of an alleged inner-office affair between him and the niece of a LULAC member
