Utah News Dispatch
Eva Lopez Chavez ousted from Salt Lake City Council seat after residency investigation
Eva Lopez Chavez speaks during the Democratic Party state convention on April, 25, 2026. (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch)
Salt Lake City Council member Eva Lopez Chavez has been ousted from her seat after a city investigation determined she did not meet the residence requirements for the office. It’s the first time the city council has automatically vacated a seat because of a residence disqualification established by both city and state law.
The investigation followed a late April tip from a concerned District 4 constituent who provided documentation showing that Lopez Chavez had bought a home outside of the boundaries of the district she represented in the council. The deed signed by Lopez Chavez established she had to occupy the property as her primary residence within 60 days of execution.
That was on Sept. 30, 2025, Keith Reynolds, Salt Lake City Recorder told Lopez Chavez in a letter informing her of the investigation’s findings.
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“I find that you no longer maintain your principal place of residence within District 4 and instead you have established a principal place of residence outside District 4,” Reynolds wrote in the letter. “As a result of that conclusion, I find that the District 4 City Council seat is automatically vacant under Utah law and advise the City Council to take steps to fill the vacant seat pursuant to Utah law.”
Lopez Chavez was already suspended from essential council duties as a group led by other council members investigated allegations of sexual misconduct that emerged against her during her 1st Congressional District run. Whether that investigation will continue is still uncertain. The council is expected to discuss that and make an announcement at a future meeting, a Salt Lake City Council spokesperson said.
Lopez Chavez didn’t reply to a request for comment. In a social media post, she said that “what was announced today did not come from the community” she serves and vowed to “continue to fight for (the community)”
“I came into public service to stand up for working families, immigrants, small business owners, tenants, seniors, and communities too often left behind,” she wrote. “That fight does not end with a title or a seat.”
Her attorneys Alex Ramos and Andrew Deesing also said in a statement they did not agree with the investigation’s results and legal analysis.
“We are reviewing all available remedies,” they wrote. “Councilwoman Lopez Chavez will abide by the decision until we determine next steps.”
Salt Lake City code and Utah law require that council members live within the boundaries of the districts they were elected to represent during their term. Failure to comply with that requirement results in the office’s automatic vacancy. Now the council has 30 days to fill the seat.
“While the City is in the midst of annual budget briefings, it is a reminder of the important role Council Members fill. Our focus is on ensuring a smooth transition, maintaining representation for District Four residents, and following the procedures outlined in City Code to address the vacancy,” the Council said in a statement.
In the meantime, District 4 residents should continue to share input and questions through the normal channels for the council’s consideration.
In addition to the deed, the constituent also shared a screenshot of a September 2025 social media post “which portrays (Lopez Chavez) ostensibly celebrating the purchase of (her) first residential home,” the recorder wrote. A recording of a May 6 Central City Neighborhood Council meeting with statements Lopez Chavez made about her place of residence were also used as proof during the investigation.
Attorneys representing Lopez Chavez replied to city inquiries saying that Lopez Chavez had moved out of her District 4 residence in December 2025.
“At this juncture and as has been the case for some time, Councilmember Lopez Chavez’s principal place of residence is currently not fixed to a single location as defined in the statute given unforeseen financial circumstances and the rigors of the congressional campaign,” the attorneys wrote, specifying she split her time between the property she bought, and the homes of her campaign manager, her parents and other friends who live within District 4.
Since Lopez Chavez doesn’t have a “principal place of residence,” and has admitted she uses the property she purchased outside the district to sleep overnight, the recorder determined she didn’t meet the residence requirements specified by law.
