Board keeping petition to remove minority director secret?

This is for a California HOA. Three members of my board just stated in a meeting that they had worked together outside the meeting with the HOA manager to gather letters for removal of a fourth board member that the HOA manager and the three board members do not like. They refused to show the letters to anyone but themselves, and scheduled a special meeting to vote on removal of the target board member. The letters are likely from the three of them plus a few immediate neighbors, as they just hit the 5% threshold. Can they keep the letters from 5% of the HOA members that are the basis for the recall secret? Curious for various thoughts here.

Agree. I would object to any verbal description of events without some specific violation identified in writing. I would vote against anyone who tried.