Hollister
– As November’s election nears, Hollister businessman Ignacio
Velazquez has turned up the volume in his criticism of Salinas
Mayor Anna Caballero in their race for State Assembly District
28.
Hollister – As November’s election nears, Hollister businessman Ignacio Velazquez has turned up the volume in his criticism of Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero in their race for State Assembly District 28.
In television ads and mailers, Velazquez has slammed his opponent for voting to close Salinas’ libraries and for defending gang members during her time as a defense attorney, while Caballero’s campaign manager Rick Rivas said his candidate is running a positive campaign based on her record.
“Why isn’t Ignacio focusing on his record?” Rivas said.
As a longtime politician, Caballero is better known than Velazquez and has amassed a larger campaign war chest than her largely self-funded opponent. In the June primary, Caballero received more votes while competing against Ana Ventura-Phares for the Democratic nomination than Velazquez did in his uncontested bid for the Republican nomination. In last week’s debate sponsored by the San Benito County Farm Bureau, Velazquez portrayed himself as someone who is tired of politicians’ excuses and said he would be an agent of reform in Sacramento, while Caballero emphasized her experience and record as mayor.
One of Velazquez’s recent mailings criticized Caballero for working as the defense attorney of Gustavo Marlow, who was convicted for the 1988 rape and murder of two Hollister women. Velazquez’s campaign writes, “Salinas Mayor Anna Caballero has made a career of defending murderers, gang members, rapists and even child molesters!”
Rivas said he didn’t want to respond to Velazquez’s accusations, except to say that his candidate was court-appointed to Marlow’s defense.
“I think it’s sick, pathetic and an act of desperation,” Rivas said. “I want to personally apologize to the families that they were brought into this.”
When asked why he was criticizing Caballero for doing her job as a defense attorney, Velazquez said, “That’s your choice. But you can’t defend criminals and then say, ‘Now I want to write the laws too.’ You can’t do both.”
He added, “How can you claim that you’re cracking down on gang members when you’re getting them out of jail?”
Another mailing displays local headlines highlighting budget and gang woes in Salinas. Velazquez continues to criticize Caballero for voting to close the city’s libraries. Caballero voted to cut library funding, then launched a campaign to raise the sales tax to keep the libraries open, Velazquez said.
Rivas dismissed Velazquez’s criticism as inaccurate.
“The libraries never closed,” Rivas said.
He added that Caballero’s vote to cut library funding was largely a symbolic one, because she was committed to a balanced budget. Rivas said Caballero started her campaign to keep the library open immediately after the vote.
“It takes a courageous leader to do what is right,” he said.
In a recent article in the Monterey Herald, Caballero connected Velazquez with Los Valientes, an anonymous group that has sued local officials, a charge that Velazquez has denied.
“I’m not going to speculate on what groups (Velazquez) belongs to, but I can tell you they’re not the right ones,” Rivas said. Pointing out Velazquez’s lawsuits against the county and the Pinnacle newspaper, and charges that he committed election fraud as Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz’s campaign manager – all dismissed or dropped – Rivas added, “Ignacio Velazquez represents everything that’s wrong in San Benito County. … I’m a Hollister native, and I don’t want him here anymore.”
When asked if his campaign is too negative, Velazquez said, “I’m telling the truth. … These are the issues: gang violence, the libraries, a government that’s run amok.”
Velazquez said his campaign has also highlighted his positive record as a businessman and community member; he said his company American Electrical Systems employs more than 200 people.
“I’ve worked hard my entire life to improve the quality of life for my family and my community,” he said.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
ah*@fr***********.com
.
