Salinas
– The candidates for the 28th District Assembly seat will face
off next week in their first debate since June’s primary.
Republican Ignacio Velazquez and Rick Rivas, campaign manager for
Democrat Anna Caballero, said much of the discussion will focus on
Caballero’s track record as mayor of Salinas
.
Salinas – The candidates for the 28th District Assembly seat will face off next week in their first debate since June’s primary. Republican Ignacio Velazquez and Rick Rivas, campaign manager for Democrat Anna Caballero, said much of the discussion will focus on Caballero’s track record as mayor of Salinas.
Velazquez, who owns The Vault restaurant in Hollister, said he will use the event to continue drawing attention to the shortcomings of local government in general, and Caballero in particular.
“I don’t know the event’s format, but I’m going to be asking the same questions I always ask,” Velazquez said, citing the closure of Salinas’ library system, gang problems and the community’s high murder rate as issues where Caballero has let her constituents down.
According to Rivas, his candidate will emphasize transportation, public education, early childhood education and gang violence – issues that Caballero has already tackled as mayor and as the executive director of Partners for Peace, a nonprofit group dedicated to fighting gang violence.
At the forum, Caballero and Vel-azquez will give 10-minute opening statements explaining their reasons for running. Rivas said the main reason for Caballero’s candidacy is simple: People asked her to run.
“She has a long track record of bringing people together, solving problems and making life better for her community,” Rivas said.
Velazquez, on the other hand, is running on the promise that he will do more for the community than current officeholders.
“I believe everyone deserves an opportunity for a better life,” he said. “I want to give people these opportunities, rather than excuses from politicians beholden to special interests.”
After the opening statements, candidates will answer written questions from the audience; these questions must be directed at both Caballero and Velazquez, rather than at one candidate in particular.
Linda Gin, publicity chair for the League of Women Voters, which is co-sponsoring the forum, said the event will be a good opportunity for the community of Salinas – where the forum is being held – to learn more about Velazquez in particular.
“No one knows anything about Ignacio,” she said. “I’ve been telling people that they need to get to know him, because he might be the better candidate.”
The debate is also being sponsored by the Chinese-American Citizens Alliance, and Gin said that although the local Chinese-American community doesn’t usually get involved in politics, she’s been working to get a higher turnout for this event.
Velazquez faces a tough race – as of Sept. 12, 45 percent of registered voters in the 28th Assembly District were Democratic, compared to 34 percent Republican. In June’s primary, when Velazquez ran as both an unopposed Republican and a Democratic write-in, he garnered fewer votes than Caballero, who was competing with Ana Ventura Phares for the Democratic candidacy. In his home San Benito County, Velazquez only netted two votes for every three of Caballero’s, and despite his expensive campaign, he got zero votes as a Democratic write-in.
“I know more people here, but I need to meet people everywhere, including San Benito,” Velazquez said. “There are still a lot of people who have never heard of me, and there are others who are misinformed about who I am.”
Velazquez’s campaign filings also show that he’s trailing Caballero in fundraising. As of June 30, Velaz-quez’s largely self-financed campaign received around $84,750, far less than the $271,430 raised by Caballero.
Velazquez acknowledged that he’s been handicapped by the funding gap, but said, “Chevron can only cash so many votes for (Caballero).”
Not surprisingly, Rivas had a different take on the gap; he said Caballero’s overflowing coffers are a vote of community confidence.
“Ignacio Velazquez is just trying to buy his way to Sacramento,” Rivas said.
The forum will begin 7pm Oct. 4 at the Chinese School Auditorium located at 1 California St. in Salinas. A later debate in San Benito County is being scheduled by the county farm bureau.
Anthony Ha covers city and county government for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 637-5566 ext. 320.
