Salinas
– Footage recently released by the Monterey County Republican
Committee seems innocuous enough – a single sign promoting state
assembly candidate Ignacio Velazquez sits against a wall in his
opponent Anna Caballero’s headquarters.
Salinas – Footage recently released by the Monterey County Republican Committee seems innocuous enough – a single sign promoting state assembly candidate Ignacio Velazquez sits against a wall in his opponent Anna Caballero’s headquarters. But Velazquez, a Republican, said the video backs his complaint that his signs have been repeatedly stolen and vandalized by members of Caballero’s campaign.
Caballero’s campaign manager, Rick Rivas, said the campaign has “absolutely not” stolen any of Velazquez’s signs. The sign in Caballero’s office, he said, was placed in one of their windows and taken down by a member of Caballero’s campaign staff.
“Here’s what happened: The Republicans broke and entered and took video of our office,” Rivas said.
He added that although he isn’t sure how Republicans obtained footage from inside the office, the campaign has brought up trespassing concerns with the Salinas Police Department. One hundred fifty Caballero signs were stolen from the campaign office, he said, and he is worried that the campaign’s computers have been breached.
Brandon Gesicki, who is the Monterey County Republican Party’s political director, said they obtained the video from “a concerned citizen” who, rather than breaking in, was in fact invited into the office. He added that he’s brought the footage to the attention of the Monterey County District Attorney.
“It’s very sad that the Caballero campaign needed to use such tactics,” Gesicki said. “I hope she would repudiate this and admit to what they’ve done.”
There are two video clips posted on the Web site www.annathecriminalattorney.com. The first clip was shot inside the office and shows the Velazquez sign close up. The footage in the second clip shows the building’s exterior; the Velazquez sign can be glimpsed from the window.
Velazquez said Caballero “absolutely knew” about the alleged thefts, and that he has complained to her about it in the past.
“She brushed me off,” Velaz-quez said, adding, “This shows what kind of person she is.”
When told about Rivas’ statement the sign had been placed in one of the Caballero campaign’s windows, Vel-azquez laughed and said, “We put a sign in their window? Uh, yeah, OK. No, that’s a sign they took from somewhere.”
Rivas dismissed Vel-azquez’s accusations as a smear campaign.
“This is Ignacio Velazquez at his best,” Rivas said. “He’s not discussing the real issues like affordable housing, providing health insurance to all Californians and improving our schools.”
Rivas pointed again to allegations that Velazquez, as County Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz’s campaign manager, was involved in voter fraud in the 2004 election. District Attorney John Sarsfield declined to pursue charges against Velazquez.
“He doesn’t care about the district, he doesn’t care about the people in the community, he only cares about getting elected,” said Rivas, who grew up in Hollister.
Velazquez is a local businessman who founded American Electrical Services and owns The Vault restaurant in downtown Hollister. Both campaigns have focused on Caballero’s record as the mayor of Salinas; Caballero has touted her experience and accomplishments in office, while Velazquez criticized her as a career politician who has failed to keep Salinas safe.
His recent ads have attacked Caballero for serving as the defensive attorney for Gustavo Marlow, who was convicted for the 1988 rape and murder of two Hollister women. Velazquez has said that defense attorneys should not run for positions where they can write the law. Rivas called the ads “sick.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330.
