6) Moreno Valley City Races
In 2014, Moreno Valley residents overwhelmingly supported several substantial changes to the formation and construct of the city government. The number of council districts has been reduced from five to four and, for the first time in the city’s 32-year history, voters will choose their Mayor. Eight candidates are vying for the Mayor’s seat. The District 1 race features an incumbent who recently revealed a criminal past versus a former councilmember previously recalled due to corruption allegations.
The Candidates:
Mayor:
-Yxstian Gutierrez, council member, currently appointed Mayor
-Jesse Molina, council member
-George Price, council member
-Denise Fleming, Moreno Valley School Board member
-Dr. Keri Then, County Commissioner
-Joe Garcia, business owner
-Darrell Peeden, vice president of a marketing firm
-James Silva, casino employee
District 1:
-Dolores LaDonna Jempson, incumbent council member
-Victoria Baca, former council member
-Christopher Baca, community volunteer
-Edgar Garcia, Executive Director
-Gerardo Mercado, Businessman
-Donovan Saadiq, Political Analyst
District 3:
-Brian Lowell, City Planning Commissioner
-David Marquez, retired Military Sergeant
-David Lara-Tellez, Business Consultant
-Mildred Milly Bailey, Community Organizer
The Numbers:
Total Voters: 83,587 (52% Dem., 24% Rep., 23% Indep.)
Racial Make-Up: 42% Latino, 4% Asian, 4% African-American
What and Who Are We Watching?
Since its creation 32 years ago, the City of Moreno Valley government has been comprised of a five-member city council directly elected by residents and a Mayor appointed from within the council for a one year term. While this structure functioned adequately, residents of the city demanded the ability to have a more direct role in selecting the legislative head of its government. In 2010, more than 80% of Moreno Valley voters passed a nonbinding resolution supporting the change to an elected Mayor. (PE) In 2014, voters approved, by a 74% to 26% margin, Measure R that formally made the Mayor’s seat a directly elected position. The once ceremonial position will now be tasked with selecting advisory board and committee members (with council approval) as well as chairing council meetings. (Ballotpedia)
Perhaps voters’ desire to create more accountability in the council was a result of the recent controversy that engulfed that position. In June of 2014, just months before the Measure R vote, then-Mayor Tom Owings was recalled from office due to a corruption investigation. Owings’ recall was motivated by an FBI and Riverside County district attorney’s office investigation into political corruption through the potential influence of campaign donations. The investigation, which ultimately did not result in any charges filed, also involved other members of the city council though only Owings was removed from office. (PE)
Mayor’s Race
Regardless of the voters’ motivation to make the change, this fall brings the first election to directly select a Mayor in the city’s history. Eight candidates, including the last two to hold the appointed position, are featured in the race. Of the field, three stand out as having the most legitimate shot to win. Yxstian Gutierrez is the current appointed Mayor and began his tenure on the council in 2013 after then-councilmen Marcelo Co pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe and was sentenced to five years in prison. Since Gutierrez had no previous political experience before 2013, many criticized his appointment to the council, but he successfully won re-election in 2014 and was appointed by unanimous vote to be the city’s last non-elected Mayor. Mr. Gutierrez is focusing his campaign on economic development and public safety. (PE)
Joining Gutierrez on the ballot will be Jesse Molina, who preceded Gutierrez in the Mayor’s chair. Mr. Molina, who was first elected to the council in 2008 and then re-elected four years later, was the man who authored Measure R and took over after Tom Owings was recalled. Mr. Molina is basing his campaign on his history of reform and transparency as well as his ability to promote business and institute public safety policy. (PE)
The last notable candidate for the Mayor’s seat is current District 3 councilman George Price. Mr. Price served 15 years as the City’s Parks and Recreation Director and was elected to the council in 2014. He is focusing his campaign on promoting stability to the city budget through economic development, with an emphasis on enhancing point of sale tax revenue. (PE)
District 1 & 3 Races
Along with the establishment of a directly elected Mayor, voters also agreed to reduce the number of districts within city limits from five to four seats. In November, Districts 1 and 3 are up for renewal.
The District 1 race features incumbent councilwoman Dolores LaDonna Jempson looking to defend her seat against five challengers including a feuding brother-sister tandem. Ms. Jempson, who was elected to represent the now extinct District 5 in 2014, has recently come under fire after she admitted during a council meeting that she was once convicted of embezzlement and spent 45 days in prison in 1991. We should note that Ms. Jempson’s failure to disclose the incident was what motivated the calls for her resignation and not the bank theft she participated in before fleeing to Alaska. (PE) Ms. Jempson’s revelation came during a discussion on whether individuals with felony convictions should be able to serve on city advisory boards. She has maintained that the while incident is indeed a stain on her record, she should be judged by her good deeds since that time.
Needless to say, the recent revelation of Jempson’s past has left her vulnerable in her bid for a second term. Looking to displace Jempson will be the woman she unseated two years ago, former councilmember Victoria Baca. Unfortunately for Ms. Baca she won’t be able to campaign as the candidate of unimpeachable ethics as she was essentially removed from office due to her role in the same corruption investigation that befell former Mayor Owings. (PE) To add to the drama, Ms. Baca recently filed a complaint against her brother, Christopher Baca, accusing him and councilman (and current Mayoral candidate) Jesse Molina of breaking into her home to steal campaign material. Mr. Baca, himself a candidate for the District 1 seat, claims that they stopped by to retrieve sign poles that rightfully belonged to them. (PE) No charges were filed. The candidates have all filed issue statements, but this one will probably come down to which candidate voters least distrust.
With George Price running for Mayor, the District 3 council seat is up for grabs. The race features retired military sergeant David Marquez, business consultant David Lara-Tellez, community organizer Mildred Milly Bailey, and civil engineer Brian Lowell. All four candidates have focused on economic development, public safety, and ethics with Mr. Lowell also addressing homelessness in his campaign material. All the candidates up for the seat are political novices, guaranteeing at least one person with an untainted past (that we know of) joining the city government.