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Steve Bennett for West Covina City Council 2020
Help us campaign today for a better tomorrow!
Help us campaign today for a better tomorrow!
As we come into the final 7 days of the campaign, I continue to ask for your support. I am up against three other candidates. They may not have the residents best interest in mind, but they have lots of money behind them.
One candidate is only having mailers sent out from special interests that support her. You have to understand that they will come calling for her to pay back those expenditures. The West Covina Firefighters Association has spent thousands of dollars to get Colleen Rozatti elected. She is the one that has already voted to make a move to Los Angeles County Fire Department. Not only has she voted to reduce our public safety response times and overall emergency services, but she is has also been the city treasurer for 7 years. Just last year our city council declared a fiscal emergency and in October 2019 the State of California ranked West Covina as the 17th worst in the city from a fiscal aspect.
Another candidate, Rosario Diaz, is running under her maiden name to cater to a certain "class of voter" but she is trying to claim that she wants a transparent government. If she really wanted to be transparent she would be running under her legal name. She has no experience in our city as a volunteer or activist. She claims she is going to fight for the residents, but she has not shown any of us the fighting spirit for the decades she has loved in the city. Most of her donors are from outside of West Covina and are suspected of being related to Tony Wu, because they are mostly in the real estate business. You have to ask yourself, why does Tony Wu want her elected? This would give him a 4-1 majority vote on anything he wants to pass in the city. We have seen where that has taken us. Under his leadership we had a council vote to give 12% raises to the police and fire associations that we cannot afford now.
The last candidate is not even campaigning. She has a very sick mother and while we do not want to say anything on that topic, we have to ask ourselves, if she cannot get out and campaign because of her mothers condition, then why even run for office? She could run again in four years and nobody would have questioned her motives on that. But, it appears that running for office if more important.
This hopefully sheds some light on the candidates and who I am up against. I need your vote. I have been fighting for the resident for years, and that will not change.
City Council, District 3, Candidate Forum
Sponsor: The West Covina Improvement Association.
Date: October 1, 2020
Listen to the candidate forum that asked each candidate various questions about the City of West Covina and related issues.
Notice how many candidates had prepared statements for some of the issues. I would think that a candidate that understands the city's actual issues should be able to answer the questions without referring to "prepared" statements.
You need a representative that will support your ideas, fight for the needs of your community and earn your respect. For someone who truly cares for our community, look no further. Vote for Steve!
Our city leaders need to control spending and be able to stay within its budget just like we residents are required to do. It's time to hold them accountable to US.
Steve knows the value of a safe community. That's why he supports keeping our local police and fire departments. It's time to review current staffing models and determine if updates are needed to make our community better.
Our elected officials should be leading this city by providing fresh ideas and preserving the best of our proud community. This includes ensuring transparency and integrity in government.
Fiscal Responsibility - SUPPORT our city being able to live within its means and stop deficit spending.
LA County Fire Department - OPPOSE any switch that eliminates our West Covina Fire Department. This switch would hurt our public safety.
Pro-Business - SUPPORT our business community. No matter the size of the business we want you in our community. We need economic development in our communities to allow our residents to thrive and prosper. Our residents need local businesses so they can stay local and get the products and services they need.
BKK Development - OPPOSE any intensive developments that will put our residents health and safety at risk. I am open to ideas and responsible use of the land, but I will not sell our residents safety and health for any amount of money!
Safe & Clean Parks - SUPPORT we need to have well maintained and clean parks where our families and children can play and relax, safely!
Honest Budgets - SUPPORT the fact that we need to keep our budgets honest and ethical. It is a shame that we have a city finance department that keeps presenting budgets that are neither complete or accurate.
West Covina Police Department - SUPPORT that we still need more police officers on the street and with training to handle the tough decisions that they must face on a day to day bases. But I will not support massive pay increases when the city cannot afford to pay its bills.
First Amendment - SUPPORT the right of residents to submit public comments by email during a pandemic and have them read aloud at the council meetings. This current council has removed that right.
I have been a long time RESIDENT ADVOCATE fighting for the rights of the people who are most ignored in this city, US! I am that person who currently fights for your rights and will continue that fight as your next council member.
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