D9 City Council Candidates: Kelvin Barrio’s Campaign is in Big Trouble
This is an update of an earlier post, written before revelations about candidate Kelvin Barrios became publicly known.
I can’t say I wasn’t warned. I was, People I know and trust told me that Barrios was headed for trouble. I took a look at all the other people and organizations I knew who were backing his campaign and decided to play it safe.
I choose to suggest to readers that they make their own judgement based on endorsements and record. I was wrong.
Now I want to tell you what’s happened…
After all, there were stories about the other guy in the race, and the evidence in both cases amounted to hearsay. Campaigns are often rough and tumble; Dem-on-Dem campaigns are harder to report on because charges getting made often stem from long-standing personal disagreements.
The evidence out in public view was that Kelvin Barrios came clean about past poor judgements in managing Democratic campaign funds, paid a fine and reimbursed the organizations in question.
As one friend pointed out: “People who have little personal resources are at a tremendous disadvantage. They can't afford child care, keeping a household together if they quit their job to campaign. This is at its heart a real problem keeping grass roots voices from being elected."
Now, the rumors have acquired some substance.
The Union-Tribune has seen records from the County District Attorney indicating that Kelvin Barrios is under investigation for criminal offenses by the Public Integrity Unit, a specialized division focused exclusively on alleged criminal misconduct by elected officials and political candidates.
At issue are dozens of transactions from several years ago made by Barrios while serving as a volunteer campaign treasurer for the San Diego County Young Democrats. The organization is now-defunct.
Part of what the UT undoubtedly has seen are subpoenas served on assorted Democratic party activists.
My original source telling me about the existence of these documents suggested that there was the possibility of a much bigger scandal involving big names from the local political scene.
It seemed as though there were simply too many unknowns involved for me to include these morsels in a story. I'm not the Reader and hope to maintain some level of credibility.
From Jeff McDonald’s reporting:
The District Attorney’s office is examining 29 expenditures from the San Diego County Young Democrats that total just over $3,600, including two dozen cash transfers directly to Barrios’s personal bank account, according to district attorney records. The political group later dissolved.
“Nine such transfers occurred after Barrios was no longer SDCYD treasurer, in amounts totaling $1,550,” the complaint to the Public Integrity Unit states.
The same document notes the amount is approximately the same amount as the $1,500 that Barrios partially reimbursed the caucus around the same time.
“Barrios appears to have been robbing Peter to pay Paul,” the complaint said.
Barrios said he would only answer the UT reporter’s questions if they were put in writing.
His lawyer issued a statement Wednesday saying Barrios is unaware of any criminal investigation and pleased to have resolved the Fair Political Practices Commission case.
“At this time, Mr. Barrios is not aware of any District Attorney investigation to which he is a party of interest,” the statement said. “Mr. Barrios looks forward to moving beyond the past and appealing to his constituents about issues that matter to them in advance of the upcoming election.”
Community College Trustee Sean Elo-Rivera, the other candidate in this contest, has called on Barrios to apologize to the public and to withdraw from this race.
The San Diego County Democratic Party ethics committee is now involved in reviewing evidence, and is poised to make recommendations on the eve of a virtual central committee gather to consider endorsements in the District 9 contest and other races.
But wait! There’s more!
On Saturday, Elo-Rivera posted a screenshot of an email from the United Domestic Workers urging the Central Labor Council to reconsider their endorsement of Barrios.
The comments in question are unverified and pulled from social media conversations nearly a decade ago. Now that UDW has chosen to go public, I’ll share them:
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Below is a revised version of my original post about the District 9 contest.
San Diego is required by the City Charter to redistrict at least every 10 years. City Council District 9 was born out of that process for the 2012 election.. While its makeup is overwhelming Democratic (+38.75), some of the communities it incorporates have horrible records when it comes to voter turnout.
The mostly unspoken part of the last post-census redistricting process involved creation of a second “Latino flavored” seat (D9), along with a district (D6) providing the area’s growing Asian-American population with a shot of having a seat reflecting their influence.
The new ninth district was created by taking the neighborhoods of Kensington, Talmadge and City Heights out of District 3, running south to Southcrest.
Council member Marti Emerald, formerly of District 7, was designated as the first D9 representative. When she retired after a bout with cancer, a host of mostly Latinx candidates emerged to compete for the seat.
Georgette Gomez emerged as the winner of that first contest, and proved to be a power player on the council. Congresswoman Susan Davis' decision to retire in 2020 created yet another mad scramble in the primary, with Gomez and Sarah Jacobs making the final cut.
Seven candidates competed in the March 2020 primary for D9, with Kelvin Barrios and Sean Elo-Rivera making it through to the general election.
There’s big institutional money betting on Barrios, who served as a legislative staffer for Council member Gomez. San Diego has a long history of staffers replacing their bosses in elected positions, and that certainly is a factor.
However, I’ve learned the hard way never to bet against Elo-Rivera. He came out of nowhere to best former City Councilman David Alvarez in a contest for SD Community College Board of Trustees.
UPDATED: While Kelvin Barrios’ legal and political issues aren’t on the level of a Duncan Hunter, they are concerning enough for me to suggest that you not vote for him. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and a big cloud just went up over his candidacy.
Sean Elo-Rivera seems like a much better choice at this point.
About the Candidates
Kelvin Barrios
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Raised in City Heights. Rode the bus to a variety of service industry jobs. Big into volunteering for nonprofits, served as Vice President of town council and as a member of a planning group. Late in 2019, he agreed to pay more than $4,000 in fines for making nearly $8,000 in illegal expenditures and for failing to keep adequate records of campaign finances following a Fair Political Practices Commission investigation. Was hospitalized and tested positive for coronavirus in March. Currently employed as Director of Community Outreach for Laborers Local 89.
Education: n/a
Relevant experience: Policy Advisor for Council President Georgette Gomez
A Significant Accomplishment: Endorsed by Georgette Gomez
Politics in a nutshell: Liberal
Issues highlighted on website: Neighborhood services, Homelessness, Streets & Sidewalks, Transportation, Housing, Economic Recovery, COVID-19, Racial Equity.
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $100,272.78
Support from non-candidate controlled committee: $227,377.81 raised by San Diegans for Transparency & Accountability in support of Kelvin Barrios for City Council 2020, sponsored by Laborers' International Union of North America Local 89
A sampling of links concerning Kelvin Barrios
San Diego council candidate Barrios under investigation by District Attorney's Office
Quiet D9 Race Is Suddenly Getting Rough — Voice of San Diego
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Sean Elo-Rivera
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Endorsements
Bio: Served as an English and Special Needs teacher in Peru; volunteered as an environmental preservationist in Ecuador; then taught English in a rural South Korean community. At Cal-Western, was president of La Raza Student Association and involved with Amnesty International. Was a director at District 9’s Mid-City CAN*, involved in community organizing. Currently employed as executive director of Youth Will.
Education: Attended Golden West Community College, transferred to and earned bachelor’s degree from Chapman University. Received law degree from California Western School of Law. Relevant experience: Board member of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless and Community HousingWorks.
A Significant Accomplishment: Was elected to Board of Trustees for San Diego Community Colleges.
Politics in a nutshell: Progressive
Issues highlighted on website: Racial Equity, COVID-19, Quality Housing, Safety & Justice, Clean and Healthy Neighborhoods, Opportunity for All
$$$$
Total small donors reported via Candidate Controlled committee: $$41,201.85
A sampling of links concerning Sean Elo-Rivera
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Next Up: Big News in Local Congressional Contests
Voter Guide – You’ve Voted for President, what’s next?
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