Dear Editor:

I would have been so proud to have a Downey High grad in state office.

I supported Blanca Pacheco for her second term on the Downey City Council, believing she would continue to have the city in her best interest. But a short year and a half later, it is plain to see that this is not the case.

When we needed her most, her focus was on running for higher office. She disregarded our pleas for help. She backed removing our City Manager Gilbert Livas from office. She refused to support Mario Guerra to fill the vacant city council seat, which would have added stability to that body. She has failed to take a public stance on the effort to stop the Ojos Locos bar from establishing its presence in our family oriented community. Then she voted to allow a criminal to become our mayor pro tem.

For these reasons, I regretfully cannot support her candidacy for California State Assembly.

Victoria Smith
Downey

Dear Editor:

It appears that Blanca Pacheco is no exception to having dirty money thrown her way.

The Charter Public Schools Political Action Committee (PAC) just put out a flier this past Friday on her behalf, through an independent expenditure. If this Charter School PAC is successful in putting in their pockets candidates like Ms. Pacheco, then our Downey public school system will not survive the encroachment of charter schools.

Our neighboring public school districts have lost public school funds and have suffered school closures, due to the diverting of funds to charter schools. According to state standardized test results (LA Times, 2016) charter schools academically underperform, compared to Downey public schools.

This PAC’s intention is to undermine our educational systems, kill unions, and privatize education. While an independent expenditure is not necessarily approved by a candidate, a candidate can publicly denounce such support.

Blanca Pacheco benefited from our Downey public schools, as she is a product of this institution. Therefore, in order to protect our Downey public schools from defunding, all political candidates need to do the right thing and publicly denounce dirty political campaign money.

Aydé Bravo
Downey