November 8, 2022 City Council Election
Endorsements
City Council District 4 City Council District 5
Ollie Cantos Fredrick Sykes
www.olliecantos.com www.fredricksykes.com
Why we endorsed these candidates in this election: City councils are elected by the voters to govern the city. Effective fiscal and management oversight, transparency, and resident involvement are critical to good governance. Ultimately, each city council member is responsible to the voters who elected them. Unfortunately, our current city council dismisses resident concerns and implements their own agenda, an agenda most residents do not support.
Our endorsement criteria: We considered each candidate’s experience and understanding on how local government functions. We wanted to know their level of knowledge, priorities, and vision for the City of West Covina.
We gained insight into each candidate’s understanding on a variety of issues such as the proposed health department, Sportsplex, BKK, sale of the city yard, homelessness. We were pleased by the quality of the candidates who seek office. We selected the candidates who we felt are the best fit for the position at this time.
Disclosure: We reached out to all city council candidates. Three candidates declined to speak with us: Letty Lopez, incumbent, District 2; Yara Wolff, District 4; and Tony Wu, incumbent, District 5.
We are West Covina Neighbors!
Working together West Covina Neighbors stopped, by an 80% to 20% vote, the severely flawed Measure WC sponsored by the city’s public safety unions which would have increased our city sales tax and reduced the city’s ability to manage its budget.
We focus on West Covina’s leadership and financial management because leadership and management directly impact the services we receive, the taxes we pay, and, most importantly, our safety and well-being.
Our major concern is the State Auditor’s ranking of West Covina as a “High Financial Risk” city and the City Council’s decisions that can and do impact West Covina’s financial stability—and in turn, resident quality of life.
Issues We are Monitoring
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State Audit | Resident Petition & State Auditor’s Actions
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City Finances | Our Analysis
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West Covina Health Department | City Council Proposal & Actions