Martinez mayor and councilmember disown attack on AnaMarie Avila Farias’ record

Press Release

After seeing their pictures appearing on a mail piece attacking Martinez Vice Mayor AnaMarie Avila Farias, a candidate for Contra Costa County Supervisor, Martinez Mayor Rob Schroder and Councilmember Mark Ross both repudiated the message in the hit piece and made statements correcting the record.

The hit piece – paid for by a Political Action Committee supporting Supervisor Federal Glover – falsely attacked Avila Farias, saying she “Personally pocketed $40,000 in affordable housing fees.”

 At last night’s Martinez City Council meeting, when shown a printed copy of the hit piece, Mayor Rob Schroder said, “I did not sign off on it or authorize it.” And Councilmember Mark Ross stated, “When it comes to the wording here, I agree with the mayor. It’s incorrect. She did not pocket $40,000. … I’m actually the person who imposed the $40,000 by the way, so I know a lot about this subject. She was relieved of the voluntarily obligation by this council, including myself. So the wording here that she personally pocketed it, I repudiate that. It’s incorrect.”

 Vice Mayor Avila Farias condemned the false and libelous statement and demanded that Supervisor Federal Glover himself condemn this kind of campaigning.

“This is another example of the desperate measures that the Contra Costa County political machine will go to in order to hold onto power,” said Avila Farias. “I call on Supervisor Federal Glover to join my colleagues, Martinez Mayor Rob Schroder and Councilmember Mark Ross in repudiating false and misleading attacks like this that have no place in our county – or our democracy.”

 Before she was on the Martinez City Council, Avila Farias transformed a brownfield site into a new green housing development in the heart of downtown Martinez. The property was revitalized and reutilized and turned into an 8-unit housing development that infused $2.8 million in private-investments into downtown Martinez. Before the market crash in 2008, Avila Farias voluntarily agreed to contribute $40,000 into a City of Martinez affordable housing fund that was not required of housing developments – and in fact, it was not set up to take and administer contributions. To date, no fund or program has yet to be created.

 After the crash in 2008, Avila Farias petitioned the City to waive the $40,000 voluntary commitment because the value of the property had dropped so low that the units themselves had come down into the range of affordable housing. She never received any taxpayer money for the project – and she certainly couldn’t pocket what she did not receive. The Martinez City Council, including Mayor Rob Schroder and Councilmembers Mark Ross and Lara DeLaney, voted 5-0 to release Avila Farias from her obligation.

 A third generation Martinez resident, Councilmember Avila Farias has served on the Martinez City Council for four years and is currently the Vice-Mayor. She has 22 years of public service experience and is Governor Jerry Brown’s appointee to the Board of Directors of the California Housing Finance Agency. She has been endorsed for Supervisor by the Contra Costa County Deputy Sheriffs, the Contra Costa County Fire Fighters Local 1230 and the Police Officers Associations from Martinez, Hercules and Pinole.

For more information, please visit AnaMarieforCC.com.

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4 comments

  1. Nice article.

  2. Council member Ross just stated, in the same sentence, that the $40,000 was a “voluntarily obligation.” Folks, this is extortion or poor grammar, at the very least. The city imposed this “volunteer obligation” to start an affordable housing fund, a noble idea, I agree. However, the city wanted the very first deposit to be attached to a building permit/variance for the Farias’ construction project. The city council should have established the fund and set the policies for collecting the fees before asking for the first deposit. Especially, prior requiring a fee as a condition of obtaining the building permit or, any other government service that was previously managed under different policies and regulations. The city council didn’t see this as an abuse of their power, but this is selling the city services for an agreement to a “voluntarily obligation.”

    This misuse of that kind of power would have gone unchecked/noticed if not for the housing crisis which, prompted a request for a reduction in the fee amount, and the 9 years delayed smear campaign by the Glover campaign. We need to send a message loud and clear Ross should go on this election cycle and the mayor, the next.

  3. yeah, but what about those time cards? Can’t blame that on anyone. Got caught on vacation spending county money.

    Two bankruptcies in 5 years???? Sure let’s put her in charge of the county coffers!

    and p.s. other developers paid the fee, they just didn’t have a bulldog on the council to push it through

  4. @Corey Fulmer
    yeah, but what about those time cards?

    You are factually incorrect. Without codes how can you determine what was submitted. Was that time submitted; as time worked? Comp. time? Sick time? As you are probably aware of, many people would rather have compensation time for hours worked in excess of the 40 hours rather than overtime, while others are required to take comp time.

    A public employee’s pay is public information and subject to FOIA, but not the type hours. There are many reasons for this but; the first has to do with HIPAA. Finally, sentences start with capital letters. You should really consider how your writing telegraphs so much about you.

    Can’t blame that on anyone.

    If this were true you would have a point, no subject in your sentence but, a point non-the-less. However, the statement is untrue. You can blame Glover and his merry crew of political assassins. Nice job on the capital letter to start a sentence though.

    Got caught on vacation spending county money.

    Again, no subject, and the money belonged to her and the pictures were from her Facebook, hardly getting caught. You should consider using bullet points when you write like this less people will think you didn’t finish school.

    Two bankruptcies in 5 years???? Sure let’s put her in charge of the county coffers!

    Trump had 6 and you still support him however, that’s not the point. You hate grammar, seems to be your point. I would try and explain this to you but, I believe your mind is made up already, as simple as it is.

    and p.s. other developers paid the fee, they just didn’t have a bulldog on the council to push it through

    1. We all understand that you are asking a question even if you use just one question mark.
    2. Comma after the “and”
    3. “Other” should be capitalized
    4. p.s. should be capitalized. I’d read up on the use of Post Script if I were you.

    You are telling at least two bold faced lies in this last statement; by the way that makes you a liar. First, no other developers paid a fee. Re-read the article and you will see that Mark Ross “imposed the 40,000 fee” then in the very next paragraph they state that the “it was not set up to take and administer contributions. To date, no fund or program has yet to be created.”

    Your second lie is that there was a “bulldog on the council to push it through”. I can only assume that by “bulldog,” you mean AnaMarie. While she did graduate from Alhambra High School and technically a Bulldog, she had not been elected to the City Council by that time. However, if you meant, AHS alum as Bulldog, then I apologize (but if you did, it should have been capitalized as well). Somehow though, I think you meant she was on the city council which a careful read of the article will quickly disprove.

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