Anonymous
By an edhat reader
California 37th Assembly District Debate for the March 3, 2020 primary held at the University Club in Santa Barbara, CA. Topics covered include: Housing, Homelessness, Climate Change, Transportation and much more.
Candidates who attended include Democrats Jonathan Abboud, Steve Bennett, Stephen Blum, Jason Dominguez, Elsa Granados, Cathy Murillo (by opening statement) and Republican Charles Cole.
37th Assembly District Debate, California – 2-19-20, Part 1
37th Assembly District Debate, California – 2-19-20, Part 2 (Audience Questions)
No 12:12, that was not the “real story” according to other reports. Maybe someone has a tape of the actual encounter. Too bad our own city mayor, who was a no-show for her own debate, could not provide a first hand account and lower the temperature of this reported encounter.
If you want to know what was said by Denise Adams and Abboud’s mom, look at Part 2 (the shorter video). Denice’s questions are at 18:30 and 29:45. Antoinette Abboud’s outburst begins at 33:09. Antoinette is the only person to say the word “Arab” here at this debate. She doesn’t like Denice because she’s a right wing conservative. But Denice displays professional behavior and doesn’t call people names or use slurs (not on purpose-she is a senior citizen and uses old-fashioned language).
Thank you for posting these. The first part is particularly interesting on the issues before the candidates, the need for housing, environmental issues, homelessness…. All 6 candidates who attended were thoughtful. There was little advance notice for this forum and, unfortunately, Cathy Murillo had a prior commitment.
https://www.thechannels.org/news/2020/02/20/exclusive-racial-remark-at-abboud-derails-district-assembly-debate/ quote: When it was Spangler Adams’ turn to ask a question, she asked Jonathan how to help “illegal immigrants” and their children assimilate into American culture.
“I’ve been watching you for the past two years,” Spangler Adams said. “You sit down during the pledge, you post derogatory comments towards whites on your Facebook.”
As Jonathan began to answer, Antoinette approached Spangler Adams, and the two began arguing loudly in the back of the room. It was during this time Spangler Adams repeatedly referred to Jonathan as a “self-identified Arab.” :quote
https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.abboud/posts/10158486691906015 (I’m not voting for Abboud and have not contributed to his campaign, but someone is lying here about him and what happened at that event)
Bennett is a great candidate and I am wholeheartedly voting for him.
No speculation is needed. Watch the video!
But I think that Dominguez is better qualified.
Dominguez is my choice too.
The audio from the discussion in the back of the room is barely audible over the voices of people with microphones (duh). Anyone claiming that Adams did not say “Arab” is blatantly lying. Period.
The real story was the verbal brawl Jonathan Abboud’s mother started during intermission. Does the video include that? The other story is why does Cathy Murillo keep skipping F2F debates, just like she did when running for mayor.
The real story with that is Denice Spangler Adams made a disgusting racist comment about Abboud’s ethnicity and his mother came to his defense. This isn’t the first time Denice has made racist comments about people’s ethnicity and heritage (online and in person) but it is the first time someone finally stood up to her about it.
Are the Presidential Debates turn off’s to you too? Candidates need to be able compare and contrast themselves to other candidates. Holding a debate otherwise doesn’t allow anyone to correct the record if a candidates says one thing but does something else. Don’t we want accuracy over anything else? Dominguez has an excellent background and tons of experience. What he had to deal with with at City Council meetings and with the Democratic Central Committee was atrocious. He served the District well but because he is a Democrat that was not supported by the DCC and one who wants good government, transparency and real data and answers and not just to say “yes” to Staff, Special Interest Groups and the DCC he gets the shaft. The City now has an uneducated (policy or city issues) person in District 1 who hasn’t a clue as to what is really going on. She also owes her allegiance to Cathy Murillo for her “win.” Alejandra will be another puppet just like Oscar. It is so sad to see public officials lacking so much needed knowledge and critical analysis skills at City Council meetings. But this is what we are getting when we choose young inexperienced people when voting. There will come a time when people wake and will realize what fools they were to vote for these peoples, but by then I fear it may be too late correct the problems we have.
Which Murillo should have broken in order to attend this. BIG Mistake. BIG. (ha ha, channeling a bad movie, and Cathy so deserves it.) But it won’t make a difference. You seem, to me, to be posting on her behalf. I’m all Democrat all the time for various reasons. But I won’t vote for someone who barely appears, who barely seems to exist while in office. Cathy’s so out of sight and touch that she — dis appears. So glad I met Bennett through this election. He’s got my vote. I of course like Jason Dominguez, but Bennett’s resume, experience and accomplishments top him. For me, that’s how I see it.
I would very much like to hear your reasons that Dominguez is a better choice than Steve Bennett, and am very open to them, as I am supportive of both but will be voting for Bennett due to his record and political/professional relationships. Hey, I’m a registered Democrat who does NOT vote who the party “tells” me to! I’m also a lib female, thus would NEVER vote for ANY Republican. Now, I would NEVER vote for ANY Republican in any office in any capacity, because they currently All support the current “president*” who gives not a single damn for any law or norm in the USA and is, quite simply, a terrible human in all ways, professional and personal. I will not denigrate any animal by comparing him to one. I do call him SCROTUS “So Called Ruler of the United States.”
I’ve watched about 15 minutes, before and after the “melt down,” or whatever you want to call it. I’ve heard dog whistles! Mom should not have spoken up, it hurts her son, but she felt she had to stand up and I see why. There was no “melt down.” If you think that’s one, I hope you, every reader, has the guts to deal with, care for, and be with, if not be *friends* with your elders when the time comes. It has NOT come in this situation! Disgusting, some if not all of the candidates on the stage should’ve stood up and spoken out. I got a serious vibe of snickering at Abboud.
I hope Ms. Abboud’s point was made by someone, anyone else in the audience at the appropriate time. People think Americans are outspoken… We are not! We may be rude and brash, but we’re usually too afraid of what others will think to speak up and do the right thing. No question, that could’ve been my mom up there speaking out! 🙂 Bless her. Thank you, mom, for making me the person I am today, may I be strong enough to speak up and out for what I believe!
This appears to me a situation in which Mr. J. McCain could’ve spoken to correct the record.
Was the tantrum staged to get canvassers for Abboud this weekend?
JQB – The video contradiction or statements. I think you need to watch the video.
JQB – The video contradicts your statements. I think you need to watch the video. – Wish we could edit our own comments if we post something an error… Sorry about the duplicate post..
Since the top two vote getters on March 3 will get a chance to face off this November, it could be very good race in Nov based upon important local and state issues between Bennett and Dominguez. A welcome change. I hope we see more of both of them. The future direction of our state is at a critical juncture. Rubber stamp party politics no longer cuts it. In fact, rubber stamp party politics is what got us into the mess we are in today. Independence and integrity, no matter the party label, is the direction we need to take. Settle for nothing less. One-party rubber stamp politics simply does not work.
I guess he is a political candidate so this kind of smear campaign is acceptable? Personally, I hear good things about him, admire his relationship with his mother, and predict we will hear from him again in other races as he is learning some valuable lessons at a very young age.
Curious how much mis-reporting this incident created. Jerry Roberts only added more to the toxic stew. Any candidate that needs his mother to sit in the front row and run interference for him is a long way from being ready for prime time. Go fix the $4 million dollar debt you created Abboud at SBCC. If you want to prove your chops. Let’s audit the IV Special District accounts too while we are at it.