During the San Gabriel City Council meeting on October 15, several individuals from the Chinese community expressed concerns regarding misleading information being disseminated by City Council candidate Jorge Herrera. With the election approaching on November 15, activists have voiced their apprehensions about the integrity of the campaign processes.
Four speakers addressed the council that day, collectively accusing Herrera of misrepresenting his title in his Chinese candidate profile. They pointed out that he referred to himself as “市政經理” (city manager) in the Chinese version sent to voters. If voters opted for a Chinese ballot, they would see this description alongside his name.
Hao Xiaohui, president of the Asian American Advancing Justice (AAAA), presented evidence showing that Herrera’s profile labeled him as “市政經理,” misleadingly suggesting he held the official title of city manager, currently held by Mark Lazzaretto. She further pointed out discrepancies in promotional materials for a major event, where Herrera was incorrectly introduced as a sitting council member.
Herrera outright denied these allegations, asserting that the information provided to the election office was in English, specifying his role as “municipal manager.” He explained that the election office may have translated “municipal” as “市政” (city), leading to the confusion.
Regarding the promotional materials, Herrera admitted he could not read the Chinese text at the time and stated that he reached out to the event organizers for corrections upon realizing the misinformation. He noted that the organizers have since sent an apology to the city government and informed the five current council members about the situation.
He remarked, “This issue arose months ago, and I thought it was resolved.” Herrera was surprised to find the matter resurfacing during the city council meeting on the 15th. He provided emails demonstrating that he had communicated with both the event organizer and city officials about the error back in June and August.
Additionally, a white female attendee, Cheryl Cabot, claimed that Herrera had falsely represented himself as the mayor while engaging with Chinese-speaking voters, allegedly deceiving non-English speakers to secure their votes. Herrera firmly denied these accusations, asserting he has never claimed to be the mayor.
This year, San Gabriel City Council has two open seats as the terms of John R. Harrington and Tony Ding conclude. Currently, there are five legally registered candidates vying for these positions, including incumbents Ding and Herrera, as well as Jeanne E. Raya, Carina Rivera, and Isela Lopez Bowles.
