Barajas = Robinson Lite

Francisco “Empty Chair” Barajas has a flyer going out, funded by the same developers who fund the campaigns of the Gang of 3 (Robinson-Hamilton-Voigts). His major supporters include –

• · California Real Estate PAC - $2500 (9/26/16)
• · Multi-County Rental Housing PAC - $500 (9/28/16)
• · Manufactured Housing PAC - $250 (19/21/16)

Barajas is endorsed and supported by the Gang of 3. Robinson alone has given nearly $3,000 to help Barajas, and we know that Robinson also gets his funds from the developers. They share flyers and they share the plethora of empty promises that have characterized Robinson's reign.

For more about the Gang of 3, Click Here.

LOOK AT BARAJAS’ RECORD

Before we look at Barajas’s claims in his flyer, let’s review his record.

· Of all the candidates, Barajas has been in the City the least amount of time.

· He got appointed to the Parks Commission because he helped Voigts get elected in 2014. More qualified candidates were turned down because they weren’t part of the Gang.

· Since being on the Parks Commission, he missed more meetings than all the other Parks Commissioners combined. In fact, he’s missed more meetings than any Commissioner or any Council member. That’s why he earned the nickname “Empty Chair”. (Click Here)

· According to Parks Commission minutes, he didn’t make a single motion in 2016. Everyone else did, but not Francisco. He also didn’t make a single second.

· He rarely attends any city events, even events sponsored by the Parks Commission. I could find only 1 event he actually attended, when there were more than 50 in the last year. He also never attends meetings of the City Council.

LOOK AT HIS CLAIMS

Barajas comes from the Robinson School of Broken Promises and Phony Claims (Click Here and Here), so it really doesn’t matter what he promises, the chances are that he will break his promises. Robinson ran on 6 promises in 2012 and broke every one of them. In fact sometimes he did the exact opposite of what he promised to do. (Click Here)

We can’t take his claims seriously, but we can look at them anyway.

Barajas claims he will “ensure a balanced budget”.

Hmmm.

Lake Forest has had a balanced budget for the entire 25 years of our existence. Barajas is making an empty claim, something he learned from Dwight Robinson who claims responsibility for us having a balanced budget. (Click Here)

Barajas claims he will “Promote Small Business”

I’ve never seen Barajas at a ribbon cutting on any workshop or seminar about business in the City, and we have them at least monthly. How is he going to promote small business if he never shows up? I guess the same way he works on the Parks Commission by not showing up.

Barajas claims he will “Reduce Traffic Congestion”

I never saw Barajas at any traffic forum or meeting, nor at any of the Traffic Advisory Group meetings. He does show up, however, whenever developers have a party, as his Facebook page attests. If you’re going to support developers how are you going to reduce traffic congestion? The wanton approval of every request from every developer is the major cause of our worsening traffic congestion.

SUMMARY

Francisco Barajas’ candidacy is a joke, but we have seen similar jokes in the past (e.g., Scott Voigts) and with the help of the developers he could be elected. Your vote counts. Don’t waste it. Reject the lies and false claims made by people like Barajas and Robinson.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be in November at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.