Op-Ed: San Jose Council Contender Omar Vasquez Has Run a True Grassroots Campaign

It has been brought to the attention of the campaign that a comment was made in a recent op-ed article questioning the accuracy of some aspects of the campaign for Omar Vasquez for City Council.

The article stated “[Omar] … seems to be renting a campaign office either for free or from a 501c3—we don’t know ‘cause it’s not mentioned in his filings.”

The campaign office is not listed in his filings because it does not exist, and an accusation of such is unfounded and simply made up. San Jose Inside removed that claim once we reached out to dispute its veracity.

But for the record: campaign “headquarters” for this candidate has been all over the map, from our quick coffee meetings at local cafes, to the driveways of volunteers’ homes,  to the hoods of cars along our canvassing routes to strategize with the walk team.

This is a grassroots campaign. Truly.

Our time has been spent in the community, on the doors, at house meetings, and so forth. Further, this campaign has never wavered from the commitment to be corporate-free and rejecting special interest contributions.

As a bystander of this election, the camaraderie among many of the District 7 candidates has been appreciated by many. There is a respect, even when ideas and opinions are vastly different, and that is very unique.

Omar has been very open about where he stands on many issues that are important to him, and more importantly the community in which he serves; but more than that he is working hard in the community every day in order to further understand the needs of the constituents. As an advocate and activist in the community for years, he has extensive knowledge of housing issues and homelessness as well as education and public safety.

Presenting made up stories and false accusations to discount the values, integrity, and honesty of a candidate is unfair. San Jose is ready for a change, especially in District 7.

Ultimately, the people of D7 will decide. So let’s let them decide based on truth.

Angelina Sabatino is the campaign manager and treasurer for Omar Vasquez for San Jose City Council. She lives in San Jose and is a social worker, currently assisting youth and families. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of San Jose Inside. Want to write an op-ed? Email a pitch to [email protected].

2 Comments

  1. > As an advocate and activist in the community for years, he has extensive knowledge of housing issues and homelessness as well as education and public safety.

    Great!

    “Extensive knowledge” is a wonderful thing. But what does his extensive knowledge tell him to actually DO about housing, homelessness, education and public safety?

    Political promises are a dime a dozen. I’m kind of burned out on politician promises and good intentions.

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