PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, July 23, 2014
State Assembly candidate may have violated residency requirements and acted to deceive the voters
69th Assembly District candidate Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias calls for investigation into election irregularities and violations
Santa Ana – Cecilia “Ceci” Iglesias, who narrowly lost in the June 3 Primary Election in the 69th Assembly District, has filed a formal complaint against neophyte Republican candidate Sherry Walker. In a letter to Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s Election Fraud Investigation Unit, Iglesias alleges Walker violated residency requirements and conspired to deceive voters who live in Santa Ana and parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Orange.
“I recently received new information which shows an intentional pattern by Walker, to openly violate residency requirements and to fraudulently mislead the voters of this district”, said Iglesias. “This is a slap in the face to all Californians who want fair elections.”
The 69th is one of the most densely populated Latino Assembly Districts in California. Over 76% of its 127,097 voters have Spanish surnames. After June 3, when all 21,365 votes were counted, incumbent one-term Assemblyman Democrat Tom Daly garnered 55% of votes cast. But Republican results were startling. Longtime Santa Ana resident and popular elected Santa Ana Unified School Board Trustee Iglesias, the endorsed GOP candidate, was nudged out of the number two spot by only 583 votes, by completely unknown Republican Walker.
Said Iglesias, “Anyone who files a nomination for candidate knowing that any part of it has been made falsely has broken California Elections law.” Continued Iglesias, “Even her name is part of campaign fakery and election myth. Walker was born two days before Sherry Nick, aka Shahrzad Rahgozar, aka Shehrzad Rahgozar filed to be a candidate in this District race.”
69th Assembly District candidate Walker and her husband Lake Forest Councilman Adam Nick have been described by noted OC Politics blogger Art Pedroza as “perhaps the most brazen carpetbaggers in Orange County election history.”
Under California’s Election code, a candidate must demonstrate physical residence of at least one year duration to be eligible to run in a district. As a bona fide elected Lake Forest Council Member, both Mr. and Mrs. Adam Nick must live not in the 69th Assembly District, but inside Lake Forest’s incorporated City limits, 15 miles away.
The home address of 9 MacArthur Ave., #809, in Santa Ana, filed on March 5, 2014 by candidate Walker, to run as Republican candidate in 69th Assembly District is in fact, not her legal residence, but belongs instead to Syavosh Zavarei a close political ally of hers and a Republican gadfly.
California’s State Constitution protects residents’ civil rights, which include democratic election of local representatives. California Election Code requires State Office candidates to demonstrate firm residency where they intend to serve and show familiarity with the district they wish to represent. In the past six months, with practically no presence in the 69th Assembly District, Walker may not only have allegedly violated election law, but has literally trampled upon the very spirit of California’s system of locally-based representation.
Iglesias has requested immediate investigation into 69th Assembly District election improprieties. Pending trial and conviction, Secretary of State Bowen has also been asked to remove Walker as a candidate for office, and to place Iglesias, as next runner-up, on 69th State Assembly ballot for the November General Election.
Said Iglesias, “I’ve been advised by political party members not to pursue a formal complaint about these alleged criminal violations lest I be perceived as a sore loser, but my only motivation is to serve the residents of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange and Santa Ana. These voters have lower median incomes, higher high school dropout rates, greater public safety risks to their person and property than a majority of California’s 40 million residents. Faced with all these challenges, why shouldn’t they have the very best representation, from a true 69th Assembly District resident?”
For more information, please contact Magda Gomez at 714-788-1532 or via email at dhrama@gmail.com or Cecilia Iglesias at 714-485-6396 or via email at iglesias4sausd@gmail.com.
###
