Updated: Just checked. Still no mention of David Benavides’ wife or family on his campaign website. What is up with that?
I still remember when Santa Ana Council Member David Benavides first ran for the City Council, in 2006. Go back and look at his Smart Voter page and you will see that he proudly described himself as a “Husband of a Santa Ana school teacher, dad of a 4yr old daughter & 6mo old son.”
But take a look at Benavides’ mayoral campaign website and you will find no mention whatsoever of his family. And his campaign Facebook page also makes no mention that he is married and that he has kids. His Council Facebook page likewise omits any mention of his family, as does his personal page. Click on his “profile pictures” and you get several face shots of Benavides – and no family pictures. Even his official City Council bio omits any mention of his wife and children.
What gives?
This is a fairly shocking turn of events. The two things I always admired about Benavides was that he once worked in youth ministry and that he was a family man. Now I have to wonder what is going on.
A city insider told me that Benavides conducted a poll before announcing his campaign for Mayor. One of the questions posed to voters was would they support a mayoral candidate who had cheated on his wife. Why would he include that question in his poll?
Remember that Benavides and his wife bought their home in Santa Ana by participating in a home loan program for teachers, called the “Extra Credit Teacher Home Purchase Program,” which offered a reduced mortgage rate and $7,500 in down payment assistance to teachers who worked at low-performing schools, according to this press release. The Benavides couple were in fact one of the first families to participate in this program. Does Benavides have to give this money back if he and his wife are living separately now, as rumors allege?
Perhaps most unsettling is Benavides’ longtime friendship with his fellow Council Member Carlos Bustamante – who was arrested this year for numerous felony charges of sexual harassment and public theft. Benavides is one of the only Council Members who has NOT called on Bustamante to resign.
Benavides reached out to me before he announced his campaign but I have since made it clear that I am supporting Pulido. He does need to step up now and clarify what is going on. Santa Ana is dominated by working families. The voters deserve to know the truth.
This all brings to mind a slew of emails I received a few years ago from a fellow who claimed he had phone records proving that Benavides had an affair with his wife. Apparently they worked together. Benavides and I met afterwards and he swore there was no affair and that it was a misunderstanding. But now his wife and family are missing from all of his websites – and you have to wonder what in the world is going on.
By contrast, Mayor Miguel Pulido’s official Council bio page proudly mentions his family. So does his Facebook page. Say what you will about Pulido but even his staunchest critics attest to the fact that he is a great father.
But that is not all. While looking at Benavides’ personal Facebook page tonight I noticed he no longer is working at US Bank. Apparently he is now a partner at a company called Civico Real Estate Group. Now this is a problem as this company is based in Santa Ana and is involved in the sale of real estate. Benavides now has a huge conflict of interest both as a Council Member and as a candidate for Mayor.
Why would Benavides quit his job at US Bank? Is he going through a mid-life crisis? Why run for Mayor under these circumstances? It just makes no sense. Yet this guy is the face of the supposed Santa Ana spring?
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In response to his inflamatory blog post calling the Mayor of Santa Ana Claudia’s “BITCH”, I asked Dan what he though of the rumors of Davids extramarital affair.
What intelligent meaningful response does one expect in regards to a rumor????
A rumor or rumour (spelling differs between American and British English) is often viewed as "an unverified account or explanation of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in public concern" (33)[1] However, a review of the research on rumor conducted by Pendleton in 1998 found that research across sociology, psychology, and communication studies had widely varying definitions of rumor.[2]
Thus, rumor is a concept that lacks a particular definition in the social sciences. But most theories agree that rumor involves some kind of a statement whose veracity is not quickly or ever confirmed. In addition, some scholars have identified rumor as a subset of propaganda, the latter another notoriously difficult concept to define. A pioneer of propaganda studies, Harold Lasswell defined propaganda in 1927 as referring "solely to the control of opinion by significant symbols, or, to speak more concretely and less accurately, by stories, rumors, reports, pictures, and other forms of social communication" (1927:9).[3]
Rumors are also often discussed with regard to "misinformation" and "disinformation" (the former often seen as simply false and the latter seen as deliberately false, though usually from a government source given to the media or a foreign government).[4] Rumors thus have often been viewed as particular forms of other communication concepts.
You're obviously a big fan of Benavides. Why don't you ask him what the deal is and let us know? That is how you can resolve the rumors.
You asked Dan what he thought? Who gives a sh*t what he thinks? Dan dismissed the Bustamante rumors until Carlos was arrested. Now he is screaming that others ignored the signs.
Hey editor! Didn't Dan give Carlos money when you ran against him?
Dan contributed to mailers attacking my campaign against Bustamante.
Fan has nothing to do with it. Being responsible and guarding your integrity should be why one should not deal in rumors.
Read the definition above again. You posted you asked him directly on the issue of infidelity, you wrote he denied this ever happening. HE ANSWERED THE RUMOR. Would I asking him responding change your attacks based on rumors? No.....................because the agenda is to damage using rumors as the tool - strategy..........." throw enough lies and some will stick".
Did you mean fan or flan? Or something else?
What I was talking about was not the one instance of alleged infidelity but rather the rumors of additional such instances and a pending divorce.
Please ask him what is up and let us know. That way you can put this all to bed and focus on his campaign.
BTW, is it true he is working with Charles Hart? Does Eric Alderete know this?
He answered your infidelity question , you have ignored his answer. Answering other rumors will get same results because answers get in the way of the strategy..."" throw enough lies and some will stick".
We live in a hypothetical universe Los Dos Arts! Rumors may become reality. Disinformation might be prediction and everybody needs suggestion to guide them. All hail Santa Ana Propaganda Minister, and the Minister of Disinformation. soothsayers.
Good point Mateo. Would Santa Ana really be better off were I to shut down this blog? Believe me, that is what the Benavides crowd really wants.
In the old days politicians could get away with fooling us. Now they can't. And they don't like it one bit.
Editor says:
August 23, 2012 at 2:54 pm
Good point Mateo.
What is your point Mateo. What point do you think Mateo made.
That these are important topics worthy of discussion.
Dr. Lomeli,
Who do you plan on voting for?
What are the concerns you have for your household and neighbors that make you wish for a change so badly?
I am especially eagar to learn more about your thoughts on integrity. Because, frankly, i think that is the point of the original post. If there are issues in a marriage, voters and citizens hould look beyond that. but as long talked about in the community, David has had a wandering eye (to put it kindly) and if a man is willing to cheat on his wife, with whom (in Benavides case) he as taken a vow before GOD himself, and he breaks that, causing the destruction of his family, leaving the children Fatherless and alone, like those he claims to have moved to Santa Ana to "save", what does that say about integrity.
Benavide's needs to come clean. Just like John Edwards, Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich and coutless others before him.
If he can not manage a marriage, how can he manage a city with significant challenges like Santa Ana.
Voters can't pack up and move to Irvine and sue for child support.
The Bastards left behind this time will be the people of Santa Ana.
That's what I am arguing for!
Lomeli is a wealthy Republican who lives in Orange Park Acres. He can't vote in Santa Ana.
Mateo is saying the universe is unexplainable therefore a fortune teller can only by seeing in the future for example a rumor can be reality.
He then calls you the Santa Ana propaganda minister and the minster of disinformation.
How in the world do you interpret this into " that these topics are worthy of discussion" and that you are responsible through pieces like this one responsible for politicians not fooling us.
How can you do this with Mateo's label of you as Santa Ana's propaganda minister and the minister of disinformation?
He referred to both of us but labelled me as the former and you as the latter.
All you are doing is obfuscating. Talk to Benavides, demand he come clean and let us know what the deal is.
Wrong interpretation again.
We will have to wait for Mateo to chime in.
BTW, you don't live in Santa Ana and can't vote here. Why don't you ask the Benavides cult to send someone to comment here who will actually be able to vote here in November?
Carpetbagger,
This is how ridiculous those like you have become due to desperation.
Wandering eye = infidelity
Divorced male = fatherless children
A divorce with children = bastard children
You must be the chairman heading the strategy........"throw enough lies and some will stick".
Most of Pulido's financial and political supporters are out of towners. They don't vote in Santa Ana nor chime in on your blog but have made a lot of decisions in Santa Ana for you.
I don't have the ability to make decisions for you, but have the ability to state my opinion in your blog. Thanks for giving me the opportunity.
You're welcome. I respect you and am saddened that once again you have sided with an inept candidate.
If Tinajero were running instead of Benavides I could buy this revolution.