San Bernardino mayor refuses to apologize for calling 1st Ward ‘disgusting’
San Bernardino Mayor John Valdivia refused to apologize Wednesday, March 17, for calling the city’s 1st Ward “disgusting” during a public meeting last month.
Valdivia, whom Councilman Damon Alexander asked to apologize for the remark, said his comments on Feb. 24 were “misquoted.”
The mayor did not specify how or where he was misquoted, but said “the intention context was misquoted.”
When Alexander subsequently requested Valdivia clarify his comments for the public, the mayor said he values “all wards of the city I represent.”
“I’m elected at large,” he added, “and I certainly have a deep appreciation for my hometown. We’ll get to work like we plan on getting to work tonight.”
Valdivia then moved Wednesday’s council meeting forward.
Around midnight, at the conclusion of the five-hour web conference, 1st Ward Councilman Theodore Sanchez said constituents have told him the past few weeks to demand the mayor apologize for what he said Feb. 24.
“As someone who is from the 1st Ward and I represent the 1st Ward and live the life of most people here in the 1st Ward, I know what we’re like,” Sanchez said. “We’re a hearty bunch and we depend on very few people out of our immediate neighborhood, our family, friends and neighbors. Many of us live in dire poverty. We work two jobs, single mothers take care of two, three kids, elderly parents, and we have felt abandoned for decades. …
“We don’t live our lives with anyone’s permission,” Sanchez added. “We don’t seek their approval. I can say this with confidence, as a 1st Ward resident, that if the mayor wants to give us an apology, thank you, but no thank you.
“An insincere apology means very little among these people who have had to weather so much throughout their lives,” he said.
Valdivia was not present for Sanchez’s remarks, having left the council meeting about an hour earlier.
“Let’s continue to depend on each other,” Sanchez concluded, “and the people who we take care of and the people who take care of us. That’s how we’re going to get ahead.”
Less than a month ago, certain San Bernardino council members questioned Valdivia’s alleged dealings with a developer who at the time was vying to redevelop the Carousel Mall property.
Ahead of a testy, 90-minute special meeting on Feb. 24, Valdivia’s attorney, Rod Pacheco, threatened legal action should the council vote to remove the mayor from office, though no such effort was listed on the agenda.
About 40 minutes into that meeting, Sanchez said the city’s lax campaign finance rules are to blame for potential for conflicts of interest. His comments then turned to Valdivia, specifically.
“The people have spoken, and I think they were dead wrong when they elected the mayor we have now,” Sanchez said in part. “But those individuals who voted for the mayor, voted for him to be mayor for four years. …
He concluded: “If you really want (Valdivia) gone, we have to start putting in that footwork to do a recall. Otherwise, let’s move this city forward. Let’s move this city forward. This is not the way to do that.”
“Mr. Sanchez,” Valdivia retorted, “you ought to get involved back in your City Council ward because it’s disgusting. It’s a shame.”
Instantly and simultaneously, multiple council members called the mayor out of order for his comments.
Valdivia ultimately asked Councilwoman Sandra Ibarra to continue with discussion on the matter at hand.
The Feb. 24 meeting continued for another 45 minutes.
Valdivia has refuted all allegations of impropriety concerning the Carousel Mall project.