This public letter was contributed by Lorie Sanchez, Campaign Manager for Dane Sanchez, candidate for County Clerk-Recorder. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent BenitoLink or other affiliated contributors. Lea este artículo en español aqui.
I am writing this letter in response to both former HFD Chief Bob Martin Del Campo and retired HPD Chief David Westrick. I wasn’t going to address it, but after reading both endorsements, I can’t sit back and allow misinformation to spread. While I respect their endorsement for Francisco Diaz, what I don’t respect is that both Mr. Martin Del Campo and Mr. Westrick are providing the community with a false narrative about Francisco built on lies and misleading statements and I am curious as to where they obtained their information.
First things first, I want to go on record and clear up any confusion. The day of the fire, Sept 6, 2023, Francisco was not in the country, as he was enroute to Japan for a 2-3 week vacation.
Francsico was not involved with the immediate aftermath of the fire. If anybody deserves any recognition, it would be the entire Clerk-Recorder-Elections (CRE) Department for an all-hands-on deck approach, the County I.T. Department for setting up CRE with laptops and getting them connected to the county system, and both the Administration Building and Office of Emergency Services for providing a place to work until CRE had a new location.
I feel that Mr. Martin Del Campo’s letter of endorsement is coming from a biased perspective, as there is currently an employee with the same exact last name working for the Elections Department. This employee was also one of the two employees who lost their jobs due to the budget cuts in 2025. I don’t want to make any speculations or assumptions, but it seems like this letter was a way to curry favor with Francisco.
When I read Mr. Westrick’s endorsement, I was curious why he felt the need to endorse Mr. Diaz when he said he doesn’t endorse any individual, ever. He said he worked alongside Mr. Diaz, but in what capacity? Mr. Sanchez had worked in office with Mr. Diaz for more than three years, so I believe he would be able to attest to what kind of character and leadership Mr. Diaz has. I also believe that Mr. Westrick is misinformed on the prerequisite when running for the County Clerk-Recorder position. According to Government Code section 24001, “The candidate shall be a U.S. citizen and a registered voter of the County of San Benito at the time nomination papers are issued”. If living in San Benito County is the metric he’s using for the position, then Mr. Diaz would pale in comparison, as he has only lived in San Benito County since 2021, whereas Mr. Sanchez has been a lifelong resident.
A competitive election is a sign of a healthy community, but when the competitive nature resorts to misinformation, what has the competition become?
Any comments, questions, or concerns should be address to Mr. Sanchez at:
danesanchez4countyclerk@gmail.com.
Lorie Sanchez
Campaign Manager for Dane Sanchez, candidate for County Clerk-Recorder
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