Bettina Olivares is the Oligarchy candidate for City District 8. She recently sent out two mailers that do not cite a single policy position because her policy positions are embarrassing. I am not bothering to attach them here because I need you to stay awake through this email! Here are the five things you need to know about her:
1. OLIVARES FAVORS HIGH TAXATION AND DEFICIT SPENDING
In October Olivares was asked by El Paso Matters and PBS whether she agreed with the City Council decision to raise our property tax this past August 23, since the tax rate was not lowered enough to compensate for increased property valuations. Her mendacious reply “The City did not raise taxes!” was captured on video along with her convoluted explanation. At the candidates forum hosted by Sacred Heart Church, Aaron Montes of KTEP asked Olivares what she would cut from our bloated $1.16 billion City budget, to which she replied “I would not cut any of our City services.” We are talking about ZERO fiscal discipline!
2. OLIVARES FAVORS CERTIFICATES OF OBLIGATION
At the same forum, when asked if she supports the issuance of certificates of obligation, a nefarious debt instrument that does not require voter approval, she declared “to not use them I think is irresponsible.” Olivares is the only one of the six City candidates in the current runoff election who likes certificates of obligation.
3. OLIVARES FAVORS DESTROYING DURANGUITO FOR AN ARENA
In one mailer Olivares claims that “El Paso will become the hot spot for visitors and tourism when we have quality hotels, hospitality, restaurants and service shops.” Apparently for her, historic buildings and neighborhoods and the people who live in them are not reasons why tourists would come to El Paso, and so we should not be surprised that she wants to destroy Duranguito for an arena. Thus, she supports eminent domain for an entertainment purpose, displacement of the most vulnerable El Pasoans from their homes, mass demolition of irreplaceable historical assets, and spending hundreds of millions over budget on a project we cannot afford.
4. OLIVARES FAVORS LIMITING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS BUT ACCEPTED $22,500 FROM THE HUNTS AND FOSTER!
Olivares has stated on multiple occasions that she supports the proposal by Justicia Fronteriza to limit campaign contributions. She passionately declared her approval at the District 1 & 8 Candidates Forum hosted at Sacred Heart Church on October 16 (at the 50:30 mark of this video). But her campaign finance disclosures reveal that she has accepted $12,500 from the Hunts and $10,000 from Foster.
5. OLIVARES IS EXACTLY LIKE HER BOSS, REP. CASSANDRA HERNANDEZ OF DISTRICT 3
City Rep. Cassandra Hernandez has voted to raise our property tax for six years in a row, every August since she assumed office. She has also authorized every single CO issuance since 2017, adding more than a half-billion dollars to the City’s debt without voter approval. She has voted for every insolvent municipal project without exception and is the most fanatical supporter on City Council of destroying Duranguito for an arena. As far as I can tell, Olivares, who has worked for Hernandez for three and a half years, has the same policy positions as her boss, but you will not find them on her mailers!
THE SOLUTION: CHRIS CANALES
The solution to Olivares is Chris Canales, her opponent, who is for restraining taxation, eliminating COs as a debt instrument for City projects, saving Duranguito from the City’s arena, and limiting campaign contributions (he has voluntarily limited his donors to $1,000 each). Moreover, Canales acts independently of his boss, Rep. Cissy Lizarraga, and has the courage and independence to embrace positions that are very different from hers.
https://canalesforcouncil.com/