Rialto Democratic Club Endorsements

Below are the candidates that have been endorsed by the Rialto Democratic Club

Full List of Endorsed Candidates

• Deborah Robertson - Mayor City of Rialto

• Joe Baca Jr. - San Bernardino County Supervisor, 5th District

• Rafael Trujillo - Rialto City Council

• Mirna Ruiz - Rialto Unified School District Board of Education

• Mark Alvarez - San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District- Division I

• Gwen Rodgers - San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education

• Margaret Hill - San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education

Dual Endorsement

• Gil Navarro - San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Division II

• Jonathan Lee - San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Division II

Rialto Democratic Club Condemns Systemic Racism and Police Brutality

Racism, injustice and police brutality do not have a place in the city of Rialto or within its institutions and will not be tolerated by the members of the Rialto Democratic Club. As such, we will be proactive and hold our local leaders accountable for those actions or the inaction against racism,injustice and police brutality.

Rialto, CA. – We mourn the unnecessary killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other unarmed persons of color, who have been killed at the hands of law enforcement. These recent events have reminded us that our country has not adequately addressed the issues of police brutality and racial disparity. Locally, the shooting of Lawrence Bender serves as a reminder that we must stay vigilant here in our own city. In order to move our city forward, we believe the next step to addressing these issues is, for our city leaders take the following actions:

We will be proactive and hold our local leaders accountable for those actions or the inaction against racism,injustice and police brutality.

1.The City Council should adopt immediately a resolution declaring that any form of Racism and injustice will not be tolerated in the city of Rialto, whether overtly or systemic. Racism is a public health crisis wherever it exists. This resolution should include a review of all city department policies,procedures and institutions for the removal of any Racial or unjust entities to ensure equity.

2. The City Council and Chief of Police hold a public forum/ hearing to further address the Lawrence Bender officer-involved shooting.

3. Hold a public review and receive input regarding RPD’s use of force policy.

4. To further investigate Officer Michael Babineaux for the shooting of Lawrence Bender due to his non-use of de-escalation techniques and excessive use of force and if warranted , discipline, up to and including termination.

5. Create an independent Citizens Commission to conduct a review when officers use deadly force.

6. Create a new emergency response model to use non-law enforcement agencies to respond to non-violent calls for service with law enforcement support.

7. Require the RPD to disclose on its website the number of complaints brought against its officers.

Racism, injustice and police brutality do not have a place in the city of Rialto or within its institutions and will not be tolerated by the members of the Rialto Democratic Club. As such, we will be proactive and hold our local leaders accountable for those actions or the inaction against racism,injustice and police brutality.

Signed Executive Board of the Rialto Democratic Club