On October 18, several Chinese organizations held a press conference to express their ongoing concerns about inaccurate ballot information regarding Jorge Herrera, a candidate for city council in San Gabriel.
IAPAC Honorary Chairperson Yih Anli explained that Herrera’s candidate introduction in Chinese inaccurately lists his occupation as “市政經理” (municipal manager), while he is not actually serving in that role. This candidate introduction is sent out alongside the ballots to provide voters with basic information about each candidate. Anli presented an official sample of the English ballot, noting that Herrera’s self-description in English lists his position as “municipal manager.” In a Chinese context, “市政經理” translates to “city manager,” a significant position within city government. However, Herrera was formerly a “municipal manager” at the waste management firm Republic Services, a title distinct from that of a city-appointed city manager.
Anli stated that his investigation revealed Herrera’s full job title at Republic Services was “municipal relations service.” He questioned why Herrera identified himself as a “municipal manager.”
In response to these accusations, Herrera claimed that his title at Republic Services was indeed “municipal manager,” providing his business card as evidence. He acknowledged that he submitted his candidate information to the county as “municipal manager,” but stated that the translation into Chinese or Spanish was outside his control. He also mentioned that he could have referred to himself as “municipal sales manager.”
Moreover, Anli pointed out that during a major promotional event, Herrera’s title on a poster was inaccurately listed as “current councilmember of San Gabriel,” which further misled Chinese voters. Herrera responded that he could not understand the Chinese text on the poster at the time, but as soon as he realized the title was incorrect, he contacted the event organizers to request a correction. The organizers have since sent an apology email to the city government and assured that the five current councilmembers are aware of the situation.
This year, the San Gabriel City Council has two open seats, with terms expiring for John R. Harrington and Tony Ding. Currently, there are five registered candidates: Tony Ding, seeking re-election, along with Herrera, Jeanne E. Raya, Carina Rivera, and Isela Lopez Bowles.
