With all five city council seats on the ballot in Los Banos, voters will have a clear choice in November — throw out the ruling majority or affirm their controversial decisions and leadership.
Already, signs are going up across the city, and candidates are knocking on doors.
In District 1, incumbent Kenneth Lambert will face political newcomer Tommy Leyva, who – like three other candidates in this election – is demanding a full forensic audit of city finances.
In District 3, four-term incumbent Deborah Lewis – often the lone voice of dissent against the current majority — will face the mayor’s next-door neighbor, Travis “TJ” Loebig, whose main priority is to see more youth activities.
In districts 2 and 3, residents who signed thousands of petitions to demand recall will now be asked whether they want to dismiss or retain councilmembers Doug Begonia Jr. and Brett Jones. If either, or both, is recalled, the new council is expected to appoint interim replacements until voters can choose replacements in the next election.
Having all five council seats on the ballot means Los Banos could have an entirely different city council after a single election. Normally, only three council seats come up every two years – two districts and the mayor, who serves a two-year term.
This unprecedented five-seat ballot is a reflection of voter anger dating to 2023 when the current council majority rehired Josh Pinheiro as city manager. Despite having been fired by the previous council amid allegations of employee harassment, the current council majority also gave him a $1.8 million payment and changed the city’s rules to require a 5-0 vote to dismiss him.
The city’s insurer and an outside law firm recommended the city not make the payment. Requiring a 5-0 vote to fire a city manager is unheard of across California.
Following Pinheiro’s return, dozens of city employees either quit or retired; there have been irregularities involving contracting and change orders; apparent Brown Act violations; abandoned city projects, and the city’s annual budget is now compiled and passed with virtually no public input.
This year’s budget was passed on June 5. There were no workshops or meetings for public input and no printed copies have been circulated. The only way to find it – in draft form — is if you know where to look deep in the city’s website. Go to losbanos.org, hover on the “News” tab, then click the “City Council” tab then select the June 5, 2024, meeting. The budget is in the “Agenda Packet,” and requires some scrolling to find.
Lewis voted against the budget because of its lack of public scrutiny.
She is hoping four new councilmembers will provide a fresh start for the city: “If we get a good council, we can start shaking the tree and see what’s up there.”
Pinheiro has forbidden city staff to talk to either councilmember Lewis or to the media without his permission. He has ignored all previous requests for comment from The Westside Express.
Loebig said he is not “trying to stop anything Deborah Lewis is doing. I don’t personally know Deborah, so I can’t say whether she is doing a bad job or a good job. … It’s not trying to push her out, I just want to push things forward.”
His top priorities are projects for children. A father of three, Loebig is active in Los Banos Little League and is a “sidelines dad” for youth football.
Like mayoral candidates Mike Amabile and Refugio Llamas, Leyva said he wants to see a full audit of the city’s finances during Pinheiro’s tenure.
“I’ve seen the way things go here in Los Banos,” said Leyva, a retired bus driver and Teamsters shop steward. “It’s time to get answers. It’s time to make a change.”
His other concerns include round-abouts proposed for the city. As a former bus driver, he feels they’re unsafe for pedestrians.
Leyva said he doesn’t know Lambert, and that’s the problem.
“When I was having some issues with the city, they told me to talk to my district representative,” said Leyva. “So, I called and left a message on his phone. To this day I’ve not gotten a return call.”
Lambert is proud of his record and that of the current city council, saying he can point to 25 accomplishments. He noted that there are now stop signs at the corners of every park in his district, making it safer for children.
He says the city’s parks are in better shape, as is city landscaping.
But the “biggest thing is the police station,” he said. “I was happy to be able to push that police station through to what it is now.”
Los Banos unveiled its new police station earlier this year. Lambert said it has been talked about for at least 15 years, but this council turned it into a reality.
He is also very supportive of Pinheiro.
“Since we hired Pinheiro back, we’ve gotten about 25 things done. Look at our waste-treatment plant, it had never been touched. They just let the (stuff) pile up. There were too many solids and too little liquid. That was out of neglect. It should have been done several years ago.”
Asked if he had a message for voters, Lambert responded: “I’m not changing who I am. I am going to keep pushing for what is right for the city and the citizens of Los Banos and the beautification of Los Banos.”
