The race for San Diego County's District 1 supervisor seat has intensified as Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Mayor John McCann exchange accusations about each other's financial dealings.
In a recent debate hosted by ABC10News, McCann accused Aguirre of avoiding paying her property taxes.
"You should talk to Mayor Aguirre and ask her why she hasn't paid her taxes," McCann said. "All you have to do is go down to the county and you can see that Mayor Aguirre's property taxes have not been paid," he added.
According to the county tax collector, Aguirre and her husband first defaulted on their property taxes in 2022 and didn't establish a payment plan until May of this year. They currently owe $2,139 to the county.
Aguirre's campaign acknowledged the situation, telling me "she and her husband missed a few payments during a rough patch."
"I'm not privileged, I'm part of the working class, and I know what it is to fall behind on your finances and then catch up," Aguirre said.
The Imperial Beach mayor has countered with her own accusations, taking legal action Wednesday against the City of Chula Vista for allegedly concealing public documents that could reflect negatively on McCann.
"I don't use my office to benefit my own personal finances as my opponent has," Aguirre said.
According to the petition for writ, McCann wrote a letter to President Donald Trump in 2020 requesting the release of Adriana Shayota, a convicted fraudster, from federal prison. After Trump granted this request, Aguirre's campaign claims Shayota spent $58,000 to help elect McCann as mayor in 2022.
The document states Shayota was later convicted in another fraud scheme and sentenced to prison again this year.
"He's the one that lobbied Trump to release a convicted felon that went back into the community, turned around, gave his campaign thousands of dollars and then went on to reoffend," Aguirre said.
McCann defended his actions regarding Shayota.
"Adriana was an immigrant woman and person of color, it was a non-violent felony, and she had committed over half of her sentence. Me and fifty other leaders in the community wrote a letter to the Justice Department," McCann said.
McCann's campaign says he does not deny writing this letter and has not withheld it from the city. A representative says McCann's staff responded within the requirements of Aguirre's public records request to the City attorney and City clerk.
Both candidates are intensifying their accusations just weeks before the District 1 special election.
