Mayor Victor Lopez

There he is! Mayor Victor Lopez! One time lightweight boxer and longtime Orange Cove mayor! There are those who consider him a "hero" someone who is behind the "little guy" and wants what is best for the town and its citizens. To others he is a man consumed with power, one they deem so corrupt that rumors of election fraud run rampant every time he is re-elected.

My first observation of Lopez was one bewilderment! "This is the man everyone talks about?" "This is the one people fear?". I thought maybe I was missing something so I read article after article and watched interview after interview, yet still saw nothing that impressed me nor made me the least bit intimidated (growing up in L.A. may have desensitized me). No, what I saw was a man with shirt unbuttoned down to there, hair up to here...a man with a penchant for spewing obscenities in live interviews and town hall meetings, regardless of who is watching or listening...ahem, women & children. A man who constantly refers to himself in the third person and spews out lines that are reminiscent of 1970's cop shows...bad 70's cop shows!A man who names buildings, BUILDINGS, for christ sakes, after himself or other irrelevant members of his family and who calls comedian Paul Rodriguez "a close friend". Let's be honest, Paul Rodriguez, who's only claim to fame is some bad "B' movies and that horrible show "AKA Pablo" is the equivalent of me saying that I'm close friends with the guy who played Donatello in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Also irrelevant!

Anyway, two things came to mind! Just how much money changed hands to get this tool re-elected time and time again! And is this Guyana all over again...with Lopez the poor man's version of Jim Jones? In which case..DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID..kidding of course!