The Antelope Valley Times

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Incumbents prevail in Lancaster election

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Angela Underwood Jacobs, R. Rex Parris, Ken Mann.
Angela Underwood Jacobs, R. Rex Parris, Ken Mann.

LANCASTER – The Lancaster voters have spoken. Incumbent R. Rex Parris defeated his two challengers Tuesday, garnering more than 67 percent of the votes for mayor of the city of Lancaster.

Specifically, Parris won with 4,950 votes, while his closest competitor, David Paul, trailed with 1,891 votes.

Challenger Gualberto “Wally” Melendez finished last with 531 votes.

According to the semi-final tally, 7,372 votes were counted in the 2016 Lancaster mayoral race.

Lancaster’s two incumbents bested two challengers Tuesday to retain their seats on the Lancaster City Council.

Angela Underwood Jacobs — who was appointed to the Council last year — was the top vote-getter with 4,241 votes. Incumbent Ken Mann was not far behind with 4,223 votes.

Challenger Oscar Mejia finished third with 2,397 votes, followed by challenger Michael Rives, who garnered 1,647 votes.

According to the semi-final tally, 12,508 votes were counted in the 2016 Lancaster City Council race.

The General Municipal Election for the city of Lancaster was held Tuesday, April 12. Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

View the complete April 12, 2016, unofficial election results here.

[Source: Lancaster City Clerk’s Office.]

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70 comments for "Incumbents prevail in Lancaster election"

  1. …..AND one day after the election, they announce that they are going to slap you with a $60 tax to pay for a homeless shelter so that they can “FIX” the homeless problem.

    I’ll tell you one thing, when they build that homeless shelter, you will see a whole new definition of “Destination Lancaster!” If you build it, they will come…..and come……and come.

    • I guarantee that when it’s time for the “shelter” deal, the deal will be brokered by Tom Shepos, go to a buddy of Rex’s, and be very devoid of bids. One way or another, that money is going into somebody’s pocket. meanwhile, there will be more and more homeless as property values continue to soar around all this Corrupt land deal nonsense.

  2. Tom Lackey has voted no on SB-415 Voter Participation, but still passed…..

    “This bill, commencing January 1, 2018, would prohibit a political subdivision, as defined, from holding an election other than on a statewide election date if holding an election on a nonconcurrent date has previously resulted in voter turnout for a regularly scheduled election in that political subdivision being at least 25% less than the average voter turnout within the political subdivision for the previous 4 statewide general elections, except as specified.”

    • Why should I have to leave a place I love, except for our bully mayor and vice mayor who are running us into the ground. It used to be that Lancaster was The Place in the AV. Lately we are a joke. We get pie in the sky promises that never happen. It sucks having this mayor and his butt kissing sidekick.

  4. more proof corruption is thriving in the AV and that’s all that is doing well here.. so sorry I bought a house here because I would surely leave quickly.. the AV is a mess and now it will only get worse.. enjoy the bird sounds and the prisoners that are released on the streets, the empty houses and empty business’s .. the flooding of mattresses on the streets, no jobs and a eye in the sky that has done nothing of what it was suppose to..high crime all brought to buy Parris , his cronies and thugs in uniform we are not safe with them around.. deep sigh.. guess now they will shoot more senior citizens and do more illegal searches of homes with total disregard to the actual laws that are in place to protect us from people like them ..

    • Now, now, now, you just head over to the BLVD, listen to the birdie sounds and everything will be ok. Make sure you bring change to give to the panhandlers.

    • I recommend Palmdale to anyone moving to the AV. I’ve lived a lot of places and the city government in Palmdale is possibly the best I have seen..certainly in a small top group.

  5. Now That The Election Is Over The Truth Comes Out

    Well, well, well, what do you know. The day after the Election in Lancaster and Ole Marv is out there on the Rubber Chicken Circuit talking about what’s coming to Lancaster.

    Is it Aldi? Nope. They have ad in the paper saying they’re coming to Palmdale.

    Is it medical related? Nope. The front page of the paper today says that USC’s Keck School of Medicine is partnering with Palmdale Regional Medical Center for a cancer treatment center in Palmdale. I guess they couldn’t find the So Called Medical Main Street Ole Rex has been chirping about.

    So what did Ole Marv announce we were getting? A Super Walmart! That’s right, a Big Ole noisy and traffic generating Super Walmart smack dab across from Quartz Hill High School and next to people’s houses. Funny how Ole Marv and Ole Rex never said anything about it before the election.

    As Ole Marv was explaining why they were bringing such high class shopping to an area that residents have clearly stated they didn’t want it, Ole Marv started fibbing and said that they couldn’t stop it because it was private property. Bull Pucky! Ole Marv and Ole Rex were two people who VOTED to rezone the land from residential to commercial. They ABSOLUTELY could have stopped it.

    Then he started whining on an on about how everything would be great if Ole Palmdale would just share its sales tax with Ole Lancaster. Sales tax sharing is such a great idea, here’s all the cities I could find that are doing it:

    So the Beat Goes On in Lancaster. We sit and watch places like Aldi and Keck School of Medicine open, while we get empty promises and failures like Ecolution, LEAPS (remember when they said we were going to sell it to other cities?), Revive 25 (which is a lot of black road paint that Ole Rex said we’d be selling to cities all over the Southwest, except none of them are buying), bird sounds on the BLVD to lower crime, and Lancaster Choice Electric, which is the ONLY bird brained idea that may work, mostly because they tricked everyone by making them opt out instead of opting in. I opted out because Ole Rex and Ole Marv can’t be trusted with my money.

    Fellow residents of Lancaster, we got exactly what we deserve by not voting these clowns out.

    • it may have something to do with Adipose Rex not actually living in the area where he rules. oh, he maintains a “residence” there, but his actual “Home” is in Malibu.

      • Malibu is where his sue happy pal lives. Rex lives near Newport. There’s good money in frivolous lawsuits.

  6. Quite baffling that the voters are so afraid they think Rex is the best they can do. Talk about people being afraid of change. I’ve lived in A.V. previously, and more than one time, and they were by far the worst years of my life. Has anybody, anywhere, ever, heard a single person say the A.V. is a nice place? I know I haven’t-ever.

    • I am quite taken with Palmdale, and some of the unincorporated areas. Lancaster is a blight, no question, but it isn’t the entire AV.

        • Sun Village and Littlerock, mostly. Close enough to civilization in east Palmdale. Light agriculture zoning. Good people, mostly.

          Two edged sword: plus side, far from county offices and the attendant intrusiveness…minus side, far from county offices when you need something like a building permit and such.

    • @NeverMovingBackToAV

      Where do you live now? I’ve read many posts by people who moved out of the Antelope Valley, yet continue to write comments like yours from wherever they moved to.

      Why can’t you let it go?

      I bet your ‘world’ follows you wherever you go.

    • I was told it was a great place. Of course, I was told by a Real Estate Agent who was selling me a house in a well established neighborhood. A neighborhood taken over by the members of a few corrupt families with lots of gang affiliation, and a few drug addicts.
      So, the answer to your question, “yes”. I was told it was great, by a liar!

    • I lived in the AV for 11 years and finally moved away last year. I have to say that looking back on it now, it was a dump. Not too many jobs and if you could find a job, usually it paid at least 15% to 25% less than an equivalent level job would down below in the San Fernando Valley or LA. Not to mention limited shopping and dining choices. Basically, if it wasn’t in Lancaster or Palmdale, it was at least a 45 – 55 minute drive down below for anything else. I’d say the last 5 or 6 years I lived in the AV, it was mainly a place to sleep for me because most of my leisure time and work time was down below.

      I don’t have the AV but certainly I would not want to live there by choice again.

  8. voter suppression does not have to happen on election day as was done in LLA.

    back in sept. there was a so called “cultural event” where “latino Music” was spotlighted. the event was sponsored by LA Arts but the park employees and the park assoc was to provide promotion – none was found. despite that there was a proposal to provide additional features to the event. proposed was information on zoning, code enforcement, changes in law enforcement (the discontinuance of H&S 287(g) that empowered the LASD to act as US Border Patrol), bi lingual educational resources, included was information on voters rights and information on voting inclusive of voter registration.

    the proposal was turned down the offending employee citing that the event was “inappropriate”. now to some the act of refusing the additional features to disseminate this civic information and voting registration might seem insignificant-but the reality is that for decades the Hispanic Community was excluded from civic participation and and made fearful of law enforcement by LASD being more interested in deporting law abiding community members rather than determining who might have committed crimes against them.

    currently there is a formal complaint filed and being made ready for final review by the LACO BoS it is hoped that the issue will be remedied before having to resort to the federal justice system in class action. but im doubtful, as the stiff necks and the belief that the LACO BoS have in their absolute power would rather payout the taxpayers money rather than admitting wrong was done, offering apology and fixing the problem.

    but dont let anyone ever tell you that voting by people of color in the AV isnt discouraged by the existing anglo republican power structure

    visit Dave Bowman on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/dave.bowman.9083

    • You stated the sheriffs were deporting law abiding people? Well if they were illegal then the sheriffs have every right to arrest them. The United states constitution states any one here illegally is a misdemeanor crime, regardless there law abbiding or criminal, its the same law as in mexico except you can spend up to 5 years in jail, breaking mexican immigration laws, why cant the United states enforce there same law?

  9. Lets not forget that our lovely Mayor and city counsel also charge over $3000 for a candidate to put a bio in the mailer sent out to everyone in Lancaster to get to know who’s running. So the two who were running against good ‘ole Rex didn’t get their bios or any statement in the electoral mailer because they couldn’t afford it.
    Seems to me that should be something that shouldn’t need to be paid for by the candidates and tax payer money spent on (well spent rather than some of the garbage Rex has spent money on).

  10. Lancaster has a population of approximately 159,000, but at least half of those are under the age of 18. Then there is another portion that is ineligible because of citizenship status, or criminal record. That leaves a little over 73,000 that are registered voters.
    10 to 15 percent turnout. In other words, very typical AV election.

    • Tim and his lib posse mobilized their base to vote against Mayor Parris. All 4 of them. 2 are felons, one is an illegal alien, and one is a child molester. So none can vote. LOL! Libs are losers!

    • @Denise Latanzi… Let me educate you. Convicted criminals can vote unless they are incarcerated in state prison or on parole. Educate yourself before you put your foot in your mouth.

        • @Tim… Yes I should know especially being a Deputy Voter Registrar and working the 2012 Presidential election. As for Trump changing anything regarding criminals it probably would be for our benefit as for years he’s been involved with organized crime i.e mafia and mob. Just ask Felix Satir.
          Bottom line is I dislike it when people try to suppress California’s 7 million former offender population saying they don’t have the right to vote when they do.

  12. I always vote but that damn good old boys club that’s been Lancaster government forever, well some things just don’t have the decency to die. Guaranteed I don’t want King Rex in office…never have, never will.

  13. HHHMMM? I wonder if yesterdays election day would have been advertised on the AVTIMES.COM over the weekend, the turned would have been much larger than the measly 7800 voters? Which by the way most of those are mail in voters…

    • So, in your opinion, elections have to be “advertised” for eligible voters to be interested? Was the campaign signage on every street corner in town not enough?

      It’s almost like you’re inferring that most people are too stupid to know when to vote sans a mass advertisement on the internet?

      • No, but elections are important news and I actually forgot to send mine in because I have a lot of stuff going on. We are not all super genius either. Your upset over a statement that a reminder to vote would have probably increased voter participation is slightly odd. People can’t remember everything and you seem to take it to mean that your stupid. (well you actually are thinking he’s calling everyone stupid, but I think you are putting your own insecurities to something not said.

    • If you’re so ill-informed that you don’t know what day the election is, you probably shouldn’t be voting.

      • Mike can have Lancaster.

        In an odd way, rex benefits Palmdale by his trashing of Lancaster. More desirable businesses locate in Palmdale instead of rexville. If rexville was thriving, it would provide competition but it’s not doing that.

        They’ve got Walmarts, auto wrecking yards, thrift stores and many old, half-empty shopping centers around town. But, those keep mike happy.

        N’est-ce pas?

        • I just moved to the Antelope Valley and live in Lancaster. All my doings seem to be in Palmdale though, they seem to be actually going forward while the life of Lancaster is just being sucked away. I had never in my life seen Absolutely empty shopping centers without a store at all occupying them (that wasn’t about to be torn down) theres a few out here. Someone needs to bring some big employers and attract people that would not like to see police everywhere and mattresses and broken furniture all over. (where are all these mattresses coming from?)

          • All the broken furniture & MATTRESSES are coming from Detroit and Flint Michigan. Lol Lol that’s not funny.

  14. Winners and Losers in the Lancaster Election

    Winners:
    • Ole Rex
    • Angela
    • Ken
    • Ole Marv – he gets to keep bullying people at AVTA and AVAQMD
    • Frank Visco – co owner of $10 million dollar Eye in the Sky
    • Communist China – easy access to Edwards and Plant 42 with Communist Chinese friendly Ole Rex
    • Good Ole Boys and Girls
    • Pastor Paul and Lancaster Baptist Church
    • Reporters who get to report on Ole Rex’s crazy statements such as bird sounds lower crime, the BLVD is better than Disneyland, Bangladesh is going to be destroyed by a cyclone, all other cities are failing but Lancaster is thriving, etc.

    Losers:
    • Residents of East Lancaster – still not represented and still ignored
    • Residents of West Lancaster – Ole Rex still wants to cram a Walmart up your keesters
    • Students of Quartz Hill High – Ole Rex still wants to cram a Walmart up your keesters
    • Homeless people – Ole Rex will still blame you for crime
    • Lancaster Tax Payers – still paying for $10 million dollar Eye in the Sky, failure of Ecolution, and lawsuits stemming from Ole Rex’s big fat mouth
    • Residents of Santa Clarita
    • Residents of Palmdale
    • Businesses who could be sued by Ole Rex
    • Businesses who aren’t being frequented because of Ole Rex
    • Cities who could be sued by Ole Rex
    • School Districts who could be sued by Ole Rex
    • Anyone who isn’t part of Ole Rex’s style of “Christianity”

    • I was at a town hall meeting today and unfortunately, Marvin Crist said the Wal-Mart is going in at 60th W and L. The plan is to have the intersection fixed over summer while school is out then then start on the construction. He said it isn’t their control though on what gets placed there as the city doesn’t own that land, it was the land owner’s decision and they went through all the processes to get it zoned for commercial use. A new housing track will go closer to 70th.

      • BS. Ole Marv along with Ole Rex voted to rezone the land from residential to commercial. It was entirely in their control and they chose to reward their friends and political contributors and screw the students and West Lancaster residents. Those two are everything that is wrong with this place.

        • You are so right. I heard many years ago by someone in the know that those wishing to put the Walmart in were told to purchase the land as residential and the city would take care of changing it to Commercial. How many Walmart’s does a community really need? What is the point in checking what the land use is around your home before you purchase it if the city changes the their Master Paln? With all the empty commercial buildings and shopping centers in Lancaster why not work on filling those before building anther one?

          • Follow the money. Who owned the land? Who brokered the deal? It is disgusting that the “realtor” who sold the land to Walmart made reportedly $300k on the deal and then when he was appointed by Rex to be a planning commissioner, voted to have the land rezoned from residential to commercials.

            That is how it works in Lancaster.

      • How about Crist blaming Palmdale for moving “their” Walmart to the other side of the freeway? Last time I checked Palmdale did not own Walmart and if Lancaster cannot tell a land owner what to do with their property why would Palmdale be able to?
        And sales tax sharing….why would Palmdale want to share with Lancaster?!

        • Crist is not the brightest bulb in the candelabra. I read where he claimed that the power plant in Palmdale was going to create a cloud of pollution that would go six miles high and stop air travel.

          Believe anything he or Rex says at your own peril.

          • “Dirt is dirt. Pollution is pollution.” Marvin Crist, AV Press, February 13, 2105.

            This guy is chairman of the air quality board? Good lord are we backwoods or what.

    • let’s not forget Tom Shepos, their guy who sets up the no-bid county deals.

  15. I am disappointed at the numbers for voter turnout. But hey, the results were in my favor.

    People complain but never take any real action. If you do not vote you shouldn’t complain.

    I always vote. I always research the candidates and who they support and vice versa. I make sure my kids know I vote and why.

    They are all excited to get their chance to vote.

  16. Less than 5% of Lancaster population Voted WOW now that’s one scary city. Rex has his chest stuck out as if it was a real Victory. What is this the WWF

    • Yeah…5% of them. And half of those are students at the Baptist College voting as directed. No surprise in these results. Time to sue.

      • Time to sue? The ballot box is the ultimate referendum yet all the Parris hating, cop hating folks out there couldn’t muster up 6,000 votes to bounce him out.

        Perhaps if felons could vote they might get better turnout.

        • Yes Shane, time to sue. When voter suppression is successful enough that you get less than 5% turnout there is recourse through the courts. Naturally, you think the courts are just something that your ilk gets to take advantage of in your battle against humanity, but fortunately we don’t live in the fascist state of your fantasies.

          • Where is the voter suppression? You knew of the election and you obviously have your finger on the pulse of the anti Rex movement and I’m sure you and your mighty throng of fellow pitchfork and torch holders found a ballot box. Right?

            I saw all the campaign signs around the AV and knew of the election. I’m actually shocked the margin of defeat for you guys wasn’t even larger.

            I’m an educated guy, but I don’t think “sour grapes” is a veritable standing to sue, but I’m sure you can tap into the voter rage and get literally tens of people to join your quickly dismissed court filing.

            Fight on, Don Quixote!

          • LOL…so, you think that 5% turnout is normal? Fair representation?

            Shane, you are so typical. As long as the results turn out for you “democracy is working fine.” What a joke.

            As to the whole “lawsuits about elections are fantasy” maybe you should ask your hero Rex. He will only be getting hoisted on his own ironic petard, after all.

          • It is not unusual to see low voter turnout at all. It shows that most are generally happy with how things are. Those that turned out are the die hard passionate one way or the other.

            There wasn’t a compelling issue on the ballot to increase turn out.

            I work in Santa Clarita a lot. I know a lot of their political people, I have a side business with employees/work in Santa Clarita and they are happy that Rex is doing what he is doing.

            The AV has a reputation amongst the SCV folks for ghetto people, meth labs, parolee’s, felons and section 8. Nobody, but you Tim and some others that fit the description, think these folks are fine upstanding folks that need to spend their EBT at AV’s finest establishments.

            Luckily Rex and many like him believe that Lancaster deserves better than bottom feeders and has more years to go after them!!

          • I know a lot of people in Santa Clarita…business, government, residents. Say the name Parris and they cringe. He is not respected except by the same type of morons who support him in Lancaster.

      • The Baptist College in Lancaster has 900 students and probably 10% of them are eligible to vote in California.

        • Lancaster Baptist Church has over 5,000 members and thousands of those are Lancaster voters who follow Pastor Paul’s direction. Add to that the flocks of the two pastors who did the survey for Rex to use in the racist hit mailer against Ervin and you have a solid voting block. Too bad the congregations don’t expect candidates to refrain from practices such as bullying, lying, nepotism, corruption, excessive litigation, cronyism, manipulation, distortion, and deception. None of those are Fruit of the Spirit.

  18. Ever wonder why that boot leaking Rexophile Revis runs in every election without spending a dime and never expecting to win?

  19. With around 150,000 residents, Lancaster can only muster 7,372 voters? No wonder this city has gone to s**t. Voters? No one to blame but yourselves.

    • Very good point.with so many disappointed with how the city has become and the crime rate none speak up. Also makes you wonder when the actual election and voting took place

      • I voted. I always vote. Parris took it again. I’m not a sore loser, he won it fair and square. It sickens me that I was one of only 7000 some odd people that actually showed. Disenfranchised was mentioned on another board concerning this election. Could this even be construed as such? Or is this seen as a representation of what this town really has for residents. 148,000 and 7000 show. The citizens of this city are too preoccupied setting up or using free phone tents all over the city to ever realize that their complacency is the root of their meager existence. They are no shows, but how many times do they protest? The hate the lack of representation, but allow the wealthy to perpetuate their ideology as a general consensus. I’m not sure how people could be so blind.

        • If you’re a registered voter, your ballot should have been mailed to your address with your polling place and the date/times your polling place are open.

          There is also many resources on the internet.

          I don’t believe ignorance is an excuse for not voting. I hope you can make the next one.