Is there something in the water Bakersfield-based politicians are drinking?

State Senator Melissa Hurtado, D-Bakersfield, pulled out of a debate for the 16th state Senate District at the 11th hour last night. She was scheduled to face David Shepard, R-Porterville, at the KGET-17 studios in Bakersfield, with a simulcast on KSEE-24.

This came one week after Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, pulled out of his congressional debate late with Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford.

Like Salas, Hurtado complained that a Shepard TV ad was too mean.

“Political campaigns can be messy, tough and a relentless rough road, but we all must draw the line when candidates recklessly fan the flames of risky rhetoric and false fearmongering,” Hurtado’s campaign said.

One TV ad Shepard is running accuses Hurtado of not supporting police or sex trafficking laws.

“That type of debate serves no one, so I call on my opponent to stop trivializing violent crime in pursuit of his newfound political ambitions,” Hurtado said.

Hurtado has engaged in her own nasty ads against Shepard, accusing him of trashing a rental house, and being a carpetbagger. Hurtado herself changed her residence from Sanger to Bakersfield so she could run in the 16th district.

“Let me be straight.  My opponent calls me ‘dangerous’ in his television advertisement, but he is the only person in this race who has been sued and accused of assaulting a woman,” Hurtado said.

Where you at @MHurtadoCA pic.twitter.com/hp3pbnRokU

— David Shepard (@ShepardSD16) October 19, 2022

Also in Politics 101 …

• School board member pleads in DUI case.
• Big check for Fresno LGBT group.

Martinez Pleads No Contest in DUI Case

Facing a trial for a 2020 DUI arrest in two weeks, Fresno County Board of Education trustee James D. Martinez pleaded no contest.

Martinez, who also serves as director of operations for the Fresno State student government, will serve 10 days in the adult offender work program, serve three years probation, and pay a $1,895 fine. He must also attend a Level 1 alcohol program for three months.

Court records show Fresno police stopped Martinez on Nov. 8, 2020, at 12:29 a.m. at Van Ness and Olive avenues, in the Tower District, for not properly stopping at a red light or stop sign.

In his deal, Martinez pleaded no contest to a DUI with a blood alcohol level 0.15 or higher. Another DUI charge was dropped. The court records found his BAC level was 0.14. He could have faced a maximum of six months in jail.

Martinez did not respond to a phone call or text message.

LGBT Check

The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s LGBTQ+ Resource Center received a $100,000 check in a presentation by City Councilman Luis Chavez on Tuesday.

The funds will be used to provide supportive services and financial support to enhance the health and well-being of individuals of all ages in the LGBTQ+ community, a Chavez news release said.

The money comes from the city’s budget, approved last June.