Councilmember Jose Preciado is the first elected official to call on Andrea Cardenas after she was indicted for multiple felonies.
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A Chula Vista city official is now calling on City Councilmember Andrea Cardenas to resign after allegations that she and her brother defrauded a federal COVID relief program were made public in felony indictments last week.
Jose Preciado, who represents District 2 on the council, issued a statement on Monday saying that he was “stunned by the disturbing charges” against the District 4 representative, adding that the claims “undermine the fundamental trust the public must have in their elected leaders.”
“Personally, I am saddened and struggling to reconcile these charges with a person I’ve known and admired since she was a passionate community activist in high school, long before she was ever in political office or a position of power,” he continued. “Andrea has the right to due process and the presumption of innocence in court, but the right thing for her to do now is to resign from the City Council.”
Preciado is the first elected official in Chula Vista to comment on the charges against Cardenas that were made public in a six-page criminal complaint filed by the San Diego County District Attorney’s office last Wednesday.
In the filing, prosecutors accuse the councilmember, 31, and her brother Jesus Cardenas, 40, of fraudulently obtaining a $176,000 loan for their firm, Grassroots Resources, through the Paycheck Protection Program, a COVID-era relief program that allowed businesses to take out loans to cover payroll and other costs.
The complaint states that Jesus, who previously served as chief of staff to San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, misrepresented the number of employees, the type of business it was and what the PPP funds would go towards to obtain the loan.
According to the DA, a portion of the money was ultimately used to pay personal American Express bills, while other funds were transferred to business accounts. Roughly $34,000 was also allegedly put towards Cardenas’ campaign for city council.
FOX 5 reached out to Cardenas and her fellow councilmembers for comment after the indictment was filed, but the only person to respond was a spokesperson for Mayor John McCann, who said “no comment.”
However, Delfina Gonzalez, a Chula Vista labor organizer who ran against Cardenas in 2020, did comment on the charges, saying that the councilmember should resign.
Former Chula Vista councilmember and longtime resident, John Moot, also spoke out in light of the allegations.
In an interview with FOX 5 on Wednesday, Moot said he was not surprised by the accusations, as he had been aware of inconsistencies in her campaign spending. He added that it was the reason why he entered the 2022 race for Chula Vista City Attorney.
“I decided to run on the explicit campaign promise of zero tolerance for political corruption in Chula Vista because I was very concerned about what I was observing,” Moot said.
The siblings are slated to be arraigned on Thursday in downtown. They face felony charges including conspiracy to commit a crime, money laundering, grand theft and filing to file tax returns.
If convicted on all charges, Cardenas could face up to five years and eight months in custody. Per the city’s municipal code, she would also be removed from her seat on the city council.