Why did County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez take a campaign sign that wasn’t his own?

➤ Para leer el artículo en español, haga clic aquí.

Less than a week from the June 2 primary election, Felipe Hernandez, the incumbent in the District 4 Santa Cruz County supervisor seat, finds himself in the middle of a controversy after removing a campaign sign that wasn’t his. 

But there is some disagreement around whose sign he took.

In a video posted to Instagram by the Watsonville Brown Berets on May 23, Hernandez is shown removing campaign signs at an undisclosed location in Watsonville. While he is seen removing some of his own signs, the video shows him removing one that doesn’t appear to be his. The Brown Berets’ social media post says the sign belongs to one of his opponents, Elias Gonzales. 

Hernandez, in the video, is seen placing what appears to be a green campaign sign with black detailing in between two of his navy blue and white campaign signs. Gonzales’ campaign signs are green with a black bird, resembling the one on the City of Watsonville’s flag, and his name in black lettering. 

View this post on Instagram

Hernandez told Lookout on Tuesday afternoon that the sign he took was not Gonzales’, but rather that of California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra. He said that he wanted to move his campaign signs, along with Becerra’s, to “a more visible location” from where they were near Green Valley Road in Watsonville. 

Hernandez added that he received permission from Becerra’s local campaign team to move the signs to a different location.

Becerra’s campaign team did not respond to Lookout’s request for comment by publication time. 

The Becerra sign Hernandez said he moved is a teal color with a photo of the gubernatorial candidate on the left, he said, while the black bird on Gonzales’ green campaign sign is on the right. The quality of the video makes it unclear what exact color and design of the sign Hernandez is seen taking. 

“It’s definitely not Elias’ sign,” Hernandez said, and added in a separate statement to Lookout that all of Gonzales’ signs at the location near Green Valley Road are still there. He maintains that the only signs removed were his own and Becerra’s. 

Gonzales’ campaign team declined to comment on the incident, saying they want to focus their attention on getting the best representation for District 4. 

Hernandez said he believes these allegations stem from critics not having “anything to criticize beyond” and who are just nitpicking any of his actions, especially nearly a week out from the primary election.

“Those kinds of things are going to happen during campaigning,” he said. “Unfortunately, it’s part of the political landscape.” 

Hernandez is looking to defend his District 4 seat, which represents most of the Pajaro Valley, Watsonville and Interlaken, on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors from Gonzales and Tony Nuñez, who are political newcomers. 

Because there are more than two candidates, the Nov. 3 general election will serve as a run-off between the top two vote-getters, unless one candidate wins a majority of the primary vote. 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.