Abed, Diaz Win in Escondido Council Race

One candidate calls current council "malicious"

A local businesswoman who has called the current Escondido City Council "malicious and incompetent" has earned a seat that was up for grabs.

Incumbent Sam Abed and challenger Olga Diaz were elected in Tuesday's election.  With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Abed had 27.3 percent of the vote. Diaz had 25.6 percent, beating out incumbent Ed Gallo.

Diaz has spoken out against some of the controversial decisions supported by the current council.

Diaz is among those who feel the city of Escondido has an image problem. Over the past several years, the city has found itself embroiled in controversial policy issues that include a failed plan prohibiting landlords from renting to illegal immigrants. Other proposals would generally impact low-income neighborhoods and minorities. They include a parking ordinance to cut back on the number of cars in certain neighborhoods and a plan to prohibit day laborers from gathering in certain areas.

But incumbent candidates Ed Gallo and Abed stand by their positions. They feel it comes down to safety and quality of life issues.

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