Becker Group <3 Crawford Coates (Derogatory)
Judging by the signs on their vacant properties, it seems the Becker Group has thrown their weight behind District 1 City Council Candidate Crawford Coates.
Why? It’s simple. He has pledged to open Main Street to car traffic.
It’s unclear if Coates has taken money from them. District 6 candidate Noe Aguilar has. But unlike Aguilar and the vast majority of council candidates, Coates has yet to disclose his donors by filing a FPPC 460 form. The legally mandated deadline was weeks ago.
What is he hiding? Why would a candidate accept the (financial or non-financial) support of an out of town real estate developer? The Becker Group has continually sued the city. If they decide to again will Coates push through a favorable settlement? What about their development plans? Will he give them favorable treatment because of their support?
Remember, these are the developers who have arguably changed our city more than anyone. They’ve pushed out countless small businesses (RIP Stephen’s) and are slowly changing Ventura into their very LA vision: hipster coffeeshops on the Avenue and at Gasworks, a rooftop bar at Transmission, a $500/night boutique hotel on Main Street, and so on.
So, some questions for Crawford. Does he not care about the countless small businesses that have been pushed out by the Becker Group? Does he not care about the gentrification of the Avenue? Does he not care that out of town real estate barons have tried to punish the city for following the will of the people?
Will he recuse himself from making decisions about their lawsuits? Or taking any actions on their many development projects across the city? Will he stand with the small businesses of Ventura? Or is he a vassal of the Ojai landed gentry? As long as his banners are still hanging from Becker Group vacants, we know the answer.
P.S. Fun fact: real ones know that the former Peirano’s building (where one Coates sign is hung, and that the Becker Group is asking more than $14,000/month for) was vacant for years before the Main Street closure.