Accusations of Dirty Tricks Rise in Council Race

CATHEDRAL CITY – A man who worked on former City Councilmember Shelley Kaplan’s campaigns since 2014 says he cannot in good conscience remain quiet while Kaplan and his husband, Alan Carvalho, who is seeking a City Council seat in the Nov. 3 election, mislead the public about an opponent’s so-called dirty tricks.

Antonio Baciu said the tipping point for him was when both Kaplan and Carvalho, in separate interviews with Uken Report, referred to the “dirty tricks” Rita Lamb used in the 2019 special election. The election was fraught with discord, allegations and a call for a temporary restraining order, which Lamb filed against Carvalho.

In the request for the restraining order (TRO) Lamb claimed that Carvalho confronted her, pointed his finger at her and began shouting. Hours before that day’s hearing, Lamb’s attorney, Jeffrey Fromberg, filed a motion to dismiss the case. By that time, Lamb had also won the special election.

Baciu said the dismissal probably worked in Carvalho’s favor because Lamb would have had to tell the judge what happened during Kaplan’s and Carvalho’s second encounter with Lamb and her husband on Cathedral Canyon. Baciu said Carvalho recorded it and sent Baciu a copy. He has called on Kaplan and Carvalho to release it in the interest of transparency.

“His behavior was appalling!” Baciu said. “Alan basically dared Rita to get a TRO. The worst part of the video for me is a frustrated Rita Lamb saying, “Can’t you just leave us alone?”

Rita and David Lamb were out there that evening lowering a campaign sign because Baciu alleges that Carvalho went out the day before, measured it and found that it was too all and turned them into the city.

“Carvalho needs to make this video public,” Baciu told Uken Report,

He supported Kaplan when Kaplan was seeking appointment to the City Council last year to fill the vacancy left by the death of former Mayor Gregory S. Pettis, but said nothing, so why now?

“Because today Alan told you in an interview that he was running for City Council,” Baciu told Uken Report, “He got help in 2019. Who’s to say it won’t happen again? Alan Carvalho is the worst kind — a terrible person, the kind that never changes. He would make a terrible Councilman. “

Baciu alleges Kaplan and Carvalho received information, and therefore help, from a city worker in 2019, and asked, “Who’s to say they won’t do it again?”

Baciu continued, “I want to add how bothered I was by Shelley telling Uken Report that he lost because Rita used “dirty tricks.” He was there when they pulled their car over and Harassed Rita and David Lamb, I mean, he said that to you knowing that it’s not true.”

Asked for comment, Carvalho told Uken Report, “I’m done with all that’s happened in the past,”