Series of Video Ads Target Trustee Bea Gonzalez

COD Watchdog group targets COD Trustee Bea Gonzalez in series of videos

The self-described watchdog group Promises Made, Promises Broken has purchased a six- to seven-week advertising buy that targets College of the Desert Area 2 Trustee Bea Gonzalez.

The summer ad buy includes two versions of a video that is in circulation in a Connected TV buy that includes Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Roku Spectrum Streaming, etc. and on YouTube TV and regular YouTube.

The group is laying the groundwork ahead of what is expected to be an aggressive campaign to unseat Gonzalez in next year’s election. Gonzalez was first elected in 2020. Her term expires in 2024.

“Promises Made, Promises Broken’s video about Bea Gonzalez is to make the community aware of her own stream of negative statements to stop the West Valley campus from ever being built.” Bruce Hoban, spokesperson for the group, told Uken Report. “Does she represent the will of the District’s students and voters, or something else? You can’t have two masters at the same time.”

This isn’t the first time Trustee Gonzalez has gotten caught in the group’s crosshairs. Earlier this year her face appeared on a high-profile billboard on Indian Canyon that stated, “Shame on you for voting against COD students!”

Gonzalez has repeatedly opposed a West Valley campus in Palm Springs. Hoban has said her opposition is “especially disturbing” in that part of her Trustee area includes Desert Hot Springs (DHS). A campus in Palm Springs would certainly be beneficial to students from DHS who currently have to travel over an hour by bus to get to closest campus which is located in Palm Desert, Hoban has said.

Gonzalez has expressed concern about the overall cost of the Palm Springs project. The project is budgeted at over $400 million since February, including roughly $350 million from Measure CC, a 2016 bond, and $40 million from Measure B, a 2004 bond.

“With costs rising all the time, I just have a feeling that this project is going to be way, way over (budget) and not to the fault of anyone, but it’s definitely going to impact somewhere,” Gonzalez said.

In the end, she said, she will be correct.

You may watch one of the ads here: