Main St Grandstanding for Votes
$2 Million, Weeks Before Ballots: Political Grandstanding on Main Street?
By Spencer · Ventura Forward · September 23, 2026
Hold on to your hats, folks — let's talk about political grandstanding right in front of City Hall, with $2 million of our tax dollars.
On September 22, Assemblymember Steve Bennett stood in front of City Hall and presented a $2 million state check for Main Street Moves. Now look at the photos. You'll see familiar faces together again: Bennett, District 1 incumbent Liz Campos, Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios running for council, her best friend Doug Halter — and the VenturaPOP crew right there with them.
$2 million, just weeks before the ballots come out, for a project the majority of this community has never come out and said they even support. What could be the possible timing?
And here's more — watch. There's the VenturaPOP leader up front at the podium with the gold seal. How could that be possible? Just last year she was in the middle of Main Street saying they're for the community, for people-oriented places — while accusing me of being special interest. And now, a year later, the politicians are at the podium. Wow. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
We all know Main Street was never about community. It was about getting people to sell their property so it could be max developed. Fifteen-minute cities.
A downtown business owner messaged me today: all the downtown businesses were NOT informed about that $2 million. They got picked and chosen. Imagine being a downtown business and not getting the invite to come celebrate their little exclusive party for the money coming in. Shocking.
And the parklets — if it's such a big deal, how many downtown businesses are getting them? Four. Only four. So they're picking and choosing who to include in the community and who to invite to the little parties.
And this is one of my favorites — from a rally last year: City Clerk Michael MacDonald, Jeanette Sanchez-Palacios running for council, James Forsyth running, Bill McReynolds running, Liz Campos. Wow — shocker to see them all in the same photo. There's Ryan Schmachtenberger over there too.
There they are, front and center. They think alike, they vote alike — and they want you to stay unaware of what's transparently going on. Don't be fooled, everybody.
Even MacDonald and Bennett — in a race against each other for Assembly District 38 — and now they're in the same group photos together. You've got to identify this. Don't put your sponsorship and promotion toward them. Get different leadership in our community.
Oh — and there's Doug Halter back there too. They're all there. They're all there waiting for you.
Let's go. Realize what's happening. Don't let your town be taken over by special interest.
— Spencer
