Please Do Not Vote For Albert Vera (You Might Save His Life)

At the City Council Candidates Forum sponsored by Culver City Democrats United, the moderator asked a great closing question, “What will you do if you lose?” I was completely surprised to hear Albert Vera, Jr. say “First, I’ll cry for a week, and then, I’ll just get back to work.”

My first thought was that if he could really let himself cry for a week that could be the best thing he could do. So I’m going to put that frame on it. Please do not vote for Albert Vera, Jr. You might save his life.

It’s strange that Vera always chooses to introduce himself as a ‘small businessman’ when in fact he is worth millions of dollars. He inherited multiple business, all of them quite large, and owns a substantial amount of the real estate in Culver City. 

Since I have probably watched more City Council meetings than anyone – City Manager John Nachbar comes to mind, but my shift on this job goes back to Mark Scott and Jerry Fulwood – I’ve never seen anyone in so much pain during a council meeting as Vera. It’s clear that holding this office is doing a lot of damage to his health. 

I can’t begin to count the number of times in the past year I’ve seen Vera clenching his jaw, closing his eyes, trying to focus in, and finally giving up to get out of the chair and walk out of the room. For many people with back pain, movement does provide a moment of relief. 

It’s too much; Vera owns a vast amount of real estate, both in Culver City and other parts of California, keeps a very close hand on running his ranch where he produces olive oil, and there’s that deli/market on Sepulveda. Any one of those is more than full-time job. Add in the council duties, (and anyone who has served on Council can tell you, it’s more than a full-time job) and that’s four full time jobs. There are only 168 hours in a week, and if every business you run needs you for 40 hours, that just can’t add up. As anyone who owns a business can tell you – it’s always more than 40 hours a week.  

The number of times Vera cancelled on mayoral duties at the last minute during his last term may be record breaking, but I don’t have access to the full history of people with the title of mayor who cancelled on events, meetings, conferences, ceremonies and the like. No one can be expected to do as much as Vera is doing, and do it all well.

While our political offices, both school board and city council, are not the kind of jobs that come with an actual paycheck, they do come with a staggering work load. Vera doesn’t need a paycheck. But why he thinks he should be working 168 hours a week while he’s in an extravagant amount of pain is puzzling. 

This past Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, he was an hour late for the council meeting. 

Stress becomes tension, tension creates inflammation, and inflammation becomes chronic pain.

Back pain is, even to the medical profession, something of a mystery. People who opt for surgery are told that there is about a 50% success rate, and a possibility that it will make the pain even worse. But it’s absolutely understood that stress creates tension, and tension becomes physical pain. Back pain has never been relieved by taking on more work – particularly when it involves sitting in a chair for five and six hour stretches. 

Ask him, and he’d probably tell you he’s fine; maybe he’d say the back is a problem but it’s just a little flare up now and then.

Like calling himself a small businessman –  modesty is not honesty. 

Some years back, I suffered a minor stroke. It was caused by overwork, high blood pressure, and relentless stress. As I was recovering, I’d often pause in pursuit of some task or goal and ask myself, “Is it worth dying for?” It’s interesting how standards and goals shift when the amount of health you know it’s going to cost you is more than you can give up. 

Vera might even tell you he’s willing to sacrifice anything. But why put him in a second term of office that he doesn’t have the time to show up for, or the health to tolerate? 

Workaholism is the only addiction that wins you applause. Maintaining an addiction that’s costing you your health is suicidal.

Don’t vote for Albert Vera, Jr. You might save his life. 

Judith Martin-Straw

 

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