Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Donna Acevedo-Nelson
Donna Acevedo-Nelson was a candidate for District 5 on the Anaheim City Council in California. Although Anaheim's city council elections are officially nonpartisan, Acevedo-Nelson is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party.[1] She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.
District 5 was a new district in 2016. In 2014, voters approved a ballot measure to expand the Anaheim City Council in 2016 from four council members to six council members.[2] Starting with the 2016 elections, city council members were also selected in by-district elections rather than at-large elections.[2]
Acevedo-Nelson previously ran for the city council in 2014.[3] She won 4 percent of the vote in that race, placing seventh of eight candidates competing for the two available council seats.[3]
Biography
Acevedo-Nelson is a property manager and community activist.[4] She first became involved in local politics when her son, Joel, was shot by Anaheim police in 2012.[5][6] Since then, she has been a regular participant in city council meetings and an advocate for increased police oversight and accountability in the city.[7][8]
Acevedo-Nelson is married to Vern Nelson, the publisher and editor-in-chief of local politics blog The Orange Juice Blog.[9][10]
Campaign themes
2016
In her 2016 candidate statement of qualifications, Acevedo-Nelson said:[4]
| “ |
I have lived my entire life in Anaheim, working in both legal and medical fields. I have actively participated with our Police chief and deputy on reform and policy issues. As your councilwoman, I will have regular community meetings throughout District 5 to hear all your concerns and be your voice at City Hall. I will be a vote against any giveaways to the resort district – our neighborhoods need the resources, and our youth need more opportunities. I have always been personally fiscally conservative, and one opportunity I look forward to is providing better oversight of the various nonprofits in the city, to ensure they are operating at their highest efficiency for those they are supposed to be helping – whether the homeless or at-risk youth. And I will continue to push for reform and true police oversight – too many people are still dying needlessly in this city. Let’s seize this opportunity of Anaheim’s first district elections to end the rule of big moneyed interests in this town. I will be your candidate, your councilwoman, the representative of Anaheim’s working families. I am Donna Acevedo-Nelson, and I would be honored to have your vote.[11] |
” |
2014
In an interview with OC Weekly during her 2014 campaign, Acevedo-Nelson said:[12]
| “ |
I want real police oversight--that's the main thing... Besides that, there should be cultural centers to promote community involvement and provide safe spaces for youth throughout Anaheim. I go to city council every week and I think about all the resources they give away. Why can't they put it into the youth instead of their hotel developer friends? [11] |
” |
Elections
2016
The city of Anaheim, California, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 12, 2016. Because of a switch from at-large to by-district elections, four of the six city council seats were up for election.[13][14] Steve Faessel defeated Mark Lopez, Donna Acevedo-Nelson and Sandra Angel in the Anaheim City Council District 5 general election.[15]
| Anaheim City Council, District 5 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Steve Faessel |
42.67% | 6,344 |
| Mark Lopez | 34.88% | 5,186 |
| Donna Acevedo-Nelson | 12.19% | 1,812 |
| Sandra Angel | 10.26% | 1,525 |
| Total Votes | 14,867 | |
| Source: Orange County Elections, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
2014
The city of Anaheim, California held elections for mayor and city council on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run was August 8, 2014.[16] Two of the four city council seats were up for election. Incumbent Kris Murray and candidate James Vanderbilt defeated incumbent Gail E. Eastman, Donna Acevedo, Jose F. Moreno, Jose Moreno, Jerry O'Keefe and Doug Pettibone.[17][18]
| Anaheim City Council, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Kris Murray Incumbent |
20.7% | 16,207 | |
| James Vanderbilt |
19.8% | 15,541 | |
| Gail E. Eastman Incumbent | 19.6% | 15,338 | |
| Donna Acevedo | 4.1% | 3,188 | |
| Jose F. Moreno | 14.7% | 11,521 | |
| Jose Moreno | 3.8% | 2,976 | |
| Jerry O'Keefe | 8% | 6,244 | |
| Doug Pettibone | 9.3% | 7,309 | |
| Total Votes | 61,795 | ||
| Source: Orange County Elections - 2014 General Election Results | |||
Endorsements
2016
Acevedo-Nelson received endorsements from the following in 2016:
- Democratic Party of Orange County[19]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Donna Acevedo-Nelson Anaheim. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Anaheim, California
- Municipal elections in Anaheim, California (2016)
- United States municipal elections, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Anaheim Blog, "UPDATED: Final List of Anaheim City Council Candidates," August 15, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 City of Anaheim, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 City of Anaheim, "General Municipal Election - November 4, 2014," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 City of Anaheim, "Candidate Statement of Qualifications," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Acevedo-Nelson for Anaheim Council District 5 on July 22, 2016," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ NPR, "Years After Their Own Protests, Eyes of Anaheim Are On Ferguson," August 26, 2014
- ↑ OC Daily, "Anaheim Council District 5: New GOPer Mark Lopez Requested Democrat Ballot in 2008 and 2012 Presidential Primaries," August 10, 2016
- ↑ Anaheim Blog, "Acevedo & Huizar Working with Radicals on March to Honor Anniversary of Anaheim Riot," May 31, 2013
- ↑ Facebook, "About Donna Michelle Acevedo-Nelson (Castro)," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ The Orange Juice Blog, "About the Orange Juice," accessed September 3, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ OC Weekly, "Donna Acevedo, Mother of Man Slain by Anaheim Police, Running for Anaheim City Council," March 7, 2014
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Elections 2016," accessed March 11, 2016
- ↑ KPCC, "5 changes for Anaheim now that district elections are coming," February 10, 2016
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Qualified Candidate List - November 8, 2016 Election," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Nov. 4, 2014 Election," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "2014 Candidate List," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ Orange County Elections, "2014 Official Election Results," accessed November 4, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Acevedo-Nelson for Anaheim Council District 5 on August 23, 2016," accessed September 3, 2016
