Kenneth Batiste

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Kenneth Batiste

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 3, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Springfield College, 2011

Personal

Birthplace

Los Angeles, CA

Religion

Baptist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Kenneth Batiste ran for election to the Anaheim City Council to represent District 5 in California. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Batiste completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kenneth Batiste was born in Los Angeles, California. He earned a bachelor's degree from Springfield College in 2011. His professional experience includes working as a probation officer for Los Angeles County Central Juvenile Hall and as a senior detention services officer Batiste was voted Officer of the Year for his actions in the line of duty. He was also given the American Legion Law and Order award for Los Angeles County.

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Anaheim, California (2020)

General election

General election for Anaheim City Council District 5

Incumbent Steve Faessel defeated Sabrina Quezada and Kenneth Batiste in the general election for Anaheim City Council District 5 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Faessel (Nonpartisan)	52.8	11,160
		Sabrina Quezada (Nonpartisan)	30.4	6,440
		Kenneth Batiste (Nonpartisan)	16.8	3,551

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,151
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

To view Batiste's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Kenneth Batiste completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Batiste's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Kenneth Batiste, husband, father, grandfather, and East Anaheim homeowner. I was a firefighter for the US Forest Service, worked as a social worker, and was named Officer of the Year with Los Angeles County Probation.

I am an anti-poverty activist with the Poor People's Campaign and Homeless People's Task Force. I am a man of ethics and I cannot be bought. Disney and SOAR will spend millions on this election, while I am a grassroots candidate funded by the people.

The time has come to end all the corporate welfare which has driven this town into $734 million of debt, and make Anaheim's government work for the residents of Anaheim. The Angels deal shows us how much corruption is in our City Council. We must have transparency.

I support a Gate Tax at our entertainment venues to help get us out of this budget crisis and beef up our senior services. I will fight for affordable housing and campaign finance reform. I will explore getting city-wide WiFi - like our public utilities, it's the Anaheim Way.

Join me in bringing back the City of Kindness to Anaheim. Please contact me at batiste4district5@gmail.com for more information.

www.batiste4district5.com

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My candidacy is about the residents of Anaheim, I care more about people than I do money. My vote cannot be bought.
• The Angel Stadium deal is a bad deal made in secret and subject of an ongoing lawsuit - I do not support the sale of the stadium
• Fiscal responsibility in government means not giving subsidies to corporations and asking our citizens to pay for them.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing for our renters that is affordable and with a rent cap to prevent gouging. I advocate for a senior safety net to help our seniors stay in their homes and not be forced to move due to massive rent increases like what happened to the seniors at Rancho La Paz Mobile Home Park.

Our current council majority have been supported in their campaigns by S.O.A.R. and Anaheim Chamber of Commerce to benefit the interests of the resort and big business rather than the residents of the districts they were elected to represent. This council regularly violates the Brown Act requiring transparency in municipal government - the procedural changes made by the current mayor created an environment where only the views of the majority are heard - I believe in transparency in government and allowing the public to weigh in on major decisions that affects the quality of life in their city.

I want to create community through city-wide competitions; track meets, softball games, chess tournaments for the youth, and of course, when the young people come together so do their parents, and so we can get to know our neighbors in Anaheim, the largest city in Orange County. We want to bring the east side to the west side and learn about our neighbors, compete with each other and it will benefit us all. I also want to create a city wide summer entertainment program of concerts in the park.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It is our local government, more in touch with from our personal needs. when things happen in our community we reach out to the city council. It is the first line of the government and because of having companies like Disneyland that make $75billion annually and it all started here, it means a whole lot.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My political hero would be John F. Kennedy became he was the first one to bring us together as a country, with his memorable words ""Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Not so well remembered; the rest of the quote: "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." I am not accomplished but I am trying - when my eyes had been opened to what is really happening in Anaheim, I had to try to make it better. That is behind my decision to run.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, transparency, integrity, empathy,

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am not bought and sold by special interests. I have always stepped up to help someone in need. When trouble arises, others may run away, but I am a first responder by nature, if there is an accident, an injury, a disturbance, a suspicious activity, I will investigate and I will protect my neighborhood and my community. I have gone in the trenches with the Disney workers demanding a living wage, I have fought for the senior citizens in danger of being evicted, I gone to the Board of Supervisors and spoken about housing and wages for our inhome health care workers. I will not sell out my community for a campaign donation.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To ensure the public safety and keep the the benefit in the interests of the residents

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave behind a memory that I had love for the nation and brought unity and caring to our community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Astronaut John Glenn who first broke the sound barrier and then went on to be the first man to orbit the Earth. I remember being in the 3rd grade in school and would BOOM everytime one of the rockets would break the sound barrier and then we put a satellite into orbit around the Earth and seemed like one of our biggest accomplishments.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Growing up I began contributing to the family income when I had a newspaper route delivering the local paper from my bicycle, I was about 11 years old, then when I was a little older I worked in a dairy and bought food for my family with my earnings. After highschool, I began working as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest service, in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County.

My career where I spent almost 25 years was at Los Angeles County Probation Department where I worked in Central Juvenile Hall in East L.A. before that I worked as a social worker for the Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services. I have since retired from the Probation Department.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible. Because I have a personal conviction to the Bible.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

James Bond

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Sack Full of Dreams by Grady Tate

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggled with being the best I can be. Because I haven't always been the man I am now. There is an old saying that adversity makes you a better person, you grow, you mature, you see things so much differently and you have new priorities. I am so blessed in my life and my blessing just keep growing the more I do for others and the more I give. Life is a gift and people are what's important.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Oh yes, the decisions that they are making are worth billions of dollars every term. The Angels deal is a billion dollars. Remember the 40 year loan for Mickey and Friends parking lot, the residents will be paying that for 40 years from 1997 to 2037 for a parking lot that Disney owns, operates and gets all the money for, now you tell me if that is right.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Normally I would say yes, but the number one thing they need to have is ethics and morals and just because you have experience in a prior position you may have just been appointed as a favor. Yes, an appointee can gain experience in government but some use the manner of appointment to start a career in politics

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Empathy and a willingness to put others first before yourself. Able to communicate and compromise with others to get the best outcome, and finding the common ground with different viewpoints. Offering no nonsense solutions and finding alternatives to the way things are always done.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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