10/04/2026
Recently, Mark Maldonado, while trying to enter the parking lot of a local event, found himself blocked by another vehicle. When he tried to go around the vehicle the driver inexplicably moved forward in what seemed like an attempt to continue blocking Mark. In what Mark thought was a private moment of frustration, he muttered to himself, "dipsh ", unaware that someone in his vehicle was in the process of posting live on Facebook. As a result, the usual cast of sideline snipers, people of very dubious character, desperate to become relevant, began reposting the Facebook Live clip and calling Maldonado, "the worst candidate ever!" all of this because this candidate for Palmdale City Council made an admittedly ill-advised remark when he didn't know he was being recorded. Keep in mind, by attempting to discredit Maldonado, they are aiding the incumbent, Eric Ohlsen, a man who routinely loses his temper during City Council meetings and intentionally directs his ire at the very people he swore an oath to serve! In one past meeting he stood up from the dais and called a member of the public a "Jackass"! At another well documented meeting he called several attendees "Racists" because he claimed to have seen two of them "rolling their eyes when a Latino was speaking from the podium", as if one can legitimately deduce such things from an eye roll that may not even have happened! and where were these wanna-be influencers when the time came to call out Ohlsen's far more serious transgressions? They were nowhere to be seen. They were silent! Apparently, their zeal to inform the public has certain limitations. In fact, in one case, it appears that Maldonado Derangement Syndrome is the culprit! The person in question has made numerous accusations about Mark but in two years of my personal contact with him, after multiple requests for evidence supporting his allegations, he has provided absolutely nothing! Forget proof, he hasn't even offered compelling evidence! It seems reasonable to conclude that if he had it, he would be only too happy to reveal it. But nothing has been produced. And this from someone who considers himself an "unbiased journalist"! It would appear we have different definitions of both words! In the other case, the woman leveling all manner of spurious charges against Maldonado was once firmly in his camp! Though she never mentions it in her social media posts, she was once an integral part of what she now decries as "the failed effort to recall Lancaster Mayor, Rex Parris." As if there is something shameful about participating in the political process and exercising one's Constitutional rights by so doing. But, after a meeting with a Lancaster City official (or, officials), she suddenly switched sides. Many close to the situation reasonably concluded she had been presented with the possibility that she could be charged with practicing law without a license if she continued her efforts with the campaign to recall Rex. Whatever her motivations, she too, has made many claims denouncing others involved in the effort that are completely false and has offered no evidence in support of those claims. Clearly, the drive to become significant can adversely affect one's judgement. For all the posturing of these people, I think what discourages me most is the willingness to pretend that what Mark Maldonado did was somehow unique to him and indicative of his character. As if none of the rest of us have ever experienced something similar. As if THEY have never uttered a slur or profanity in a moment of similar consternation. To recognize such facts is not to condone such utterances. It is to point out that Maldonado did not, in a fit of rage, exit his vehicle, charge up to the other driver and scream, "Dipsh !" in his face. No. Rather, he muttered the word to himself without knowledge that someone in his vehicle was in the process of posting live on Facebook. Hardly the same as a sitting Mayor screaming "Jackass" or "Racists" at constituents during a public meeting! To disparage Maldonado while giving Eric Ohlsen a pass is at the very least, intellectually dishonest. Worse still, it is dishonorable. And those guilty of doing so should not be thought of as credible.
