August 22, 2025, Los Banos, CA — For the first time under my leadership, the Los Banos Enterprise is endorsing a candidate for city council. This is not something we take lightly. This endorsement is the product of continued reporting, direct outreach to both campaigns, and extensive review of public records and candidate disclosures.
We endorse Mitzy Perez for the District 1 seat on the Los Banos City Council.
A Commitment to Transparency
From the beginning of this election cycle, the Enterprise approached both candidates — Mitzy Perez and Kalid Virriy Sanchez — with the same opportunity to participate in a fair and thorough interview process. Perez responded immediately, provided all requested documents, and answered every question. Sanchez initially agreed to an interview, scheduled a time, and then failed to answer our calls. She did not respond to follow-up messages or emails.
Despite her silence, we pursued our due diligence investigation on both candidates based on public documents. What we found raised serious questions about Sanchez’s financial disclosures, legal obligations, and overall readiness to serve in public office.
Clear Evidence of FPPC Violations
Our reporting uncovered two recorded deeds of trust securing loans from Sacramento developer Ethan Conrad — one for $19,189 recorded in July 2023, and another for $36,000 recorded in September 2024. Both were backed by Sanchez’s home and contain repayment schedules, due-on-sale clauses, and foreclosure provisions. These are formal, enforceable loan agreements under California law.
Yet neither loan was disclosed on Sanchez’s Form 700, the required Statement of Economic Interests. Under the California Political Reform Act, loans of this type — non-commercial, real estate-secured loans from private parties — are explicitly reportable. According to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), failure to disclose such loans may result in fines of up to $5,000 per day per violation.
Moreover, FPPC guidance clarifies that a candidate’s primary residence must be reported on Schedule B of the Form 700 when it is used to secure any reportable loan. Sanchez did not list her home at all — a separate violation that stands on its own, regardless of the loans.
Presented with this evidence, Sanchez was given a clear opportunity to correct her filings. She refused. Instead, she told another news outlet, The Westside Express, “I didn’t take out a loan. I never got money from them.” That claim is directly contradicted by recorded public documents. The deeds of trust show structured repayment terms, legal enforcement mechanisms, and formal lender-borrower relationships.
Rather than accept responsibility, Sanchez attacked the Enterprise, falsely accusing us of spreading “lies” and involving a “private investigator” — neither of which is true. All of our reporting has been based entirely on public records and FPPC regulations.
Given the opportunity to simply correct these errors, Sanchez chose evasion and deflection. Which begs the question: What is she trying to hide? What does she not want the public to see? We pressed to answer those questions — and what we found was a far broader and more troubling financial picture.
Financial Instability and Lack of Accountability
Beyond her failure to disclose required information, Sanchez is also the subject of an active lawsuit in Merced County Superior Court related to unpaid bills. Public records further show multiple liens against her property: a first mortgage, a second mortgage for $31,286.77 (recorded just a year after purchasing the home), a third mortgage for $10,805.09, a UCC-1 lien from a partially paid $6,500 equipment purchase, and two additional liens from Ethan Conrad.
While not all of these debts require disclosure under FPPC rules, they illustrate a pattern of overextension and questionable financial judgment. This is not simply someone experiencing tough times. This is someone who has repeatedly compounded her financial obligations — often within weeks of each other — and left them unresolved.
That pattern raises serious questions about Sanchez’s fiscal decision-making and readiness to help manage city resources.
She also operated a business that ultimately failed, leaving her in continued debt to one of Los Banos’s largest commercial landlords — Ethan Conrad — who now holds liens on her personal residence. Should Sanchez be elected, these financial entanglements would present a direct conflict of interest in any development or zoning matters involving her creditor.
Disinformation and Evasion
Rather than respond to public questions, Sanchez has chosen to block the Enterprise from commenting on her social media — even after publicly inviting community members to ask questions. She has also made unfounded claims that a “private investigator” was writing about her — a statement that is categorically false. All of our reporting was based on public records and legal filings.
In response to her invitation to “ask anything,” the Enterprise submitted a set of seven specific, factual questions supported by legal citations and public records. These questions addressed her unreported loans, her pending court case, and her own public statements. We offered to publish her answers — along with any supporting documents — in full and without editorial comment.
Rather than answer, she blocked us.
Readers who wish to see the full list of questions we submitted to Ms. Sanchez may do so here:
Sanchez has consistently refused to answer questions, mischaracterized legal documents, and provided no explanation for her failure to comply with state law. That is not transparency. That is not leadership.
When the Press Fails the Public
What is perhaps more troubling than the candidate’s refusal to engage honestly is the conduct of the only other local news outlet covering this race, The Westside Express. In their August 14 article, the Express repeated Kalid Sanchez’s misstatements without verifying them and mischaracterized the financial documents at the center of this story.
After their story ran, the Enterprise provided the Express with copies of the deeds of trust, FPPC regulations, and confirmation from state officials that such loans are indeed reportable under Form 700 rules. Despite this, the Express declined to correct or update their reporting — choosing instead to stand by a version of the story that has since been publicly contradicted by facts, documents, and state guidance.
This refusal to correct the record — even after receiving source materials and regulatory interpretation directly from the agency that enforces campaign finance law — suggests, at best, a troubling level of journalistic negligence. At worst, it raises the question of whether the Westside Express is intentionally turning a blind eye to material violations and misstatements.
By misreporting the facts and shielding Sanchez from accountability, The Westside Express has, in effect, endorsed her candidacy without saying so outright. In doing so, they have failed the public, ignored their duty as journalists, and undermined voters’ ability to make an informed decision.
Why We Endorse Mitzy Perez
Mitzy Perez, on the other hand, has made herself available from the start. She answered every call, provided complete documentation, and responded directly to our inquiries. She has also been active in the community, engaged with voters, and has clearly articulated her positions — not only in interviews but through public video statements on topics like education and managed growth.
Perez is young and still learning, but she has shown integrity, clarity, and a genuine willingness to listen and grow. She has run her campaign with transparency and accountability — the two qualities District 1 needs most.
Conclusion: A Clear Choice
We are not endorsing Perez because she is perfect. No candidate is. We are endorsing her because her opponent has disqualified herself — not only through noncompliance with disclosure laws, but through evasion, misrepresentation, and an unwillingness to answer even the most basic public questions.
Los Banos deserves a councilmember who will tell the truth, follow the rules, and respond when the community calls.
That’s why we endorse Mitzy Perez for Los Banos City Council — District 1.
— Michael W. Braa, Sr, CEO/Los Banos Enterprise, LLC