ELECTION ’12//HAYWARD SCHOOL BOARD | Campaign filings for the last reporting period ending Sept. 30 revealed Hayward school board candidate, Peter Bufete, received his largest donation from Jesus Armas’s re-election committee after Bufete admitted in August that Armas recommended him to run for the school board.
The donation tops off at $2,600 from “Armas for School Board 2012” committee that came of no use to Armas after he decided not to run for re-election when The Citizen reported in July that he was having an undisclosed affair with school board member, Maribel Heredia, that since then has raised questions of a possible collusion of votes and a conflict-of-interest.
According to Armas’s last campaign finance filing on July, 27, two days after the scandal broke, his committee’s cash balance stood at $3,287 thus showing the majority of his re-election funds were given to Bufete.
Bufete admitted in August that he was friends with Armas’s son when they attended middle school together and that he had suggested to Bufete to run for the school board. Bufete says that despite his connection to Armas he will be an independent thinking candidate for the school board. He also received the Hayward Chamber of Commerce endorsement in August that was given to him from the chamber’s government relations council that Armas is a member.
Bufete ran for Hayward City Council earlier this year but only managed to capture 5 percent of the vote, but ran on a platform then, as he does now, that he relates well with high school students because of his age and his recent graduation from college. Bufete is 22-year old, but has impressed many politicians in Hayward because of his confidence, well coiffed image and public speaking experience. City council members Barbara Halliday and Francisco Zermeño have spoken highly of the young candidate and each also gave $100 to his campaign for school board.
The second highest donation, although small in comparison to Armas’s, comes from Bufete himself and the Service Employee International Union Local 1021’s PAC at $500. Other contributors include Dianne McDermott from Hayward’s planning commission, former city councilmember Kevin Dowling and Dr. Hal Gin who moderated the first school board candidate forum hosted by Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs Association (APAPA).
Also, according to a Schedule B filing, a $2,578 loan was taken out by Williams Family Care, which Bufete is an administrator at, for his campaign. Bufete raised a total of $8,922 but expended $5,375 thus far ending with a cash balance of $3,546.
ebcitizen.com 
So finally Armas and wife Jeanne Armas get some of their own medicine. They have injected snake venon in many past accusations…now they know how it feels…Supported the love affair between Emma Lerew and Paul F., true conflict of interest, and they and the board did nothing to stop it….Paul on the school board and living with Lewrew in Pleasanton, claiming he lived in Hayward…what did the school board do and the armas do? Nothing…
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Well if Ms. Lamnin wins it is clear that she can't vote on any contract for Mr. Cleveland that comes before the board. Hope she understands conflict of interest laws, ethics and the Brown Act.
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steven cleveland is the guy from csueb? sara lamnin has him as a campaign consultant for $1400. thats the guy that works for the district too? stuff you find on registrar website.
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It is true. Armas gave Bufete money. If Bufete gets elected, Armas will still be on school board. Link proves it all.
http://nf4.netfile.com/pub2/AllFilingsByFiler.aspx?id=134068636
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Maybe Armas was texting Heredia about her chonies? Armas is such a snake, when is this going to end now that he is paying for Buffete?
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Who pays for what? The Board need to look who is paying for labor and materials. Same holds for Charter Schools.
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And another issue for public awareness. Headstart Program which is run by former director of Maintenance and Operations of HUSD is getting their tenacles into more and more of HUSD sites and having private contractors doing the work on the same sites that HUSD maintains. Basically they are SCABBing out work that should be done by HUSD, but HUSD claims that they had to cut back on filling positions after people have retired. Is this attrition or scamming to pay big bucks to a contractor ( buddy, with kickbacks). Are the contractors worker's actually receiving the prevailing wage? I doubt it.
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One more HUSD BOE meeting, Nov 14, and the two love-birds will be gone. Bye bye Jesus Armas. Bye bye Maribel Heredia. We don't ever want to see you two again. So long. Adios. Good riddens. Even better…leave Hayward.
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i had a lisa dummer siting in cherryland on saturday. all this dimwit can talk about is her children. so sad. she needs to just take a vow of silence. i will be at board meeting this week and hope she doesnt talk.
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So Oct.21@9:11pm:
It is far better to have a board that smiles, pats each other on the back and doesn't even challenge the administration on spending money? Is it far better for this “happy and civil” board to not care that HUSD just got hit for over $80,000.00 in penalties for misappropriation of funds? All that really matters is to have a feel good atmosphere as the students continue to be pushed further and further back on the burner?
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Reynoso gets my vote for the only candidate that has balls and is for the people.
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vote no on reynoso. not good. all the arguing and bickering he causes is not good. we need real leadership on the hayward school board.
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You people do not understand that even the ownership of a lemonade stand qualified him as a business owner for the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. I say good job
for owning a business Bufete.
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Peter Bufete, according to some people at the forum last night, owns a lemonade stand on Mission Blvard. Offering lemonade for sale at 50 cents a cup. Apparently that qualifies him as a business owner in Hayward. Is this true or a joke?
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No citations on the filings? When did Bufete “admit” all this?
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Armas is a one-eyed snake, and Heredia took the venom.
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This corrupt place! Hayward Unified knows how to get out of Program Improvement… Tell the state certain schools no longer are receiving Title I fund, ergo not in Program Improvement.
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8:58:
I sat across from Armas and Heredia, and watched very carefully what was transpiring. Armas would text a message and Bufete would almost instantaneously look down at his lap or the desk top. Where it became really obvious was when Bufete answered a question using recent HUSD and Board “lingo” immediately after Armas had finished a text.
If Dr. Reynoso was receiving text messages to assist him in his answers, it was not apparant since he made the same statements/responses he has used at other forums and during BOE meetings. I really don't think he needed coaching, since he has “been there, done that” with HUSD for 4 years.
Bufete is a charming young man and will be a good representative for the people once he cuts his ties with the politicos in Hayward, and begins to think and act on his own. I say give him another 2 years and he might be ready for school district business; that is if he attends board meetings and workshops to learn how the board takes action and does its business.
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8:58 Then you didn't look. I was not alone watching the exchange between Armas and Bufete.
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I was at the forum and never saw Bufete on his cell phone or texting. I did see Renyoso texting during the entire debate. Maybe Armas was texting Renyoso.
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And the saga gets better…I personally saw Armas sending text messages to Bufete during the League of Woman's Voters candidate's night at Hayward City Hall. I was appalled that it was so blatant. I will never never never vote for Bufete, Quirk or anyone else who is endorsed by Armas, Heredia or even remotely affiliated with the Hayward political machine. We must free ourselves from the scum in Hayward!
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Well if you discount Armas and Heredia, then you only have Mr. McGee to question about his rationale. I think that would be a question he should be willing to answer. The other question is how long ago was this endorsement made? was it during the primary election and Quirk is still using it?
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3 out of 5 HUSD trustees endorse Bill Quirk.
This is right out of Bill Quirk's web site.
Trustee Jesus Armas, Hayward USD President
Trustee Maribel Heredia, Hayward USD
Trustee William McGee, Hayward USD
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So the donation shouldn't surprise anyone. Mr. Armas' long arm of influence will be there until somebody really takes him down politically. It is a shame that Bufete is so desparate for money that he would accept the donation. It does lead one to speculate that Armas will be the ghost on the board of education in HUSD. I would be willing to say that Walker will take money from the politicos in Hayward and we all know Lamnin is in bed with every association there is. Seems like she is a professional politician already.
Perhaps people should look at where they are all getting their money. I bet Renoso, Taylor, Reyes and Williams aren't getting the big bucks from Armas or his cronies.
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I am not voting for Bufete or Lamnin too much in bed with local politicians.
We need a change.
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Nothing will ever change in Hayward corruption will continue…way to Go Jesus Armas and Peter Bufete.
Nothing wrong with political donations but very twisted when they come from and are accepted from the most corrupt individual in Hayward. So Bufete will be like Armas too.
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