With the November elections quickly approaching, a group of Santa Clarita residents decided to take their Friday evening to support Patrick Lee Gipson as he runs for the state assembly.

Over a dozen people showed up on the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard with signs as they looked to promote Gipson in his run for state assembly and tell people why they feel democratic candidate Pilar Schiavo is not the right candidate for the job.

Steven Barrera | KHTS

“We’re out supporting Patrick Lee Gipson and we believe that Pilar Schiavo doesn’t represent the values of this district,” said Jerry Cook, pastor of Freedom’s Way Church and host of Politics on the Pulpit. “(Schiavo) is a San Francisco transplant and we believe that Patrick Lee, who has lived in this area for a long time with a law enforcement background, is the right guy at the right time.”

Echoing Cook’s words was Santa Clarita resident and Vietnam war veteran Dave Lusian.

Santa Clarita resident and Vietnam war veteran Dave Lusian holding his Patrick Lee Gipson sign. Steven Barrera | KHTS

“First of all, he was a sheriff’s deputy for many years; he’s conservative and I’m conservative. I’ve been to many of his talks and he seems to be on the same side of everything I’m with,” said Lusian.

Come November Lusian believes a large portion of the veteran community will vote for Gipson to be the change they want to see in the community.

Gipson supporter Suzie Perez spoke about how the valley has been changing and not necessarily for the better, referring to the community’s recent crime spree.

“I heard about things happening to businesses all over town and now it’s my neighbors down the street. People were trying to bash their door in at 4 a.m.,” said Perez. “Then my neighbor up the street had a truck stolen. So it’s on our street and in our neighborhood.”

Despite voicing her concerns to officials, Perez feels that she has been brushed off and believes that Gipson can be the person to help Santa Clarita become a safer community.

Although they officially support Gipson, the group urges everyone to educate themselves on candidates.

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