![]() Guerra has watched with a mixture of bewilderment and exasperation as the business mogul has ridden to the top of the polls in part by spewing barbed invective against illegal immigration, and branding Latino immigrants as “criminals” and “rapists.” “We’re not going to agree on everything but we can agree on this stuff that we can fix, and it’s in that space that you can get things done.”īut to Guerra’s dismay, it’s a markedly different philosophy than the one that seems to have taken hold within the Republican Party at the national level in the 2016 presidential cycle, particularly with the rise of Donald Trump. “I govern in that 60 to 70 percent where I feel that we can all agree and say, ‘Let’s just make things better,’” he said. It’s how Guerra says he came within 5 percentage points of his opponent in his race for a state Senate seat last fall in a district where Democrats have a 24-point voter registration advantage Guerra, a Republican in a city that is 70 percent Hispanic and leans Democratic, attributes his success as a GOP politician to a laser-like focus on finding solutions, building bridges and approaching every problem with a kind of neighborly compassion. Subsequently, an acquaintance stops Guerra, known about town for his role as a Catholic deacon as well as consummate problem-solver, to ask if Guerra would perform his wedding at the town’s annual Dia de los Muertes festival. He shows off the vibrant murals and sleekly designed street sculpture that he commissioned as a city leader to spruce up the downtown area and imbue it with a sense of culture and character. ![]() Guerra, a Cuban-American immigrant who served eight years on the city council and two terms as mayor, sings the praises of Porto’s Bakery, a Cuban sandwich and pastry shop that he helped lure to Downey. When Mario Guerra strolls through the streets of downtown Downey, he can’t help but play the role of seasoned salesman for the city in southeastern Los Angeles County he adopted more than 35 years ago.
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