The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

Meet Lancaster mayoral candidate David Abber

by •

David Abber (pictured at the 'Hoodie March for Solidarity' on March 29) is running for Lancaster Mayor.

LANCASTER – Mayoral candidate David Abber is known to many as the man who was involved in an altercation with Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris at a 24-hour Fitness Gym two years ago.

“I was standing by the racquetball courts when the mayor walked up to me, swore at me, shoved me into the glass and assumed a fighting position, and then ran away,” Abber said Wednesday. “But that’s old news, that’s not what this election is about.”

The election is about restoring civil rights back to the City of Lancaster, protecting citizens’ religious beliefs, creating jobs for residents, and providing educational and recreational programs for youths, seniors and veterans, said Abber, who is making his third bid for Lancaster Mayor in the April 10 election.

“I’m about the people of Lancaster, not just the chosen few,” Abber said.

David Abber is a semi-retired widower with grown children who has called Lancaster his home for about 40 years. He spent time in the aerospace industry – at both Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman – and ran a Lancaster nightclub in the 1970s at The Sand Sailor hotel. These days, he operates Abber Tickets, a ticket broker business where fans can purchase tickets to popular concerts and big name sporting events like the Superbowl.

“Through my tickets business, I’ve met many people, presidents of companies and banks, aerospace companies, machine shops, clothing shops and sporting apparel,” Abber said. “I’ve been speaking to these people over the last 10 to 12 years.”

Abber said he has established a dialogue with major power players who would consider moving their operations to Lancaster, creating many jobs for residents. But he says it won’t happen as long as the current leadership is in place.

“They don’t want to come here because of Rex,” Abber said. “They want nothing to do with Rex and the way he runs things.”

Abber has several issues with the way the current administration “runs things.” Among them is what he believes to be discrimination against citizens who are on the Section 8 Housing Program and the planned Aerial Surveillance System or ‘Eye in the Sky.’

“The Eye in the Sky is nothing more than a spy plane, a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution,” Abber said. “We already have a helicopter for air support for the Sheriff that doesn’t create a further burden to the taxpayers… if the mayor is afraid for his safety then he should go back into private practice chasing ambulances.”

Abber said he is also concerned about the mayor’s purchase of redevelopment property.

“I’m very concerned about the [former] McMahan [furniture] building that the mayor bought that was a redevelopment property… I think that’s something that needs to be investigated further,” Abber said, adding that he believes the purchase to be a conflict of interest. “He bought that building for $600,000, it’s worth five or six million dollars.”

Abber said he does not dislike Parris and wishes the best for the mayor and his family. Rather, he says the two are simply opposites.

“I’m for uniting this community and he’s for dividing it, he’s for a small group of people and I’m for all citizens,” Abber said. “So it’s not dislike… I love everybody.”

Abber said his love for the citizens of Lancaster prompted him to get involved in local politics more than 30 years ago, and he said he’s been very active in local politics for the past 20 years. That activism spurred him to action in 2000, when he made his first bid for Lancaster mayor. Abber ran against Frank Roberts, the first elected Mayor of Lancaster.

“In 2000, I ran for the children… we were number one in child abuse here and that was something I was very concerned with,” Abber said. “We [also] had problems with redevelopment. Redevelopment was out of control, as it was clear to the end, with Lancaster lending $50 million to redevelopment recently. Redevelopment does not exist anymore so obviously we’re not going to get that money back.”

Abber says he ran for mayor of Lancaster again in 2004 and then ran for City Council in 2006 and 2010.

Though unsuccessful so far, Abber said he continues to run for office because he is passionate about protecting the rights of all citizens.

“My number one priority is civil rights, restoring the civil rights that I see being trampled on,” Abber said. “I’m about bringing jobs here, I’m about education, I’m about the children, I’m about the seniors, I’m about the veterans… I’m about equality for everyone and I’m into uniting this Valley.”

*This is one in a series of profiles The AV Times has published featuring Lancaster mayoral and city council candidates. We previously published profiles featuring mayoral candidate David Paul and council candidates John Kiramis, Michael Rives, Isaac Grajeda, Ken Mann and Sandra Johnson. Profiles are published in random order.

–

37 comments for "Meet Lancaster mayoral candidate David Abber"

  1. So what? Lord Parris claims to love his disciples, at least until they anger him then it’s to the salt mines. Which crook do you prefer?

  2. Abber claims to love the citizens of Lancaster so much that he says if we vote for him, he will talk to all sorts of important people he knows and they will bring “big name” businesses to the city to be major employers here.

    This is “love”????

    What sort of f—‘d up kind of psychological crap is this?

    I’m calling your bluff, David Abber! I think you are full of S–t!

    If you love this city and love its people then it behooves me as to why you would hesitate to bring business here. Then, once established, you could claim that you had played a role in bringing new jobs and business to town. You would put the community before yourself and benefit many people in doing so.

    But instead, you are sort of dangling this carrot in front of us like saying, “not unless you vote for me…”

    That’s not “love” !!!!!!

    I dont think that you are in any position to be playing mind games with the citizens of Lancaster. Besides, I highly doubt that you really know anyone who is that important.

    Just another case of someone full of himself who loves to toot his own horn.

  4. At least Abber has the decency to not throw other signs in the desert when he puts his up. That San Francisco guy karmis has been seen all over town taking down signs the past two weeks. I get he’s upset that nobody really knows who he is, but does that really help?

  5. Milly, Parris must be awfully confident of his mysterious 2,000 votes that seem to fall from the sky every election to let you out of your trailer. If you get the $1.50 then he’s generous as well.

  6. Abber-Kiramas-Reves-Gravida are losers put up by the losers unhappy with Mayor Parris and the honest- yes honest- people running with him who will return Lancaster to how great is used to be. You drink koolaid and we will drink wine.

      • Stinger, “don’t be hatin” just because david g can only afford to pay you 25 cents per post!

      • Who is this ‘Milly’ person, Mrs. Parris? She can have Lancaster and Lancaster can have her.

    • How “great Lancaster used to be”??? What, back to the good old days of white supremacist skinhead tweekers? Or back to the sundowner laws where if you were black, you had to live in Sun Village? Those good old days?
      WOW and LOL!

      • Lancaster was a better place in that time and you know it was. We had far less crime, far more people who cared, who worked and who were happy to live here. You can have your ghetto, your thug life, your drive by shootings, your home invasion robberies and your pot smoking. Still dealing pot? Of course now that there are more thugs in the Antelope Valley business must be booming for you. Either that or you are the typical liberal self loathing White person that likes to kiss the asses of all of the ghetto dwellers.

        • LOL DUDE! Who are you talking to? Milly, AB and ………
          really guys! Pot dealers? Or is this just what all of you (or one of you) do. Keep throwing things out hoping something sticks? Maybe u meant child molester? And I don’t think we’ve had any REAL drug dealers since rex retired. He does still got his old partner on the west side. Not sure if the guy is still dealing, but he is still being protected by rex.

          • No real dope dealers in the AV? You’ve been hanging out with david g and smoking too much tree DUDE!

          • Of course there are real dope dealers in the AV, Parrisite – like your boss, Rex, for one!

        • Or maybe that’s what’s really bothering you. The good old boys don’t like the competition? You used to buy your “meds” from some trusted shaved head white son of the local leaders? They would give you all them deals! Right?
          LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

  7. Those chalenging the Honrable Mayor Parris, Councilwman Johnson and Councilman Mann are lowlifes who cant get a job and want the small salary Lancaster paysd the city council. Go get a job losers and leave Lancaster alone.

  8. Gee, Ace, when have I ever ‘attacked’ any of your family? As for your ‘professionalism,’ I have simply pointed out the fact that you seem to have none. Neither have I ‘made light’ of your reported problems with the county – in fact, I have empathized with you on that issue. The fact that you can’t tell the difference between empathy and an ‘attack’ is quite telling of your lack of observation skills (a problem that I have noted on other occasions).

    There. That’s about as close to ‘attacking’ you as I have ever done, Ace.

    Happy Easter to you, too.

  9. Rex would have everyone to believe, that all people on section 8 are criminals. There are seniors and disabled people on section 8 that are not abusing the system. In the Law Suit, it was found that some people were not in violation of anything. I agree that those abusing section 8 should be prosecuted. Seems to me that no one is paying attention to all the White Collar Crime going on with Tax Payers dollars.
    Section eight is crumbs compared to the hundred of thousands/millions being robbed of this city. Especially with Real Estate/Redevelopment deals .

    • Ace says: “Rex is your typical Liberal Progressive and thinks because he is a good Plaintiifs PI lawyer…”

      Parris is a ‘liberal progressive,’ and a ‘good plaintiff PI lawyer?’

      Seriously, Ace, how do you possibly ever solve any cases with your powers of observation so clearly out of whack?

    • Seems to me the Hispanics could not have gotten those jobs if some greedy W… business owner didn’t hire them. Or if so many of our Large US companies, didn’t ship jobs overseas. ILWU casuals went from 3-4 days/wk
      to barely 3/mo. The shipments are coming in from China but we are not sending out anything . I’m sick of every item purchased, saying made in China. We have much bigger problems than what’s happening in the AV. While everybody was so worried about blacks, the Hispanics dun snuck over here in droves. They are now…the silent majority and soon as they figure how to become legalized, they are going to take their land back. Comprende amigo?, Habla Espaniol

    • You are so right about the % of people voting. I will be voting on Tuesday. I believe that was the motive for people marching to City Hall during the Hoodie March. African American are feed up with, the power that be at this time. I think things are going to change sooner than later. Section 8 people area an
      easy target for Trex, but there are African Americans in this town that are educated, gainfully employed and not afraid to stand strong.

        • Oh..but aprils comment right above tina maries wasn’t? The “greedy white business owner” is hiring all the illegals? I don’t see you calling that racism. Cha-ching, you got your quarter from the G brothers!

  10. I wish I had learned more about you and the other David’s before this election. Next election, we need to get organized, have an office where supporters can meet and spread the word. I’d be happy to volunteer and help mobilize a group of supporters.
    Please keep fighting for justice and tranparantcy in out city government. The people voted in and appointed need to be exposed.
    Information obtained from the Eye in the Sky to charge people with certain types of crimes, will surely be challenged as illegal search and seizure. Another way to bog down the already corrupt court system at the DA’s office and AV Courthouse.

    • How that would be an illegal search or seizure is beyond me. It’s in public and not in your house or on your person where you expect privacy and are protected. How is it any different than a security camera in a store or parking lot? Are they violating you?

    • Gladdis, anything seen from aerial reconnaissance is legal and admissible in court. It follows the precedent of the In Plain View doctrine.

      Air space is not a private space, so if you do not want people to see into your yard, you need to plant a lot of trees.

  11. Section 8 is a blight and sadly been pushed away from the average citizen and allows many criminals to use and abuse it. To say you will protect the people on Section is akin to saying “I will protect the criminals in LA County.”

    I could show more respect to someone who says “I want to make sure Section 8 is available to those who need it, and won’t abuse it.”