The disclosure issue deserves review. But the social-media pile-on surrounding Sunnyside Mayor Vicky Frausto is being driven by some familiar voices whose own histories make the selective outrage difficult to ignore.
OPINION COMMENTARY DAVID CORTINAS EDITOR LA VOZ | August 21, 2026
A complaint filed with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission alleges Sunnyside Mayor Vicky Frausto failed to accurately report more than $100,000 in income on her annual financial disclosure form.
The PDC opened Case No. 192975 on July 2.
Frausto has acknowledged the filing was incorrect, calling it “an honest mistake.” She amended the report to include compensation from Empowering Latina Leadership & Action, ELLA Adelante and her stipend from the City of Sunnyside.
That is where the facts currently stand.
The PDC has not found Frausto violated state law, and no penalty has been imposed. The case remains in the agency’s “Assessment of Facts” stage.
Frausto should have gotten the filing right the first time. Public financial disclosures exist for a reason.
But a pending PDC complaint is not proof of corruption.
And judging by the reaction on Facebook, that distinction has been lost almost immediately.
The Facebook prosecution begins
Ousted Council Member Vicky Ripley
Former Councilmember Vicki Ripley-Fritts responded to Frausto’s amended filing by asking:
“Is the only reason she amended it, is because she got caught?”
Ruby Medina went further, accusing Frausto of lying and questioning what else she might be withholding. Medina may be the ultimate example of the pot calling the kettle black.
Medina has had her own legal issues in the past few years regarding how she operates her vehicle.
Another commenter somehow managed to drag former City Manager Mike Gonzalez into the discussion, despite the PDC complaint having absolutely nothing to do with him.
Gonzalez continues to be attacked, more than a year later
Apparently, Gonzalez continues to live rent free in the heads of some members of Sunnyside’s old political guard. Gonzalez who’s been the City Manager of Echo Oregon for 9 months now has moved on. We reached out for comment to Gonzalez. He said he wanted to stay out of any talks about what’s currently going on and said he will always love the people of the community.
The Ripley problem: selective memory
Ripley is entitled to criticize Frausto.
But she has some experience with the PDC herself.
PDC records show Ripley faced Case 95425 in 2021 involving allegations that she failed to timely file her campaign registration and Personal Financial Affairs statement after becoming a candidate.
The case was resolved through a Statement of Understanding, and PDC materials indicate she paid a $200 penalty.
That does not excuse Frausto. It does expose the double standard.
If Ripley’s own PDC issue did not make her permanently corrupt or unfit for office, why should Frausto’s unresolved complaint automatically prove something sinister?
That perspective seems to disappear whenever the politician involved happens to be someone Ripley opposes.
Then came Vazquez’s July arrest
Vazquez was arrested in Granger on suspicion of fourth-degree assault involving domestic violence and later released from the Yakima County Jail.
An arrest is not a conviction, and Councilwoman Vazquez is presumed innocent.
But the difference in visibility is worth noting.
If Frausto’s pending PDC matter deserves prominent coverage, certainly the arrest of a sitting city councilmember is also newsworthy.
WHY HASN’T THE SUNNYSIDE SUN COVERED VAZQUEZ’ ARREST?
It’s raising eyebrows around Sunnyside, as to why the Sunnyside Sun hasn’t covered the Keren Vazquez arrest. There is no evidence that the Sunnyside Sun is controlled by Vazquez or any political faction, and its website limits automated access, so it would be unfair to claim the newspaper never covered the incident.
However, the Sun has received nearly $30,000 in almost zero-percent loans to enhance its structural operations, leaving some readers to wonder whether it is selectively covering stories.
That is not proof of improper editorial control.
It is, however, a legitimate question about transparency and editorial priorities.
The Sunnyside Sun is the City of Sunnyside’s official newspaper of record. Readers have every right to ask how it decides which public-interest stories receive attention.
Then there is Keren Vazquez’s PDC history
The selective outrage becomes even harder to ignore when comparing Frausto’s case with Vazquez.
PDC Case 143910 resulted in Vazquez acknowledging campaign-reporting violations involving late deposits and untimely or incorrect reports.
She paid a $150 civil penalty.
Unlike Frausto’s case, which remains unresolved, Vazquez’s matter resulted in an actual PDC resolution.
That history is relevant when evaluating claims that every disclosure error proves corruption.
It also raises a broader question about which stories receive attention — and which ones do not.
Sharon Dolan’s strange attack on the messenger
In one Facebook exchange, Sharon Dolan, wife of Councilmember Tom Dolan, questioned whether Apple Valley News Now had received money from the Inatai group and suggested the outlet might be looking for additional grant funding.
Apple Valley News Now responded simply:
“We are not a newspaper.”
There is nothing wrong with asking who funds journalism.
But tossing out financial insinuations because an outlet reported an uncomfortable story is something different.
Instead of debating Apple Valley’s reporting, Dolan appeared to question the outlet’s motives.
That has become the toxic reality of Sunnyside politics: when the facts are inconvenient, attack the messenger. Beside Sharon is the wife of Councilman Tom Dolan, and appears to do most of the speaking for her husband. We believe Sharon should be the one on the city council.
Monica Niemeyer and the social-media rumor mill
Monica Niemeyer has become another reliable participant in Sunnyside’s online political battles.
Recently, La Voz published “Monica Niemeyer Wrong Again,” challenging claims she made about the city’s Soccer Master Plan and former City Manager Mike Gonzalez’s handling of the project.
The significance is bigger than one dispute.
Social-media comments are easy to make. Public records are harder to argue with.
Whether residents agree with La Voz’s conclusions or not, Sunnyside would benefit from more debate based on contracts, council records and documentation — and less debate based on whoever can type the most accusations into a Facebook thread.
Voters already changed the political direction
Sunnyside voters made their own statement in November 2025.
Official Yakima County election results show Leticia Zesati defeating Theresa Hancock by roughly 65 percent to 34 percent.
Ramon Chavez similarly defeated Ripley by approximately 64 percent to 36 percent.
Frausto won reelection by a nearly identical margin.
Those results do not shield Frausto from criticism.
They do show that voters decisively rejected two prominent members of the previous council majority.
Yet the political war continues online as though the election never happened.
Hancock, Ripley and their allies remain active critics. Gonzalez is repeatedly inserted into conversations despite no longer running the city. Every disagreement seems to become another opportunity to reopen the same political wounds.
At some point, Sunnyside has to move forward.
Scrutinize Frausto — but use one standard
Frausto’s financial disclosure should have been accurate.
She corrected it.
The PDC is reviewing what happened.
Let the agency finish its job.
If investigators determine she violated the law, report it.
If they issue a warning, report it.
If they impose a fine, report it.
And if the matter is dismissed or treated as a corrected filing error, report that too.
That is accountability.
What is not accountability is declaring someone corrupt before an investigation is complete while ignoring similar — or already proven — disclosure violations involving political allies.
Frausto deserves scrutiny.
So did Ripley.
So did Vazquez.
So does every elected official.
The difference between accountability and a witch hunt is whether the standard changes depending on whose name is on the form.
Sunnyside has had enough political warfare.
Facts should matter more than Facebook volume.
