Former Chula Vista City Council member Andrea Cardenas was sentenced Wednesday to two years probation and 100 hours of community service for stealing a federal small business loan and state unemployment benefits during the pandemic.

Cardenas and her brother, political consultant Jesus Cardenas, pleaded guilty in February to two counts of grand larceny for fraudulently obtaining more than $200,000 from state and federal taxpayers.

Prosecutors said they used the money to pay credit card bills and make deposits into the city council member’s campaign account.

Cardenas will spend just one day in the custody of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. She and her brother must repay all stolen funds: $176,227 to the federal Small Business Administration and $28,908 to the state’s Employment Development Department.

Today’s ruling, handed down by San Diego Superior Court Judge Rachel Cano, is likely the final word in the saga that has rocked Chula Vista since early last year.

In spring 2023 La Prensa first reported that Cardenas and her brother had received the government pandemic loan through their political consulting firm, Grassroots Resources Inc. Prosecutors filed charges that same year.

Despite the charges, Cardenas refused to resign for several months, seeking re-election and insisting that she deserved a chance to prove her innocence in court.

She changed her mind and resigned in February, just weeks before the local primary election, and pleaded guilty to theft.

In court on Wednesday, Cardenas’ lawyer Pedro Bernal said the former councilwoman was a young politician who overcame numerous hurdles on her way to the council, including periods of homelessness. Bernal argued that Cardenas’ brother was largely responsible for her crimes.

“She took responsibility for her actions,” he told the judge. “That takes great courage.”

Bernal said an inglorious resignation, confrontation with the public and agreement to repay the stolen funds were a just punishment.

District attorneys, meanwhile, had called for a harsher sentence, including a prison sentence of more than six months.

While San Diego County Assistant District Attorney Chandelle Boyce agreed that Jesus Cardenas played a larger role in her crimes, she said Andrea Cardenas was also well aware of her actions.

Boyce said Cardenas’ crimes would have serious consequences for him as an elected official and would increase public distrust of local government.

“She’s not a child,” Boyce said. “She’s an intelligent person.”

Cardenas herself took the witness stand to apologize to her community and her family.

“There is no justification, no excuse for the mistakes I made,” she said. “I have let down the voters who put their trust in me, and I am sorry for that.”

outlook

In November, Chula Vista voters will elect a new city council member to represent the 4th District in the southwest part of the city.

Two candidates are vying for the seat: Cesar Fernandez, a board member of the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and Rudy Ramirez, a former city council member.

The seat is currently held by Rachel Morineau, a former program director at the nonprofit SBCS. The City Council appointed Morineau in May to serve the remaining eight months of Cardenas’ term.

The winner of the November election will represent the 4th District for another four years.