The race to become Fremont’s next mayor is getting contentious, with accusations flying between two of the top candidates.
Dr. Raj Salwan, a long-time veterinarian, landlord, and Fremont city councilmember, is having to spend part of his time on the campaign trail defending himself. While Salwan said he would rather be talking about the priorities he hopes to tackle as mayor, including public safety, homelessness, and affordable housing, it’s his work outside of city hall that is now drawing criticism from one of his political opponents, as well as some of Salwan’s own tenants and customers.
Among those concerns: lawsuits alleging chronic cockroach infestations and poor conditions at Salwan’s rental properties, state violations and fines at his Fremont veterinary hospital, and findings from the customer review site Yelp that someone tied to Salwan’s family-run animal hospital attempted to “mislead consumers” by transferring bad reviews to seemingly fake businesses in order to give the hospital a clean slate of reviews…