Irvine City Council candidate David Chey is being criticized by business owners in Laguna Beach who have seen him drop off his mother in a wheel chair, and leave her there for hours begging for money.

Residents said the 86-year-old woman even holds a sign that reads "please, help me."

Shocked and angry, business owner Heidi Miller made a poster telling people not to give money to Chey's mother after seeing him driving a brand new Toyota.

Miller said Chey keeps telling people that there's nothing illegal about what he's doing because his mother enjoys it. A YouTube video that went viral in 2012 shows the Laguna Beach candidate taking his mother to an Irvine shopping center with the "please, help me" sign.

But while he’s being critized for what he’s doing with his mother, others don’t see him as a serious candidate.

Karen Jaffe, from the volunteer organization Irvine Watchdog, said she hopes this won’t be a distraction for voters and says they need to stay focused on other issues.

Miller, however, insists that this issue deals with questions that need to be answered.

"She's not homeless," she said. "Does she really need the money? That's the question."

NBC4 reached out to David Chey for comment, but he wasn't immediately available.