The conventional wisdom for city and county elections in the San Joaquin Valley has always maintained these elections are “non-partisan.” That is a convenient fiction. Elections are always partisan to an extent, otherwise why have two or more candidates?
There was a time in what now seems a fairy-tale past when moderates from both our major political parties could claim to be bi-partisan with at least a few degrees of credibility. Back in the 80s, Modesto Mayor Peggy Mensinger’s Republican Party affiliation included a firm commitment to smart growth, farmland preservation, recycling, campaign finance limits, and downtown prosperity. She attracted wide support because she was honest, broad-minded, and forward-looking.
Today, moderate Republicans are extinct. Some have become Independents, others are in permanent mourning. The effects of the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party can’t be underestimated. Donald Trump’s current blizzard of lies about legal immigrants in Ohio and hurricane relief efforts in Florida and South Carolina taints every Republican who doesn’t speak out against these lies with a glossy orange sheen of putrid rot that will never rub off.
For those reasons and more, Valley voters who wish to preserve America’s fragile democratic legacy should follow a prime rule of thumb for this year’s election: Don’t vote for, support, donate to, endorse, or otherwise enable a fascist or a supporter of fascism. That’s rule number one.
Those who might be confused about fascism need only mark the words of Retired General Mark A. Milley. General Milley served the United States as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Donald J. Trump. He continued in that position under President Biden.
“No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” Milley told political writer and historian Bob Woodward recently. “Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country.”
Milley joined a host of other military leaders in warning about the dangers Donald Trump poses to our nation. Those who follow politics in the United States must know that our military has almost invariably been politically conservative throughout the last century at least. These are not radical leftists warning us about Donald Trump, they are patriotic conservatives with deep knowledge of history, foreign affairs and the role of the military in our Constitutional government.
Rule of thumb number two is vote for and support those candidates who will represent and work for our middle class, working class, and poor citizens. Billionaire oligarchs like Trump supporters Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Miriam Adelson don’t need any help. The other wealthy elites among us also don’t need any help.
Here in Stanislaus County in the northern San Joaquin Valley, there are several candidates who meet the criteria for our two simple rules of thumb.
In City of Modesto elections, two key races involve City Councilmembers Rosa Escutia-Braaton and David Wright. Both Councilmembers voted against a proposal to investigate the feasibility of establishing safe sleeping areas for Modesto’s growing homeless population. This was by far the most consequential vote of their entire term and they failed. One outcome has been more homeless people in city parks, on city sidewalks, behind city businesses, and, more and more often, serving short-term sentences in the county jail at great public expense.
Escutia-Braaton has been challenged by Joel Campos and former Modesto City Councilmember John Gunderson. Gunderson is by far the better choice. He’s been proactive on homeless issues and was the central figure in a plan to have Modesto City Schools students construct sturdy, inexpensive bridge housing units for homeless people. Gunderson is a hands-on, hardworking and well-informed citizen with a long record of public service. He would represent our middle, working class and poor with integrity and on-the-ground experience.
In City Council District Six, David Wright is opposed by Austin Grant. Grant is an analyst for Stanislaus County, specializing in emergency preparation. He serves on local committees and review boards and represents a needed change on a city council with too many members too willing to maintain the status quo. Grant will bring youth, vigor and positive change.
In the race for California Assembly District 22, Juan Alanis faces Jessica Self. A former public defender, Self now uses her legal training to represent children in distressed circumstances. She’s endorsed by Stanislaus County Supervisors Mani Grewal and Channce Condit, Modesto City Councilmembers Nick Bavaro and Chris Ricci, Patterson City Councilmember Shivaugn Alves, Riverbank City Councilmember Luis Uribe, Waterford City Councilmember Lise Talbott, and Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen, among many others. She is a dedicated warrior for middle and working class citizens with a lifetime record of effective public service.
In another crucial Assembly race, Rhodesia Ransom is the clear choice over Denise Aguilar Mendez. In 2019, Aguilar Mendez was charged with “aid by misrepresentation, perjury, and grand theft of personal property for allegedly cheating the San Joaquin County Health Services Agency out of $10,984 in public funds between 2016 and 2018.” She agreed to a deal in 2020 and was ordered to pay back the money and fined $385. She also served 20 days in jail. Aguilar Mendez is also an anti-vaxxer who attended the insurrection on January 6, 2021.
Rhodesia Ransom is a former Tracy City Councilmember, Congressional District Director, and key player in the development of Tracy’s first permanent homeless shelter. She’s the obvious choice for someone who will represent the people in Sacramento.
The San Joaquin Valley is just one outpost in our nation’s existential battle to preserve the ideals of representative democracy, democratic capitalism, and equal justice under the law. History is unambiguous about the awful consequences of compromise with fascists and fascism. It is therefore our civic duty to keep fascists and fascism out of government, from the federal level on down to states, cities and counties.
It’s also imperative that we choose representatives who will help rebuild our decimated middle and working classes. That’s best done from the ground up and the middle out. Local voters should know their candidates, protect democracy, and, above all, vote.
Thank you, Eric. Well put.
Eric your message is excellent and timely. I learned a few things about the candidates for office.