Stacey Mortensen, executive director of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, was profiled in the latest installment of the “10 Questions” Sunday feature.
In it, she talks about the resurrection of Altamont Commuter Express’s Stockton station and the possibility of future train riders taking the ACE to 49er games.
Bob Elliott’s campaign announced a Tracy businessman and longtime county planning commissioner was hosting a fund-raising dinner for Elliott’s bid for an open seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisor.
Hosted by Commissioner Stan Morri and wife, Eileen, the dinner is scheduled Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person and $150 per couple and can be purchased by calling Elliott at (209) 814-0494 or by calling Strategic Research at (209) 943-5715.
Elliott is a Tracy City Council member. He’s running against Tracy Planning Commissioner Rhodesia Ransom for a seat that will be left vacant by Supervisor Leroy Ornellas, who is terming out.
Congressional candidate Ricky Gill’s campaign send out a release announcing its first television advertisement. You can watch the ad here.
In it, Gill empathizes his local credentials, saying: “Times are tough in the Valley. It’s time to have a local voice in Congress.” He says this on a bridge somewhere that looks like it’s in the Delta, with blue water and green farmland, like the green and blue in Gill’s campaign logo.
The ad doesn’t mention incumbent Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton. But Gill campaign consultant James Fisfis does in the release announcing the ad. He notes the ad will be running in the Ninth District through primary election day, but that McNerney can’t see it from his home outside the district.
Gill, McNerney and Mountain House technology executive John McDonald are running for the district. Last week, McNerney said he’d picked out a home in Stockton’s Brookside neighborhood. He’s expected to move in around the first week of May.
I caught a whiff of some tasty nachos while walking through the County Administration Building today. Since it was coming from the direction of the Second Floor chapel, my first thought was that it might be a wedding celebration.
But it wasn’t that. A group of employees from the Assessor-Clerk-Recorder’s Office were raising money for a coworker who was in a car accident in Texas.
Blanca Medrano was on her way to Texas with her family on April 12 when the car she was in rolled over twice, said friend and coworker Lisa Richards. Now Medrano is waiting in a hotel she waits for her daughter to be released from the hospital.
Coworkers backed sweets and put together the nacho sale to help Medrano out.
Rosa Ortega, left, and Rosa Arceo, dish out nachos at a fund raiser for a coworker.
They’ll be dishing out food until about 2 p.m. today, if anybody’s feeling peckish. If you’re not hungry, but still want to help out, you can contact the organizers at chrissy1995@aol.com.
Mark Stebbins, candidate for District 1 Supervisor had a letter in today’s paper.
In it, he embraces the therm “perennial candidate,” which appeared in brief news item that ran early this month:
He writes: “The towering California redwoods are perennials; the pesky star thistle, an annual that springs up only for a season in barren (bankrupt?) roadways.”
San Joaquin County officials are on their annual lobbying trip to Washington D.C. this week.
The first wave flew out on Saturday, but the meetings began in earnest on Monday. Elected officials and other local leaders have a packed schedule of meeting with members of congress and their staff as well as officials with the Obama administration.
The San Joaquin Council of Governments, which organizes the trips, say these annual trips have helped bring back more than $75 million since 2001.
Here’s a snapshot of Debby Moorhead and Steve DeBrum, two Manteca City Council members, with Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, provided by his office.
The campaign for Republican Rep. Jeff Denham announced on its website this week the endorsement of three of San Joaquin County’s five members of the Board of Supervisors. The congressman’s current district extends to the border between San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Last year’s re-drawing of the congressional maps has him running for the 10th Congressional District, which includes all of Stanislaus County and the southern part of San Joaquin County.
His campaign announced the endorsement of eight county supervisors: San Joaquin County Supervisors Leroy Ornellas, Ken Vogel and Larry Ruhstaller and all five Stanislaus County Supervisors under the headline “Jeff Denham Endorsed by Every County Supervisor who represents Part of CD 10.” But Denham hasn’t been endorsed by Steve Bestolarides, whose district includes a chunk of northern Manteca, a city contained wholly in the recently re-drawn congressional district.
Denham’s campaign was referring to the current district maps for San Joaquin County supervisorial districts, not the ones approved recently by the Board of Supervisors during the county’s own redistricting process, campaign consultant Dave Gilliard said. The campaign’s interpretation of the county district maps puts the earlier version of Bestolarides’ district – the one he was elected to represent in 2008 – outside the new CD10, Gilliard said.
But CD10 includes the whole city of Manteca. And both versions of Bestolarides’ district include at least part that city. The newest version puts all of Manteca north of Yosemite Avenue in county supervisorial District 3. The previous version includes a smaller, though not insignificant, part of Manteca, north of Yosemite and west of Main Street.
Tracy City Councilman Bob Elliott today released names of five campaign co-chairmen in his run for open seat in District 5 for the Board of Supervisors.
The district includes Tracy, Mountain House and part of Manteca and the surrounding unincorporated areas. The seat is held by Supervisor Leroy Ornellas, who is terming out. Tracy Planning Commissioner Rhodesia Ransom is also running for the open seat. So is retired businessman Tom Benigno.
The co-chairpersons announced today are : Manteca City Councilman Steve De Brum, Mountain House board President Bernice Tingle, county Planning Commissioner Stan Morri, Manteca farmer Daryll Quaresma and Tracy farmer John Thoming.
Here are the biographies provided by the campaign, cut and pasted:
Retired Tracy businessman, Stan Morri – Tracy residents have known Morri for years as the owner of Stan Morri Ford. In addition, he has served for 26 years as the 5th District representative to the County Planning Commission having been appointed by County Supervisors Evelyn Costa, Bob Cabral and Leroy Ornellas.
Tracy farmer, John Thoming – the Thoming name is well known in Tracy farming circles. John served two terms as President of both the U.S. Dry Bean Council and the American Dry Bean Board, the Almond Board of California, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Deuel Vocational Institute, a former San Joaquin County Grand juror and a member of the San Joaquin Citizens Land Alliance.
Mountain House CSD President, Bernice Tingle – a founding member of the Mountain House Community Services District, Tingle was recently selected to serve as its President. Until her retirement, Ms. Tingle was a manager with Pacific Bell.
Manteca City Councilman, Steve De Brum – Councilmember De Brum is well known as a member of the Manteca City Council and Manteca’s representative on the San Joaquin Council of Governments. Local dairy farmers know De Brum as the Northern Area Representative for the Dairy Farmers of America. He is Past President of the Manteca Convention and Visitors Bureau and a Past President of the Manteca Boys and Girls clubs. De Brum currently serves as a Board member for the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Manteca farmer Daryll Quaresma – is a native of California having been born in the central valley and currently residing in Ripon, CA. Daryll is a third-generation farmer active for over twenty years. He currently farms acres of almonds, grapes, wheat and corn in California’s central valley. Additionally, he owns and manages a custom-almond harvesting business. He currently serves as President of the Manteca District Chamber of Commerce.
The South San Joaquin Republicans have put out to call to Republicans running for office in the southern part of San Joaquin County to come and speak at its May 7 meeting in Manteca.
Already on the speakers card are Bob Elliott and Thomas Benigno, the two Republicans running for the District 5 seat on the county Board of Supervisors, a nonpartisan seat. Also scheduled to speak are Benjamin Cantu, who is running for the Manteca City Council and Garry Krebbs who is running for Ripon City Council. Republican Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen is also expected to attend.
The group is asking Republicans running for school board, city council or other office in the south county to call Frank Aquila if they want to join the speakers. His phone number is (209) 825-0123.
The supervisor’s race in on the June primary ballot. Most cities and school boards in the county won’t appear on a ballot until November.
The meeting is at 6 p.m. on May 7 at Chez Shari Restaurant at 305 North Union Road in Manteca.
Today was the final day of the nomination period, a significant moment in the timeline of the June 5 election. So I found myself in the familiar position of hanging around the county Registrar of Voters Office, waiting for the latest information.
One of the busy staffers determining that the candidates had done everything necessary before putting them on the ballot was Gina Verstrepen, candidate filing supervisor. She’s often there when I’ve found myself waiting around the elections office for news to happen. If you’ve run for office in San Joaquin County sometime during the last 30 years, there’s a good chance you know her.
But she won’t be there for the next big election moment. She’s retiring after 30 years on March 23. She’ll be missed.
