Merced supervisor Espinosa faces challengers for District 1. What are their goals?
Merced County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Rodrigo Espinosa is vying for a third-term in the March primary election in District 1.
Espinosa is competing against three challengers in the race in Sonia Fernanda Alshami, Maria Soto and Jim Pacheco.
Alshami is a business owner who ran against Espinosa in 2020 and previously ran for Merced City Council. Soto is an educator and currently sits on the Livingston City Council. Pacheco is a retired Merced County Sheriff’s deputy who currently works as a bailiff.
District 1 includes the communities of Le Grand, Planada, El Nido, Livingston and Santa Nella.
With four candidates vying for the District 1 seat, the winner will have to claim over 50% of the votes in the primary to be declared a winner. If not, the top two vote-getters will move on to the November election.
Espinosa has held public office since 2002, serving on the Livingston City Council and as Livingston Mayor. He was first elected to the Merced County Board of Supervisors in 2016.
Espinosa defeated Alshimi by just 86 votes in 2020.
Espinosa did not return phone calls or e-mails to reply to questions about the upcoming election.
Soto pointed toward affordable housing, livable wages, appropriate and reasonable costs for health care and medications, quality and quantity of water as important issues facing District 1 in Merced County.
“The most dire issue has been the lack of transparency and failed leadership that has exasperated the trust of the people who depend on fair and equal representation within our county at every level of government,” Soto said.
“There needs to be change in leadership, change in active and full participation of the municipalities served, change in perception to advance policy that is transparent, safe and responsible, change is good,” she added. “I am that change.”
Pacheco says public safety is one of the top priorities, along with sustainable groundwater.
“The most important issues facing District 1 are public safety, homelessness, and groundwater sustainability,” Pacheco said. “I plan to work with the other members of the Board of Supervisors, along with the Sheriff and District Attorney, to develop a plan to make sure our departments and county employees have the resources they need to keep our community safe.”
Alshami also pointed to homelessness as a top issue.
“We are facing many challenges in our county as a whole, not just in District 1,” Alshami said. “Increase in homeless/unhoused populations, it’s such a multi-faceted issue and though there isn’t a one-size fits all solution that would truly cure homelessness, I would work tirelessly with department heads in what ways we can alleviate this.”
Improving education was also a major issue with candidates.
“I would promote investing in education and support initiatives that enhance the quality of education in Merced,” Pacheco said. “This could include funding for schools, teacher training programs and access to educational resources like books, technology, and extracurricular activities.”
“I would support vocational training and skill development programs that equip residents with the skills needed for in-demand jobs in the area,” Pacheco added.
Soto mentioned partnerships that have been established by education institutions in Merced County, including Merced College, UC Merced, Merced City School District, and the Merced County Office of Education.
“What I envision is a better connectedness,” Soto said. “Not only among the educational institutions, but also among our child development centers, youth organizations and elder care centers and military veteran organizations together, thus creating programs and facilities for both age demographics to engage in conversations and wholesome family style activities.”
Rodrigo Espinosa
Age: 55
Birthplace: Mexico
Current town of residence: Livingston
Current Occupation: Merced County Supervisor District 1
Education: BA in Criminal Justice for Stanisluas State
Offices held: Current Merced County Superivsor Chairman, Livingston Mayor, Livingsotn City Councilmember.
Espinosa didn’t respond to phone calls or email requests to answer questions regarding the upcoming election.
Jim Pacheco
Age: 56
Birthplace: Turlock, California
Current town of residence: Le Grand, California
Current occupation: Retired Sheriff Sergeant, currently a Reserve Deputy Sheriff working part time for the Merced County Sheriff’s Office
Education: Atwater High School, Merced Junior College, California POST Academy
Offices held: I do not currently hold a political office
Campaign website address: jim4supervisor.com
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
The most important issues facing District 1 are public safety, homelessness, and groundwater sustainability. I plan to work with the other members of the Board of Supervisors, along with the Sheriff and District Attorney, to develop a plan to make sure our departments and county employees have the resources they need to keep our community safe.
We need to tackle Merced County’s homelessness crisis with compassion and accountability. A regional initiative that will benefit our communities while providing a funding source for mental health and homeless prevention programs is essential. We also need to empower our non-profits that have been on the front lines of this crisis for years.
Groundwater is a precious commodity, not only to our farmers but to our residents, as well. I will work with state officials, our local Groundwater Sustainability Agency, and farmers to help develop a plan to manage our groundwater.
One of my top priorities will be to deliver superior services to the residents of Merced County. Serving Merced County residents as a Deputy Sheriff and on several public service boards has been an honor. I will continue to deliver superior attentiveness and availability to those I represent. My unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for the constituents in District 1 will always be at the heart of my service.
Q. What can you do, if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
I would promote investing in education and support initiatives that enhance the quality of education in Merced. This could include funding for schools, teacher training programs and access to educational resources like books, technology, and extracurricular activities.
I would support vocational training and skill development programs that equip residents with the skills needed for in-demand jobs in the area. I would like to foster partnerships with local businesses, community colleges, and Merced County to offer relevant training/internship programs.
I would encourage infrastructure projects that improve the overall quality of life in Merced, such as upgrading transportation systems, revitalizing downtown and expanding access to high-speed internet.
I would partner with local community organizations and nonprofits to ensure they have the resources to provide valuable services to Merced residents, such as Senior care, adult education, childcare and support for under-served populations.
I would encourage collaboration between government agencies, businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations to give Merced County a prosperous economic and educational future for all its residents.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
Some important steps I believe we should take to attract new investment and jobs to Merced include the following.
We should simplify and expedite the permitting processes for businesses looking to establish or expand operations in Merced County and make it easier for companies to invest in the area.
Improve infrastructure, including transportation networks, utilities, and broadband internet access, to make Merced more attractive to businesses and reduce the costs of doing business in the area.
Promote Merced’s unique assets and advantages to potential investors, such as its central location in California, affordable real estate, and access to graduates from Merced College and UC Merced.
Collaborate with all local governments towards a common goal of creating and encouraging a pro- business environment within Merced County.
Maria Soto
Age: 53
Birthplace: San Joaquin County
Current town/city of residence: Livingston
Current occupation: Educator and seated Councilwoman for the City of Livingston
Education: AA in Liberal Studies, Merced College ; BA in Early Childhood Education and Liberal Studies, minor in Psychcology, CSU Stanislaus ; MA in Education Curriculum and Instruction, University of Phoenix, Sacramento campus ; Ed.S. Education Specialist in Administrative Leadership (in process, completed 6 units) Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, Fresno State
Campaign website address: maria-soto.com
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
The most important issues that face my district are among those that impact our region and nation; affordable housing, livable wages, appropriate and reasonable costs for health care and medications, quality and quantity of water, and for every person who has concerns, those are considered my most important issues. But the most dire issue has been the lack of transparency and failed leadership that has exasperated the trust of the people who depend on fair and equal representation within our county at every level of government.
There needs to be change in leadership, change in active and full participation of the municipalities served, change in perception to advance policy that is transparent, safe and responsible, change is good. I am that change.
Q. What can you do, if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
Merced has steadily grown a plethora of educational facilities, activities and resources that are distributed to the residents and business community. I believe many partnerships have already been established with Merced College, UC Merced, Merced City School District, Merced County Office of Education and other private educational entities.
What I envision is a better connectedness, not only among the educational institutions but also among our child development centers, youth organizations and elder care centers and military veteran organizations together, thus creating programs and facilities for both age demographics to engage in conversations and wholesome family style activities.
We must start with new energy and new ideas such as I have proposed to develop a water park at Lake Yosemite complete with a concert venue, child development and senior center, food and drink gardens and wave machine all centered around learning about health, safety and welfare. I am currently in talks with a developer on this plan but it is 100% achievable, affordable and within sight. You can go to my website Maria-Soto.com for more of the specifics but this is why it is so important to vote for change.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
Let me start by saying that our immigrant community is responsible for so much of the wealth building that is going on here locally. Their hard work and labor provide the manpower which drives Merced County’s multi billion dollar economy. We need to push for robust ways to help people achieve legal status through work visas and otherwise.
I also do expect to rewrite county ordinances to allow for our farmers and developers to be able to have more options to legally provide shelter and work opportunities in different ways to our unhoused population. It’s tricky, but it can be done.
We must also do a better job at incentivizing the different departments of government into working together to provide more efficient options. The current programs are a great start, however I think they could be more efficient by providing greater incentives for participation and involvement and this can be achieved in several ways. We don’t always need to spend new taxpayer dollars to achieve greater results.
Sonia Fernanda Alshami
Age: 37
Current town/city of residence: Merced
Current occupation: Business Owner/ Transport Trucking
Education: BS in Criminal Justice AS in Corrections
Offices Held: Long time volunteer with CASA court appointed special advocates of Merced County, we work with at risk youth in the foster care system. Board of directors with United Way of Merced County and the Boys and Girls Club of Merced County. Planning Commission for the City of Merced and the Measure C Committee.
Q. What do you feel are the most important issues facing your district?
We are facing many challenges in our county as a whole, not just in District 1. Increase in homeless/unhoused populations, it’s such a multi-faceted issue and though there isn’t a one-size fits all solution that would truly cure homelessness, I would work tirelessly with department heads in what ways we can alleviate this.
Accessibility, and transparency, listening to those that elected you to serve them. Board of Supervisors meetings are during the week, during work hours and it’s hard for residents to make those meetings. I understand that moving the time and date of board meetings is a tremendous undertaking.
In order to make myself more accessible to the public I would hold monthly clinics throughout my district during the evening hours, and weekends as needed to meet with residents, listen to and address their concerns when possible, and bring issues of concern from the community to our next meeting.
Q. What can you do, if elected, to help improve the educational/economic outlook for Merced residents, young and old?
If elected, I would love to work with our local partners to create educational and economic programs. We have one of 10 UC campuses here in Merced.
Merced College offers many Fast Track Certificate Programs that can be completed in as little as one semester. They offer a multitude of programs such as Computer Science, Diesel Equipment Technology, Automotive Technology, Heating Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology to just name a few.
Q. What are the most important steps Merced government could take, if any, to attract new investment (jobs) to the area?
If elected I would work alongside with county department leaders and staff to help create shovel ready construction projects throughout our county not just in district one.
