Editor’s Note: With The Modesto Focus moderating, incumbent Mani Grewal and challenger Rally Valenzuela recently debated issues ranging from animal control and StanCOG misspending to ICE raids and groundwater subsidies.
They’re running for Stanislaus County supervisor in District 4, which runs through the heart of Modesto and includes Del Rio.
Questions were fielded to the candidates by Modesto FOCUS Editor Marijke Rowland, Senior Reporter Garth Stapley and Victor A. Patton, managing editor of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
A transcript of the debate is included below. It has been edited and slightly reordered for brevity and clarity.
Question: Let’s start with opening statements.
Grewal: I was born and raised in Modesto. My parents were immigrants from India and taught me the value of hard work and giving back to the community. That’s been a guiding principle for me, and it’s an honor to be the first practicing Sikh American elected to a board of supervisors in California. My wife and I are raising our four children here. Priorities for me are to make sure that our neighborhoods and our families feel safe. I’m grateful to the Modesto Police Officers Association, the Modesto Firefighters Association, Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse and District Attorney Jeff Laugero for their support.
On the board, every decision I make is to make sure that we are utilizing public dollars the best way possible. I never forget that the county budget belongs to all of us. When programs aren’t working, I’m one that will always say that they’re not working because I believe elected officials should be accountable and accessible, even when I’m not running for election.
Valenzuela: My name is Jennifer Anne Valenzuela, but most people know me as Rally. I’m running because I’ve lived the systems that people depend on, and I know how to make them work better. As an IHSS (In Home Supportive Services) provider, a parent and through my work on boards, commissions and across counties, I’ve seen where people get stuck and they can’t access the services that already exist. My focus is access coordination and making sure systems actually work for the people who rely on them.
Q: StanCOG, or the Stanislaus Council of Governments, fired its executive director a few months ago when extravagant expenses and vacation policies were discovered. What is the main takeaway from this fiasco?
Grewal: I was one of the people on that board that was vocal about being accountable for the people who committed wrongdoing with the community’s hard-earned tax dollars. I was one of the first to come out and call for the executive director to be terminated because I felt that there was enough information that showed there was abuse and wasteful spending, even with some saying there could be litigation. And I was quoted at that time that I’d rather be tried in a court of law than a court of public opinion, because we are answerable to the people that reside in this community. When things aren’t working, I’m one of the first to point that out.
Valenzuela: I tend to be fiscally conservative, so things like that bother me. I have had to watch over budgets. Oversight is really important to me and transparency in government. I prefer to be more cautious and not jump the gun or be accusatory or jump to conclusions.
Safety issues – including immigration enforcement – in Stanislaus County
Q: Immigration has been in the news. Are you comfortable with the sheriff’s approach to coordinating with Homeland Security?
Valenzuela: Immigration is a federal responsibility, and it gets dicey when you talk about that on the county level. However, especially with events in Patterson, communities are upset and they are emotional, and so it’s trying to strike a balance between understanding and having proper representation and respecting law enforcement.
Grewal: For events that transpired in Patterson this week – transparency, accountability, due process, they all play a huge role. I feel that the sheriff handled the situation the best that could be. We’ve been transparent, keeping the public informed. We have been partners with state and federal agencies. When the Department of Homeland Security got involved, we were very stern that this is an investigation being carried out by our federal partners. And the local sheriff has done an amazing job to make sure that the community knows what’s going on. The family members of the person (arrested) have been kept abreast of all of the developments.
Q: Is the Sheriff’s Department’s beef with the 911 dispatch center affecting the safety of citizens and law enforcement officers?
Grewal: (Stanislaus Regional) 911 has been a hot-topic issue. I’ve been integrally involved. I feel the community is safe. We are utilizing the same software throughout the entire SR 911 system. And in the coming months, we will work to establish a connection between Central Square and Oracle when the time is appropriate and we feel that it’s safe for our community. We’re not going to jump to new software until we make sure all the things that need to be worked out do get worked out.
Valenzuela: I would approach problems with access coordination and effectiveness. I 100% support our wonderful Sheriff’s Office, and I think you don’t have to revamp everything, but with a few small tweaks here and there improvements can be made.
Q: Is the county doing enough to respond to demands for reforming animal services?
Valenzuela: I have a heart for animals, so this is a special topic for me. This (needs) coordination between city and county. I’ve seen so much talk (from) city officials with this county issue. We have a few tweaks to be made with access and coordination. A lot of times people don’t know how to access (services) or they got kind of stuck in the paperwork. Figuring out where the dollars go and how to spend them more effectively.
Grewal: I am very well aware of the issue with animal control. It’s a (joint powers authority) of multiple cities and the county. We have to work as partners to see where there are shortfalls or shortcomings, and I think the conversations are already being had. If I were to say that everything is perfect with animal control, I’d be kidding myself and kidding all of you. There’s going to be changes implemented. Leadership is having those tough conversations and not just saying that everything’s working fine. I’m very much engaged in those conversations.
Potential friction between Modesto and neighboring Salida, Wood Colony and Riverbank
Q: The heart of Modesto is in District 4. What do you think about the ongoing effort to revise Modesto’s General Plan, especially in regard to Wood Colony, Salida and potential conflicts with Riverbank?
Grewal: I had the privilege of serving on the Modesto City Council for five years prior to being on the Board of Supervisors. This is a complex issue. There has to be a lot of communication. Modesto has to have options, but they have to align with our neighbors. Talking to Riverbank and folks in Wood Colony, I feel the presentation of three different variations of the General Plan is a good start. Modesto has to make sure that they’re remaining competitive when it comes to growth, whether it’s commercial space, retail and housing. Conflicts (can be) overcome when there’s compromise and discussion and conversation.
Valenzuela: Each place has its own identity. Nobody wants to lose that and we don’t exist in silos either. So where we can find common ground, I think that we should. One of the most important things we can do at the county level is listening. You want to feel like decisions are made with your input. Seeing where we can find common ground is important.
Q: On that same June 2 ballot as your race, your constituents in Del Rio – and Salida residents – will vote on Measure J, a special tax for fire protection. What is your position on the tax measure?
Valenzuela: If it benefits the community, for sure. I tend to be fiscally conservative, so anytime it has extra prongs, I start getting nervous. But in general, I would support anything that supports our services, like firefighters.
Grewal: First and foremost is making sure our citizens have those services. I am fiscally conservative when it comes to raising anyone’s taxes, but when it comes to public safety and access to care because of fire providing advanced life support services, this is one that the community would benefit from.
Q: Homeowners would pay $168 more per year in Measure J taxes. You both have said that you’re fiscally conservative. Are you not looking out for taxpayers, and are you not worried about the increase in cost of living that all of us are dealing with?
Grewal: This was originally implemented more than two decades (ago). With hindsight, (there should be) a cost of living adjustment in the tax, but there hasn’t been. (The current) $45 is not going to provide the services, which equates to $168. We need to make a tough decision of how we provide a service for a tax that was implemented 20 years (ago) with no additional escalators or no additional cost of living adjustments.
Valenzuela: Sometimes you have to make a bit of investment upfront for a maximum benefit. It’s like insurance. It hurts every month, but it is far less expensive to pay a little bit now than to have a really big catastrophe later. And safety is really important.
Q: Should county leadership consider adopting a local ordinance outlawing the wearing of masks at public protests, like Modesto?
Grewal: We have an elected sheriff that oversees his department, we oversee his budget. The sheriff is elected to make those decisions and is accountable to the public, and I would leave those decisions to our elected sheriff to make.
Valenzuela: I would agree, however I acknowledge that people have a real fear or resentment or strong feelings about it. I see the feeling from the community, if they are not allowed to wear masks at these things, they want it to be equal treatment. It doesn’t come out of nowhere. There is a reason behind what they’re asking for.
Creating a more robust economy for Stanislaus County
Q: It’s been a while since we’ve had a major employer locate here, and in the meantime we’ve lost some big employers – Del Monte was 1,800 jobs, and a couple in Patterson lost almost 100 employees each. What can county leadership do to boost our economy?
Valenzuela: That’s a rough one because just like housing we can’t control costs and interest rates. We can be experts in access coordination and effectiveness in services that we provide. For working families who are struggling we have programs like CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, First 5 (early childhood resources). One thing is (during) the onboarding process, making it easier for people to access services so they can keep and hold their jobs.
Grewal: When we received American Recovery Plan Act funds, about $107 million, we invested $50 million in infrastructure and $30 million towards real economic development in Stanislaus County, hiring the Brookings Institution to tell us what our community can do to bring good-paying jobs here. Because of that investment, we spent $10 million on a program called BEAM Circular. We were able to create a snowball effect in other investment – philanthropic, state and federal to the tune of threefold. Now we’re looking to create a campus that would provide good-paying jobs so that we have another economic engine here in Stanislaus County.
Q: Should Modesto and Del Rio residents pay to correct significant groundwater problems on the east edge of Stanislaus County?
Grewal: I believe that Modesto and Del Rio ratepayers should not supplement the shortfalls that specific areas of Stanislaus County have.
Valenzuela: The thought of someone having contaminated water just seems like such a no-brainer. We might work in Modesto, but then we go over to another part of town and our family members are there and we work there. So when the whole county is doing better, everyone’s doing better.
Q: Mani, you’ve been a public servant for many years. Do you have aspirations to move on to elected office on another level?
Grewal: Serving my community is the biggest honor. It’s a privilege that I don’t take lightly. I want to serve the residents of Stanislaus County for the foreseeable future. I will serve my community if elected for the entire four years.
Q: Rally, your opponent has not been a particularly controversial figure. Why do we need a change in county government?
Valenzuela: The role is about responsibility and making sure that systems work for the people who rely on them. I have first-hand experience because I live them. I use the services. I know how the programs work from the inside, and it gives me special insight. That is the secret sauce, the magic combination, because I can see the gaps from the inside and I know how to fix them.
Q: Are there other races that you’re particularly interested in this year?
Grewal: This is a gubernatorial open election, which we haven’t had in the last eight years. We need somebody in the governor’s office that’s going to work with the Central Valley and Stanislaus County. There’s an election in Senate District 4 which over(laps) much of Stanislaus County, and congressional districts 5 and 13. Having a relationship at the state level and federal level is very important.
Valenzuela: I’m also very interested in the Senate race. So many people think about a presidential race as the thing that’s going to really change their lives, but the president doesn’t fix your roads and give you local services.
Q: What will you do to address the unhoused issue in our community?
Valenzuela: I don’t like to make big promises. With homelessness, I think we’re always looking at the end product. You see someone who is unhoused and experiencing that, but when we deal with them at the first stages, like mental and behavioral health, that’s when we can really identify a problem before it becomes a crisis for people. Stanislaus County has some really cool resources, but it’s a matter of people falling through the cracks. They don’t know either how to access them or there’s gaps of how to navigate it.
Grewal: Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, that’s one approach. Being one of the pilot counties in the state that the governor’s administration allocated to be a CARE Court county, we are one of those counties. Transitional housing, affordable housing – we’re breaking ground on conversions from motels into transitional housing. Just a few months ago we broke ground on the Seventh Street Village. We have had funding shortfalls because of federal dollars or state dollars not coming through, but we’re looking for alternative dollars to make sure that we’re addressing the situation. Can I say that we’ve solved the problem? I don’t think anybody in California solved the problem. Are we moving in the right direction? I think Stanislaus County is.
Q: We’re going to move into closing statements.
Valenzuela: The role is about responsibility, and I want to make sure that the systems that we already have work for the people who rely on them. I bring the perspective of someone who’s lived the system and understands where they break down, and that perspective leads to more practical and effective solutions. What I have to bring is insight, and that is where you get good outcomes.
Grewal: It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve on the Board of Supervisors for the last six years. I feel that we are moving in the right direction. Making tough decisions and being accessible, walking thousands of doors for me is a privilege, because it allows me to see what the temperament of our community is, what they’re concerned about, what they want to see changed, and that allows me to make decisions based on those discussions on peoples’ doorsteps. To serve another four years and continue on the progress that I’ve been a part of would be an honor.
Q: We appreciate your willingness to answer our questions and to serve our public. Viewers, please see our other debates at our website, themodestofocus.org, and don’t forget to vote.
