First Sikh American is sworn in to serve on Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors
Mani Grewal officially became a member of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors during a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday.
Grewal will serve the remaining term of the District 4 seat that was vacated when former state Sen. Tom Berryhill passed away Aug. 29.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the former Modesto councilman to fill the vacancy. Grewal is one of the first Sikh Americans appointed to a county board of supervisors in California.
Superior Court Judge Sonny Sandhu administered the oath of office for the ceremony held in the board chambers at Tenth Street Place with limited seating due to coronavirus precautions. Dignitaries from county, city and state government attended the 15-minute event.
“I know it’s big shoes to fill, but I will do my best to carry on the legacy of Mr. Berryhill,” Grewal said after taking the oath. “He did a great job serving at the state and county level.”
Judge Sandhu said he was honored to be part of an historic appointment and proud moment for the Sikh and Indian communities.
Grewal noted his parents came to this country 50 years ago “with not very much” but taught him to work hard and not take shortcuts. His said his parents’ teachings and education allowed him to flourish in business ventures and public service.
The new supervisor also marked the transition from city to county government by removing what he said was a city of Modesto mask, replacing it with a county mask. “This one seems like the right fit,” Grewal said.
The Modesto businessman was first elected to the Modesto City Council in 2015. He did not seek re-election to another term. Grewal revealed higher political ambitions with an unsuccessful campaign for the 5th District state Senate seat in the March primary.
County supervisors said they were ready to start working with Grewal on important county decisions.
“He is a committed public servant, dedicated to working collaboratively with others to improve the quality of life for all Stanislaus County residents,” said former Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, who is completing a year as board chairwoman.
Olsen, who didn’t seek re-election, will retire from the board when two newly elected members take their seats in January.
“We are looking forward to Mani joining the team and working with all of us to make this a better place to live,” Supervisor Terry Withrow said. “There are plenty of challenges. We are a family and we think Mani is going to fit right in with that.”
Matthew “Buck” Condit was elected in November to succeed Olsen in the district including Riverbank, Oakdale and Waterford. His cousin Channce Condit, who has served on the Ceres City Council, will represent the district taking in Ceres, Patterson and Newman when Supervisor Jim DeMartini retires in January.
DeMartini didn’t seek another term after 16 years on the Board of Supervisors.
Grewal is filling a board seat representing most of Modesto, Del Rio and a small part of Ceres. The term expires in January 2023.
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
