Rep. Tom McClintock has been around Stanislaus County, just not in Modesto office
Rep. Tom McClintock joined former Republican House Rep. John Duarte and State Assemblymember Juan Alanis at the Duarte Nursery Annual Friends Day in Hughson on May 2, eight miles away from his office, which remains closed.
Meanwhile, a sign below the doorbell at McClintock’s office now reads: “Please call (209) 550-6910 for assistance or an appointment,” where it once read: “Please press button for assistance.”
According to McClintock spokesperson Jennifer Cressy, the congressman spoke with approximately 800 people at the event about what he has done to “secure the borders,” and also “the importance of the tax and regulatory rollbacks that we are pursuing and recounted his conversation with the president about the need for quick action on rescission bills and bi-lateral free trade agreements.”
Rescission bills undo previously agreed upon federal funding and usually are initiated by the president. In this case, the bills appear to have been brought up by McClintock, to the great joy of President Trump, according to a recent interview with Fox 40.
“[McClintock] expressed confidence that if we can get these policies in place by the beginning of the summer, that the stage will be set for explosive economic growth next year,” Cressy said.
How long has Modesto office been closed?
McClintock’s Modesto office has been shuttered since at least April 14, when constituents realized the door was locked and the office darkened on a Monday morning with no note or explanation. Normal business hours still were listed as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Nine days later, on April 23, McClintock was in Denair talking with almond growers, then in Knights Ferry the next day meeting with locals, according to his Facebook posts. On the same day, constituents rallied outside his office to protest cuts to Medicaid.
The Modesto Bee received a response April 24 explaining that the ongoing office closure was due to the death of staff member Bob Phelan and the departure of office manager Alfredo Miranda, who moved on to another position in Southern California.
Miranda now works as a district representative for Suzette Valladares, a Republican state senator who represents a region just north of Los Angeles. He did not respond to a request for comment on his departure.
“I’m pleased to report that one of the two vacant staff positions has been filled and the office will be reopening in the near future,” Cressy said in an email May 6. “We are still working on filling the second vacancy created by the death of Bob Phelan.”
The voicemail for the office still says the reason for not responding between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. is the result of a high volume of constituent phone calls.
Pushback from McClintock constituents
Since his endorsement of DOGE and Elon Musk’s spending cuts, McClintock’s constituency has been routinely protesting outside his Modesto district office on issues including Medicaid, tariffs and his current stance on Ukraine.
On May 1, he was at a Central Valley Honor Flight to D.C. for veterans. A Facebook post about the event was flooded with comments complaining about his lack of availability and perceived lack of sincerity toward veterans issues.
One Placer County former constituent posted, “I’m a veteran. The last time you saw me you ran away like a scared child. Where was your respect then?”
McClintock represents a district that shifted in January 2023 from California’s 10th Congressional District, represented by progressive Democrat Josh Harder (now representing the 9th district) to California’s deep-red 5th District. Some constituents believe this may have led to a disconnect between McClintock and his newly adopted constituency.
On March 3, McClintock told CBS that he had canceled previously scheduled office hours in late February after his constituents became “heated,” and that he would resume office hours once tempers cooled. So far, there have not been any new office hours scheduled.
Cressy referenced Indivisible, an organization that organizes around progressive causes, in response to why McClintock is concerned about the temperament of his constituents.
“Indivisible recently instructed local chapters to confront members of Congress with the goal of ‘turn(ing) a quick interaction into a major headline.’” Cressy responded. “Past Indivisible strategy guides have been even more explicit, urging Indivisible members to disrupt public meetings, shout down members of Congress and tie up congressional office phones to obstruct official business.”
In a response to The Modesto Bee, Naramsen Goriel, a spokesperson for the Stanislaus chapter of Indivisible, said the organization organizes local town halls, office visits and monthly meetings to engage members of Congress to push for issues including Medicare, Social Security, national parks, tariffs and immigration policies.
“We believe in the power of peaceful, constructive activism and reject violence in all its forms,” he said. “We’re exercising a fundamental constitutional right of civic engagement and advocacy that’s essential to our democracy.”
There is now a website for a group known as CA5Unite, and Facebook page dedicated to unseating McClintock in the November 2026 election.
Later this month, McClintock is set to provide special remarks at the Republican Party of Stanislaus County’s Lincoln Day dinner, a fundraiser not open to the public. The Modesto Peace/Life Center has plans to protest the event outside the venue, Sidelines/Whiskey Jacks.
Cressy did not respond to questions about when McClintock was last in his Modesto office or when his next public appearance will be.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM.
