Withrow and Madrigal intensify battle with mailers in Stanislaus County board race
Two candidates for a Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors seat turned up the intensity with recent campaign fliers, which suggest that public safety is again viewed as a prominent concern for voters.
Board Chairman Terry Withrow sent mailers this month promoting his endorsements from law enforcement leaders and associations and also called attention to his opponent’s record of violating campaign finance and driving laws.
Tony Madrigal, a Modesto councilman who is terming out, made the claim that Withrow showed an anti-police attitude with a Facebook post on the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building in Washington.
The stakes are high with the June 7 election contest between the three-term incumbent and Madrigal. Withrow has worked on efforts to shelter the homeless, protect water supplies and build the Highway 132 project.
If Madrigal wins, he will bring his own ideas to the board. The county’s five-member board would have four supervisors with two years of experience or less.
Withrow, who’s seeking a fourth term on the Board of Supervisors, has endorsements from Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, the Stanislaus County Sworn Deputies Association and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. The Modesto Police Officers Association and city firefighters also endorse Withrow over Madrigal, who has served for nine years on the City Council.
“Terry (Withrow) has always been a supporter of the Sheriff’s Department,” said Randon Kirkbride, president of the Stanislaus Sworn Deputies Association. “He has always been willing to give us the equipment we need and the funding we need. We have no reason not to endorse him.”
Madrigal hasn’t received law enforcement endorsements.
Kirkbride said union members are wary of Madrigal’s ties with advocates who want to reimagine police departments and cut their budgets.
“He has made comments in the past to be either anti-law enforcement or has made defund-the-police type statements,” Kirkbride said. “He turns around in an election year and comes to us for an endorsement. To us, that is flip-flopping.”
Kirkbride said the Modesto Police Department has seen an exodus of police officers to the county Sheriff’s Department or cities like Lathrop. “We have hired 15 to 18 police officers from Modesto in the last two years,” Kirkbride said.
Madrigal said Thursday he hasn’t made comments supporting less funding for police. He said he voted last year to increase the Modesto police budget.
As for not getting endorsements from law enforcement, Madrigal said public safety unions tend to support incumbents.
Crime is again one of the top four issues for voters in California, according to Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies polling released in April.
Despite Withrow’s endorsements, Madrigal claimed that Withrow is not supportive of police based on a post the supervisor made after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The challenger referred to the Facebook post in a mailer featuring cartoon images of cows. Withrow’s post said the violent marchers were “sincere in their beliefs”, and one of the cows remarks that “Withrow is anti-police.” Another cow says “he’s not for us.”
Withrow said last week the overall message of his Facebook comment was “violence is never the answer” and “we all need to come together and work through this.” Withrow said his opponent amplified a single phrase in the post.
According to screenshots, Withrow’s post said that both the Trump supporters and protesters who caused destruction over police brutality in summer 2020 were “sincere in their beliefs.” A number of Facebook users questioned that idea and disagreed with the supervisor, saying one group was protesting years of injustice and the other was committing insurrection over a presidential election result.
“How can you honestly say those people who were part of that were sincere in their beliefs, when they attacked law enforcement?” Madrigal said.
One of Withrow’s campaign mailers cited Madrigal’s personal record, including a fine for campaign finance violations, a three-day jail sentence for reckless driving in Santa Cruz County and citations for driving with a suspended or revoked license. Madrigal was a Santa Cruz councilman from 2004 to 2012 and has said he learned from his mistakes.
Residents want police protection
Withrow and Madrigal are seeking votes in a supervisorial district that includes west and northwest Modesto, Salida and the Wood Colony area.
Terhesa Gamboa, chairwoman of the Woodland West Neighborhood Association, said she endorsed Withrow mostly because the neighborhood wants a soundwall to reduce traffic noise along the newly constructed Highway 132 bypass. The chance of getting the soundwall is better if Withrow remains in office, she said.
As for public safety, Gamboa said Woodland West residents complain about vehicle burglaries and reckless drivers speeding and spinning doughnuts in intersections in the neighborhoods west of Carpenter Road.
Gamboa said Madrigal’s campaign — largely funded by construction and public service unions — has as many signs posted in the Woodland West neighborhoods as the Withrow campaign.
“Terry (Withrow) has done a good job for us as supervisor,” Gamboa said. “He comes to nearly everything I invite him to. He responds to people if they reach out to him for help. He is a good supporter of law enforcement.”
Dirkse, the county sheriff, also said there’s no question of Withrow’s support for law enforcement. Withrow’s brother is the sheriff of San Joaquin County.
Salida gets a substation
When he talked with Withrow about Salida, the county’s largest unincorporated town, the supervisor was enthusiastic about reopening the sheriff substation to expand patrols and improve access to law enforcement, Dirkse said. The county entered an agreement to place the substation at the downtown Salida fire station.
The Modesto Police Officers Association endorsed Madrigal when he first ran for City Council in 2013, but the police officers didn’t support him for re-election in 2017.
An MPOA committee member told The Modesto Bee that one concern was Madrigal’s raising more than $100,000 in campaign contributions in a low-voter-turnout district. He won in 2013 with 804 votes.
Madrigal has raised $145,200 this year and spent $138,785 in running for the county board seat. Withrow has received $98,000 in campaign contributions this year and spent $97,078, according to disclosures.
Withrow said much of the work of rebuilding the Sheriff’s Department after recessionary cuts a decade ago is done, as the county added 40 deputies in the last four years while boosting the department’s budget by $24 million. He expects to work on solutions to homelessness, transportation projects and the Focus on Prevention initiative, which is trying to address the root causes that lead to family dysfunction, homelessness and criminal behavior.
“You cannot defund police,” Withrow said. “That is not the answer for anybody.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
