Juan Alanis leads Jessica Self in race for Assembly District 22 seat
Republican Juan Alanis was widening his lead over Democrat Jessica Self in the race for the 22nd Assembly District seat, according to early unofficial results from the California Secretary of State’s Office.
In the first results update, at 10 p.m., Alanis had 24,396 votes, or a 54.5% share, to Self’s 20,362 votes, or 45.5%. An update Wednesday morning had him with 30,066 votes, or 57.4%, to her 22,321 votes, or 42.6%.
The new Assembly district includes Modesto, Ceres, Turlock, Patterson and part of Merced County.
In the latest Stanislaus County results, released late Tuesday, Alanis had 28,182 votes, or 56.7%, to Self’s 21,494 votes, or 43.3%.
Shortly after the polls closed at 8 p.m., Alanis campaign spokesman Joshua Whitfield said, “From the campaign perspective, we’re very pleased with the early vote and pretty excited about the Election Day turnout.” Noting that it still was very early in the vote count, he added, “We’re definitely very happy with where we are.”
In his results-watching gathering at The Grand Oak in Turlock, Alanis also got on the phone. He said he was feeling good about the early results, was grateful for the hard work a lot of supporters put in and feels “the whole journey has been worth it.”
The nonprofit, nonpartisan news site CalMatters says of the district and the race, “When the Citizens Redistricting Commission redrew California’s electoral maps, it didn’t include an incumbent in this district. That’s created a rare, wide open seat that both Democrats and Republicans have a real shot at winning.”
CalMatters notes that neither Self nor Alanis have elected experience and so don’t have specific policy-making decisions to defend. “Though Alanis briefly ran to be (Stanislaus) county sheriff, neither he nor Self are likely to have much name ID outside their respective professional circles. Neither occupy the ideological extremes, but stress their bipartisan instincts and run with the full support of their respective parties.”
Alanis, a sergeant with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, has called for a return to criminal laws with penalties for theft and other nonviolent crimes. He’s said deceptive titles like the “Safe Schools Act” fooled Californians into voting for Proposition 47 and other reforms. He said “zero bail” and softer laws against grand theft fail to stop people from stealing from businesses.
Self has said she disagrees with going back to what she sees as a flawed criminal justice system. Self, an attorney who served nine years in the county public defender’s office, said there are problems with the traditional justice system. The idea of turning back the clock is not a solution, she has said.
She noted that Proposition 47, reducing many nonviolent crimes and drug violations to misdemeanors, did not have the desired effect locally because the county did not implement available programs. The proposition also has allowed people trying to rebuild their lives to convert prior felonies on their records to misdemeanors.
Self said efforts in the county to reduce homelessness have focused almost exclusively on the people least likely to get into housing quickly — the ones living on the streets and in tents near the freeway.
Resources should be directed to families and individuals sleeping in cars and other vehicles, many of whom are working and could be moved into stable housing if supported, the candidate said.
Alanis said soft criminal laws have taken away a tool that police used to deal with transients camping near businesses. Officers could possibly arrest them on probation violations or drug possession charges and put them in jail, serving as a starting point for getting into drug rehab or turning their lives around, he said.
An arrest can be constructive in changing a life, Alanis said, but the state has decriminalized those offenses.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 9:12 PM.
