Modesto council incumbents Escutia-Braaton, Wright have early leads in re-election bids
Both incumbents held early leads as of early Wednesday for re-election to the Modesto City Council.
In District 1, the northwest, Rosa Escutia-Braaton had 3,314 votes to 2,793 for Joel Gutierrez Campos and 1,048 for John Gunderson.
In District 6, the northeast, David Wright had 4,258 votes to 3,088 for Austin Grant.
The totals are from a 1:17 a.m. update from the Stanislaus County Election Office. They include all mail ballots received before Election Day and some of the remaining votes.
.JPEG "David Wright (1).JPEG")
Wright, 72, owns Wright Insurance Agency and was elected to the council in 2020. He said during the campaign that he would like to boost the housing supply while continuing programs such as park rangers and connecting homeless people to social services.
Grant, 29, is an emergency preparedness analyst for Stanislaus County and serves on the city’s Community Police Review Board and Equity Commission. He said his top priority is increasing housing while also taking on corporate landlords and speculators.
Escutia-Braaton, 56, also is seeking a second term. She cited accomplishments such as the police board, park rangers, homeless outreach and a 2022 sales tax that boosted city revenue.
Escutia-Braaton spent 25 years in Sacramento, including as director of public relations for the California State Lottery.
Campos, 34, works on public transit, sidewalks and bike lanes as a senior regional planner with the San Joaquin Council of Governments. He serves on Modesto’s Equity Commission and is chairman of the Stanislaus County Republican Party.
Campos said he would work on the council to address homelessness, attract business and upgrade infrastructure.
Gunderson, 68, works as a guest teacher and served on the council from 2011 to 2015. He said his main reason for returning is to address homelessness with projects involving churches and other partners.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:56 PM.
