Three incumbents seek re-election to Modesto City Council. The Bee’s recommendations

Modesto City Councilmember Chris Ricci will have to wait until the November election to find out if two of his colleagues will join him for a second four-year term. That is because the District 3 incumbent, a partner in a digital marketing firm, is running unopposed.

The same can’t be said for colleagues David Wright (District 6) and Rosa Escutia-Braaton (District 1). Wright is being challenged by Stanislaus County emergency preparedness analyst Austin Grant. Escutia-Braaton faces opposition from transportation planner Joel Campos and former councilmember John Gunderson.

Should the incumbents win, they will be termed out in 2028. Modesto pays its councilmembers $30,000 annually.

The Modesto Bee Editorial Board met with the candidates and came up with these recommendations for voters.:

District 6

Wright, 72, has the experience to help guide the city; however, we believe that Grant, 29, is better suited to represent northeast Modesto because of his push for affordable housing in a city where the median rent is $1,850 and the median home price is $444,000.

Grant exhibits a vibrancy and energy needed to shake off the “I’m only one vote” mentality that hinders the city from undertaking greater efforts to improve the lives of its 218,000 residents, most of them Latino (43%) and young (the median age is 34.5).

Grant said the city needs to zone for more apartments and condos to make housing more affordable because residents with the median income of $35,000 are priced out of the market. He proposes switching from approving construction of “unaffordable” homes to creating “more apartments, more condominiums and more multi-family homes.”

He backs more senior centers, parks that cater to disabled people, representation of more people of color, and better oversight of a police department that has been called out for disproportionate use of force against Black residents.

Wright said “the city doesn’t build homes,” but added “we’ve done everything we can to make (housing) available and easy for the different developers to come in and build housing.”

Grant believes the city can do more to push for legislation and policies that allow for more affordable housing.

District 1

Escutia-Braaton, the incumbent, has the experience needed to represent this northwest district. She is the best choice among the three candidates, and we recommend her re-election.

Her 25 years of public policy experience includes serving in appointed posts under Republican and Democratic gubernatorial administrations. Escutia-Braaton, who was born in México and raised in Sacramento, served on the Modesto Planning Commission for two terms.

Her priorities in a second council term are updating the general plan that hasn’t been refreshed since 1995 to create a map of what Modesto should look like. Escutia-Braaton, 56, also wants to finalize an economic development strategic plan to identify what businesses would be a good fit for the city.

“Do we want to be the new Silicon Valley?” said Escutia-Braaton, who noted that the Central Valley has added residents because of a lower cost of living.

Campos, a senior regional planner at the San Joaquin Council of Governments, said the city and its council are “stagnant in delivering services.” He believes his policy experience can result in a higher level of productivity and service delivery.

Campos, 34, said Modesto’s lack of an economic plan is driving tax revenue to Riverbank.

Gunderson, 68, served on the council in 2011-15 and has been defeated twice since then in his bid for another term. Gunderson said he would focus on homelessness. “There’s some new tools that we can work with,” he said.

This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Three incumbents seek re-election to Modesto City Council. The Bee’s recommendations."