Want to get to know candidates? Your best bet: Modesto Bee forums
The signs of campaign season are upon us.
Political signs adorn major street corners. Candidates ask for our money. National conventions entertained us on TV, or maybe helped ease us to bed.
And this week marks the return of our informative and popular candidate forums conducted by The Modesto Bee Editorial Board.
Because of COVID-19 distancing guidelines, you will notice some differences. All will be conducted via Zoom instead of in person. So it will look a little more like Hollywood Squares than your typical same-room debate.
But viewers still will be treated to the same lively, issues-driven back-and-forth that has become a hallmark for Bee candidate interviews. We think it’s a good way for voters to get to know candidates on some level, a particularly challenging task at a time when they can’t do normal campaigning like door-to-door canvassing.
These debates will be available for viewing at modbee.com on the evening or day after they’re recorded, and will remain on our website until after the Nov. 3 election, so you can see them as many times as you like.
This ballot might be the largest you’ve ever seen. That’s because many races that previously appeared in odd years have moved to even years, when better participation is expected and to save on election processing costs.
A downside is that The Bee simply can’t interview the nearly 200 candidates in local races. We’ve had to pick and choose those that are high points and will prove most competitive, and let the others go.
For example, Joel Campos is on the ballot only because five people wrote in his name in the March Primary, when he wasn’t listed opposing Assemblyman Adam Gray. Campos got less than 1% in the Primary and has no chance in November, so we’re not spending our time doing a Bee interview in that race.
Others are highly competitive but won’t have wide appeal to our reading audience, which is mainly Stanislaus County but also takes in parts of a few other counties. I regret not having enough time, for instance, to issue endorsements in Oakdale Irrigation District races, which are vital there but draw little interest in the rest of our coverage area.
A better way to look at this is that The Bee will provide interviews with 36 candidates in 13 important local races. We’re proud to provide this as a public service, illustrating the importance of local journalism.
Mark calendars for candidate debates
Here is the lineup:
Monday, Aug. 31 — Stanislaus County supervisor, District 1: Buck Condit and Bill Zoslocki
Tuesday, Sept. 1 — Senate District 5: Susan Talamantes Eggman (D) and Jim Ridenour (R)
Thursday, Sept. 3 — Stanislaus County supervisor, District 5: Channce Condit and Tom Hallinan
Sept. 8 — Ceres mayor: Brett Durossette and Javier Lopez
Sept. 9 — Modesto City Council, District 1: Rosa Escutia-Braaton, Jennifer Hidalgo and Amin Vohra.
Sept. 10 — Modesto City Council, District 3: Jim Applegate, Janice Keating and Chris Ricci.
Sept. 15 — Modesto Irrigation District, Division 1: Larry Byrd* and Suzy Powell-Roos.
Sept. 16 — Modesto City Council, District 6: Jessica Gonzalez, Kelsten Obert, Hunter Sauls and David Wright.
Sept. 23 — Modesto mayor: Kristi Ah You, Ted Brandvold*, Rick Countryman, Naramsen Goriel, Doug Ridenour, Erin Sommer Tenorio and Sue Zwahlen.
Sept. 24 — Turlock City Council: Gil Esquer*, Rebecka Monez and Ruben Wegner for District 2, and Pam Franco and Robert Puffer for District 4.
Sept. 30 — Patterson mayor: Dennis McCord, David Keller and Mark Miles.
Also on Sept. 30 we will post a video with Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Harder of the 10th Congressional District in similar interview format but without challenger Republican Ted Howze, who declined to participate.
We invite readers to suggest questions for these forums, to be considered as we prepare for each. Email suggestions to gstapley@modbee.com.
Modesto Bee endorsements are coming
Notice that only three names above (not counting Harder) have asterisks, indicating incumbents. This election has potential for extraordinary leadership turnover. Never has it been more important for everyone to tune in and engage — to say nothing of the presidential election.
Witnessing a debate is among the best ways to get to know candidates. Their answers help inform The Bee’s editorial endorsements, to be issued up to and throughout the first week of October, which is when all voters will receive mail ballots. These endorsements are offered not to tell people how to vote, but to add perspective to candidate positions and ballot proposals.
So mark your calendars for the forums you want to see, or check modbee.com any time after they’re posted. And don’t forget to vote.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
