The ballot has been set for the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary Election, when Turlockers will be asked to elect candidates to several Stanislaus County seats and vote in primaries to select congressmen and state legislators..
In local races, Turlock City Councilwoman Amy Bublak has entered the campaign for Stanislaus County Assessor. She will face Don Gaekle, who currently serves as Stanislaus County Assessor after a mid-term appointment.
Incumbent Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager will face off against Frank Carson, a Modesto-based attorney and businessman. And incumbent Stanislaus County Sheriff-Coroner Adam Christianson will square off with Tom Letras, a deputy sheriff from Ceres.
Two Stanislaus County Supervisor seats will be on the ballot, but Turlockers will not vote in either election. In District 3, incumbent Terry Withrow, an accountant and farmer, will be challenged by high school teacher Scott Calkins. In District 4, incumbent Dick Monteith will square off with current Modesto City Councilman Dave Lopez.
Turlockers will also vote in open primaries, leading up to November elections to select congressmen and state legislators. In the new primary system, which went into effect in 2012, the top two votegetters will be on the November ballot regardless of party affiliation; theoretically it is possible for two Democrats to face off with no Republican on the November ballot, or vice versa.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) will look to defend his seat against Michael Eggman (D), a Turlock farmer, and Mike Barkley (D), a Manteca lawyer and CPA who also ran for Denham’s seat in the 2012 primary.
State Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto) will defend her seat against Harinder Grewal (D), a Stanislaus County agricultural inspector from Keyes who also serves on the Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees.
State Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) will be challenged by Shawn K. Bagley (D), a produce broker and businessman from Salinas who serves as a member of the Democratic National Convention.
Tom Chagnon will run unopposed and retain his seat as the County Superintendent of Schools. Treasurer-Tax Collector Gordon B. Ford will also run unopposed, as will Stanislaus County Clerk-Recorder Lee Lundrigan and Stanislaus County Auditor-Controller Lauren Klein. Nine Stanislaus County Superior Court judges will also retain their judgeships for lack of opposition.
Two propositions will be on the June ballot: Proposition 41, the Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014, which would sell $600 million in bonds to fund affordable housing for low-income and homeless veterans, and Proposition 42, which would require local governments to comply with public access laws, but would cut tens of millions of dollars in state funding to comply with those laws.
